# Wave vs Orbit

Wave and Orbit both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 64% of Orbit's written reviews are positive against 29% of Wave's. Orbit also leads on device support (5 vs 1). Wave's advantage is ratings volume (6.7K vs 34) and chart position (#65 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Wave sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $8.00 per month and Orbit sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Wave against 4.5 for Orbit. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wave has 6.7K ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 29% of Wave's written reviews are positive against 64% of Orbit's.

Wave ships an update every 3 weeks, Orbit monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Wave | Orbit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (6.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wave-small-business-software/id881629660/reviews) | **[4.5 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbit-time-based-invoicing/id1501298198/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.7K** | 34 |
| Positive reviews | 28.9% of reviews | **63.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 128 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wave Financial Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/574934359) | [Triple Glazed Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/1491699963) |

## What reviewers say

### Wave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wave-small-business-software/id881629660)

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Grossing · Business (US App Store)

Manage your small business finances on the go. Send professional invoices, track expenses with receipt scanning, and monitor your business insights. Get paid faster with integrated online payment options.

**Highlights:** Send customized invoices and estimates, Scan receipts with OCR for expense tracking, Monitor business insights on a dashboard, Accept online credit card and bank payments, Automate late payment reminders, Syncs with desktop account

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mobile receipts - Monthly | $8.00 | per month |
| Pro Plan - Monthly | $19.00 | per month |
| Mobile receipts - Annual | $72.00 | per year |
| Pro Plan - Annual | $190.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Professional invoicing
- 🚀 Great for small businesses
- 👍 Convenient mobile app
- 🚀 Seamless integration between devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes
- 🔒 Poor customer service and support
- 💰 Expensive payment processing fees
- 🔒 Unreliable payouts and fund holds
- 🐛 Missing key features in mobile app

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to edit invoices
- Inability to view past transactions in mobile app
- Inconsistent behavior when connecting bank accounts
- Incorrect tax calculations and reporting issues
- Delayed or missing payments from customers

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve mobile app functionality
- Integrate with more third-party services
- Provide better customer support channels
- Add more customization options for invoices


### Orbit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbit-time-based-invoicing/id1501298198)

Effortlessly track your time and generate invoices for clients and projects. This app simplifies managing work hours, project budgets, and creating custom invoices, allowing you to focus on your tasks.

**Highlights:** Time tracking across projects, Automatic invoice generation, Customizable invoices, Time entry rounding, Widgets for quick access, Crew plans for teams, Shortcuts support

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Founders Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Crew Plan (2 Members) | $15.99 | per month |
| Monthly Crew Plan (3 Members) | $23.99 | per month |
| Monthly Crew Plan (4 Members) | $31.99 | per month |
| Monthly Crew Plan (5 Members) | $39.99 | per month |
| Yearly Founders Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Yearly Crew Plan (2 Members) | $159.99 | per year |
| Yearly Crew Plan (3 Members) | $239.99 | per year |
| Yearly Crew Plan (4 Members) | $329.99 | per year |
| Yearly Crew Plan (5 Members) | $399.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Wave free?

Wave is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Orbit free?

Orbit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Wave or Orbit?

Orbit is rated higher. Wave averages 4.4 out of 5 from 6.7K ratings, while Orbit averages 4.5 from 34 ratings.

### Do Wave or Orbit have ads?

Neither Wave nor Orbit shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Wave or Orbit?

Wave ships an update every 3 weeks, and Orbit monthly. Most recently, Wave was updated on October 29, 2026 and Orbit on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*