OnPayPowerful people tech, backed by real experts
vs
WaveClear books. Confident decisions.
Comparison · Payroll · weekly run Nov 3
OnPay vs Wave
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
OnPay is the stronger AI pick in Payroll: it has a visibility score of 22.2 versus 2.3 for Wave, and ranks ahead in 100% of the answers that name both.
Choose OnPay if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (22.2 vs 2.3)
- You want a lower entry price ($15 vs $19)
- AI answers describe it more positively (54% vs 38% positive)
- Per seat pricing suits your budget better than flat tiers
Choose Wave if…
- You want a free plan to start
- You prefer a larger, established vendor (201–500 employees)
- Flat tiers pricing suits your budget better than per seat
- Free accounting and invoicing for micro-businesses
AI visibility side by side
Latest weekly run · Nov 3
| Metric | OnPay | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 22.2% | 2.3% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in Payroll | #5 | #23 |
| Share of voice | 5.9% | 0.9% |
| Mentions this run | 27 | 4 |
| Positive in AI answers | 54% | 38% |
The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.
Visibility score trend
Weekly runs over the last 60 days
OnPay 0pp · Wave 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
OnPay leads on 3 of 3 engines
ChatGPT
AI Mode
Perplexity
OnPayWave
Head to head in AI answers
4 engine answers name both brands
4OnPay ranked higher
0Wave ranked higher
| Prompt | Engine | OnPay | Wave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternatives to the most popular payroll platform | Perplexity | #4 | #10 |
| Which payroll platform offers a free trial? | ChatGPT | #1 | #3 |
| Which payroll platform offers a free trial? | Perplexity | #3 | #6 |
| Which payroll platform has transparent pricing? | AI Mode | #3 | #4 |
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | OnPay | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per seat | Flat tiers |
| Entry price | $15 per seat / mo | Free; paid from $19 / mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Onboarding fee | Included | — |
| Deployment | Cloud-based | Cloud-based web application with a mobile app |
| Support | Phone, Chat, Email, Live HR support | Live chat and email support, Monday to Friday 9 AM to 4:45 PM Eastern, Wave Advisors bookkeeping and coaching (paid add-on) |
| Founded | — | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, GA, USA | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Employees | 51–200 | 201–500 |
| Funding | Series B | Series D |
| Best for | Small businesses, and accounting firms that run payroll for their clients | Freelancers, solopreneurs, contractors and consultants who run small businesses and want simple books and invoicing without accounting expertise |
Plans side by side
OnPay
Payroll Essentials$49per month plus $6 per worker
HR$15per month plus $2 per worker
HR + Time Tracking$21per month plus $4 per worker
Bundled HR$71per month plus $1 per worker
Bundled HR + Time Tracking$81per month plus $4 per worker
Time Tracking$15per month plus $4 per worker
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
OnPay
- Transparent flat-fee pricing
- Free trial with full access
- Unlimited pay runs
- Simple, easy starting point for small businesses
- Good value and budget-friendly
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, “OnPay vs Wave”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/onpay-vs-wave, data of Nov 3, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.