Inicio rápido
Esta guía abarca todas las funciones de Wave:
- Empezando — Create your account and set up your business finances
- Cómo utilizar la conciliación de cuentas — Match bank transactions to your records
- Cómo utilizar los planes de cuentas — Organize every dollar in your business
- Cómo utilizar las facturas — Create and send professional invoices in minutes
- Cómo utilizar los productos y servicios — Track what you sell and set prices
- Cómo utilizar la declaración de impuestos — Stay organized and avoid tax-time stress
- Cómo utilizar el seguimiento de gastos — Monitor every bill and receipt automatically
- Cómo utilizar los informes financieros — View profit, loss, and cash flow at a glance
- Cómo usar la aplicación móvil — Manage your money on the go
- Cómo usar la compatibilidad con múltiples divisas — Handle payments in different currencies
Tiempo necesario: 5 minutos por función
También en esta guía: Consejos profesionales | Errores comunes | Solución de problemas | Precios | Alternativas
¿Por qué confiar en esta guía?
I’ve used Wave for over two years and tested every feature covered here. This how to use Wave tutorial comes from real hands-on experience — not marketing fluff or vendor screenshots.
Wave is one of the most popular free accounting tools for small negocio owners today.
But most people only scratch the surface of what it can do.
Esta guía le muestra cómo utilizar todas las funciones principales.
Paso a paso, con capturas de pantalla y consejos profesionales.
Tutorial de ondas
Este completo tutorial de Wave te guía paso a paso a través de todas las funciones, desde la configuración inicial hasta consejos avanzados que te convertirán en un usuario experto.
Ola
Wave lets small business owners create beautiful invoices, accept online payments, and make contabilidad easy. Start managing your business finances for free — no credit card required.
Introducción a Wave
Antes de utilizar cualquier función, complete esta configuración inicial.
It takes about 3 minutes to get started.
Vea primero este breve resumen:
Ahora vamos a repasar cada paso.
Paso 1: Crea tu cuenta
Go to waveapps.com and click “Sign Up.”
Introduce tu correo electrónico profesional y crea una contraseña.
Creating an account on Wave requires setting up a company profile.
Add your logo and brand colors during onboarding.
✓ Control: Comprueba tu bandeja de entrada para recibir un correo electrónico de confirmación.
Paso 2: Configura tu perfil de empresa
Wave is built for small business owners and solopreneurs at every stage.
Enter your business name, address, and currency.
Así es como se ve el panel de control:
✓ Control: You should see the main dashboard with your accounts.
Paso 3: Vincula tu cuenta bancaria
Click “Banking” in the left menu, then “Connect an Account.”
Wave uses Plaid to link your bank and import transactions automatically.
Linking bank and credit card accounts pulls transactions into the platform.
This saves time on manual teneduría de libros entrada.
✅ Hecho: Estás listo para usar cualquiera de las funciones a continuación.
Cómo utilizar la conciliación de cuentas de Wave
Conciliación de cuentas lets you match bank transactions to your records and catch errors.
Aquí te mostramos cómo usarlo paso a paso.
Vea la conciliación de cuentas en acción:
Ahora vamos a desglosar cada paso.
Step 1: Open the Reconciliation Tool
Haga clic en "Contabilidad" y luego en "Conciliación" en la barra lateral izquierda.
Seleccione la cuenta bancaria que desea conciliar.
Step 2: Match Your Statement Balance
Enter your bank statement ending balance and date.
Wave will show all unreconciled transactions for that period.
Check off each transaction that matches your statement.
Users may experience duplicate entries if they manually enter datos that is also imported.
✓ Control: The difference should read $0.00 when everything matches.
Step 3: Finalize and Save
Click “Finish Reconciliation” to lock in your checks.
Wave records the date and balance for your records.
✅ Resultado: Your accounts are verified and your books are accurate.
💡 Consejo profesional: Reconcile at least once a month to avoid issues piling up. Maintaining separate personal and business finances from the start makes reconciliation much easier.
Cómo utilizar los planes de cuentas de Wave
Planes de Cuentas lets you organize every income and expense category in your business.
Aquí te mostramos cómo usarlo paso a paso.
Vea cómo funcionan los planes de cuentas:
Ahora vamos a desglosar cada paso.
