Wave Accounting vs ScaleFactor

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Our analysts compared Wave Accounting vs ScaleFactor based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Accounting Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Wave Accounting Software Tool
ScaleFactor Software Tool

Product Basics

Wave Accounting streamlines financial management for small businesses and freelancers. Its intuitive interface simplifies bookkeeping tasks like expense tracking, invoicing, and receipt scanning. Users praise its ease of use and mobile accessibility, making it ideal for entrepreneurs on the go. Wave offers core accounting features like bank reconciliation and income/expense reports, all for free. Premium plans unlock advanced functionalities like payroll, double-entry bookkeeping, and tax filing for an affordable monthly fee. Compared to similar products, Wave shines in user experience. Reviews highlight its intuitive design, helpful tutorials, and responsive customer support. However, its free plan lacks features crucial for larger businesses, requiring an upgrade for robust accounting needs. Ultimately, Wave excels as a beginner-friendly, cost-effective solution for solopreneurs and small teams seeking hassle-free financial management.

Pros
  • Free core features
  • Easy to use interface
  • Mobile-friendly design
  • Excellent customer support
  • Free bank reconciliation
Cons
  • Limited features in free plan
  • No inventory tracking
  • No double-entry accounting
  • Few integrations with other software
  • Limited reporting options
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ScaleFactor provides an intuitive module that runs accounting, tax and finance tasks to provide accurate data to businesses and make strategic decisions. Accounting and finance solve how modern companies operate by automating complex accounting tasks and converting financial information into valuable data. It allows capturing expense details and categorizing them. It tracks regular cash flow and keeps a tab on the patterns to identify any abnormalities and notifies the accountants of the same. It seamlessly integrates and syncs information across applications in real time and keeps a tab on the entry to avoid any duplication.
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$20 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$399 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
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Mobile

Product Assistance

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24/7 Live Support
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24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Free: Utilize Wave Accounting's free features forever, making it a great help for entrepreneurs and freelancers who may find themselves in the preliminary stages of launching their business or service.  
  • Easy Setup: Get to work immediately with easy account setup and installation. 
  • Available Anywhere: Access this solution on computers and mobile devices to access and change anything from practically any location. All changes are automatically saved and synced so users always see current information. 
  • Instant Transactions: Connect bank accounts for instant transaction recordings. It also eliminates manually inputting receipts. 
  • Stay Organized for Tax Season: Sort incomes, expenses, payments and invoices in one centralized location for tax time.  
  • Collaborate with Accountants: Share data and collaborate with accountants for smooth financial processing and advice. 
  • Top-Notch Security: Protect financial information with security components such as bank connections with 256-bit encryption in read-only formats and PCI Level-1 security for managing credit cards and bank account information. 
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  • Tax Season Ready: Avoid mismatched transactions and forgotten expenses with books updated in real time. Keep the businesses ready for the tax season. 
  • Better Accuracy: Ensure all data is accurate and the bookkeeping process gets done in a secure and reliable manner with the help of certified accounting experts. 
  • Comprehensive Management: Manage back-office operations like reviewing the team’s expenses, paying bills and double-checking payrolls to ensure everything runs smoothly. 
  • Live Dashboard: Access information that the business needs regarding bookkeeping, be it classifying transactions, updating a general ledger or seeing mobile alerts and notifications via a live dashboard. 
  • Reports: Recognize revenue and account transactions accurately. Use data to help make the right decisions for profit and loss statements, journal entries and balance sheets. 
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  • Link Accounts and Credit Cards: Connect an unlimited amount of bank accounts and credit cards. Users may supervise multiple businesses with one account. 
  • Smooth Integrations: Integrate Shopify transactions and link with PayPal, Shoeboxed and Etsy accounts. 
  • Intricate Dashboards: Elaborate dashboards that display cash balances, invoice statuses, incomes, expenses and payments. This accessory also provides bill and invoice reminders. 
  • Export Various Reports: Export a variety of accounting reports such as profit and loss, sales tax, cash flow, comparative and others. 
  • Automatic Updates: Receive prompt updates and reminders on invoices, payments and payroll details. 
  • Evaluate High Volumes of Transactions: Process a bulk amount of transactions to ensure rapid bookkeeping practices. Users can also perform and accept transactions in foreign currencies and search for transactions based on descriptions. 
  • Double-Entry Accounting: Operate with double-entry accounting—a method that chronicles transactions in two or more accounts — that performs prompt exchange rate calculations and has a flexible sales tax module. 
  • Adaptable Expense and Income Categories: Use account IDs to create adjustable expense and income categories, sometimes called chart of accounts. There's also an unlimited income and expense tracking accessory. 
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  • Seamless Integration: Integrates with QuickBooks Online and Xero to significantly reduce the time spent on accounting. Give the business time to spend on tasks that matter by eliminating financial bottlenecks. 
  • Virtual Bookkeeping Software: Categorize transactions across the account that are awaiting review or approval. Send them to the designated recipient so the business is up to date with the accounting tasks. 
  • Dashboard: Help the company understand where the money is coming from and where it’s going with an easy-to-navigate dashboard. Give a quick overview of the business’s financial health to devise effective strategies to steer ahead. 
  • Payroll: Leverage Gusto, a full-service payroll processor that runs operations on the same page where the books get managed. Set multiple pay schedules and add all types of employees. Adjust payroll where needed. 
  • Bill Payment: Simplify paying the bills. Forgo entering all details in the payment system. Powered by bill.com, it efficiently manages all payments from the same place where the book gets processed. 
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Product Ranking

