Quick verdict
How these two tools differ.
Wave is free accounting plus a paid payroll add-on—minimal cost for books and pay. QuickBooks Payroll is payroll inside QuickBooks—payroll posts to your accounts and jobs with no sync. Wave wins on low cost for accounting plus payroll; QuickBooks Payroll wins on depth of accounting integration and job costing.
Choose Wave if you're in or want the Wave ecosystem and need simple payroll. Choose QuickBooks Payroll if you're in QuickBooks and need payroll to flow into job costing and the same books. Both serve small teams; ecosystem and cost structure are the main differentiators.
Comparison summary
Winner for low cost
Wave
Wave offers free accounting and a payroll add-on for lowest combined cost.
Winner for QuickBooks and job costing
QuickBooks Payroll
QuickBooks Payroll runs in QuickBooks with labor flowing to jobs.
Quick decision guide
Which product fits your situation.
Choose Wave if:
- You use or want Wave's free accounting.
- You're a micro business or solopreneur.
- You want to minimize cost for accounting plus payroll.
Choose QuickBooks Payroll if:
- You already use QuickBooks for accounting.
- You need payroll and job costing in one place.
- You're okay paying for QuickBooks and payroll.
Ratings comparison
How we score each product.
| Category | Wave | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.5 | 4.7 |
| Features | 4.2 | 4.5 |
| Pricing | 4.5 | 4.4 |
| Support | 4.2 | 4.3 |
| Integrations | 4.0 | 4.8 |
Feature comparison
Side-by-side feature check.
SupportedPartial supportNot available
| Feature | Wave | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | Free Wave accounting | QuickBooks (paid); payroll integrated |
| Payroll | Add-on; simple | Full; posts to QuickBooks |
| Job costing | Limited | Native; labor to jobs |
| Cost | Free accounting + payroll add-on | QuickBooks + payroll subscription |
Pricing comparison
What to expect to pay.
Wave offers free accounting; payroll is a paid add-on. QuickBooks and QuickBooks Payroll are both paid. For lowest combined cost (accounting + payroll), Wave can win for micro teams. For job costing and QuickBooks integration, QuickBooks Payroll is the fit.
Pros and cons
Strengths and trade-offs.
Wave
Pros
- Free accounting
- Low combined cost
- Simple
- Payroll add-on
Cons
- Less job costing
- Limited payroll features
- Wave ecosystem only
QuickBooks Payroll
Pros
- QuickBooks integration
- Job costing
- Full payroll
- Familiar ecosystem
Cons
- Paid accounting
- Intuit ecosystem lock-in
Best for
Which tool fits your situation.
Best for free accounting + payroll
Wave is the better fit when you want free accounting and simple payroll with the lowest combined cost.
Best for QuickBooks users
QuickBooks Payroll is the better fit when you already use QuickBooks and need payroll and job costing in one place.
Alternatives
Other options we review.
GustoStandalone payroll and HR; integrates with QuickBooks.
Read review →
Patriot PayrollBudget payroll; simple.
Read review →More comparisons
Read full reviews
Dive deeper into each product.
For detailed ratings, features, and pros and cons, see our standalone reviews:
Best payroll software guides
Find the right fit by use case or trade.
FAQs
Quick answers.