Paddle vs Wave
What each one’s own pages state, side by side. Every value is a quote AirStack found on that product’s pages; “Not observed” means AirStack has not found it on that product’s pages.
| Paddle | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| What it says it does | As the Merchant of Record for digital product businesses, Paddle manages payments, tax, compliance, and billing across 300+ markets. paddle.com | The single source of truth for your business finances. waveapps.com |
| Starting at | Not observed | $9.50 Pro Plan / month free plan listed |
| Platforms | Not observed | Android, iOS, desktop, mobile app waveapps.com |
| Deployment | Not observed | web-based waveapps.com |
| Integrations | RevenueCat, Braintree, Chargebee, Maxio, Recharge, Recurly, Stripe, Zuora, Uscreen, Hubspot, Intercom, Databox paddle.com | Plaid, Google Sheets, Amazon, Etsy, GoHighLevel, MinuteDock, PayPal, Shopify, Stripe waveapps.com |
| Compliance | GDPR, SOC 2 paddle.com | Not observed |
| Free plan | Yes paddle.com | Not observed |
| Plans | Pay-as-you-go, Custom pricing paddle.com | Starter, Pro waveapps.com |
| Pricing basis | 5% + 50¢ per Checkout transaction paddle.com | The subscription fee for the Pro Plan is per business, not per owner. waveapps.com |
| Customers (their claim) | 10,000+ customers using Paddle paddle.com | Over 300,000 small businesses trust Wave waveapps.com |
Where they differ
- Paddle’s pages state a free plan; AirStack has not found that on Wave’s pages.
- Paddle claims GDPR on its own pages; Wave’s pages read by AirStack do not mention it.
- Paddle claims SOC 2 on its own pages; Wave’s pages read by AirStack do not mention it.
Prices are list prices as written on each pricing page; check them before you buy. Nothing here is a ranking or a recommendation.