Wave gives you free invoicing and double-entry books, but receipt scanning sits behind a paid plan and still needs you to open the app. SendToBooks does one job: getting receipts captured the moment you get them.
Try SendToBooks Free| Feature | Wave | SendToBooks |
|---|---|---|
| How you capture receipts | Open the app, photograph, upload | Text a photo or forward an email |
| Receipt scanning included? | Paid plan or $8/mo add-on | Core product |
| App required? | Yes, for receipt capture | No app needed |
| Dedicated phone number | No | Yes, your own number |
| Dedicated email inbox | No | Yes, forward anything |
| Anyone can send receipts | Needs an account | Share a link, no account |
| Per-job or per-property books | Chart of accounts | Books per job or client |
| Mileage tracking | Not built in | Text where you drove |
| Works with Claude / ChatGPT | No | Yes, live MCP connection |
| Full double-entry accounting | Yes | No, by design |
| Invoicing and payments | Yes | No |
| Payroll | Paid add-on | No |
Wave's Starter tier is genuinely free, but receipt scanning is not in it. You are looking at the Pro plan or a standalone add-on before a single receipt gets scanned — at which point “free accounting software” is a paid receipt tool with accounting attached.
Wave needs you to open an app and upload. That works at a desk and fails at a parts counter. A text message is already open on the phone in your hand, which is why texted receipts actually get sent.
A spouse, a crew lead, an assistant. Send them your capture link and their receipts land in your books with no account, no seat, and no login. Wave needs them inside your Wave account.
Wave organizes around a chart of accounts. If you think in jobs — the Anderson kitchen, the Riverside duplex — SendToBooks books map to that directly, so job costing is a filter rather than a project.
Free–$19
per month
Starter is free but excludes receipt scanning. Pro is $19/mo, or add receipts alone for about $8/mo. Payroll and advisor services cost extra.
$20
flat / month
One price. Unlimited receipts. No per-user fees, no tiers, no add-ons.
Wave pricing as published September 2026. Check their site for current rates.
If you need to send invoices, get paid, and keep a real set of double-entry books, Wave does all of that and SendToBooks does none of it. We are a receipt-capture tool, not accounting software. Plenty of people run both — SendToBooks for capture, Wave or their accountant for the books — and that is a perfectly sensible setup.
Yes, and many people do. Capture receipts with SendToBooks, export a categorized CSV whenever you need it, and bring that into Wave or hand it to your accountant. The two do not conflict.
The Starter plan is free for invoicing and basic accounting. Receipt scanning is not included — it requires the Pro plan or a separate add-on. If receipts are the reason you are looking, budget for the paid tier.
No. We do not send invoices, process payments, or run payroll. We capture receipts and mileage, categorize them, and get them ready for tax time. If you need invoicing, keep using Wave for that part.
Nothing — it stays in Wave. There is no migration to do. You start sending new receipts to your SendToBooks number and inbox, and your Wave history remains exactly where it is.
Unlimited receipts. Cancel anytime.
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