Wave Accounting vs Workday Financial Management

Last Updated:

Our analysts compared Wave Accounting vs Workday Financial Management based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Accounting Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Wave Accounting Software Tool

Product Basics

Wave Accounting streamlines financial management for small businesses and freelancers. Its intuitive interface simplifies bookkeeping tasks like expense tracking, invoicing, and receipt scanning. Users praise its ease of use and mobile accessibility, making it ideal for entrepreneurs on the go. Wave offers core accounting features like bank reconciliation and income/expense reports, all for free. Premium plans unlock advanced functionalities like payroll, double-entry bookkeeping, and tax filing for an affordable monthly fee. Compared to similar products, Wave shines in user experience. Reviews highlight its intuitive design, helpful tutorials, and responsive customer support. However, its free plan lacks features crucial for larger businesses, requiring an upgrade for robust accounting needs. Ultimately, Wave excels as a beginner-friendly, cost-effective solution for solopreneurs and small teams seeking hassle-free financial management.

Pros
  • Free core features
  • Easy to use interface
  • Mobile-friendly design
  • Excellent customer support
  • Free bank reconciliation
Cons
  • Limited features in free plan
  • No inventory tracking
  • No double-entry accounting
  • Few integrations with other software
  • Limited reporting options
read more...
Workday Financial Management is a cloud-based accounting software designed for mid-sized and large enterprises. It automates core financial processes like record-to-report, procurement, and expense management, aiming to streamline operations and improve data visibility. Its strengths lie in its user-friendly interface, real-time reporting capabilities, and global compliance support. However, its subscription-based pricing model can be costlier than traditional on-premise solutions. Users praise its intuitive design and powerful analytics, but some note occasional integration issues and a steeper learning curve compared to simpler systems. Overall, Workday Financial Management is a robust option for companies seeking a modern, scalable accounting platform with a focus on automation and global reach, but its premium pricing might not suit smaller businesses or those with less complex financial needs.