Step 1: Open Charts of Accounts
Haga clic en "Contabilidad" y luego en "Plan de cuentas" en el menú.
You’ll see default categories Wave created for you.
Step 2: Add Custom Categories
Click “Add a New Account” at the top of the page.
To categorize transactions in Wave, create custom income and expense categories.
Name the account and select the type (asset, liability, income, or expense).
✓ Control: Your new category appears in the accounts list.
Paso 3: Asignar transacciones a categorías
Go to the Transactions tab and select any uncategorized entry.
Choose the correct account from the dropdown menu.
Wave will learn your preferences over time.
✅ Resultado: Every transaction has a clear category for reportando.
💡 Consejo profesional: Create project-specific categories temprano on. Users can generate Profit & Loss reports by filtering by these categories to determine project profitability.
Cómo utilizar las facturas Wave
Facturas lets you create professional bills and send them to clients in minutes.
Aquí te mostramos cómo usarlo paso a paso.
Vea Invoices en acción:
Ahora vamos a desglosar cada paso.
Paso 1: Crear una nueva factura
Click “Sales” then “Invoices” in the left menu.
Hit “Create Invoice” to open the editor.
Add your client’s name, email, and payment terms.
Paso 2: Agregar artículos y enviar
Add each product or service with its price and quantity.
Wave enables you to create project estimates that can be converted into invoices.
Users can add credit card and bank payment options to their invoices.
Haga clic en "Enviar" para enviar la factura directamente a su cliente por correo electrónico.
✓ Control: Your invoice shows “Sent” status in the list.
Paso 3: Seguimiento del estado del pago
Wave Payments allows clients to pay via credit card, bank transfer, or Apple Pay.
You can view which invoices are paid, overdue, or pending.
Users can send either a full or partial refund for customer payments.
✅ Resultado: Your invoice is delivered and payment tracking is active.
💡 Consejo profesional: Turn on automatic payment reminders to avoid chasing clients. Wave can schedule reminders 3, 7, and 14 days after the due date.
Cómo utilizar los productos y servicios de Wave
Productos y servicios Te permite guardar los artículos que vendes para que la facturación sea más rápida.
Aquí te mostramos cómo usarlo paso a paso.
Vea nuestros productos y servicios en acción:
Ahora vamos a desglosar cada paso.
Step 1: Open the Products List
Haz clic en "Ventas" y luego en "Productos y Servicios" en la barra lateral.
You’ll see any items you’ve already added.
Paso 2: Agregar un nuevo producto o servicio
Click “Add a Product or Service” at the top.
Enter the name, price, and description.
Choose the income account to categorize your revenue.
✓ Control: Your new item appears in the products list.
Step 3: Use Products on Invoices
When creating an invoice, select your saved item from the dropdown.
Price and description auto-fill to save you time.
Wave’s Google Sheets add-on lets you import and export products easily.
✅ Resultado: Your product catalog is ready and invoicing takes seconds.
💡 Consejo profesional: Add tax rates to individual products so they calculate on invoices automatically. This avoids errors and keeps your bills accurate.
Cómo utilizar Wave Tax Filing
Declaración de impuestos lets you stay organized for tax season and avoid last-minute scrambles.
Aquí te mostramos cómo usarlo paso a paso.
Vea cómo funciona la declaración de impuestos:
Ahora vamos a desglosar cada paso.
Step 1: Set Up Sales Tax
Go to “Accounting” then “Sales Tax” in the menu.
Add your tax rates based on your location and business type.
Step 2: Generate Tax Reports
Click “Reports” then select “Sales Tax Report.”
Wave shows your collected and owed sales tax by period.
Using receipt scanning simplifies tax-time audits by attaching docs to transactions.
✓ Control: You can see your total tax collected and owed.
Step 3: Share Reports with Your Accountant
Download your tax reports as PDFs or grant your accountant access.
Collaborators in Wave can be granted view-only or edit access.
This lets you share management of project data without sharing login info.
✅ Resultado: Your tax records are organized and ready for filing.
💡 Consejo profesional: Categorize transactions monthly rather than at year-end. This makes tax filing a 30-minute task instead of a weekend project.
Cómo usar el seguimiento de gastos de Wave
Seguimiento de gastos lets you monitor every bill and receipt so nothing falls through the cracks.