#4

among all
Accounting Software

#147

among all
Accounting Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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87
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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Wave Accounting
ScaleFactor
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Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Banking And Cash Management Budget And Expense Management Financial Statements And Revenue Management General Ledger And Chart Of Accounts Integration And Extensibility Inventory Management Journal Entries Mobile Support Multi-company Accounting And Asset Management Platform Capabilities Project Accounting Reporting And Analytics Tax Management 78 92 87 57 98 61 58 50 73 90 65 78 56 70 88 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 2602 reviews
Great User Sentiment 17 reviews
88%
of users recommend this product

Wave Accounting has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 2602 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

84%
of users recommend this product

ScaleFactor has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 84% when considering 17 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.

4.0 (15)
n/a
4.4 (203)
n/a
4.43 (1298)
4.18 (17)
4.4 (964)
n/a
4.0 (122)
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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

System Performance: Of the users who mentioned this solution's performance, precisely 65% said it's easy to use, documents all tasks performed and provides accurate information.
Modules: Approximately 57% of users who discussed this program's functionality said it has a variety of capabilities such as an assortment of reports, bank account synching and invoice reminders.
Cost: Of the users who mentioned this application's pricing, approximately 87% of users said they like the free version because it comes with plenty of appliances.
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Automated Bookkeeping: ScaleFactor can automatically categorize transactions, reconcile accounts, and generate financial reports, saving businesses time and reducing the risk of errors.
Real-Time Insights: The platform provides real-time financial data, allowing businesses to track their performance and make informed decisions.
Bill Pay: ScaleFactor offers a bill pay feature that allows businesses to easily pay bills electronically, streamlining the accounts payable process.
Tax Compliance: The platform helps businesses stay compliant with tax regulations by automatically calculating and filing sales tax returns.
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Frustrating reconciliation process: Users often describe matching transactions as difficult and time-consuming, leading to delayed reconciliation and potential errors.
Limited reporting options: Users express a desire for more robust and flexible reporting features, including better sorting, exporting, and preset date options for generating customized reports.
Lack of phone support: Wave relies primarily on email and online resources for support, which can be frustrating for users who prefer immediate assistance or have complex issues to resolve.
Occasional glitches and errors: Users have reported occasional software glitches, such as duplicated transactions or difficulties with bank syncing, which can disrupt workflows and create data inconsistencies.
No inventory management: Wave lacks full-fledged inventory tracking and management capabilities, making it unsuitable for businesses with complex inventory needs or those who sell directly through eCommerce platforms.
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Inaccurate Data: Some users have reported that ScaleFactor sometimes pulls in inaccurate data, leading to incorrect financial reports.
Limited Functionality: ScaleFactor may not have all the features that some businesses need, such as advanced inventory management or project accounting.
Customer Support Issues: Some users have expressed frustration with ScaleFactor's customer support, citing slow response times and difficulty getting issues resolved.
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Wave Accounting users appreciate its simplicity and affordability, making it a popular choice for freelancers and solopreneurs. The free plan covers essential features like invoicing, expense tracking, and basic reporting, catering to those with straightforward accounting needs. Users praise its intuitive interface and mobile app for on-the-go tracking, highlighting its convenience compared to clunky desktop software. However, Wave's limitations become apparent as businesses grow. Users cite frustrating reconciliation issues, limited reporting options, and the lack of advanced features like inventory management or payroll integrations. Compared to competitors like Quickbooks or Xero, Wave feels less capable of handling complex accounting workflows. While its automatic bank imports save time, the absence of phone support can be a dealbreaker for some users who need immediate help troubleshooting issues. Ultimately, Wave shines for its ease of use and zero-cost entry point, but its lack of scalability and robust features might necessitate switching to more powerful alternatives as businesses evolve. Choosing Wave comes down to prioritizing convenience and affordability over comprehensive functionality and expert support.

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Is ScaleFactor a major player or small fry in the accounting software game? Based on user reviews from the past year, ScaleFactor seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Users appreciate its user-friendly interface, making it a breeze for those without an accounting background to navigate. The software's flexibility is another plus, as it can be tailored to fit the needs of businesses of all shapes and sizes. However, ScaleFactor's price tag is a major drawback, with many users finding it pricier than its competitors. Additionally, the software's limited integration with other business tools can be a dealbreaker for those who rely on a connected ecosystem of applications. ScaleFactor appears to be best suited for small to medium-sized businesses that prioritize ease of use and flexibility in their accounting software and are willing to pay a premium for these features. However, for businesses on a tight budget or those that require seamless integration with other software, ScaleFactor may not be the best fit. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to use ScaleFactor comes down to weighing its strengths and weaknesses against your specific business needs and budget.

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