Pros
  • User-friendly interface
  • Real-time reporting
  • Global compliance support
  • Scalable for growth
  • Integrates with other Workday apps
Cons
  • Higher subscription costs
  • Steeper learning curve
  • Occasional integration issues
  • Limited customization options
  • Reporting can be complex
read more...
$20 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$5,000 Monthly
Free Trial is unavailable →
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Free: Utilize Wave Accounting's free features forever, making it a great help for entrepreneurs and freelancers who may find themselves in the preliminary stages of launching their business or service.  
  • Easy Setup: Get to work immediately with easy account setup and installation. 
  • Available Anywhere: Access this solution on computers and mobile devices to access and change anything from practically any location. All changes are automatically saved and synced so users always see current information. 
  • Instant Transactions: Connect bank accounts for instant transaction recordings. It also eliminates manually inputting receipts. 
  • Stay Organized for Tax Season: Sort incomes, expenses, payments and invoices in one centralized location for tax time.  
  • Collaborate with Accountants: Share data and collaborate with accountants for smooth financial processing and advice. 
  • Top-Notch Security: Protect financial information with security components such as bank connections with 256-bit encryption in read-only formats and PCI Level-1 security for managing credit cards and bank account information. 
read more...
  • Enhanced Efficiency and Streamlined Operations: Automates manual tasks, eliminates data silos, and provides real-time visibility across financial processes, leading to faster close cycles, reduced errors, and improved operational agility.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Offers robust analytics and reporting tools that deliver actionable insights into financial performance, enabling informed strategic planning, cost optimization, and resource allocation.
  • Global Compliance and Scalability: Supports complex global operations with built-in compliance features and multi-currency capabilities, ensuring seamless expansion into new markets and adherence to local regulations.
  • Improved User Experience and Productivity: Provides a modern, intuitive interface that empowers finance teams with self-service capabilities, reduces training requirements, and boosts overall user satisfaction.
  • Enhanced Collaboration and Visibility: Fosters collaboration between finance and other business departments through integrated workflows and shared data, promoting transparency and alignment across the organization.
  • Reduced Risk and Improved Controls: Strengthens internal controls with advanced security features, audit trails, and automated compliance checks, mitigating financial risks and safeguarding sensitive data.
  • Increased Agility and Adaptability: Enables rapid configuration changes and customizations to adapt to evolving business needs and industry regulations, ensuring continuous optimization and competitive advantage.
  • Talent Optimization and Retention: Supports talent management initiatives by streamlining payroll and expense processes, providing employee self-service capabilities, and enhancing financial transparency, leading to increased employee satisfaction and retention.
  • Sustainable Growth and ROI: Delivers tangible cost savings through automation, improved efficiency, and reduced compliance risks, contributing to significant long-term return on investment.
  • Future-Proofed Platform: Continuously updated with new features and functionality, ensuring your accounting system stays ahead of the curve and adapts to evolving industry trends and technologies.
read more...
  • Link Accounts and Credit Cards: Connect an unlimited amount of bank accounts and credit cards. Users may supervise multiple businesses with one account. 
  • Smooth Integrations: Integrate Shopify transactions and link with PayPal, Shoeboxed and Etsy accounts. 
  • Intricate Dashboards: Elaborate dashboards that display cash balances, invoice statuses, incomes, expenses and payments. This accessory also provides bill and invoice reminders. 
  • Export Various Reports: Export a variety of accounting reports such as profit and loss, sales tax, cash flow, comparative and others. 
  • Automatic Updates: Receive prompt updates and reminders on invoices, payments and payroll details. 
  • Evaluate High Volumes of Transactions: Process a bulk amount of transactions to ensure rapid bookkeeping practices. Users can also perform and accept transactions in foreign currencies and search for transactions based on descriptions. 
  • Double-Entry Accounting: Operate with double-entry accounting—a method that chronicles transactions in two or more accounts — that performs prompt exchange rate calculations and has a flexible sales tax module. 
  • Adaptable Expense and Income Categories: Use account IDs to create adjustable expense and income categories, sometimes called chart of accounts. There's also an unlimited income and expense tracking accessory. 
read more...
  • Grant Management: Meet grantor and business requirements for budgeting, billing, reporting and compliance. Minimize the possibility of reporting errors, any loss due to absent funds or risk associated with non-compliance. Make sure that all grantor’s requirements get met in terms of timeframe, balance, terms and conditions. Control unnecessary spending by keeping a tab on the monetary status in real-time. Ensure that workers are paid for individual projects. 
  • Analytics and Reporting: Create internal reports and external regulatory statements ensuring no patchwork database. Use reconciliations and analytical tools. Ensure robust security while deriving insights for strategic decision-making. Let executives and leaders view monetary, operational and management visualizations. Gain a complete view of the business by combining transactional and operational parameters. Know and understand what is happening, where and why by analyzing details across dimensions. 
  • Financial Planning: Make informed, faster decisions with flexible tools and data-driven insights. Respond quickly to change by creating strategic plans for budgeting expenses to forecasting revenue. Gain a complete picture by populating models with data. Connect to cloud, on-premise and data warehouse. Ensure reliable data access with an automated data flow. Involve everyone in the planning process with role-based access to models. Create reports by automatically connecting to Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint. View numbers, charts and variance alongside each other, reflected instantly. 
  • Audits and Internal Control: Keep the business secure, identify risk and document every translation with audit and internal controls. Adjust controls and processes, set thresholds, evaluate workflows and prevent unauthorized transactions with a flexible framework. Limit permissions to people with single access and authorization control. 
  • Global Foundation: Operate and expand in different countries or around the world. Get built-in flexibility and support for global time zones, currencies and address formats. Leverage support for multiple charts of accounts, tax, banking and payment format. Deploy faster with built-in country-specific configurations. 
  • Expenses: Minimize expense processing time and reimburse faster. Record the transaction by scanning the receipt. Get better travel rates and discounts by uncovering the latest trends in real-time with a delivered expense dashboard. Control cost and keep all the travel policies in one place. Prevent the possibility of fraud by tracking out of policy spends.  
  • Accounting Centre: Gain detailed insights and reduce the time to close with comprehensive accounting information and data lineage back to source transactions. Minimize errors, boost efficiency and gain better control and visibility. Manage and modify rules with one accounting engine written in business language. Get detailed budgetary and operational reporting with a virtual subledger. Recognize revenue by modifying operational data. 
  • Revenue Management: Gain complete visibility with flexible features and view and analyze all the system’s aspects. Minimize risk by establishing, approving and tracking customers at every step of the contract cycle. Reduce revenue leakage and gain rich insights into write-offs and billing rules. Boost accessibility, accuracy, profitability with intercompany invoices. Get end-to-end revenue management and comprehensive revenue recognition while staying compliant with GAAP and IFRS standards and protocols. 
  • Budgetary Consolidation and Close: Keep track of the output by any factor such as spend by supplier, campaign, profitability and project activity. Reconcile accounts and embed them in the transaction system. Automate tasks, route approvals and reports with a close period checklist. Get real-time currency and earning calculations to analyze the financial results within a specific timeframe.  
  • Accounting and Finance: Keep a tab on the monetary impact of transactions by identifying and addressing issues promptly without running a batch process. Close faster with real-time consolidation. Automate finance and accounting operations, make modifications or corrections any time and get recommendations on payment matching. Manage accounts payable, contracts, billings and payments from one place. Gain complete transparency into records from procurement to disposal. Control and optimize the cash flow. 
read more...

