HomebaseBuild schedules, track time, run payroll and hire in one easy app.
vs
WaveClear books. Confident decisions.
Comparison · Payroll · weekly run Nov 3
Homebase vs Wave
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
Homebase is the stronger AI pick in Payroll: it has a visibility score of 3.1 versus 2.3 for Wave, and ranks ahead in 0% of the answers that name both.
Choose Homebase if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (3.1 vs 2.3)
- free plan covers scheduling and time tracking
- attractive annual savings for scheduling and workforce management
Choose Wave if…
- You want a lower entry price ($19 vs $30)
- AI answers describe it more positively (38% vs 25% positive)
- Free accounting and invoicing for micro-businesses
- Well suited to freelancers and very small businesses
AI visibility side by side
Latest weekly run · Nov 3
| Metric | Homebase | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 3.1% | 2.3% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in Payroll | #22 | #23 |
| Share of voice | 1% | 0.9% |
| Mentions this run | 5 | 4 |
| Positive in AI answers | 25% | 38% |
The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.
Visibility score trend
Weekly runs over the last 60 days
Homebase 0pp · Wave 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
Homebase leads on 1 of 3 engines
ChatGPT
AI Mode
Perplexity
HomebaseWave
Head to head in AI answers
1 engine answers name both brands
0Homebase ranked higher
1Wave ranked higher
| Prompt | Engine | Homebase | Wave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which payroll platform offers a free trial? | ChatGPT | #5 | #3 |
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | Homebase | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat tiers | Flat tiers |
| Entry price | Free; paid from $30 / mo | Free; paid from $19 / mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment | — | Cloud-based web application with a mobile app |
| Support | 24/7 AI chat support and Help Center, Live support by chat and phone, Certified HR Advisors on the All-in-One plan, Phone line (415) 951-3831 | Live chat and email support, Monday to Friday 9 AM to 4:45 PM Eastern, Wave Advisors bookkeeping and coaching (paid add-on) |
| Founded | 2014 | 2009 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA, United States | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Employees | 201–500 | 201–500 |
| Funding | Series D · $189M raised | Series D |
| Best for | Small businesses with hourly, shift-based teams, such as restaurants, retail, beauty and wellness, medical, and home services. | Freelancers, solopreneurs, contractors and consultants who run small businesses and want simple books and invoicing without accounting expertise |
Plans side by side
Homebase
Basic$0location per month
Essentials$30location per month
Plus$70location per month
All-in-One$120location per month
Wave
Starter$0month
Pro$19month per business (billed monthly); $190/year billed annually
Wave Advisors$149month (starting at)
Pros and cons
Themes from the AI answers that mention each brand
Homebase
- free plan covers scheduling and time tracking
- attractive annual savings for scheduling and workforce management
- payroll is a paid add-on
Wave
- Free accounting and invoicing for micro-businesses
- Well suited to freelancers and very small businesses
- Ongoing free plan rather than a time-limited trial
- Affordable and reliable for small businesses
- Clear public pricing
- Free plan mainly suits a single user, not teams
- Free products offer fewer controls and growth features
Data collected ·ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode·coverage 100%·next run
Cite as: SlateIndex, “Homebase vs Wave”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/homebase-vs-wave, data of Nov 3, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.