Paymavo vs Wave — Which invoicing tool is right for Canadian freelancers?
Both have free plans. But when it comes to getting paid on time, automatic Canadian taxes, and invoicing in French — the difference is significant.
Bottom line
- Wave is free and includes basic accounting — a solid choice if you need a full bookkeeping suite.
- But Wave is built for the US market: no automatic GST/HST/QST, no French invoicing, and documented payment holds that can last weeks.
- Paymavo is built for Canadian freelancers from day one — automatic Canadian taxes, bilingual invoices (Loi 96 compliant), and your money arrives on time.
At a glance
| Feature | Paymavo | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Unlimited — clients, invoices, Stripe | Basic invoicing + accounting |
| Pro price | $29/month | ~$25/month |
| Auto GST/HST/QST/PST | Automatic, per province | Manual setup required |
| $30k GST threshold tracking | Built-in alerts | Not available |
| Quebec Loi 96 / French invoicing | Bilingual EN/FR | English only |
| Payment holds risk | None — Stripe direct | Documented holds |
| Setup time | 2 minutes | 10–15 minutes |
| Built for Canada | Canadian-first | US product |
| Double-entry accounting | Not included | Full accounting suite |
The #1 complaint about Wave
Wave holds your money. Sometimes for weeks.
Wave processes payments through its own gateway — not directly through Stripe. Freelancers across Canada have reported their money being held for days, sometimes weeks, without explanation. When you're waiting on a $3,000 invoice, a two-week hold isn't a minor inconvenience. It's a cash flow crisis.
Paymavo uses Stripe Connect directly. Your money follows standard Stripe transfer timing — typically 2-5 business days — with no additional holds, no surprises.
Your money can process for over 1 week, then disappear in no-man's land for another week with no option to instant transfer.
— GetApp Canada (November 2024)
Read the full articleDetailed comparison
Canadian tax compliance
- Automatic GST/HST/QST/PST based on your client's province
- TPS/TVQ registration numbers printed on every invoice
- Tracks your $30,000 GST registration threshold with alerts
- CRA-ready GST/HST summary reports
- Tax rates entered manually on each invoice
- No province-based automatic calculation
- No $30k GST threshold tracking
- Built around the US tax system — Canadian taxes are an afterthought
Pricing
- Free: unlimited clients, invoices, quotes, Stripe payments — forever
- Pro ($29/month): recurring invoices, expense tracking, Plaid bank sync, Paymavo AI 1.0 (OCR & auto-categorization), time tracking
- No credit card required for the free plan
- Price has never changed
- Free tier covers basic invoicing and accounting
- Pro ~$25/month for advanced features
- Additional fees for payment processing on top
- Pricing has changed multiple times over the years
Bilingual & Quebec compliance
- Full English/French interface — switch instantly
- Invoices generated in your language — switch between English and French instantly
- Loi 96 / Bill 96 compliant for Quebec businesses
- TPS/TVQ numbers displayed correctly on French invoices
- English-only interface
- No French invoice generation
- Not Loi 96 compliant
- Quebec freelancers risk legal non-compliance
Which tool is right for you?
Choose Paymavo if you...
- Are a Canadian freelancer billing clients across provinces
- Need automatic GST/HST/QST without manual tax setup
- Invoice Quebec clients and need French invoices (Loi 96)
- Have been burned by payment holds and want reliability
- Want a focused invoicing tool — not a full accounting suite
- Are approaching the $30,000 GST registration threshold
Wave might be better if you...
- Need full double-entry accounting software (not just invoicing)
- Are outside Canada and don't need Canadian tax compliance
- Already have an accountant who handles taxes manually
- Want bookkeeping + invoicing in a single tool
Switching from Wave to Paymavo
I offer free data migration from Wave. Your clients, invoices, and expenses import automatically in minutes.
Connect your Wave account
Authorize Paymavo to connect to your Wave account via OAuth — no CSV export needed.
Preview your data
Review your clients, invoices, and expenses before confirming the import.
You're ready
Start invoicing in under 5 minutes. No manual re-entry, no data loss.
Get paid on time. Every time.
Try Paymavo free — unlimited invoices, automatic Canadian taxes, bilingual invoicing. No credit card required.