If you're a freelancer or solo operator searching for free financial tools, Wave and Stintly probably both showed up on your radar. Wave has been a popular choice for years — it offers free invoicing and accounting with a clean web interface. Stintly takes a different approach entirely: a mobile-first app that works offline, requires no account, and costs nothing. Both tools aim to help independent workers manage their money, but they solve the problem in very different ways.
This comparison breaks down the real differences so you can pick the right tool for how you actually work. No marketing spin — just an honest look at what each app does well and where it falls short.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Stintly | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free (paid add-ons for payroll & payments) |
| Works Offline | Yes — 100% offline | No — requires internet connection |
| Account Required | No | Yes — email sign-up required |
| Best For | Solo operators, freelancers, side hustlers | Small businesses needing full accounting |
| Platform | iOS (App Store) | Web browser, iOS & Android (limited) |
| Key Features | Time tracking, invoicing, expense tracking, mileage | Invoicing, accounting, receipt scanning, payroll |
| Data Privacy | All data stays on your device | Cloud-stored on Wave's servers |
Pricing
Wave built its reputation on being free, and that's still mostly true. Core invoicing and accounting features don't cost anything. However, Wave makes money through paid add-ons: online payment processing (2.9% + $0.60 per credit card transaction), and payroll services starting at $20/month plus $6 per employee. The free tier also includes in-app advertising, which is how they fund the platform. Since H&R Block acquired Wave in 2019, there's been ongoing concern in the freelancer community about whether the free tier will remain as generous long-term.
Stintly is straightforward: it's free. No paid tiers, no transaction fees, no ads. You download it, open it, and start using it. There's no account to create, no credit card to enter, and no surprise upsells after you've invested time setting everything up.
| Cost | Stintly | Wave (Core) | Wave (with Payments) | Wave (with Payroll) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $0 | $0 | 2.9% + $0.60/txn | $20 + $6/employee |
| 1-Year Total | $0 | $0 | Varies by volume | $312+ per year |
| 3-Year Total | $0 | $0 | Varies by volume | $936+ per year |
| Hidden Costs | None | Ads in free tier | Per-transaction fees | Per-employee fees |
For solo freelancers who don't need payroll or online payment processing, both tools are genuinely free. The difference comes down to what "free" feels like in practice — Wave requires you to create an account and navigate around ads, while Stintly just works out of the box.
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Features
Where Wave excels: Wave is a full-fledged accounting platform. If you need double-entry bookkeeping, bank connections, profit & loss statements, balance sheets, or sales tax tracking, Wave delivers all of that for free. Its invoicing system is polished and lets clients pay online directly from the invoice. Receipt scanning via the mobile app works well for capturing expenses on the go. For small businesses that have grown past the solo stage and need proper books, Wave is genuinely impressive for the price.
Where Stintly excels: Stintly is purpose-built for the solo operator who needs to track time, send invoices, log expenses, and monitor cash flow without the overhead of a full accounting system. It's designed around how freelancers actually work — often on the move, sometimes without reliable internet, always short on time. The interface is intentionally simple because most freelancers don't need journal entries or a chart of accounts. They need to know how much they've earned, how much they're owed, and how much they've spent.
If you're a freelancer doing your own client work — whether that's consulting, design, writing, photography, or trades — Stintly gives you everything you need without the features you don't. Professionals running specialized service businesses can find similarly focused tools: LawnBook handles lawn care and landscaping operations, while ShineBook is built specifically for cleaning businesses. The idea is the same — the right tool for the right job, without unnecessary complexity.
Feature-by-feature breakdown:
- Invoicing: Both apps handle invoicing well. Wave's advantage is online payment acceptance built into invoices. Stintly keeps invoicing simple and offline-capable, which means you can create and send invoices from anywhere.
- Time Tracking: Stintly includes built-in time tracking tied directly to projects and invoices. Wave does not have native time tracking — you'd need a third-party integration.
- Expense Tracking: Wave connects to your bank and auto-imports transactions, which is powerful for bookkeeping. Stintly takes a manual approach that keeps your bank credentials off third-party servers.