Product Ranking

#4

among all
Accounting Software

#357

among all
Accounting Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

72
80
78
0
92
70
87
100
Show More Show More
Financial Statements and Revenue Management
Accounts Receivable
Mobile Support
Tax Management
Banking and Cash Management
Banking and Cash Management
Budget and Expense Management
Platform Security
Tax Management
Multi-company Accounting and Asset Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Wave Accounting
Workday Financial Management
+ Add Product + Add Product
Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Banking And Cash Management Budget And Expense Management Financial Statements And Revenue Management General Ledger And Chart Of Accounts Integration And Extensibility Inventory Management Journal Entries Mobile Support Multi-company Accounting And Asset Management Platform Capabilities Project Accounting Reporting And Analytics Tax Management 78 92 87 57 98 61 58 50 73 90 65 78 56 70 88 0 70 100 100 66 63 0 57 81 0 87 0 80 0 100 0 25 50 75 100
56%
0%
44%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
83%
11%
6%
69%
0%
31%
80%
0%
20%
100%
0%
0%
31%
15%
54%
100%
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
20%
60%
20%
63%
0%
37%
25%
0%
75%
23%
0%
77%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
0%
0%
100%
0%
86%
14%
60%
0%
40%
80%
0%
20%
80%
0%
20%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
50%
0%
50%
67%
33%
0%
78%
0%
22%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
0%
40%
60%
80%
0%
20%
47%
5%
48%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
80%
0%
20%
100%
0%
0%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

33%
0%
67%
33%
33%
34%
83%
0%
17%
100%
0%
0%

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 2602 reviews
Great User Sentiment 324 reviews
88%
of users recommend this product

Wave Accounting has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 2602 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

84%
of users recommend this product

Workday Financial Management has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 84% when considering 324 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

4.0 (15)
n/a
4.4 (203)
3.8 (77)
4.43 (1298)
n/a
4.4 (964)
4.4 (55)
n/a
4.4 (153)
4.0 (122)
4.0 (39)

Awards

we're gathering data

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Workday Financial Management and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Budget and Expense Management.

Budget and Expense Management Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

System Performance: Of the users who mentioned this solution's performance, precisely 65% said it's easy to use, documents all tasks performed and provides accurate information.
Modules: Approximately 57% of users who discussed this program's functionality said it has a variety of capabilities such as an assortment of reports, bank account synching and invoice reminders.
Cost: Of the users who mentioned this application's pricing, approximately 87% of users said they like the free version because it comes with plenty of appliances.
Show more
Streamlined Processes and Efficiency: Automates manual tasks like journal entries, reconciliations, and financial reporting, saving time and reducing errors.
Real-Time Visibility and Insights: Provides instant access to financial data and customizable dashboards, enabling proactive decision-making and improved cash flow management.
Global Compliance and Scalability: Supports multi-GAAP compliance, multi-currency transactions, and international tax reporting, simplifying operations for global organizations.
User-Friendly Interface and Adoption: Offers an intuitive interface with guided workflows and role-based dashboards, making it easy to learn and use for finance professionals of varying skill levels.
Seamless Integration and Collaboration: Integrates smoothly with other Workday applications and external systems, fostering collaboration across departments and streamlining financial processes.
Show more
Frustrating reconciliation process: Users often describe matching transactions as difficult and time-consuming, leading to delayed reconciliation and potential errors.
Limited reporting options: Users express a desire for more robust and flexible reporting features, including better sorting, exporting, and preset date options for generating customized reports.
Lack of phone support: Wave relies primarily on email and online resources for support, which can be frustrating for users who prefer immediate assistance or have complex issues to resolve.
Occasional glitches and errors: Users have reported occasional software glitches, such as duplicated transactions or difficulties with bank syncing, which can disrupt workflows and create data inconsistencies.
No inventory management: Wave lacks full-fledged inventory tracking and management capabilities, making it unsuitable for businesses with complex inventory needs or those who sell directly through eCommerce platforms.
Show more
Steep Learning Curve: Workday's interface and functionality can be complex for users unfamiliar with its specific terminology and workflows, requiring significant training and onboarding.
Limited Customization Options: While Workday offers some customization, it may not fully accommodate specific accounting needs or reporting requirements, potentially leading to workarounds or integration with additional tools.
High Implementation and Maintenance Costs: Workday's initial implementation and ongoing maintenance can be expensive, especially for smaller organizations, requiring careful budgeting and resource allocation.
Integration Challenges: Integrating Workday with existing legacy systems or third-party applications can be complex and time-consuming, potentially disrupting workflows and requiring specialized technical expertise.
Limited Offline Functionality: Workday's cloud-based nature can pose challenges in situations with limited internet connectivity, potentially impacting critical accounting tasks and data access.
Show more

