mozey vs Wave
Wave is free and gets the basics right, but freelancers need more than basic invoicing and accounting. mozey matches Wave on price and adds AI receipt scanning, contract generation, mileage tracking, and real tax calculation — features Wave simply does not have.
Why freelancers choose mozey
- AI-powered features Wave doesn't offer
- Built-in mileage tracking & contract generation
- No ads, no payment processing fees on invoicing
Feature comparison
| Feature | mozey | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan available | ||
| AI-powered receipt scanning | ||
| AI contract generation | ||
| E-signature support | ||
| Mileage tracking (GPS) | ||
| Federal + State tax calculation | Partial | |
| Quarterly tax estimates | ||
| Schedule C export | ||
| Invoice payment tracking | ||
| Client management | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| AI financial assistant | ||
| Built specifically for freelancers | ||
| No credit card to start |
Wave is free — but free has limits
Wave deserves credit for offering genuinely free invoicing and accounting. For freelancers just starting out, it is a reasonable choice to send a few invoices and track basic income and expenses. But Wave makes money through payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.60 per credit card transaction) and advertising. The product has not evolved meaningfully in years, and critical freelancer needs — contracts, mileage tracking, receipt scanning, tax estimates — are simply absent. When your business grows beyond basic invoicing, Wave becomes a bottleneck rather than a foundation.
AI features that Wave cannot match
mozey is free too, but it packs features that Wave has never offered and shows no signs of building. AI receipt scanning extracts vendor details, amounts, and IRS categories from photos in seconds. AI contract generation produces professional agreements tailored to your profession and project scope. An AI financial assistant answers questions about your revenue, expenses, and tax obligations in plain English. These are not gimmicks — they eliminate hours of manual work every month. Wave, by contrast, still requires you to manually enter every expense and offers no contract or mileage tools at all.
Mileage and tax tools matter
If you drive for work — whether you are a photographer heading to shoots, a consultant visiting clients, or a gig driver logging hundreds of miles per week — mileage deductions can save thousands of dollars at tax time. mozey tracks your trips automatically via GPS, calculates the IRS standard mileage deduction, and rolls it into your tax estimates. Wave offers none of this. Similarly, mozey calculates both federal and state self-employment tax, generates quarterly estimates, and exports Schedule C reports. Wave provides basic income reports but leaves tax calculation entirely to you or your accountant.
Free without the trade-offs
Both mozey and Wave offer free plans, but the comparison ends at the price tag. Wave's free tier is supported by ads and payment processing fees that add up quickly if you accept credit card payments. mozey's free plan has no ads, no payment processing surcharges on invoicing, and includes every core feature from AI receipt scanning to tax reports. When you are ready for more, mozey Pro is $9.99/month — still less than what many Wave users end up paying in transaction fees alone. For freelancers who want a free starting point with a real growth path, mozey is the stronger foundation.