Wave
Strong ChoiceSMB-friendly invoicing, payments, and lightweight accounting with a free starter path and optional paid automation features.
Free
Prices checked April 5, 2026waveapps.com pricing page
78/100
Tool matchup
Wave vs Wethos
Wave vs Wethos — which is better for consultants? Side-by-side scoring on workflow fit, pricing, setup speed, and 3 more dimensions. See the winner.
Wethos
Strong ChoiceProposals, contracts, invoicing, and payments in one workflow. Crowd-sourced pricing data helps you scope projects at market rates. Scope → Sign → Invoice → Get paid.
Free, paid from $12/mo
Prices checked October 22, 2026wethos.co pricing page
74/100
Verdict
Wave leads by 4 points (close call).
Decision guidance
- Wave currently leads with 78/100.
- Wave strength: Strong on trust.
- Wethos trails Wave most on Pricing sanity: 9/15 vs 13/15.
What drives this decision
- Pricing sanity favors Wave by 4 points.
- Integrations favors Wethos by 3 points.
- Outcome fit favors Wave by 1 points.
Decision shortcuts
Which one fits your practice
Choose Wave if
- Best fit: Solo consultants and small service businesses that need invoicing and basic accounting without QuickBooks-level overhead
- Pricing sanity matters most to you: Wave scores 13/15 vs 9/15 for Wethos.
- Trust & support matters most to you: Wave scores 9/10 vs 8/10 for Wethos.
Choose Wethos if
- Best fit: Solo consultants who want proposal-to-payment without context switching
- Integrations matters most to you: Wethos scores 12/15 vs 9/15 for Wave.
Client-ready brief
Get this comparison decision brief
Send a concise summary of winner, trade-offs, and rollout recommendation.
- Wave: 78/100
- Wethos: 74/100
- Wave leads by 4 points (close call).
Best fit
Who each tool is for
Wave
Strong ChoiceBest for: Solo consultants and small service businesses that need invoicing and basic accounting without QuickBooks-level overhead.
Why pick it: Low-friction free entry point makes it easy to professionalize billing and bookkeeping early.
Watch for: If you require advanced accounting controls, inventory, or complex tax workflows, you may outgrow it.
Wethos
Strong ChoiceBest for: Solo consultants who want proposal-to-payment without context switching.
Why pick it: Proposals, contracts, invoicing, and payments in one workflow. Crowd-sourced pricing data helps you scope projects at market rates. Scope → Sign → Invoice → Get paid.
Watch for: Main trade-off: Weaker on pricing.
Swipe sideways to compare all columns.
Wave | Wethos | |
|---|---|---|
| Quick facts | ||
| Pricing sanity | Free | Free, paid from $12/mo |
| Integrations | 4+ | 3+ |
| Score breakdown | ||
| Outcome fit | 21/25 | 20/25 |
| Setup speed | 14/20 | 14/20 |
| Pricing sanity | 13/15 | 9/15 |
| Integrations | 9/15 | 12/15 |
| UX polish | 12/15 | 11/15 |
| Trust & support | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Summary | ||
| Best for | Solo consultants and small service businesses that need invoicing and basic accounting without QuickBooks-level overhead. | Solo consultants who want proposal-to-payment without context switching. |
| Key strength | Strong on trust | Strong on outcomes |
| Main weakness | Fewer integrations | Weaker on pricing |
Pricing
Plan-by-plan pricing
Wave
Plan-by-plan pricing is not recorded yet. See the starting price above and the vendor's pricing page.
Prices checked April 5, 2026waveapps.com pricing page
Wethos
| Plan | Price | Limits (vendor's wording) |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free | 1 active project; basic invoicing; basic branding |
| Professional | $12 per account / month, billed annually$15 per account / month, billed monthly | Unlimited projects and proposals; advanced invoicing; flexible payment methods |
Prices checked October 22, 2026wethos.co pricing page
Cost calculator
What would you pay?
Seats
Billing
Wave
Plan-by-plan pricing is not recorded yet. See the starting price above and the vendor's pricing page.
Wethos
$12 per month · $144 per year
Cheapest plan that fits: Professional, $12 per seat or user
Uses list prices from each vendor's pricing page, before tax and discounts. Free plans and custom-quote plans are left out.
Method
How we checked
- Scores: Curalo rates each tool out of 100 on six consultant criteria (outcome fit, setup speed, pricing, integrations, UX, trust and support). See the scoring method
- Wave: prices checked April 5, 2026 on the vendor's pricing page: waveapps.com
- Wethos: prices checked October 22, 2026 on the vendor's pricing page: wethos.co
- Plans, limits and platforms are copied from each vendor's pricing page in the vendor's own terms.
- Anything a vendor does not publish is shown as not listed rather than guessed. Prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page before buying.
Common questions
Questions consultants ask before choosing
Which is better for consultants, Wave or Wethos?
Wave scores 78/100 and Wethos scores 74/100 on Curalo's consultant rubric. The biggest gap is Pricing sanity: Wave 13/15 vs 9/15.
Is Wave or Wethos cheaper?
Wave: Free. Wethos's cheapest paid plan is Professional at $12 per account / month, billed annually.
When is Wave the wrong choice?
If you require advanced accounting controls, inventory, or complex tax workflows, you may outgrow it.
Guides
Guides for this matchup
The Consultant's Pricing Playbook: From Hourly to Value-Based
A framework to evaluate five pricing models, calculate what to charge, and build tiered packages — with formulas, scripts, and sourced benchmarks for solo consultants.
Ops and Finance Automation GuideA complete operations and finance stack for independent consultants — scheduling, invoicing, bookkeeping, and time tracking with budget tiers, setup sprints, and weekly cadences.
The First 30 Days: Setting Up Your Independent Consulting PracticeA stage-by-stage guide to setting up your consulting practice in the first month — from entity formation to first client delivery, with budget tiers at every step.
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