WAVE ALTERNATIVE
Enlivy vs Wave
Wave's free plan is genuinely free and hard to argue with if you invoice inside the US or Canada. Outside them, and for anything before the invoice, it runs out fast. Here is where each one actually wins.
HOW THEY COMPARE
Enlivy vs Wave, capability by capability
Wave's pitch is price, and on price it wins outright. This table is about what the free plan cannot reach: a market outside North America, and a commercial process in front of the invoice.
| Capability | Enlivy This page | Wave Free invoicing & accounting |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan for core invoicing | Partial | Strong |
| Invoicing & payment collection | Strong | Strong |
| Recurring billing / subscriptions | Strong | Strong |
| Payroll | Partial | Strong |
| Bank sync & reconciliation | Strong | Partial |
| Usable outside the US and Canada | Strong | Absent |
| EU e-invoicing (PEPPOL / ANAF eFactura) | Strong | Absent |
| Multi-currency invoicing | Strong | Absent |
| Sales pipeline / CRM | Strong | Absent |
| Proposals & contracts with e-signature | Strong | Absent |
STRENGTHS ON BOTH SIDES
Where each one actually wins
There is no version of this page where Enlivy is cheaper. That is worth saying before anything else.
Where Wave wins
Wave's Starter plan costs nothing and still issues real invoices and estimates, tracks payments and gives clients somewhere to pay. Pro is 19 dollars a month and adds automatic bank import and categorisation through Plaid, and payroll is available as an add-on from 25 dollars.
For a sole trader or small business invoicing in US dollars or Canadian dollars, that is a lot of working software for zero, and Enlivy does not compete at that price.
Where Enlivy wins
Wave operates in the US and Canada, prices in USD and CAD, and connects banks through Plaid, so a business invoicing from or into the EU is largely outside what it serves. There is no ANAF eFactura or PEPPOL and no multi-currency invoicing.
It also has no sales pipeline and no contracts with e-signature, so the deal and the agreement live somewhere else entirely. In Enlivy they are the same record as the invoice.
WHERE WAVE DOES NOT REACH
Free is no help if it cannot issue your invoice
ANAF eFactura, PEPPOL and multi-currency invoicing, plus the pipeline and signed contract behind them, for businesses outside North America.
Free to start · No credit card required · EU e-invoicing built in
PRICING
Free versus feature packs
The only comparison on this site where the honest question is why pay anything at all.
Wave: free, then 19 dollars
Starter is free and covers invoicing and estimates. Pro is 19 dollars a month, or 190 a year, and adds automatic bank connections and categorisation. Payroll is a separate add-on from 25 dollars a month. Card processing is charged per transaction, with a discounted rate on the first ten transactions each month on Pro.
Enlivy: pay for what you use
Enlivy prices per feature pack: invoicing, contracts, and the sales pipeline are separate packs; payroll comes bundled with invoicing and the customer portal is included.
You start free and add packs as you need them, but this is not a page about being cheaper. It is about invoicing where Wave cannot. See plans and pricing.
WHO IT FITS
Who each one actually fits
A quick way to self-select before you read the rest of the page.
Wave fits you if
- You invoice in the US or Canada, in a single currency, and want the lowest possible cost.
- You are a sole trader or very small business and the free plan covers what you send.
- You don't need a pipeline, signed contracts or EU compliance.
Enlivy fits you if
- You invoice into the EU, or specifically into Romania, and need ANAF eFactura or PEPPOL, which Wave does not offer.
- You bill in more than one currency.
- You want the deal, the signed contract and the invoice connected rather than three separate places.
SWITCHING
Switching from Wave
Almost nobody leaves Wave over features. They leave when an invoice has to go somewhere Wave does not reach.
What you run today
- Wave Free invoicing, US and Canada, single currency
- A separate CRM or spreadsheet Where the deal lives before the invoice
- An e-signature tool Contracts signed outside the system
- Nothing for EU compliance No PEPPOL, no ANAF eFactura, no multi-currency
What it becomes
Enlivy
- ANAF eFactura and PEPPOL on every invoice
- Multi-currency invoicing for cross-border clients
- Pipeline, proposal and signed contract in one record
- Billing schedules for retainers and subscriptions
What stays where it is
- Wave free bookkeeping and US or Canadian payroll
If you still have a US or Canadian entity, Wave costs nothing to leave running for it, and its payroll add-on covers ground Enlivy does not. Keeping it for that side is reasonable.
How the move works
- 1
Export your customers
Customers and open invoices come out of Wave as a spreadsheet.
- 2
Import and connect
They land in Enlivy linked to the contracts and billing schedules behind them.
- 3
Invoice compliantly
New invoices issue with eFactura and multi-currency handled, in markets Wave never covered.
TRY IT ON ONE INVOICE
You can test this without migrating anything
Create an organization and issue a single compliant invoice to an EU client. That is the whole question this page is about.
Free to start · No credit card required · EU e-invoicing built in
WAVE ALTERNATIVE
Enlivy vs Wave: common questions
Is Enlivy a replacement for Wave, or does it work alongside it?
For a business invoicing into the EU it is a replacement, because Wave cannot issue a compliant e-invoice there. If you also run a US or Canadian entity, Wave's free plan costs nothing to keep for that side, and its payroll add-on covers ground Enlivy does not.
Why would I pay when Wave is free?
Only for things Wave cannot do. If you invoice in the US or Canada in one currency and don't need a pipeline, signed contracts or EU compliance, Wave is the rational choice and this page will not pretend otherwise. Enlivy is worth paying for when the invoice has to reach a market Wave does not serve.
Can Enlivy send an EU e-invoice or ANAF eFactura that Wave can't?
Yes, and this is the main reason the page exists. Wave has no PEPPOL or eFactura support and does not offer multi-currency invoicing. Enlivy issues ANAF eFactura and PEPPOL e-invoices as a built-in part of every invoice, in any currency you bill in.
Does Enlivy have payroll like Wave?
Not in the same form. Wave sells a payroll add-on from 25 dollars a month for the US and Canada. Enlivy bundles Payslips into the Invoicing pack, which is not the same as running statutory payroll in those markets, so if that is what you need Wave covers it and Enlivy does not.
What happens to my customers and invoices if I switch?
Customers and open invoices export from Wave as a spreadsheet and import into Enlivy, where they arrive linked to the contracts and billing schedules behind them. Invoices already issued stay in your records as they are, and nothing about your bookkeeping has to change on day one.