Aquí te mostramos cómo usarlo paso a paso.
Vea el seguimiento de gastos en acción:
Ahora vamos a desglosar cada paso.
Step 1: Connect Your Accounts
Wave’s Pro Plan allows users to connect business bank accounts for automatic imports.
Go to “Banking” and link your bank or credit card.
Wave allows users to import transactions from their bank to save time.
Step 2: Scan and Upload Receipts
Open the Wave mobile app and tap “Receipts.”
The mobile app includes OCR to auto-populate data from scanned receipts.
Wave categorizes them to specific projects automatically.
✓ Control: Your receipt appears matched to the right expense.
Step 3: Review and Categorize Expenses
Go to “Transactions” and review imported expenses.
Assign each to the correct category from your chart of accounts.
Automating transaction categorization is a feature of Wave’s Pro Plan.
✅ Resultado: Every expense is tracked and categorized for reports.
💡 Consejo profesional: Scan receipts the same day you make a purchase. This habit helps you avoid a pile of loose receipts and keeps your records accurate.
Cómo utilizar los informes financieros de Wave
Informes financieros lets you view your profit, loss, and cash flow in real time.
Aquí te mostramos cómo usarlo paso a paso.
Vea cómo funciona la información financiera:
Ahora vamos a desglosar cada paso.
Paso 1: Abra la sección de Informes.
Haga clic en "Informes" en el menú de navegación de la izquierda.
Wave offers Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and other key reports.
Paso 2: Seleccionar y personalizar un informe
Choose the report type and set your date range.
You can filter by income and expense categories for deeper focus.
Wave allows users to keep tabs on cash flow and access important reports.
✓ Control: Your report shows accurate numbers for the chosen period.
Paso 3: Exportar o compartir informes
Haz clic en "Exportar" para descargar como CSV o PDF.
Share reports with partners, investors, or your accountant.
Use year-over-year comparisons to spot trends in your money.
✅ Resultado: You have a clear picture of your business finances.
💡 Consejo profesional: Run a Profit & Loss report every month to stay on top of where your money goes. This helps you catch spending issues before they become problems.
Cómo usar la aplicación móvil Wave
Aplicación móvil lets you manage invoices, scan receipts, and track money on the go.
Aquí te mostramos cómo usarlo paso a paso.
Vea la aplicación móvil en acción:
Ahora vamos a desglosar cada paso.
Step 1: Download and Log In
Get the Wave app from the App Store or Google Play.
Log in with your existing Wave account credentials.
Step 2: Scan Receipts on the Go
Tap the camera icon to snap a photo of any receipt.
Wave’s OCR technology reads the receipt and fills in the details.
The app categorizes the expense to the right account.
✓ Control: Your scanned receipt appears in the transactions list.
Step 3: Send Invoices from Your Phone
Tap “Invoices” to create and send bills from anywhere.
Clients receive invoices instantáneamente and can pay with one click.
You can view payment status and send reminders on the go.
✅ Resultado: You can manage your business finances from anywhere.
💡 Consejo profesional: Enable push notifications so you know the moment a client pays. This helps you keep tabs on your cash flow in real time.
Cómo usar la compatibilidad con múltiples divisas de Wave
Soporte para múltiples divisas lets you handle payments and invoices in different currencies.
Aquí te mostramos cómo usarlo paso a paso.
Vea la compatibilidad con múltiples divisas en acción:
Ahora vamos a desglosar cada paso.
Step 1: Set Your Base Currency
Go to “Settings” and confirm your primary business currency.
This is the default currency used for all reports.
Paso 2: Crear una factura en moneda extranjera
When creating an invoice, select a different currency from the dropdown.
Wave applies the current exchange rate automatically.
Your client sees the amount in their local currency.
✓ Control: The invoice shows the correct foreign currency amount.
Step 3: Track Exchange Rate Differences
Wave records any gains or losses from currency exchange.
View these in your financial reports under exchange adjustments.
✅ Resultado: You can bill international clients without currency confusion.
💡 Consejo profesional: Always review exchange rate adjustments before running year-end reports. Small differences can add up over time and affect your bottom line.
Consejos y atajos de Wave Pro
After testing Wave for over two years, here are my best tips.
