Monthly price (CAD)
- Wave
- Free (Starter) or ~$25 (Pro)
- NorthOS
- $12 CAD
Alternatives
Wave is free. NorthOS is built around how Canadians actually file.
Wave is a reasonable invoicing-first accounting tool, and the Starter plan really is free. But Wave was built as a generic small-business platform. NorthOS is built around the things a Canadian sole proprietor actually has to file: the T2125, the GST/HST $30,000 threshold, PST in BC, SK, and MB, and the Quick Method.
What Wave is genuinely good at
Wave is one of the few legitimate free options in this category. The Starter plan covers unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and basic accounting records with no time limit and no client cap. For a service business whose work is mostly “send the invoice, get paid”, Wave is hard to beat at the price.
Wave is also Canadian. The company was founded in Toronto and was acquired by H&R Block in 2019. Operations continue from the original headquarters, and Canadian sales tax is supported in the product (you can configure GST, HST, PST, and QST and have them show up correctly on invoices).
The paid tier, Wave Pro, runs about $25 CAD a month and adds bank feeds, receipt capture, branded invoices, and discounted card processing. For a freelancer who lives in their invoicing tool, that combination of free Starter plus optional Pro is genuinely strong.
Where Wave falls short for a Canadian sole proprietor
Wave does Canadian sales tax setup. It does not do Canadian sole-proprietor compliance. The difference shows up in four specific places.
The $30,000 GST/HST threshold is not a tracked metric. Wave will record GST/HST on invoices once you tell it to, but it will not warn you as your rolling four-quarter revenue approaches the mandatory-registration threshold. Most sole proprietors find out they crossed it after the fact, which means back-paying GST they never charged.
The T2125 is not the data model. Wave uses its own chart of accounts. At year end you (or your accountant) reconcile those categories back to T2125 lines. NorthOS categorizes every expense directly to its T2125 line as you enter it, so the export at year end is already structured the way the CRA wants it.
The Quick Method is not a feature. Wave assumes you are tracking input tax credits on every purchase and remitting the difference (the “Regular Method”). If you elect the CRA Quick Method, the calculation happens outside Wave. NorthOS has a built-in Quick Method calculator for all 13 provinces and territories.
Provincial sales tax in BC, SK, and MB is not automatic. Wave supports the configuration. NorthOS handles the registration, charging, and remittance logic out of the box. Same for marketplace facilitator rules on Etsy, eBay, and similar platforms.
Wave vs. NorthOS
| Feature | Wave | NorthOS |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (CAD) | Free (Starter) or ~$25 (Pro) | $12 CAD |
| Built for | Generic small business, invoicing-first | Canadian sole proprietors and side hustlers |
| GST/HST $30k threshold tracker | No | Automatic, rolling four-quarter window |
| T2125 line-by-line expense mapping | Manual reconciliation at year end | Built into every category |
| GST/HST Quick Method calculator | No | All 13 provinces and territories |
| Provincial sales tax (PST) for BC, SK, MB | Manual setup | Automatic |
| Marketplace facilitator rules (eBay, Etsy) | No | Built in |
| Receipt scanning | Pro tier only | Included, via North AI |
| AI bookkeeping assistant | No | North AI (write-capable) |
| Designed in Canada | Yes (Toronto, now H&R Block) | Yes (Ontario) |
Built for
- Wave
- Generic small business, invoicing-first
- NorthOS
- Canadian sole proprietors and side hustlers
GST/HST $30k threshold tracker
- Wave
- No
- NorthOS
- Automatic, rolling four-quarter window
T2125 line-by-line expense mapping
- Wave
- Manual reconciliation at year end
- NorthOS
- Built into every category
GST/HST Quick Method calculator
- Wave
- No
- NorthOS
- All 13 provinces and territories
Provincial sales tax (PST) for BC, SK, MB
- Wave
- Manual setup
- NorthOS
- Automatic
Marketplace facilitator rules (eBay, Etsy)
- Wave
- No
- NorthOS
- Built in
Receipt scanning
- Wave
- Pro tier only
- NorthOS
- Included, via North AI
AI bookkeeping assistant
- Wave
- No
- NorthOS
- North AI (write-capable)
Designed in Canada
- Wave
- Yes (Toronto, now H&R Block)
- NorthOS
- Yes (Ontario)
When Wave is still the right tool for you
Wave is a real product, not a punching bag. There are situations where it is the right choice and NorthOS is not.
