Klerky vs Wave
Wave is free accounting and invoicing that has served freelancers and solo owners well for years. Klerky is a paid ops workspace for startup teams — invoices, expenses with AI receipts, a live runway figure, and a people directory in one place. Here's an honest look at where each fits.
Short version: if you're a solo owner who needs free invoicing and simple books, Wave is genuinely hard to beat. If you're a startup team that needs a shared workspace with runway, AI receipts, and the team all in one place, that's what Klerky is built for.
| For a small team | Wave | Klerky |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Freelancers and solo owners wanting free invoicing and books | Startup teams of 2–10 running the whole business |
| Price | Starter free; Pro $19/mo; receipts, payroll, bookkeeping are add-ons | Free to start; $69/mo flat for the whole team on Pro |
| Accounting depth | Double-entry bookkeeping and basic financial statements | Income, spend, and a profit snapshot (not full accounting) |
| Runway tracking | Not included | Live from your real expenses, invoices, and salaries |
| Receipts | Receipt capture is a paid add-on ($8–11/mo) | Built in — AI fills in vendor, amount, and date |
| Invoices | Yes — strong free invoicing | Yes — issue, send PDF, track payment in one place |
| Team workspace | Multi-user only on Pro; built around one owner | One shared workspace with roles for the whole team |
| Team directory | Not included | People directory with salary and monthly payment tracking |
| Ops view | Accounting reports, not a live ops cockpit | Income vs spend and how long the cash lasts, always current |
| Best when | You're solo and want free books plus invoicing | You're a team and want one place to run ops |
When Wave is the right call
If you're a freelancer or a single-owner business and your needs are invoicing plus a basic set of books, Wave's free Starter plan is excellent value — there's little reason to pay for more. Its invoicing is solid, and double-entry bookkeeping at no cost is rare. For a one-person operation watching every dollar, Wave is a sensible default.
Where Wave doesn't fit a startup team
- It's built around a single owner — real multi-user access only comes on the paid Pro plan.
- Receipt capture, payroll, and bookkeeping help are separate paid add-ons that stack up.
- Runway isn't a concept it tracks — you'd calculate that elsewhere.
- There's no team or people directory.
- The frame is accounting reports, not the ops view — who owes us, what we're spending, how long the cash lasts — that a startup checks weekly.
What Klerky does differently
Klerky is built for the team, not the sole owner. Everyone works in one shared workspace, receipt-AI is included rather than an add-on, and invoices, expenses, and salaries roll up into a profit snapshot and a live runway figure automatically — no formulas, no reconciliation step.
Pricing is flat — one workspace fee for the entire team, so the bill doesn't change as you grow.
Frequently asked questions
Wave is free — why would a startup pay for Klerky?
For a solo owner who mostly needs to send invoices and keep simple books, Wave's free Starter plan is hard to beat, and we'll say so plainly. The math changes for a team: Wave's multi-user access, receipt automation, and payroll are paid (Pro plus add-ons), and even then there's no runway, no team directory, and no ops-first view. Klerky's flat $69/mo team price buys the whole back office — and a runway figure that stays current on its own.
Does Klerky do accounting like Wave?
Not full accounting. Wave keeps a double-entry ledger and basic financial statements. Klerky gives you a clear income-vs-spend snapshot, a profit figure, and a runway number — what a small team checks weekly — but it isn't a replacement for bookkeeping software at tax time. Many teams use Klerky for day-to-day ops and hand structured records to an accountant later.
Is Wave good for a startup team?
Wave was designed for freelancers and very small, single-owner businesses, and it's excellent at that. As you add teammates, recurring expenses, and the question “how long does our cash last?”, you outgrow what free accounting was built for. Klerky is built for that 2–10 stretch.
Can I switch from Wave to Klerky?
You enter clients, invoices, and expenses directly, and AI receipt scanning means you're not retyping receipts. Klerky is built so a small team can be running in an afternoon rather than migrating a ledger. If you still want a formal ledger for tax, keep that with your accountant.
Compare Klerky with other tools
- Klerky vs QuickBooks — full accounting vs a startup ops workspace
- Klerky vs FreshBooks — freelancer invoicing vs a team back office
- Klerky vs Expensify — expense reports vs a whole back office
- Klerky vs spreadsheets — manual upkeep vs a live source of truth