QuickBooks Online vs Wave:Which is more popular by branded search?
In August 2026, QuickBooks Online had more branded searches than Wave among small business accounting platforms worldwide. QuickBooks Online was estimated to have 1.2M branded searches compared to Wave’s 67.6K, and held a 53.6% Share of Search versus Wave’s 2.9%. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which is more popular in search, QuickBooks Online or Wave?
Compare accounting and invoicing software used by small and midsize businesses. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of Search by month for QuickBooks Online, Wave. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | QuickBooks Online | Zoho Books | FreshBooks | Wave | Xero | Sage Accounting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 56.4% | 30.7% | 4.2% | 3.9% | 3% | 2% |
| Nov 2025 | 52.5% | 34.7% | 3.9% | 3.7% | 3% | 2.2% |
| Dec 2025 | 57.3% | 31.2% | 3.5% | 4% | 2.5% | 1.6% |
| Jan 2026 | 60.2% | 26.7% | 3.7% | 4.3% | 3.1% | 2.1% |
| Feb 2026 | 56.9% | 30.9% | 2.8% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 2.4% |
| Mar 2026 | 61.6% | 27.3% | 2.6% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 2.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 57.1% | 31% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 2.3% |
| May 2026 | 57.7% | 31.3% | 2.4% | 3% | 3.3% | 2.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 57.1% | 30.9% | 3.5% | 3.2% | 2.9% | 2.3% |
| Jul 2026 | 54.4% | 36.1% | 2.2% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 2.2% |
| Aug 2026 | 53.6% | 35.6% | 3.2% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 1.8% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the QuickBooks Online and Wave comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- QuickBooks Online was ahead of Wave in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, QuickBooks Online’s estimated Share of Search among small business accounting platforms worldwide moved from 56.4% to 53.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.2M.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Wave’s estimated Share of Search among small business accounting platforms worldwide moved from 3.9% to 2.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 86.1K to 67.6K.
How did search popularity change for small business accounting platforms worldwide in August 2026?
3 changes
In August 2026, FreshBooks overtook Wave to rank 3rd among small business accounting platforms worldwide, at 3.2%.
In August 2026, QuickBooks Online lost estimated Share of Search among small business accounting platforms worldwide, from 54.4% to 53.6%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Wave worldwide fell 21.5% over 11 measured months, from 86.1K to 67.6K in August 2026.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using QuickBooks Online’s and Wave’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
QuickBooks Online
2 branded search terms
- quickbooks online
- quickbooks online accountant
Wave
2 branded search terms
- wave accounting
- wave accounting software
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