Wave Reviews & Ratings September 2026
Derived from the analyzed reviews; each chip links to the page with the cited evidence.
This page pulls together every publicly available review of Wave, 573 in total, spread across two platforms, offering a full, evidence-backed look at how the product is seen in the real world. You’ll find the overall rating, the key topics customers keep coming back to, how opinions have shifted over time, and a concise SWOT analysis, all directly drawn from the reviews themselves and tied to their original sources.
Key findings
- Out of 573 reviews across two platforms, Wave sits at an average rating of 3.0 stars out of 5.
- Customers rate Quality most positively (101 of 203 mentions positive).
- Returns and refunds are the top source of complaints, mentioned negatively in 18 out of 19 instances.
What changed in August 2026
In August 2026, 28 new reviews were analyzed; the average rating moved from 2.1 to 1.7 stars.
- New reviews
- 28
- Average rating
- 1.7/5 (2.1 ↓)
- Positive share
- 14% (24% ↓)
Most-discussed themes
- Customer service — +6 vs prior month
- Billing & payment — +8 vs prior month
- Quality — -1 vs prior month
- Communication — +2 vs prior month
- Ordering & website — +2 vs prior month
About Wave
Wave is a cloud-based accounting platform built for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs. It handles invoicing, tracks expenses, processes payments, manages payroll, and keeps books, all in one smooth system. Designed for people who want clear, no-fuss financial control, it cuts through the clutter of traditional accounting software. No steep learning curve, no overcomplicated workflows. Just the essentials, working together.
SWOT summary
Strengths
- Quality: 61% positive across 203 mentions
Weaknesses
- Returns & refunds: 96% negative across 19 mentions
- Billing & payment: 86% negative across 84 mentions
- Communication: 83% negative across 25 mentions
Opportunities
- Address returns & refunds to lift overall sentiment
- Lean on strength in quality in marketing
Threats
- Ongoing criticism of returns & refunds could deter new customers
Reviews by portal
The overall 3.0 / 5 score is recency-weighted: newer reviews count more (weight 0.9 per month of age), regardless of portal.
| Portal | Avg. rating | Count | Weight | Latest | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | 2.7 / 5 | 372 | 64.9% | View profile ↗ | |
| Trustpilot | 3.5 / 5 | 201 | 35.1% | View profile ↗ | |
| Weighted overall | 3.0 / 5 | 573 | 100% | ||
What this analysis covers
- Google Play : 372 reviews
- Trustpilot : 201 reviews
Period covered: Sept 2024 – Sept 2026
And what it cannot cover:
- Trustpilot exposes roughly the 200 most recent reviews publicly; older reviews sit behind a login.
Themes in the reviews
Quality203× mentions
101positive99negativeOut of 203 mentions, 61% reflect positive feedback about Quality, while 37% are negative, so overall, the sentiment leans strongly positive.
Customer service177× mentions
25positive147negativeOut of 177 mentions, customer service feedback comes through as positive just 15% of the time, while 83% is negative. It’s a recurring issue that keeps coming up.
Ordering & website108× mentions
38positive63negativeOut of 108 mentions, 44% of feedback about Ordering & website leans positive, while 49% is negative, putting the overall sentiment in a gray area.
Billing & payment84× mentions
9positive73negativeOut of 84 mentions, only 11% of the feedback about Billing & payment comes across as positive, 86% is negative. It’s clearly a recurring issue that users keep running into.
Value for money79× mentions
30positive42negativeOut of 79 mentions, 42% of feedback about Value for money comes across as positive, while 46% leans negative. So, overall, it’s a mixed picture.
Communication25× mentions
2positive20negativeOut of 25 mentions, only 5% of the feedback about Communication comes across as positive, while a striking 83% is negative. That’s a clear sign that Communication is a frequent source of frustration.
Delivery21× mentions
1positive16negativeIn 21 instances, only 6% of the feedback about Delivery came in positively, while 67% was negative, clearly marking it as a recurring issue.
Returns & refunds19× mentions
1positive18negativeIn 19 instances, just 4% of the feedback about Returns & refunds was positive, 96% was negative. That’s a clear sign this area keeps coming up as a major hassle for users.
Fit & sizing12× mentions
3positive4negativeOut of 12 mentions, 26% of the feedback around Fit & sizing comes across as positive, while 33% leans negative. Altogether, it’s a mixed picture.
Durability12× mentions
4positive8negativeIn 12 separate mentions, 44% of the feedback about Durability leans positive, while 56% is negative, a clear sign that it’s a recurring issue users keep pointing out.
