Wave Alternative for Service Invoicing: Built for the Field, Not the Desk
ShowTheReceipts is built for service work done in the field: quoting from the driveway, invoicing the moment the job's done, taking a card on-site, and tracking cash and Venmo in the same ledger — all on the Pro plan at $39/month with every feature included. Accounting-first tools are designed around a desk and a bookkeeping workflow, strong on ledgers but light on quoting, on-site payment, and the automatic follow-up a mobile operator lives on. If your office is your truck, the tool built for the field fits how you actually work.
ShowTheReceipts vs Wave at a glance
ShowTheReceipts — $39/mo (Pro — everything included) · Wave — free invoicing + payment processing fees
| ShowTheReceipts | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | Service work done in the field | Desk-based bookkeeping and invoicing |
| Quoting that becomes the invoice | Accepted quote converts in one tap | Invoicing-first; quoting is limited |
| On-site payment | Card in the driveway, cash & Venmo in one ledger | Online payment links; field flow is secondary |
| Automatic follow-up | Overdue nudges send themselves | Basic reminders |
| Scheduling | Your calendar and job list built in | Not a scheduling tool |
| Monthly price | $39 flat, everything included | Free software, pay processing fees |
Field work needs a field tool
Accounting-first software is built around a desk: a ledger, a chart of accounts, invoices you email between other bookkeeping tasks. That’s a fine fit for a desk business. It’s an awkward one for someone standing in a driveway trying to quote a job and take a card before they leave.
ShowTheReceipts is built for that moment. You quote in front of the work, invoice the second it’s done, and charge the card on-site — and cash and Venmo land in the same ledger as the card, so the books are done as a byproduct of getting paid.
Free isn’t the same as complete
Free invoicing sounds unbeatable until you count what it doesn’t do for field work: no real quoting flow, no automatic overdue follow-up, no scheduling, and no single ledger for the cash jobs. The $39 Pro plan buys the whole field workflow, not just a document.
Where each fits
If you mostly want free desk accounting and rarely quote or take payment in person, a free bookkeeping tool covers it. But if your office is your truck, the field-first tool matches your day — and turns getting paid and keeping books into one motion.
Switching without losing your history
Export your clients as a CSV and import them directly — the importer handles client lists and job history, and duplicate detection keeps a re-import from doubling your book. Most operators are fully moved in an afternoon.
Which one should you actually pick?
Choose ShowTheReceipts if…
- Your office is your truck and you take payment on-site
- You want quoting, scheduling, and payment in one field-first tool
- You want overdue follow-up to happen without you
- You mix cash, card, and Venmo and want one ledger
Choose Wave if…
- You want free desk-based accounting and rarely quote or take field payment
Frequently asked questions
Can I run my whole service business on ShowTheReceipts?
Yes. Quoting, invoicing, scheduling, on-site card payment, cash and Venmo tracking, automatic follow-up, and tax-ready exports are all included on the $39/month Pro plan. It's built to be the one place a field job goes from quoted to paid, not a desk accounting package you also use to invoice.
Is a paid tool worth it over free invoicing?
If all you need is to email an invoice from a desk, free can be enough. But quoting on-site, taking a card in the driveway, automatic follow-up, scheduling, and one ledger for cash and card are what a field operator's day actually runs on — and that's what the $39 Pro plan is built around.
Does it handle my books for taxes?
Yes. Every payment — cash, card, Venmo — lands in the same ledger and exports tax-ready at year end, so you get clean books without running a separate accounting app alongside your invoicing.
Can I switch without losing my client list?
Yes. Export your clients as a CSV and import them directly — the migration importer handles client and job history, with duplicate detection so a re-import doesn't double your book. Most operators are fully moved in an afternoon.