Copper vs Wave: which one fits your business?
Side-by-side comparison of Copper and Wave — fees, features, ease, support, and which one fits your business. Scored on the same rubric.
Short answer: Wave wins on our scorecard (7.8/10 vs 7.7/10).
| Scored on | Copper | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Right fit for small biz | 8 | 8 |
| Ease of use | 9 | 9 |
| Fees & pricing | 7 | 9 |
| Customer support | 6 | 5 |
| Features | 8 | 7 |
| Basic Plan (per user/mo, annual) | $29 | — |
| Professional Plan (per user/mo, annual) | $69 | — |
| Business Plan (per user/mo, annual) | $134 | — |
| Starter Plan | — | $0/mo |
| Pro Plan | — | $16/mo |
| CC Processing (Visa/MC) | — | 2.9% + $0.60 |
| CC Processing (Amex) | — | 3.4% + $0.60 |
| ACH Processing | — | 1% ($1 min) |
| Payroll (Tax Service) | — | $40 + $6/employee |
Copper in one paragraph
The premier CRM choice for small teams that live in Gmail and want to eliminate manual data entry.
Skip it if: You use Microsoft 365 or Outlook as your primary business email and calendar suite.
Wave in one paragraph
Wave remains the gold standard for free invoicing and simple bookkeeping for solo service providers, provided you don't mind limited support.
Skip it if: Skip it if you sell physical inventory or plan to scale to a 10+ person team within the next year.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Copper or Wave?
On our five-axis scorecard, Wave scores higher (7.8/10 vs 7.7/10). Wave remains the gold standard for free invoicing and simple bookkeeping for solo service providers, provided you don't mind limited support.
Who should skip Copper?
You use Microsoft 365 or Outlook as your primary business email and calendar suite.
Who should skip Wave?
Skip it if you sell physical inventory or plan to scale to a 10+ person team within the next year.