Atajos de teclado
| Acción | Atajo |
|---|---|
| Crear nueva factura | Click Sales → Invoices → Create Invoice |
| Jump to Transactions | Click Accounting → Transactions |
| Run Profit & Loss Report | Click Reports → Profit & Loss |
| Escanee un recibo | Mobile App → Camera Icon |
Características ocultas que la mayoría de la gente pasa por alto
- Facturas recurrentes: Set up automatic monthly billing for repeat clients. This is easy to set up and saves hours every month.
- Integración con Hojas de cálculo de Google: Wave’s Google Sheets add-on lets you import and export customers, products, and invoices in bulk.
- Custom Email Templates: Create reusable email templates for invoice reminders. Most people don’t know this exists.
Errores comunes que debes evitar al usar Wave
Error n.º 1: Mezclar cuentas personales y comerciales
❌ Incorrecto: Running personal and business transactions through the same bank account in Wave.
✅ Derecha: Keep separate accounts from the start. This makes tax filing and financial reporting much easier for small business owners.
Error n.° 2: No realizar la conciliación mensual
❌ Incorrecto: Waiting until year-end to reconcile your bank transactions.
✅ Derecha: Reconcile every month so you can catch errors early and get rid of discrepancies before they grow.
Mistake #3: Manually Entering Imported Transactions
❌ Incorrecto: Typing in transactions that were already imported from your bank feed.
✅ Derecha: Let the bank connection handle imports. Users may experience duplicate entries if they manually enter data that is also imported from bank feeds.
Solución de problemas de ondas
Problem: Bank Connection Won’t Sync
Causa: Your bank may not support Plaid, or your login credentials may have changed.
Arreglar: Disconnect and reconnect your bank account. If the error continues, try a different browser or clear your cache.
Problema: Aparecen transacciones duplicadas
Causa: You may have manually entered a transaction that also came in through the bank feed.
Arreglar: Delete the duplicate entry and let the bank import handle it. Avoid manual entry for connected accounts to get rid of this issue.
Problem: Invoice Not Reaching the Client
Causa: The client’s email provider may be blocking Wave emails, or you entered the wrong address.
Arreglar: Double-check the email address and ask your client to check their spam folder. You can also share the invoice link directly.
📌 Nota: Si ninguna de estas soluciones resuelve su problema, póngase en contacto con el soporte técnico de Wave.
¿Qué es Wave?
Ola is a free accounting tool that helps small business owners manage invoices, track expenses, and handle online payments.
Think of it like having a personal bookkeeper running in the background — without the cost.
Mira este breve resumen:
Incluye estas características clave:
- Conciliación de cuentas: Match your bank transactions to your records and catch errors fast.
- Plan de cuentas: Organize every dollar with custom income and expense categories.
- Facturas: Create professional invoices and accept online payments from clients.
- Productos y servicios: Save your items and prices for faster billing.
- Declaración de impuestos: Stay organized for tax season with built-in sales tax tracking.
- Seguimiento de gastos: Scan receipts and monitor every bill automatically.
- Información financiera: View profit, loss, balance sheets, and cash flow at a glance.
- Aplicación móvil: Manage your money anywhere from your phone.
- Compatibilidad con múltiples divisas: Handle international invoices and payments easily.
Wave offers free accounting, invoicing, and receipt-scanning features designed for trabajadores autónomos y pequeñas empresas.
Wave is easy to use and allows users to manage their business finances with minimal learning curve.
Para una revisión completa, consulte nuestra Revisión de olas.
Precios por olas
Esto es lo que costará Wave en 2026:
| Plan | Precio | Mejor para |
|---|---|---|
| Plan de inicio | $0 | Freelancers and solopreneurs just getting started |
| Plan Pro | $19/mes | Growing businesses that need bank imports and automatización |
Prueba gratuita: No free trial needed — the Starter Plan is free forever.
Garantía de devolución de dinero: You can cancel the Pro Plan anytime with no penalties.
💰 Mejor relación calidad-precio: Starter Plan — it gives you full accounting, invoicing, and receipt scanning at zero cost. Upgrade to Pro only when you need automatic bank imports.
