Who each tool is for
Wave is for small business owners (its prices are listed in US and Canadian dollars) who want their invoices, payments and books in one place. Invoices you get paid on can flow into bookkeeping records, and the Pro plan adds bank imports, reports such as profit and loss, and more users.
Duebolt is for freelancers and tradespeople who already keep their books another way (a spreadsheet, an accountant, separate software) and just need to produce the document. It works without an account and in 24 countries.
Side-by-side comparison
Prices are as of October 2026, from each company's own pricing page.
| Duebolt | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Pro $5/month or $49 once | Starter $0; Pro $19 USD/month or $190 USD/year |
| Free plan | Free generator, no document limit | Starter: unlimited invoices, estimates and bookkeeping records |
| Signup needed | No | Yes |
| Branding on free | No watermark | Wave branding in footers; removed on Pro |
| Documents | Invoices, receipts, estimates, quotes, proforma | Invoices, estimates |
| Sending and tracking | Pro: email link + PDF, opened status, reminders | Links or PDFs; Pro sends via Wave with automatic late reminders |
| Online payments | No, clients pay you directly | Optional, after approval: from 2.9% + $0.60 per card payment on Starter |
| Accounting | No | Yes: bookkeeping; Pro adds bank import and reports |
| Apps | Works in the phone browser, no store app | Mobile app for invoices and estimates |
Where Duebolt is the better fit
- You only need invoices. Duebolt doesn't ask you to set up a business ledger before the first invoice. Open the page and start.
- A clean free document. Your logo, your colour, no third-party footer.
- Lower paid price for invoicing features. Duebolt Pro is $5 a month or $49 once, and includes emailed links, opened status, reminders and online estimate acceptance.
- Outside the US and Canada. Duebolt handles VAT, GST and local registration numbers for 24 countries, A4 or Letter paper, and documents in 12 languages.
- Receipts and proforma invoices with their own number series.
Where Wave is the better fit
Wave is a better choice for many small businesses, and it's worth saying plainly:
- Real bookkeeping. Unlimited bookkeeping records on the free Starter plan, and on Pro, automatic bank imports through Plaid, auto-categorized transactions and reports including profit and loss.
- Online card and bank payments from the invoice, once your account is approved.
- Automatic late payment reminders at 3, 7 and 14 days after the due date (Pro).
- Payroll and bookkeeping help as paid add-ons, and receipt capture with OCR.
- Third-party integrations and extra users on Pro.
If you'd otherwise pay for both an invoicing tool and bookkeeping software, Wave can replace both. And if your accountant already works in Wave, keeping your invoices there saves them from matching PDFs to bank lines by hand.
How to switch from Wave to Duebolt
Most people who move invoicing out of Wave keep their books somewhere, so plan that first.
- Decide where your bookkeeping will live. Duebolt won't record payments into a ledger; Pro gives you a CSV export for your accountant.
- Note the last Wave invoice number, for example INV-0062.
- In the invoice generator, open the invoice details and type INV-0063. Duebolt counts up from there.
- Add your business name, logo, GST/HST number and Interac e-Transfer details once.
- Add clients again as you invoice them. There's no import from Wave.
Leave unpaid Wave invoices, especially ones with online payment, to be collected in Wave.
Last checked October 23, 2026.