Wave Payroll vs Notion

Wave Payroll

Wave Payroll is a simple payroll solution built into the Wave accounting ecosystem. It is designed for very small businesses that already use Wave for accounting and want an integrated payroll solution. Wave Payroll handles direct deposit, tax payments, and W-2s, making it a natural choice for businesses already in the Wave ecosystem.

Paid pricing · Get Pricing →

Notion

Notion is a flexible workspace that combines notes, wikis, databases, and project management in one tool. It uses a block-based editor that lets teams build any type of page or database. Notion is popular with startups, remote teams, and knowledge workers who want a single place for documentation and project tracking.

Freemium pricing · Get Pricing →

Pros

• ✓Seamlessly integrates with Wave accounting — no manual data transfer needed
• ✓Very affordable pricing for micro-businesses
• ✓Simple interface with minimal setup required
• ✓Free Wave accounting included with subscription

Cons

• ✗Limited features compared to dedicated payroll platforms
• ✗Tax filing is only automatic in select states — manual filing required in others
• ✗No mobile payroll app
• ✗Not suitable for businesses with complex payroll needs

Pros

• ✓Extremely flexible — can be used as a wiki, project manager, or database
• ✓Beautiful and intuitive block-based interface
• ✓Strong template library to get started quickly
• ✓Generous free plan for individuals and small teams

Cons

• ✗Can require significant setup time to build effective workflows
• ✗Not ideal for complex project dependencies or Gantt charts
• ✗Performance can lag with very large databases
• ✗Project management features less powerful than dedicated tools

Best For

Micro-businesses already using Wave accounting that want simple integrated payroll

Best For

Startups and remote teams wanting a flexible all-in-one workspace for docs and projects