Wave vs VA Growth Suite
Wave is genuinely free invoicing software — but it's US/Canada-only for payments and has no time tracker or client portal.
| Feature | Wave | VA Growth Suite |
|---|---|---|
| Time tracking with running timer | ||
| Multi-client dashboard | ||
| PDF invoice generation | ||
| Branded client portal | ||
| Kanban task board per client | ||
| Starts at $0 (free plan) | ||
| No per-user pricing | ||
| Built for VAs specifically | ||
| Starting price | Free (payments charged per transaction) | $0 free, $19/mo paid |
Wave — strengths
- Unlimited free invoicing and accounting
- Bank reconciliation and expense tracking included
- Solid for sole proprietors filing taxes
Wave — limits for VAs
- Payment processing limited to US, Canada, and a few other regions
- No built-in time tracker — you'll juggle Toggl or Clockify alongside it
- No task board, no client portal
Our honest take
Wave wins on price (zero) for solo invoicing — but a VA juggling clients also needs time tracking and a portal. VA Growth Suite is the bundled alternative without per-tool subscriptions.
When Wave is the right choice
If you're already on Wave and it's working, don't switch just to save a few dollars. But if you're just starting out as a VA — or you're paying for Wave plus a second tool for invoicing or a client portal — we built VA Growth Suite to replace that stack.
When VA Growth Suite wins
- You're a solo VA or small agency (not a 20-person design studio)
- You need time tracking and invoicing and a client portal
- Flat pricing matters more than deep workflow automation
- You want to get set up in 5 minutes, not 5 days
What you actually use Wave for
Wave is the go-to for US and Canadian VAs who only need to send invoices and don't want to pay anything to do it. The flow is dead simple: add a client, build an invoice, email it, get paid via Wave's payment processor (which takes the standard 2.9% + 30¢). Bank reconciliation and basic bookkeeping ride along free, which is genuinely useful at tax time. The walls show up when you start tracking time, want a client portal, or need to invoice in a currency outside the supported list — Wave was built for North American sole proprietors and the seams show fast for international VAs.
Moving from Wave to VA Growth Suite
Wave exports clients, invoices, and accounting data via Settings → Data Export (CSV). The accounting CSV is the one to hand to your bookkeeper before you stop using Wave for ledger purposes. To move: import clients into VA Growth Suite, save invoice PDFs to a backup folder, and decide whether to keep Wave open for accounting only or migrate to a dedicated bookkeeping app. Wave's payment processor settles in 1-2 business days, so reconcile your bank before cancelling.
Frequently asked questions
Is Wave free?
Wave offers a free tier, but the features most VAs actually need (invoicing, portal, or unlimited clients) typically sit behind the paid plan starting at Free (payments charged per transaction).
Can I import my data from Wave into VA Growth Suite?
Yes. Wave supports CSV exports per data type, which covers the migration cleanly. Most VAs move clients and the last 90 days of time entries in under an hour. Older records can stay in Wave as a read-only archive.
What does VA Growth Suite do that Wave doesn't?
VA Growth Suite bundles time tracking, multi-client invoicing in multiple currencies, a branded client portal, and a per-client kanban task board into one app — at a flat $19/mo for 50 clients, with no per-user pricing. Wave typically requires you to combine it with at least one other tool to cover that workflow.
Why does VA Growth Suite charge $19/mo instead of per-user pricing like Wave?
Per-user pricing punishes VAs the moment they add a subcontractor or VA partner. Flat pricing means a two-person VA team pays the same as a solo VA — $19/mo for up to 50 clients. It's the model that makes sense for the way VAs actually grow.
Try VA Growth Suite free — no Wave required
Up to 2 clients free, forever. Move your workflow over in under 10 minutes.
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