Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. Wave Accounting

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Score 6.7 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (formerly Dynamics NAV) is one of the ERP products in the Dynamics family. The technology is based on the Navision product acquired by Microsoft in 2002. This product is the best-selling Microsoft ERP platform, and is often used by companies in the manufacturing and distribution verticals.
$8
per month per user
Wave Accounting
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Wave Accounting is a free, cloud-based accounting platform exclusively for small businesses. It supports double-entry bookkeeping and permits unlimited user access, invoicing, and expense management. Wave Accounting integrates with Wave's invoicing, receipt scanning, payment processing and payroll apps.
$16
per month
Pricing
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralWave Accounting
Editions & Modules
Dynamics 365 Business Central Team Members
$8
per month (billed annually) per user
Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials
$70
per month (billed annually) per user
Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium
$100
per month (billed annually) per user
Starter
$0
Pro
$16
per month
Pro - billed annually
$170
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralWave Accounting
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralWave Accounting
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

No answer on this topic

Wave Accounting
Chose Wave Accounting
Wave stacks up well against QuickBooks especially from the price aspect. In addition the features within Wave are comparable to those found in QuickBooks. We selected Wave based on the reviews from other consumers and the ease of use with its web based application. Wave is so …
Features
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralWave Accounting
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
4.0
7 Ratings
57% below category average
Wave Accounting
6.2
24 Ratings
22% below category average
Pay calculation2.07 Ratings7.123 Ratings
Benefit plan administration2.05 Ratings7.54 Ratings
Direct deposit files2.06 Ratings1.220 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.712 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.48 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
5.8
18 Ratings
27% below category average
Wave Accounting
8.5
13 Ratings
11% above category average
API for custom integration5.817 Ratings9.99 Ratings
Plug-ins5.815 Ratings7.011 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.7
22 Ratings
6% above category average
Wave Accounting
6.4
45 Ratings
26% below category average
Single sign-on capability7.418 Ratings6.432 Ratings
Role-based user permissions10.021 Ratings6.436 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
5.2
23 Ratings
33% below category average
Wave Accounting
6.3
72 Ratings
22% below category average
Dashboards4.919 Ratings6.070 Ratings
Standard reports5.823 Ratings8.069 Ratings
Custom reports4.922 Ratings5.036 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.7
23 Ratings
0% below category average
Wave Accounting
7.0
75 Ratings
10% below category average
Accounts payable7.422 Ratings7.158 Ratings
Accounts receivable6.921 Ratings7.169 Ratings
Global Financial Support5.310 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers5.89 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations6.412 Ratings8.530 Ratings
Configurable Accounting5.812 Ratings5.017 Ratings
Standardized Processes5.813 Ratings7.019 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.561 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings8.565 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings7.563 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings9.811 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings9.812 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings10.019 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings7.19 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings5.016 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings5.914 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings8.040 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings4.05 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings5.23 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings4.07 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings1.03 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
5.9
18 Ratings
29% below category average
Wave Accounting
8.1
11 Ratings
10% above category average
Inventory tracking5.818 Ratings5.68 Ratings
Automatic reordering5.811 Ratings9.95 Ratings
Location management2.014 Ratings8.12 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
4.7
21 Ratings
50% below category average
Wave Accounting
7.6
52 Ratings
2% below category average
Pricing2.018 Ratings9.926 Ratings
Order entry5.818 Ratings10.018 Ratings
Credit card processing2.012 Ratings2.345 Ratings
Cost of goods sold2.016 Ratings10.033 Ratings
Order Orchestration6.47 Ratings5.85 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings8.24 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.4
13 Ratings
1% below category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Billing Management6.411 Ratings00 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management6.412 Ratings00 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management5.88 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting5.89 Ratings00 Ratings
Period Close5.412 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.7
8 Ratings
13% above category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Budgeting and Forecasting10.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Costing10.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost Capture10.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Capital Project Management8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance10.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition8.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
6.2
5 Ratings
11% below category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Project Planning and Scheduling2.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers2.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality2.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools2.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.7
3 Ratings
26% above category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Award Lifecycle Management10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
6.9
8 Ratings
0% below category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Bids Analyzed and Compared2.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Authoring2.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Repository2.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated5.87 Ratings00 Ratings
Supplier Management5.85 Ratings00 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.3
5 Ratings
11% above category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Risk Repository5.44 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Management4.95 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments5.84 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue Detection5.45 Ratings00 Ratings
Remediation and Certification5.44 Ratings00 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
5.4
4 Ratings
21% below category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Transportation Planning and Optimization2.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management2.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management2.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Fulfillment Management1.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management2.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
4.5
4 Ratings
49% below category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Production Process Design2.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Production Management2.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Configuration Management2.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Work Execution2.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs2.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
3.5
6 Ratings
68% below category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Forecasting1.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Inventory Planning2.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Monitoring2.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.3