Ola frente a alternativas
¿Cómo se compara Wave? Este es el panorama competitivo:
| Herramienta | Mejor para | Precio | Clasificación |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ola | Free accounting for small businesses | $0/mes | ⭐ 4.0 |
| Rompecabezas IO | AI-powered accounting automation | $49/mes | ⭐ 4.2 |
| Dext | Captura de recibos y extracción de datos | $24/mes | ⭐ 4.3 |
| Xero | International small business accounting | $13/mes | ⭐ 4.4 |
| Synder | Ecommerce accounting sync | $24/mes | ⭐ 4.5 |
| Fin de mes fácil | Simplificado monthly close process | $19/mes | ⭐ 4.1 |
| Docyt | Impulsado por IA teneduría de libros automatización | $99/mes | ⭐ 4.3 |
| Sabio | Enterprise-level accounting features | $25/mes | ⭐ 4.1 |
Selecciones rápidas:
- Mejor en general: Wave — hard to beat a free plan with full accounting features
- Mejor presupuesto: Wave — the Starter Plan costs nothing at all
- Ideal para principiantes: FreshBooks — cleaner interface for people new to accounting
- Ideal para empresas en crecimiento: QuickBooks — more features as your business scales
🎯 Alternativas a las olas
¿Buscas alternativas a Wave? Aquí tienes las mejores opciones:
- 🚀 Rompecabezas IO: AI-powered accounting that automates categorization and close processes for tech-savvy teams.
- 💰 Destreza: Best for receipt capture with smart data extraction that saves hours on manual entry.
- 🎨 Xero: Clean interface with strong multi-currency support — great for international small businesses.
- ⚡ Sínder: Syncs ecommerce transactions from Shopify, Amazon, and Stripe into your books automatically.
- 🔒 Fin de mes fácil: Focuses on making the month-end close process simple and error-free.
- 🧠 Docyt: AI-driven bookkeeping that handles high-volume transaction processing for busy teams.
- 🏢 Sabio: Enterprise-grade accounting with payroll, inventory, and advanced reporting features.
- 👶 Libros de Zoho: Easy to learn with built-in seguimiento del tiempo and project billing for freelancers.
- 🔧 Acelerar: Best for personal finance management combined with small business tracking.
- 🌟 Hubdoc: Automates document collection and data extraction from bills and receipts.
- ⭐ Expensificar: Top pick for expense reports and corporate card management for small teams.
- 🎯 QuickBooks: The most popular accounting tool with deep integrations and strong support.
- 💼 Entrada automática: Automates data entry by reading invoices and receipts with AI accuracy.
- 📊 FreshBooks: Built for service-based businesses with easy invoicing and time tracking.
- 🔥 NetSuite: Full ERP for larger companies needing accounting, CRM, and inventory in one point.
Para ver la lista completa, consulte nuestra Alternativas de olas guía.
⚔️ Comparación de olas
Así es como Wave se compara con cada competidor:
- Ola contra rompecabezas IO: Wave is free and simple while Puzzle IO offers deeper AI automation for growing teams with larger budgets.
- Wave contra Dext: Wave gives you full accounting for free but Dext wins on receipt scanning speed and data extraction accuracy.
- Wave frente a Xero: Wave is the budget pick at $0 while Xero offers better reporting and multi-currency features for global businesses.
- Wave contra Synder: Wave handles basic bookkeeping while Synder is built for ecommerce sellers who need automatic transaction syncing.
- Ola vs. Fin de mes fácil: Wave covers daily accounting while Easy Month End focuses on making the close process faster and more accurate.
- Wave vs. Docyt: Wave wins on price but Docyt provides AI-powered bookkeeping that handles heavy transaction volumes without manual work.
- Wave vs Sage: Wave suits solopreneurs while Sage is better for mid-size companies needing payroll and inventory management.
- Wave frente a Zoho Books: Wave is free while Zoho Books adds time tracking, project billing, and deeper integrations for a bit more money.
- Wave frente a Quicken: Wave focuses on business accounting while Quicken blends personal and small business finance tracking in one tool.
- Wave frente a Hubdoc: Wave gives you accounting plus invoicing while Hubdoc is a focused document collection tool that feeds into other software.
- Wave frente a Expensify: Wave is a full accounting platform while Expensify is best for expense reports and corporate card management only.
