RemoteThe financial operating system for the global workforce.
vs
WaveClear books. Confident decisions.
Comparison · Payroll · weekly run Nov 3
Remote vs Wave
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
Remote is the stronger AI pick in Payroll: it has a visibility score of 6.7 versus 2.3 for Wave.
Choose Remote if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (6.7 vs 2.3)
- You need SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 or GDPR or Regulated payments institution coverage
- You prefer a larger, established vendor (1,001–5,000 employees)
- Per seat pricing suits your budget better than flat tiers
Choose Wave if…
- You want a free plan to start
- AI answers describe it more positively (38% vs 0% positive)
- 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 | Remote | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 6.7% | 2.3% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in Payroll | #16 | #23 |
| Share of voice | 2.8% | 0.9% |
| Mentions this run | 11 | 4 |
| Positive in AI answers | 0% | 38% |
The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.
Visibility score trend
Weekly runs over the last 60 days
Remote 0pp · Wave 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
Remote leads on 2 of 3 engines
ChatGPT
AI Mode
Perplexity
RemoteWave
Head to head in AI answers
0 engine answers name both brands
0Remote ranked higher
0Wave ranked higher
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | Remote | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per seat | Flat tiers |
| Entry price | $29 per seat / mo | Free; paid from $19 / mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Onboarding fee | Included | — |
| Deployment | Access through integration with an existing HR suite, through its APIs, or by logging in directly. | Cloud-based web application with a mobile app |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, Regulated payments institution | — |
| Support | Dedicated onboarding specialist, In-house experts for ongoing support, Chat with experts | Live chat and email support, Monday to Friday 9 AM to 4:45 PM Eastern, Wave Advisors bookkeeping and coaching (paid add-on) |
| Founded | 2019 | 2009 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA, United States | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Employees | 1,001–5,000 | 201–500 |
| Funding | Series C · $496M raised | Series D |
| Best for | Companies hiring and paying global teams, from startups with no legal entity to mid-market and enterprise businesses. | Freelancers, solopreneurs, contractors and consultants who run small businesses and want simple books and invoicing without accounting expertise |
Plans side by side
Remote
Employer of Record (EOR)$599employee per month, annual contracts
Global Payroll$29employee per month
Contractor Management$29contractor per month
Contractor Management Plus$99contractor per month
Contractor of Record$325contractor per month
Professional Employer Organization (PEO)$99employee 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
Remote
- Specializes in international compliance and localized payroll across many countries
- Suited to managing international contractors and global remote teams
- Offers an annual discount of about 14%
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, “Remote vs Wave”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/remote-vs-wave, data of Nov 3, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.