Can I use Wave in the UK?

Not as a UK business. Wave's help centre says the product is available only in Canada and the United States, and that accounts elsewhere can no longer send invoices or reminders. If you are moving from Wave for other reasons, the usual ones are stock you need to value, foreign-currency invoices, a fixed-asset register, purchase orders, or a VAT return worked out from the ledger rather than by hand.

Is LineLedger really free, like Wave’s free plan?

Yes, and in a different way: it is open source under the AGPLv3 and runs on your own server, so there is nothing metered and no paid tier above it. The only cost is the machine you put it on.

Can I get my data back out if I leave?

Anytime. Export your whole company to a portable ZIP, plus CSV and XLSX from every report. No export tiers, no retrieval fees — your books are yours.

Wave doesn’t serve the UK. LineLedger does.

Wave’s own help centre says it is available only to businesses in Canada and the United States, and that accounts elsewhere can no longer send invoices. If you came looking for free bookkeeping, here is a version you can actually run: a full double-entry platform with inventory, multi-currency, fixed assets and a VAT Return — open source under the AGPLv3, on your own server, with nothing metered and nothing to upgrade to.

Get LineLedger See pricing →

This page compares the bookkeeping core. LineLedger prepares a VAT return — all nine boxes, worked out from your ledger — but it does not submit anything to HMRC, so a Making Tax Digital comparison would not be honest and we leave it out. LineLedger does no UK payroll at all — no PAYE, no RTI, no CIS — so that is out of scope too. Check which countries Wave serves before comparing: its paid services are not available everywhere.

Feature for feature

Where each one is ahead — including the things Wave does that we don’t yet.

Capability	LineLedger	Wave
Available to UK businesses Wave’s help centre says it is “only available for businesses in Canada and the United States”, and that users outside those countries can no longer send invoices or reminders.	Yes	No
What it costs	£0 — you run it	Priced in USD and CAD only
Runs on your own server	Yes	No
Open source — audit, patch, or fork (AGPLv3)	Yes	No
Double-entry core with inventory & fixed assets	Yes	No
Full multi-currency	Included	—
VAT return worked out from the books	All nine boxes	—
Payroll	Works with your provider	US & Canada only

Available to UK businesses

Wave’s help centre says it is “only available for businesses in Canada and the United States”, and that users outside those countries can no longer send invoices or reminders.

LineLedger

Wave

What it costs

LineLedger £0 — you run it

Wave Priced in USD and CAD only

Runs on your own server

LineLedger

Wave

Open source — audit, patch, or fork (AGPLv3)

LineLedger

Wave

Double-entry core with inventory & fixed assets

LineLedger

Wave

Full multi-currency

LineLedger Included

Wave —

VAT return worked out from the books

LineLedger All nine boxes

Wave —

Payroll

LineLedger Works with your provider

Wave US & Canada only

🧾

A real double-entry core

Not a single-entry chequebook with a dashboard — a proper ledger that always ties out, with full multi-currency for cross-border work.

🔍

Read the code

LineLedger is open source under the AGPLv3. Audit exactly how your books are calculated — or run your own build.

💸

No price at all

Every feature on, unlimited users, as many companies as you like. No tiers to climb, no seats to count, and no invoice from us — ever.

Common questions

Can I use Wave in the UK?: Not as a UK business. Wave's help centre says the product is available only in Canada and the United States, and that accounts elsewhere can no longer send invoices or reminders. If you are moving from Wave for other reasons, the usual ones are stock you need to value, foreign-currency invoices, a fixed-asset register, purchase orders, or a VAT return worked out from the ledger rather than by hand.
Is LineLedger really free, like Wave’s free plan?: Yes, and in a different way: it is open source under the AGPLv3 and runs on your own server, so there is nothing metered and no paid tier above it. The only cost is the machine you put it on.
Can I get my data back out if I leave?: Anytime. Export your whole company to a portable ZIP, plus CSV and XLSX from every report. No export tiers, no retrieval fees — your books are yours.

Weighing other options?

See how LineLedger stacks up elsewhere — or start from the full roundup.

vs QuickBooks →vs Xero →vs FreshBooks →vs Zoho Books → All QuickBooks alternatives → Price-hike calculator →

See the difference on your own books.

Install it with Docker in about five minutes and every feature is on. No account, no subscription, no per-company charge — just your own server and the AGPLv3.

Get LineLedger What it costs to run

Wave and the Wave logo are trademarks of Wave Financial Inc., used here for identification and comparison only. LineLedger is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Wave Financial Inc. Comparison based on publicly available information as of October 2026; pricing and features may have changed — see the source.