DocMason vs Wave.
The simpler alternative to Wave.
Wave takes new businesses in the United States and Canada only, and prices in dollars. DocMason does invoices and quotes for UK businesses - pounds, UK VAT, HMRC-shaped documents - written from one sentence. Here is the honest comparison, with Wave's own numbers, checked 13 September 2026.
3 free invoices and 3 free quotes a month. No card, no signup to try it.
The numbers, side by side
Both columns told straight
Wave is accounting software priced in US and Canadian dollars for businesses in those two countries; DocMason is invoicing and quoting for the UK, with bookings and statement conversion in the same login. The table is Wave's published numbers next to ours, checked 13 September 2026.
| DocMason | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Available in the UK | Yes - built for UK businesses, in pounds | No. Wave supports businesses in the United States and Canada only; a UK business cannot open a new account |
| Monthly price | Free for 3 invoices and 3 quotes a month; Starter 9.99 GBP a month for unlimited | Starter plan free; Pro 19 USD (25 CAD) a month, or 190 USD (250 CAD) a year |
| Currency and tax | Pounds, with UK VAT at 0, 5 or 20 percent on every line, worked out by code | Priced and billed in US or Canadian dollars |
| Per-invoice cost | None on any plan | None; fees apply when a customer pays by card |
| Card payment fee | Your own Stripe account at Stripe's standard rates; DocMason adds nothing on top and never holds your money (Growth plan) | 2.9% + 0.60 USD per card transaction, 3.4% + 0.60 USD for Amex; Pro waives the 0.60 on the first ten transactions a month |
| Invoice designs and branding | 26 designs, your logo and brand colour on all of them, on every plan | Branding customisation is a Pro plan feature |
| Quote to invoice | One click: the accepted quote becomes the invoice and takes the next number | Estimates convert to invoices |
| Free plan | Free with no card and no expiry, 3 invoices and 3 quotes a month | A free Starter plan, for businesses in the United States and Canada |
Wave prices and fees are US and Canadian dollar rates read from waveapps.com/pricing on 13 September 2026; they can change, so check their page before deciding. Wave is a trademark of its owner. DocMason is an independent company, not affiliated with or endorsed by Wave.
The DocMason column
Where DocMason is better
DocMason is not trying to be Wave's whole accounting suite. It is the invoicing and quoting a UK trade or freelancer actually does, made fast, with the parts that get you paid.
Built for the UK
Pounds, UK VAT rates per line, prices quoted including VAT worked back to net, sort codes and account numbers on the invoice, and numbering HMRC is happy with. Nothing to translate from dollars.
Written from a sentence
Say the job the way you would to a customer and the invoice writes itself. Every total, discount and VAT figure is calculated by deterministic code in exact pence; the AI never touches the maths.
Quotes that accept themselves
A quote goes out with a valid-until date and an accept link. The customer taps yes on their phone, the answer is recorded, and the quote becomes the invoice in one click.
Chasing that is polite and automatic
On Growth, an unpaid invoice is chased the day after it falls due and a week later, in your name, never threatening. Quiet quotes get the same treatment. It stops the moment they pay or reply.
Every claim above is the same enforced product the main invoice generator page sells, or the full matrix on the pricing page.
If you switch
An afternoon, start to finish
- 1
Type your first invoice
No account to start. Fill in the boxes or say the job in a sentence, and the invoice appears with VAT worked out in exact pence.
- 2
Download it, and your details are saved
Downloading the PDF creates the free account. Your business details, bank details and logo go in once and print on every invoice after.
- 3
Bring your customers across
Export your customer list from Wave as a CSV and import it under Customers; names, emails and addresses come in, and duplicates are skipped.
- 4
Send from DocMason, in your name
From Starter, invoices and quotes go out by email with an online copy; on Growth, unpaid ones are chased politely and customers can pay by card into your own Stripe.
There is no import of your old invoices from Wave - honestly. Customers come across by CSV, your details are entered once, and the next invoice takes a sentence. Keep your {name} export for your records.
FAQs
The switching questions, answered straight
Whether you can still use Wave from the UK, what DocMason does and does not do, and how the switch works.
Something else on your mind? Ask a human.
Can I still use Wave in the UK?
Wave's own help centre says it supports businesses in the United States and Canada only, so a UK business cannot open a new account. If you have an older UK account, ask Wave what still works for it; this page does not speak for them.
Does DocMason do bookkeeping like Wave?
No, and it does not pretend to. DocMason is invoices, quotes, FullDiary bookings and bank statement conversion. There are no bank feeds, no ledger and no accounts; your accountant's software or a spreadsheet still does the books, and the statement converter hands them clean CSVs.
Can I import my Wave customers?
Yes. Export your customers from Wave as a CSV and import the file under Customers in your DocMason dashboard: the columns are matched for you, nameless rows and duplicates are skipped with their line numbers, and rerunning the same file creates nothing twice. Old invoices do not come across.
What does DocMason cost?
Free for 3 invoices, 3 quotes and 20 bookings a month, with no card and no time limit. Starter is 9.99 GBP a month for unlimited invoices and quotes with sending and online accept links; Growth is 39.99 GBP a month and adds card payments through your own Stripe, automatic chasing and booking reminders.
Where is my data kept?
In the EU, and it is never used to train AI models. Your documents stay yours on every plan, and the PDFs are yours to keep.
Try the invoice generator next to your Wave tab
3 free invoices a month, in pounds, with UK VAT. Type one and see for yourself.
No card to startFree tier foreverCancel anytimeData hosted in the EU