Packaging1× mentions
0positive0negativeIn the 1 mention analyzed, Packaging received no positive feedback and no negative comments, so the overall sentiment remains balanced, neither clearly favorable nor unfavorable.
Themes over time
Data as table
| Month | Quality | Customer service | Ordering & website | Billing & payment | Value for money | Communication |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 |
| 2024-12 | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 |
| 2025-05 | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 |
| 2025-07 | - | - | - | - | - | 1.7 |
| 2025-09 | - | - | 1.5 | 1.2 | - | - |
| 2025-10 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 2.3 | - | 2.0 | - |
| 2025-11 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | - |
| 2025-12 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.7 | - |
| 2026-01 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 |
| 2026-02 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| 2026-03 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | - |
| 2026-04 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 3.0 |
| 2026-05 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 1.5 |
| 2026-06 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 3.0 |
| 2026-07 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 1.5 |
| 2026-08 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 1.0 |
| 2026-09 | 5.0 | 1.0 | - | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Rating trend
Data as table
| Month | Avg. rating | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-10 | 2.70 | 10 |
| 2025-11 | 3.17 | 12 |
| 2025-12 | 2.40 | 15 |
| 2026-01 | 2.18 | 17 |
| 2026-02 | 2.82 | 11 |
| 2026-03 | 1.11 | 9 |
| 2026-04 | 2.50 | 16 |
| 2026-05 | 4.14 | 159 |
| 2026-06 | 2.36 | 33 |
| 2026-07 | 2.08 | 25 |
| 2026-08 | 1.71 | 28 |
| 2026-09 | 1.71 | 7 |
Sentiment over time
Data as table
| Month | Positive | Neutral | Negative | Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10 | 20% | 20% | 60% | 10 |
| 2025-11 | 42% | 8% | 50% | 12 |
| 2025-12 | 33% | 0% | 67% | 15 |
| 2026-01 | 29% | 0% | 71% | 17 |
| 2026-02 | 36% | 18% | 45% | 11 |
| 2026-03 | 0% | 0% | 100% | 9 |
| 2026-04 | 38% | 0% | 63% | 16 |
| 2026-05 | 70% | 9% | 20% | 159 |
| 2026-06 | 27% | 6% | 67% | 33 |
| 2026-07 | 24% | 4% | 72% | 25 |
| 2026-08 | 14% | 4% | 82% | 28 |
| 2026-09 | 14% | 0% | 86% | 7 |
Products & services
- Receipts - 127 mentions
- Accounting - 59 mentions
- Mobile app - 30 mentions
- Invoicing - 28 mentions
- Payments - 23 mentions
- Pro plan - 19 mentions
Customer voices
Short excerpts - full reviews are available at the original source.
„I believe it is unreasonable to charge customers for a subscription when access is contingent on an approval process that is ultimately denied.“
„Despite never being able to use the product, Wave declined to issue a refund.“
„Better than Quickbooks in many ways.“
„They did it a fourth time in a row from the same client.“
„After the third payment I received from a client, the risk team held my money for 6 days.“
„Their customer service is abysmal.“
„This is an absolutely terrible company.“
„If you need a response for their payroll they say it'll take 20 days.“
What Reddit users say about Wave
Additional source: 22 Reddit discussions about Wave reviewed.
Below are extracts from Reddit discussions - each linked to the original thread.
„I've been using Wave for over 5 years.“
„I see all of this to-do about the "receipts" feature being removed.“
„The payroll is terrible“
„the best advice is to not use Wave for Payroll“
„automatically get a receipt sent to them“
„I was considering switching from Freshbooks to Wave because Freshbooks has gotten so costly.“
„there is no way to contact support“
„I been looking for a quickbooks replacement, and I ran across WAVE“
„Wave has decided to put a hold on one of our contract payments“
„Wave has known about it for at least five months.“
„I was drawn to it because it is free“
„Do not use Wave Payments or Wave Payroll“
Frequently asked questions
How do customers rate Wave overall?
Wave holds a 3.0-star average rating based on 573 reviews analyzed across two platforms.
From Wave's newsroom
- Press Archive - Wave Financial - waveapps.com
- News and Media - Wave Financial - waveapps.com
Newsroom items are published by Wave itself.
Cite this page
Citatio (2026). Wave Reviews September 2026 – 3.0/5 from 573 reviews. Retrieved 10 September 2026 from https://citatio.ai/wave-reviews/
Data verifiable via our public audit log: Methodology · Transparency