Wave Accounting users appreciate its simplicity and affordability, making it a popular choice for freelancers and solopreneurs. The free plan covers essential features like invoicing, expense tracking, and basic reporting, catering to those with straightforward accounting needs. Users praise its intuitive interface and mobile app for on-the-go tracking, highlighting its convenience compared to clunky desktop software. However, Wave's limitations become apparent as businesses grow. Users cite frustrating reconciliation issues, limited reporting options, and the lack of advanced features like inventory management or payroll integrations. Compared to competitors like Quickbooks or Xero, Wave feels less capable of handling complex accounting workflows. While its automatic bank imports save time, the absence of phone support can be a dealbreaker for some users who need immediate help troubleshooting issues. Ultimately, Wave shines for its ease of use and zero-cost entry point, but its lack of scalability and robust features might necessitate switching to more powerful alternatives as businesses evolve. Choosing Wave comes down to prioritizing convenience and affordability over comprehensive functionality and expert support.

Show more

Workday Financial Management (WFM) user reviews paint a mixed picture. While users praise its streamlining capabilities, real-time insights, and global compliance features, they also face challenges with its initial complexity, limited customization, and high costs. Compared to competitors like Oracle NetSuite and SAP Business One, WFM shines in automating manual tasks and offering intuitive dashboards for data-driven decision-making. However, its steeper learning curve and potential integration hurdles can be daunting for smaller firms or those accustomed to simpler systems. Users particularly appreciate WFM's ability to automate journal entries, reconciliations, and financial reporting, freeing up valuable time for analysis and strategic planning. The real-time visibility into financial data with customizable dashboards also empowers users to make proactive decisions and manage cash flow effectively. For global organizations, WFM's support for multi-GAAP compliance, multi-currency transactions, and international tax reporting simplifies operations and streamlines reporting across diverse regions. However, users also highlight WFM's learning curve as a major hurdle, especially for those unfamiliar with its unique interface and terminology. The limited customization options can also be frustrating when specific accounting needs or reporting requirements don't perfectly align with the system's functionalities. Additionally, the high implementation and maintenance costs can be a barrier for smaller organizations, making WFM a better fit for larger enterprises with the resources to invest. Compared to competitors, WFM's strengths lie in its automation capabilities and data-driven insights. Users often find Oracle NetSuite more user-friendly and customizable, while SAP Business One offers better integration with existing systems for some businesses. Ultimately, the choice between WFM and its competitors boils down to individual priorities and needs. If automation, real-time data, and global compliance are top concerns, WFM stands out. However, if ease of use, customization, and cost-effectiveness are paramount, other options might be more suitable.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in Accounting Software


Accounting Seed

Acumatica

BQE Core

Dynamics 365 Finance

FreeAgent

Freshbooks

Manager

Odoo Accounting

Oracle Financials Cloud

Patriot Accounting

QuickBooks Online

Sage 50cloud Accounting

Sage Intacct

SAP Business One

SAP S/4 HANA Finance

TallyPrime

Workday Financial Management

Xero

ZarMoney

Zoho Books

Related Categories

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings