Deel
Wave
| Feature | Deel | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $49/mo | Free / from $16/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-first-companies, startups, growing-teams, international-businesses | freelancers, solopreneurs, micro-businesses, side-hustlers |
| Founded | 2019 | 2010 |
| Global Payroll | ✓ | ✗ |
| Contractor Payments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Compliance | ✓ | ✗ |
| Eor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Equipment Shipping | ✓ | ✗ |
| Immigration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Hr Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Accounting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Invoicing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Receipt Scanning | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bank Connections | ✗ | ✓ |
| Financial Reports | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payroll Addon | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payments Addon | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Deel Pros
- Hire globally without setting up entities
- Handles compliance and contracts automatically
- Fast payments in local currencies
- Free for contractor management (up to a limit)
✗ Deel Cons
- EOR service is very expensive
- Customer support can be slow
- Platform can feel complex for small teams
✓ Wave Pros
- Core accounting and invoicing completely free
- Unlimited income and expense tracking
- Receipt scanning with OCR included
- Simple enough for non-accountants
✗ Wave Cons
- Payroll and payments are paid add-ons
- No inventory or project tracking
- Limited integrations compared to competitors
The Verdict
Deel is built for remote first companies and startups, with a focus on global-payroll and contractor-payments. Wave targets freelancers and solopreneurs and leads with accounting and invoicing.
On pricing, Wave is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $16/mo compared to $49/mo for Deel. That $33/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.