3 Ratings
2% above category average
Wave Accounting
-
Ratings
Proposal Management2.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Master Data Management2.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralWave Accounting
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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Infor VISUAL
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Score 8.0 out of 10
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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Score 9.0 out of 10
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
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User Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralWave Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
6.4
(23 ratings)
5.9
(81 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
7.8
(3 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(3 ratings)
6.9
(16 ratings)
Availability
8.0
(1 ratings)
6.7
(4 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
2.9
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
2.1
(12 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
4.7
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
3.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralWave Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is well suited for inventory management in all aspects. Its accessibility, along with my other apps, when out of the office is unparalleled. I find it easy to work with on a desktop or laptop; however, it could use some work on a mobile device.
Read full review
Wave
Wave Accounting was used for a small practice without a lot of the accounting considerations a large company would have. For the price, you really can't beat what Wave offers out of the box. All of the basic tools for things like invoicing and expenses are all easy to use. End of year accounting is easy with exports of data.
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Automate the creation of bills of materials for production. We can now generate a BoM from a sales order.
  • Organization of all data pertaining to thousands of parts, assemblies, and finished goods. Engineering and purchasing have a common portal.
  • We can create sales orders from quotations instead of re-entering them (this did require some bolt-on software). Less redundant work with fewer entry errors.
  • Accounting can provide reports based on specific criteria stored in NAV. We can pull better and more detailed intelligence.
Read full review
Wave
  • Reconciliation is very difficult with multiple Wave transactions that need to be deleted or merged before it can be matched to a bank transaction.
  • Payroll worked fine for us but took several days to get it set up. We have switched to another bookkeeping system and another payroll system. Canceling with Wave took several days and they charge $6 for something even though the month was paid for in advance.
  • Credit card processing is nice and worked fine for us.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • Some functions could be a bit more user friendly, intuitive.
  • Better migration from previous ERP software (especially other Microsoft products). "Growing pains" associated with change?! Maybe.
  • A few redundancies and procedural missteps on menus and tabs can make the portal a bit crowded.
Read full review
Wave
  • I know that credit card processing is a way for Wave to make money, but I really wish they offered ACH payment on Invoices.
  • I do cash-based accounting, which means I have to make little journal entries at the start and end of each year to get my books to balance because Wave wants to do everything differently. This should just be a setting to flip, whether you want cash-based or accrual-based.
  • They use Yodlee for bank connection, which doesn't play nice with 2FA. Pretty much every time I log in I have to re-enter credentials, get a code sent to me, reauthenticate, and know that I'm going to have to do it again next week. Not really on Wave, but wish they could get it together nonetheless.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
We've already decided to continue using this software. It is too expensive for us to upgrade so we made a workaround by using the virtual computer with Windows XP installed on it. We did research replacing this software, but it was a better financial decision to keep what we had instead
Read full review
Wave
Easy to use for clients with no accounting background and the price is right.
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
Best in terms of reporting or coming up with a great dashboard. Seamlessly collaborated with teams without depending on particular device as its web version is the buddy for people with work flexibility. Licensing price and integrations can be the areas of improvement and can simplify the interface which will be easy for a new user.
Read full review
Wave
I am a professional bookkeeper and I have no problems using Wave and all of it's features. I can see that certain individuals who have no accounting knowledge might struggle with a few different features and entries, but that is why Wave has an emphasis in connecting users to Wave Pro's who will walk them through things
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Wave
WAVE is always available when we need it ! Peter
Read full review
Performance
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Wave
Wave does tend to slow down when filtering your transactions screen especially by date. This is more of an issue when trying to trouble shoot certain transactions or clean-up a set of books.
Read full review
Support Rating
Microsoft
It provides one to efficiently be able to manage bookkeeping and inventory without much challenges. One can easily navigate through workflow processes while managing usages and budgets. Being able to produce reports in Word, Excel or PDF means one is able to have a working document to produce trends and graphs or produce pivot tables.
Read full review
Wave
I never had to call Wave Support as we barely experienced any support-related problems on our side. However, I do know a few people that complained about Wave support. It would be nice as well, though if they could have more in your face tutorials for new users or how-to videos should we struggle to do something
Read full review
Online Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Wave
easy to use and east to train on ! Our WAVE clients enjoy the ease of use
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
I have personally supported all of the Dynamic family of ERP systems and made the decision to concentrate on NAV as the solution of choice. From a support and development standpoint there are few if any packages that can compare. It is not uncommon for most of the companies that I support to only call me once or twice a month after the first year. This is due to the ease of tracking down problems and errors and the ability for a developer to provide the end-user with routines that automatically correct the most basic kind of error
Read full review
Wave
Wave is FREE for most functions. Payment processing costs no matter where you go (as does payroll or taxes). Wave rises above tools like QuickBooks Online because they know that for our small firm, being nimble is the name of the game. We don't need exhaustive reporting and management like QB offers and we certainly don't want to pay for it
Read full review
Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Wave
Once they out grow what is ability to move up to a more robust system?
Read full review
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Automation processing, including EDI functionality, has increased employee efficiency and prevented the need for adding additional employees.
  • Implementation of the warehouse functionality, including cycle counts, has resulted in better inventory control/less shrinkage.
  • Implementation of e-Ship and e-Receive, has resulted in greater efficiency and order accuracy.
Read full review
Wave
  • Wave has been ROI positive for our company. With not having to pay for the service we can use our money for growing our business.
  • The fees on credit card transactions for invoices are reasonable especially as we don't pay a monthly subscription.
  • The invoicing feature has made our lives easier for us and our customers. The invoicing piece and AR tracking has been ROI positive as well.
Read full review
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