Buyer's guide
Wave is a well-loved free accounting and invoicing tool, and for a solo consultant or freelancer in Nairobi it can be all you need. But if you're running a shop, restaurant or online store and juggling stock, a till and sales channels on top of your books, you may have outgrown it. This guide compares Wave with Tallium AI honestly, so you can decide which one actually fits how your business works today.
Key takeaways
Wave earned its reputation by offering genuinely free accounting and invoicing that's simple enough for non-accountants to use daily. Where it stops short is retail operations — there's no built-in POS, no stock control and no e-commerce — so growing Kenyan businesses often bolt on extra tools to fill the gaps.
| Feature | Tallium AI | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Core accounting & bookkeeping | Full double-entry accounting, expenses and reports included on every plan | Solid, genuinely free accounting and invoicing — its strongest area |
| Point of sale (POS) | Built-in POS for counter, till and mobile sales | No native POS; needs a separate till system |
| Inventory & stock control | Real-time inventory across products, locations and suppliers | No stock tracking built in |
| E-commerce / online store | Online store and order management in the same app | Payments and invoicing only, no storefront |
| Kenya VAT & eTIMS | VAT tracking and tax reporting designed to work with KRA requirements | Generic tax fields; not tailored to KRA or eTIMS |
| Receipt scanning & AI | AI receipt scanning, auto-categorisation and cash-flow insights | Manual entry or limited automation on paid add-ons |
| Users / seats | Unlimited users on every plan, no per-seat fees | Limited collaborators; some access gated behind paid tiers |
| Marketing & CRM | Included via the Tallium AI suite under one account | Not offered |
| Pricing model | Flat USD price per unit, billed monthly, cancel anytime | Free core; charges for payments, payroll and some features |
| Best suited to | Shops, restaurants and online sellers who need stock, till and books together | Freelancers and service businesses that only need invoicing and books |
The honest verdict
If you're a freelancer, consultant or small service business that mainly sends invoices and tracks income and expenses, Wave is excellent and hard to beat on price — there's no strong reason to leave. Switch to Tallium AI when you're selling physical products, running a till, managing stock or an online store, and you're tired of stitching Wave together with separate POS and inventory tools. Tallium AI replaces that whole stack with one app for a flat USD price.
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