- Accounting: Wave wins here clearly. It offers proper double-entry accounting, financial reports, and tax-ready statements. Stintly focuses on cash flow visibility rather than formal accounting.
- Mileage Tracking: Stintly includes mileage and travel expense tracking. Wave doesn't have this built in.
- Payroll: Wave offers payroll as a paid add-on. Stintly doesn't offer payroll, as it's designed for solo operators who don't have employees.
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Offline & Privacy
This is where Stintly and Wave take fundamentally different approaches, and it's worth understanding the tradeoffs.
Wave is a cloud-based platform. Your financial data — invoices, expenses, bank connections, client information — all lives on Wave's servers. This means you can access it from any browser, which is convenient. But it also means you need an internet connection to do anything, and your sensitive financial data is stored on infrastructure you don't control. After the H&R Block acquisition, your data is now managed by a large tax preparation corporation with its own data policies and interests.
Stintly stores everything locally on your device. Your financial data never leaves your phone unless you explicitly export it. There's no cloud sync, no server to get breached, and no third party reading your business data. For freelancers who work in areas with spotty internet — on job sites, in rural areas, while traveling — this isn't a nice-to-have, it's essential. Contractors using TrestleBook for construction projects or property managers using KeyLoft for rental management face the same challenge — you need your tools to work where you work, not just where there's WiFi.
The privacy angle matters beyond just preferences. If you're a freelancer handling client contracts, billing rates, or sensitive project details, keeping that data off cloud servers reduces your exposure. No data breach notification emails, no wondering what happens to your information if the company changes ownership again, and no Terms of Service updates that quietly expand how your data gets used.
The tradeoff is real, though: Stintly's local-only approach means if you lose your phone without a backup, your data is gone. Wave's cloud storage means your data survives device loss. For most freelancers, regular device backups handle this concern, but it's worth knowing.
Who Should Use Wave
Wave is the better choice if you need actual accounting software. Specifically, you should consider Wave if:
- You need double-entry bookkeeping and financial statements for tax filing or business loans
- You want to connect your bank account for automatic transaction importing
- You accept online payments and want clients to pay directly from invoices
- You have employees and need payroll (even though it's a paid add-on)
- You work primarily from a desk with reliable internet
- You're comfortable with cloud-based data storage
- Your accountant or bookkeeper wants access to your books
Wave is particularly strong for small businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets but aren't ready for the complexity or cost of QuickBooks. If you're generating enough revenue that you need proper books — think $50,000+ annually with significant expenses to categorize — Wave's accounting features become genuinely valuable.
Who Should Use Stintly
Stintly is built for a different kind of worker. You should consider Stintly if:
- You're a solo freelancer, contractor, or side hustler who needs simplicity above all else
- You track time for client billing and want it integrated with your invoicing
- You work on the go — at client sites, coffee shops, or places with unreliable internet
- You don't want to create another online account or hand over your email address
- You care about data privacy and prefer keeping financial information on your device
- You want to start tracking finances in under a minute, not after a setup wizard
- You need mileage and travel expense tracking built in
- You don't need formal accounting — you need to know your numbers
Stintly shines for freelancers who bill by the hour, travel between client locations, and want a single app that handles the financial basics without becoming another full-time job to manage. If you've ever opened an accounting app, felt overwhelmed by the dashboard, and gone back to a spreadsheet — Stintly was designed for you.
The Bottom Line
Wave and Stintly solve overlapping problems for different types of users. Wave is a powerful, free accounting platform that's hard to beat if you need real bookkeeping. Its invoicing is polished, its reporting is comprehensive, and for web-based small business finance, it's one of the best free options available.
Stintly isn't trying to replace your accountant. It's trying to be the tool you actually use every day — the one that's fast enough to open between client meetings, works at a job site with no cell signal, and doesn't require you to remember another password. For solo operators who need time tracking, invoicing, expense logging, and cash flow visibility without the weight of a full accounting system, Stintly delivers exactly that.
If you're not sure which fits, ask yourself this: do you need accounting software, or do you need to manage your freelance finances? If it's the former, Wave is excellent. If it's the latter, Stintly was built for you.
Ready to switch? Download Stintly for Free — it takes 30 seconds and costs nothing.