Both Wave and Sage are leading payroll software solutions, but which one is better for you and your business?
Below we compare Wave and Sage across nearly 50 different data points to help you make find the right one.
Wave vs Sage Reviews
 |  |
| Wave | Sage | ||
| Trustpilot Rating | 1.6 | 4.4 | |
| Number of Trustpilot Reviews | 126 | 16822 | |
| iPhone App Rating | 4.5 | 4.8 | |
| Number of iPhone App Reviews | 5700 | 13 | |
| Android App Rating | 3.7 | 4.8 | |
| Number of Android App Reviews | 22900 | 21300 |
Wave vs Sage Pricing
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| Wave | Sage | |
| Free Trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free Trial Length | 1 month | 1 month |
| Cheapest Plan Name | Self service states | Payroll |
| Cheapest Plan Cost Per Month | $n/a | $n/a |
| Mid Priced Plan Name | n/a | n/a |
| Mid Priced Plan Cost Per Month | $n/a | $n/a |
| Top Plan Name | Tax service states | Payroll + HR |
| Top Plan Cost Per Month | $40 | $14 |
Wave vs Sage Features
|  |
| Features | Wave | Sage |
| Target Business Size | Small business | Mid size business |
| Unlimited Payrolls | ✘ | ✘ |
| Automated Tax Filing & Payments | ✔ | ✔ |
| E-sign I-9 & W-4 | ✘ | ✘ |
| Live Customer Support | ✔ | ✘ |
| Third-Party Integrations | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ability To Manage Employee Benefits | ✔ | ✔ |
| Employee Access To Platform | ✔ | ✔ |
| Direct Deposit | ✔ | ✘ |
| Expense Reimbursement | ✔ | ✔ |
| Time Off Accrual | ✔ | ✔ |
| Pre-Tax Deductions | ✔ | ✘ |
| Wage Garnishment | ✔ | ✔ |
| Background Checks | ✘ | ✘ |
| Check Printing | ✔ | ✘ |
| Check Delivery | ✘ | ✘ |
| API | ✘ | ✔ |
Wave Self service states Features
- Wave makes filing your own payroll taxes easy
- 36 states are self-serve, which means you’ll have to pay and file the paperwork yourself. Wave makes it easy by showing you what information and how much money you’ll need per payroll.
Sage Payroll Features
- Payroll
- Payroll reporting
- Employee self-serve
- Tax filing and tax payments
- Year end (T4/Relevé – 1)
- Garnishment calculations
- Record of employment
- Statment of remittances
- Timesheets
- Basic HR reporting
- Digital employee records
- Regulatory and custom policies
- Basic document storage for employees
- 3rd party integrations
Wave Tax service states Features
- Wave handles your payroll taxes
- 14 states include tax services with the option to automatically transfer tax payments and file the paperwork with your state tax office and the IRS (this excludes 1099 Filings).
Sage Payroll + HR Features
- Payroll
- Payroll reporting
- Employee self-serve
- Tax filing and tax payments
- Year end (T4/Relevé – 1)
- Garnishment calculations
- Record of employment
- Statment of remittances
- Timesheets
- Basic HR reporting
- Digital employee records
- Regulatory and custom policies
- Basic document storage for employees
- 3rd party integrations
- Leave management
- Advanced reporting
- HR forms and documents management
- Organization charts
- Custom workflow builder and automation builder
- Learning management
- Asset management
- HR analytics
- Company announcements
- Manager reports
- Onboarding and offboarding flows
Wave vs Sage Pro & Cons
| Wave | Sage | |
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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