If you’re a freelancer or small business owner looking for free invoicing software, Wave is probably already on your shortlist. It is one of the most recognized names in free business finance tools, and for good reason. Wave has served over two million small businesses since launching in 2010.

But “most popular” doesn’t always mean “best fit.” If you invoice clients in multiple languages, operate outside of North America, or want to send invoices through channels like WhatsApp and Instagram, you may find Wave’s free plan leaves gaps that matter.

That’s where Fatturazione+ comes in. Billing+ is a free, multilingual invoicing platform built from the ground up for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses who work across borders and languages. In this comparison, we’ll break down features, pricing, and real use cases to help you decide which tool fits your business best.

Quick Comparison: Billing+ vs Wave at a Glance

Pricing Comparison

Billing+ Pricing

Billing+ keeps pricing simple. The free forever plan includes unlimited invoices, receipts, expenses, client management, and financial reports; no credit card required, no trial period, no catch. If you need advanced features like unlimited business profiles, custom invoice templates, and priority support, the Premium plan is $10/month.

That is it. The two tiers, transparent pricing, and no payment processing fees are baked into the platform itself.

Wave Pricing

Wave offers a free Starter plan that includes invoicing, basic bookkeeping, and receipt scanning. To unlock automated bank transaction imports, branded invoices without Wave’s logo, and receipt capture features, you’ll need the Pro plan at $19/month per business.

Where Wave’s costs add up is in payment processing. If you want clients to pay directly through your invoices via credit card, you’ll pay 2.9% plus a per-transaction fee on every payment. For bank transfers (ACH), the rate is much lower, but fees still accumulate, especially if you’re processing a high volume of invoices each month.

Wave also offers payroll as a separate add-on starting at $40/month, which is a significant advantage if you employ staff, but adds substantially to the overall cost.

The Bottom Line on Price

For a freelancer or micro-business that simply needs to create professional invoices and track expenses, Billing+ delivers more in its free tier, particularly if you need multilingual invoicing or receipt generation. Wave’s free tier is strong on the accounting and bookkeeping side, but its premium plan costs nearly double Billing+’s, and payment processing fees add further cost over time.

Feature Deep-Dive: Where Billing+ Stands Out

1. Multilingual Invoicing: A Category of One

This is the single biggest differentiator between Billing+ and Wave, and it is not even close.

Billing+ lets you create and send invoices in eight languages, including English, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, and Swahili. That means your client in São Paulo can receive their invoice in Portuguese. Your partner in Dubai sees everything in Arabic. Your customer in Dakar gets an invoice in French.

Wave’s interface and invoices are English-only. If you serve clients across language boundaries, which is increasingly common for freelancers, agencies, and e-commerce businesses, Wave simply doesn’t have a solution. You’d need to manually translate invoice details or use a separate tool, neither of which is professional or efficient.

For businesses in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, or anyone serving a multilingual client base from anywhere in the world, this feature alone can justify the switch.

2. Send Invoices via WhatsApp, Instagram, Text, and Email

In many parts of the world, email isn’t the primary way people communicate about business. In Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, WhatsApp is often the default channel for client communication, including payments.

Billing+ lets you share invoices directly through WhatsApp, Instagram, text message, and email. This means your invoice arrives where your client already is, which translates to faster responses and faster payments.

Wave limits invoice delivery to email. If your clients primarily communicate on WhatsApp or other social media platforms, you’ll be copying links and working around the tool instead of with it.

3. Receipt Generation

Here’s a feature many invoicing platforms overlook entirely: the ability to generate receipts.

Billing+ lets you convert any paid invoice into a professional receipt in seconds. For businesses that need to provide proof of payment to their clients, which is standard practice in many markets, especially in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, this is essential.

Wave offers receipt scanning (you photograph a paper receipt to log an expense), but it doesn’t generate receipts for your clients. If a customer asks you for a payment receipt after settling an invoice, Wave doesn’t have a built-in way to create one.

4. Free Plan Generosity

Both platforms offer genuinely useful free plans, but the specifics differ in important ways.

Billing+’s free plan includes unlimited invoices, unlimited receipts, unlimited expense tracking, client management, financial reports, multi-currency support, and full multilingual functionality. There’s no credit card required, no time limit, and it’s free forever.

Wave’s free Starter plan includes unlimited invoicing and bookkeeping, which is genuinely impressive. However, to remove Wave’s branding from your invoices, automate bank imports, and unlock receipt capture, you need the $19/month Pro plan. Those aren’t luxury features for many businesses; branded invoices and automated bookkeeping are table stakes.