If your business is almost entirely invoicing, your revenue is well under the $30,000 GST threshold, and you do not plan to register voluntarily, Wave Starter is genuinely free and does what you need.
If you have a service business with recurring clients, you accept a meaningful share of payments through Wave Payments, and the discounted processing rate on Wave Pro pays for itself, Wave Pro is competitive on price.
If you are already on Wave, your bookkeeping is current, and your accountant is comfortable with the export, there is no urgent reason to switch. NorthOS is the better tool the moment your tax season is harder than your invoicing.
Why Canadian sole proprietors pick NorthOS over Wave
The GST threshold is a number you can see.
NorthOS shows your rolling four-quarter revenue against the $30,000 registration threshold on the dashboard. You register before you cross, not after.
The T2125 is the data model, not an afterthought.
Every expense lands on a specific CRA line as you enter it. Year end is an export, not a reconciliation.
The Quick Method is one click.
Pick your province, enter your revenue, see your remittance. The calculator is part of the product, not a separate spreadsheet.
An AI assistant that does the bookkeeping.
North AI categorizes transactions, logs receipts, and answers tax questions through a normal chat. It writes to your books, not just reads them.
“What about my Wave data?”
Wave lets you export your transactions, customers, and invoices to CSV. NorthOS can take a transactions CSV as the starting point for your books, with categories mapped to T2125 lines during import.
The honest part: there is no one-click migration. You will be rebuilding the chart of accounts in T2125 shape, which is the work you would have had to do at year end anyway. The upside is that after the rebuild, your bookkeeping is already structured for the way the CRA wants to see it, not the way Wave wants to organize it.
If you want help getting your historical Wave data into NorthOS, reach out at hello@northos.ca.
Frequently asked questions
Is Wave still free for Canadian users in 2026?
Yes. Wave's Starter plan remains free for unlimited invoicing and basic accounting. Wave Pro is a paid tier (around $25 CAD per month) that adds bank feeds, receipt capture, and discounted payment processing. Wave was acquired by H&R Block in 2019 and continues to operate from its Toronto headquarters.
Why would I switch from a free Wave plan to a paid NorthOS plan?
Wave is genuinely useful if your bookkeeping is mostly invoicing. NorthOS is built around the parts of Canadian self-employment that Wave does not model: the GST/HST $30,000 threshold tracker, T2125 line-by-line expense mapping, the Quick Method remittance calculator, and provincial sales tax for BC, SK, and MB. If your tax season is harder than your invoicing, that is what you are paying $12 a month for.
Does Wave track the GST/HST $30,000 registration threshold?
Not as a native feature. Wave records GST/HST on invoices once you tell it your rate, but it does not warn you as your rolling four-quarter revenue approaches the $30,000 mandatory-registration threshold. NorthOS tracks that running total and flags it before you cross.
Does Wave map expenses to CRA T2125 lines?
Wave categorizes transactions using its own chart of accounts. The categories can be reconciled to T2125 lines at year end, but the mapping is not built into the product. NorthOS categorizes every expense directly to its T2125 line, so the year-end export is already structured the way the CRA wants it.
Does Wave handle the GST/HST Quick Method?
No. Wave assumes you are tracking input tax credits on every purchase and remitting the difference. If you elect the CRA Quick Method instead, you have to do the calculation outside Wave. NorthOS has a built-in Quick Method calculator with all 13 provinces and territories.
What about Wave for invoicing-heavy service businesses?
Wave is still a reasonable choice if your work is mostly sending invoices to clients and accepting card payments. NorthOS is a better fit if your bookkeeping is mostly about being ready for the CRA in April: tracking the GST threshold, building T2125 expense records, and remitting the right amount of sales tax.
Is NorthOS Canadian?
Yes. NorthOS is built by Apex North Enterprises in Ontario, hosted in Canada, and designed specifically for Canadian sole proprietors and side hustlers. It handles T2125 compliance, GST/HST registration thresholds, PST for BC, SK, and MB, and marketplace facilitator tax rules out of the box.
Bookkeeping built around how Canadians actually file.
NorthOS is bookkeeping and tax compliance for Canadian sole proprietors and side hustlers. T2125 expense mapping, GST/HST threshold tracking, Quick Method remittance, and provincial sales tax for BC, SK, and MB. $12 CAD a month.