Free tool

Wave or scan-ai
for your receipts?

Wave's receipt OCR records the header total and one category, and Wave has no budgets. scan-ai reads every line, gives each its own Schedule C / T2125 tax category, and tracks budgets, for no more than Wave's paid receipt add-on ($8/mo USD) or Pro ($19/mo USD). Compare what each does, then the price, below. scan-ai is free to start, $3/mo Starter, $10/mo Pro.

Prices and capabilities verified June 2026 and they change. Wave is great free accounting; this compares the receipts-to-tax job.

What each one does for receipts

Before price, the real question is what you actually get. This is the honest split, both directions.

Capability
scan-ai
Wave receipts
Reads every line on a receipt
YesEach purchase becomes its own line
NoHeader total only
A tax category per line (Schedule C / T2125)
YesEvery plan, mapped to the tax form
NoOne category for the whole receipt
Budgets with category limits
YesSet limits, track spend against them
NoNo budgets in the product
Ask your receipts questions in plain language
YesBuilt-in AI chat over your data
NoNot available
Free accounting and invoicing
NoNot an accounting system
YesGenuinely free and full-featured
Bank-feed import
NoReceipts in, not bank transactions
YesConnect bank and card accounts

Wave verdicts verified against waveapps.com and its help center, June 2026. Wave's receipt OCR records the header (date, amount, one category); it has no per-line breakdown and no budgets inside the product. Wave is, in return, full free accounting with bank import.

Then, the price for that job
Where are you
Receipts you handle per month
Wave Receipts add-on$96 /yr$8/mo USDCheapest way to scan receipts on Wave, header capture only
Wave Pro (includes receipts)$228 /yr$19/mo USDFull Pro plan, receipts bundled in, still header only
scan-ai Starter$36 /yr$3/mo USDPer line, tax-mapped, budget-aware

The honest takeaway. scan-ai Starter is $36/yr USD versus Wave's receipt add-on at $96/yr USD. For the same receipts job, scan-ai is cheaper and does more: per-line reading, a tax category per line, and budgets Wave does not have. You are not paying more to get less.

Wave bills in USD and scan-ai bills in USD, so we show each in its own currency rather than guess an exchange rate. Compare the figure in the currency you actually pay.

Do you also need full accounting (books, invoicing, bank import)?

Prices as of June 2026 and they change. This is general guidance, not tax advice; confirm with your accountant.

The honest comparison

Wave is a real free accounting system. It does bookkeeping, invoicing, and bank-feed import that scan-ai does not do. If you want full books, Wave is a strong free choice and this page is not trying to talk you out of it.

But for the receipts-to-tax job the gap is real, and it is not just price. Wave's receipt OCR records the date, amount, and a single category for the whole receipt, and Wave has no budgets inside the product. scan-ai reads every line on the receipt, gives each line its own tax category, maps those to US Schedule C and Canada T2125 lines, lets you set budgets with category limits, and lets you ask your receipts questions in plain language. So the price difference does not buy you less, it buys you more.

And on the narrow receipts job, scan-ai is not more expensive than Wave's receipt add-on. If you need full books too, the cheapest path is often to keep Wave free for accounting and add scan-ai for receipts and budgets. The comparison above shows that combination too.

Common questions

Wave vs scan-ai, answered.

Does Wave scan receipt line items?

No. Wave's receipt OCR records the header: the date, the total amount, and one category for the whole receipt. It does not break a receipt into individual purchase lines. scan-ai reads every line and gives each line its own tax category. Verified at waveapps.com, June 2026.

Does Wave have budgets?

Not inside the product. Wave offers a standalone budget-calculator web page and a cash-flow forecast, but it has no category budgets or spend tracking in the app; its help center states Wave does not support forecasting and planning in the platform. scan-ai has built-in budgets with category limits.

Is Wave's receipt scanning free?

Not anymore. Wave's free Starter plan no longer includes receipt scanning. It is now a paid Receipts add-on ($8 USD or $11 CAD per month) or part of Wave Pro ($19 USD or $25 CAD per month). Wave's accounting and invoicing remain free. Prices as of June 2026.

Is scan-ai cheaper than Wave for receipts?

For the receipts job, scan-ai is cheaper or about the same: free to start, then $3/mo Starter or $10/mo Pro in USD, versus Wave's $8 to $11/mo receipt add-on, and scan-ai also reads each line and maps it to your tax form. Wave wins on full accounting and bank-feed import, which scan-ai does not do.

Should I use Wave or scan-ai?

If you want free books, invoicing, and bank import, Wave is a strong choice. If you want per-line receipt reading, a tax category per line, and budgets, scan-ai does the receipts-to-tax job Wave cannot. Many people use both: Wave free for accounting, scan-ai for receipts and budgets.

Prices and capabilities verified June 2026 and they change. General guidance, not tax advice.

Try it free

Read every line,
not just the total.

Start with 20 free receipt scans and 5 AI chats. No credit card. Keep Wave for your books if you want both.

Start scanning free, no cardSee scan-ai pricing