5. Payment Flexibility with No Platform Lock-in

Billing+ integrates with PayPal, Paystack, and Paddle through payment links. This gives you flexibility. PayPal for international clients, Paystack for African markets (particularly Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya), and Paddle for subscription-based billing. You’re not locked into a single payment processor, and the payment link model means your clients can pay without needing to create an account on any platform.

Wave’s payment processing is built into the platform, which creates a smoother experience in some ways. Clients can pay by credit card, bank transfer, or Apple Pay directly from the invoice. But you’re locked into Wave’s processing fees (2.9% + fixed fee for cards), and the service is primarily available in the US and Canada. If your business or your clients are outside North America, Wave’s payment processing may not even be an option.

Where Wave Wins

A fair comparison means acknowledging where Wave genuinely excels, and it does in several important areas.

Built-in Accounting and Bookkeeping

Wave isn’t just an invoicing tool; it is a full accounting platform. The free plan includes double-entry bookkeeping, bank reconciliation, and financial reports like profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow reports. If you need a complete bookkeeping solution and an invoicing tool in one package, Wave offers something Billing+ currently doesn’t.

For freelancers and very small businesses, Wave can genuinely replace the need for a separate accounting tool, at least in the early stages.

Brand Recognition and Ecosystem

Wave has been around since 2010, serves over two million businesses, and was acquired by H&R Block in 2019. That pedigree brings a level of trust and brand recognition that newer tools are still building. Wave also offers payroll services and tax preparation through its H&R Block connection, creating a broader ecosystem for businesses that want everything under one roof.

Reporting Depth

Wave’s financial reporting is more comprehensive than most free invoicing tools. You get profit and loss statements, balance sheets, sales tax reports, and cash flow reports, all generated from your invoicing and accounting data. For businesses that need to produce formal financial statements, especially for tax season in the US and Canada, Wave’s reporting is a meaningful advantage.

Who Should Choose Billing+?

Billing+ is the stronger choice if you:

• Invoice clients in multiple languages. No other free tool offers invoicing in 8 languages
• Operate in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, or Europe, where English-only tools create friction
• Communicate with clients on WhatsApp or Instagram, and want to send invoices where conversations happen
• Need to generate receipts for clients as proof of payment
• Want a truly free invoicing platform without processing fees eating into your margins
• You are a freelancer, creator, or solopreneur who needs professional invoicing without complexity
• Serve a diverse, international client base and need multi-currency and multi-language support

Liberi professionisti, imprenditori, creators, and contractors working across borders will find that Billing+ removes the friction that English-only platforms create.

Who Should Choose Wave?

Wave may be the better fit if you:

• Need full accounting and bookkeeping alongside invoicing, not just invoicing on its own
• Are based in the US or Canada and want built-in payment processing, payroll, and tax-time reports
• Want a single platform for invoicing, accounting, payroll, and receipt scanning
• Require detailed financial statements, like balance sheets and cash flow reports, for tax preparation
• Primarily serve English-speaking clients and don’t need multilingual invoices

Wave’s strengths are concentrated in the North American market, where its accounting features, payroll integration, and tax preparation ecosystem create a compelling all-in-one solution for small businesses.

Verdict

Wave is a solid, established platform, particularly for US and Canadian businesses that need free accounting alongside their invoicing. It’s earned its reputation over 15 years, and its bookkeeping features are genuinely impressive for a free tool.

But invoicing is increasingly global, multilingual, and mobile-first. If your business operates across languages, communicates with clients on WhatsApp, or needs to generate receipts as standard practice, Wave’s English-only, email-only approach creates real limitations.

Billing+ is built for the way modern freelancers and small businesses actually work, across borders, across languages, and across communication channels. With a free plan that includes unlimited invoices, receipts, and expenses in 8 languages, it offers something no major competitor can match.

If you’ve been using Wave and run into language barriers, wrestle with receipt generation, or wish you could share invoices on WhatsApp, Billing+ is worth trying. And since the free plan is genuinely free,  no credit card, no trial period, and there’s nothing to lose.

Ready to try the free invoicing platform built for global business?

Start using Billing+ free today — no credit card required →

Billing+ is developed by Carburant Technologies Limited. Compare our pricing or see how Billing+ works for small businesses and accountants.