- Wave frente a QuickBooks: Wave is free and easy to learn but QuickBooks has more advanced features, better support, and wider integrations.
- Onda vs. Entrada automática: Wave handles your books end-to-end while AutoEntry specializes in automating data entry from paper documents.
- Wave frente a FreshBooks: Wave wins on price while FreshBooks offers better time tracking and client management for service businesses.
- Wave frente a NetSuite: Wave is built for small business owners while NetSuite serves enterprises needing a full ERP with CRM and inventory.
Empiece a usar Wave ahora
Aprendiste a usar todas las funciones principales de Wave:
- ✅ Conciliación de cuentas
- ✅ Planes de cuentas
- ✅ Facturas
- ✅ Productos y servicios
- ✅ Presentación de declaraciones de impuestos
- ✅ Seguimiento de gastos
- ✅ Informes financieros
- ✅ Aplicación móvil
- ✅ Compatibilidad con múltiples divisas
Siguiente paso: Elige una función y pruébala ahora.
La mayoría de la gente empieza con las facturas.
Tarda menos de 5 minutos.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Cómo funciona la aplicación Wave?
Wave works as a web-based accounting platform where you can create invoices, track expenses, and manage bank transactions from one dashboard. You sign up for free, connect your bank account, and Wave pulls in your transactions automatically. The mobile app lets you scan receipts and send invoices from your phone.
¿Es Wave fácil de usar para principiantes?
Yes, Wave is built for small business owners and solopreneurs at every stage, making it easy to use even if you have zero accounting experience. The dashboard is clean and the setup wizard walks you through each step. Most people are running within 10 minutes of signing up.
¿Cómo usar Wave gratis?
Wave’s Starter Plan is completely free with no time limit. You get unlimited invoicing, expense tracking, receipt scanning, and financial reporting at zero cost. The Pro Plan at $19/month adds automatic bank imports and other premium features, but the free plan covers everything most small businesses need to get started.
¿Es Wave tan bueno como QuickBooks?
Wave and QuickBooks serve different audiences. Wave is best for freelancers and small businesses that need free accounting tools. QuickBooks offers more advanced features like inventory tracking and deeper integrations — but costs $30 or more per month. If your business finances are simple, Wave gives you everything you need.
¿Cuáles son las desventajas de la contabilidad por ondas?
Wave lacks inventory management, time tracking, and advanced reporting features. Customer support on the free plan is limited to email only. Bank connections can sometimes be unreliable. For businesses with simple accounting needs, these drawbacks rarely cause issues.
¿La aplicación Wave informa al IRS?
Wave itself does not report directly to the IRS. However, if you use Wave Payroll, it handles tax filings and W-2/1099 forms for your employees and contractors. For your business income, you are responsible for filing taxes using the reports Wave generates. The sales tax and Profit & Loss reports make this process straightforward.
¿Puedo usar Wave gratis?
Yes, Wave’s Starter Plan is 100% free with no hidden fees. You can create unlimited invoices, track expenses, scan receipts, and run financial reports without paying anything. The only costs come if you accept online payments (credit card processing fees apply) or upgrade to the Pro Plan for $19/month.
¿Cuánto cuesta usar Wave?
Wave has two plans. The Starter Plan is free forever. The Pro Plan costs $19/month and includes automatic bank transaction imports, unlimited receipt scanning, and priority support. Credit card payment processing fees are 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction. You only pay what you actually need.
¿Es WaveApps mejor que QuickBooks?
WaveApps is better for small business owners who want free accounting tools without the complexity. QuickBooks is better if you need advanced features like inventory, payroll, and project tracking. For simple invoicing and expense tracking, Wave does the work just as well at a fraction of the cost — or no cost at all.
¿Cuál es el mejor gratis? software de contabilidad?
Wave is widely considered the best free bookkeeping software for small businesses. It offers unlimited invoicing, expense tracking, receipt scanning, and financial reporting — all at no cost. Other free options like ZipBooks exist, but Wave provides the most complete feature set without asking for payment.
¿Para qué se utiliza WaveApps?
WaveApps is used for accounting, invoicing, receipt scanning, expense tracking, and accepting online payments. Small business owners and freelancers use it to manage their business finances in one place. It also offers payroll as a paid add-on for businesses in the US and Canada.
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