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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Tableau Desktop

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/ATableau Desktop is a data visualization product from Tableau. It connects to a variety of data sources for combining disparate data sources without coding. It provides tools for discovering patterns and insights, data calculations, forecasts, and statistical summaries and visual storytelling.

    $1,380

    per year (purchased via a Creator license)

    Wave Accounting

    Score7.3 out of 10
    N/AWave 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
    Tableau DesktopWave Accounting
    Editions & Modules
    Tableau Creator License
    $115
    per month (billed annually) per user
    Starter
    $0
    Pro
    $16
    per month
    Pro - billed annually
    $170
    per year
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Tableau DesktopWave Accounting
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsAll pricing plans are billed annually. A Creator license includes Tableau Desktop, Tableau Prep Builder, and Tableau Pulse. Discounts sometimes available for volume.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Tableau DesktopWave Accounting
    Considered Both Products
    Tableau
    No answer on this topic
    Wave
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    93%
    Would buy again
    52 Answers
    53%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    91%
    Delivers good value for the price
    50 Answers
    67%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    55 Answers
    67%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    38 Answers
    54%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    44 Answers
    73%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    Features
    Tableau DesktopWave Accounting
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    8.5
    175 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Wave Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Pixel Perfect reports8.0145 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards9.2174 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.1151 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    8.5
    172 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Wave Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Drill-down analysis8.6167 Ratings00 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities8.6170 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages8.1126 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration8.6165 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    8.5
    166 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Wave Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Publish to Web8.1155 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publish to PDF8.2154 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Versioning8.6120 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.6128 Ratings00 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers9.078 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    8.4
    164 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Wave Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.7162 Ratings00 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization8.6156 Ratings00 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics8.7131 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining7.87 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    9.1
    149 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Wave Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Multi-User Support (named login)9.1145 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model9.1125 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.9136 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control9.210 Ratings00 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)9.383 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    7.9
    141 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Wave Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Responsive Design for Web Access8.6130 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Application7.5101 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.5122 Ratings00 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    7.7
    67 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Wave Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    REST API8.459 Ratings00 Ratings
    Javascript API7.653 Ratings00 Ratings
    iFrames6.751 Ratings00 Ratings
    Java API8.048 Ratings00 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)7.154 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.448 Ratings00 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Wave Accounting
    6.2
    24 Ratings
    20% below category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings7.123 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.54 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings1.220 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.712 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.48 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Wave Accounting
    8.5
    13 Ratings
    12% above category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings9.99 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings7.011 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Wave Accounting
    6.4
    45 Ratings
    24% below category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings6.432 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings6.436 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Wave Accounting
    9.5
    73 Ratings
    19% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings9.471 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings9.770 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings9.337 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Wave Accounting
    7.4
    76 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings9.659 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings9.670 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings9.862 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings8.565 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings9.664 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
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings4.05 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings5.23 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.530 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings4.07 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings5.017 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings1.03 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings7.019 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Wave Accounting
    8.1
    11 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings5.68 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings9.95 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings8.12 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Tableau Desktop and Wave Accounting
    Feature
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Wave Accounting
    7.6
    53 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings9.926 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings10.018 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings2.345 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings10.034 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings5.85 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings8.24 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Tableau DesktopWave Accounting
    Small Businesses
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score7 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Tableau DesktopWave Accounting
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.1
    (204 ratings)
    9.4
    (82 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.5
    (41 ratings)
    7.8
    (3 ratings)
    Usability
    8.4
    (73 ratings)
    9.8
    (17 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (11 ratings)
    6.7
    (4 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (10 ratings)
    2.9
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (57 ratings)
    2.1
    (12 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.4
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.0
    (5 ratings)
    4.7
    (3 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (34 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    7.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.4
    (115 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Data Sources
    7.9
    (115 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    3.0
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Tableau DesktopWave Accounting
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Tableau
    The best scenario is definitely to collect data from several sources and create dedicated dashboards for specific recipients. However, I miss the possibility of explaining these reports in more detail. Sometimes, we order a report, and after half a year, we don't remember the meaning of some data (I know it's our fault as an organization, but the tool could force better practices).
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Tableau
    • An excellent tool for data visualization, it presents information in an appealing visual format—an exceptional platform for storing and analyzing data in any size organization.
    • Through interactive parameters, it enables real-time interaction with the user and is easy to learn and get support from the community.
    Incentivized
    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
    Tableau
    • Pricing should be more user-friendly and usage-driven
    • Making edits to the production reports is fairly tough and has a vast scope of additional capabilities
    • Tableau Desktop should be able to differentiate itself from the Tableau server else there is no major meaning of two different products being offered
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Tableau
    Our use of Tableau Desktop is still fairly low, and will continue over time. The only real concern is around cost of the licenses, and I have mentioned this to Tableau and fully expect the development of more sensible models for our industry. This will remove any impediment to expansion of our use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Wave
    Easy to use for clients with no accounting background and the price is right.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Tableau
    Tableau Desktop has proven to be a lifesaver in many situations. Once we've completed the initial setup, it's simple to use. It has all of the features we need to quickly and efficiently synthesize our data. Tableau Desktop has advanced capabilities to improve our company's data structure and enable self-service for our employees.
    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
    Tableau
    When used as a stand-alone tool, Tableau Desktop has unlimited uptime, which is always nice. When used in conjunction with Tableau Server, this tool has as much uptime as your server admins are willing to give it. All in all, I've never had an issue with Tableau's availability.
    Read full review
    Wave
    WAVE is always available when we need it ! Peter
    Read full review
    Performance
    Tableau
    Tableau Desktop's performance is solid. You can really dig into a large dataset in the form of a spreadsheet, and it exhibits similarly good performance when accessing a moderately sized Oracle database. I noticed that with Tableau Desktop 9.3, the performance using a spreadsheet started to slow around 75K rows by about 60 columns. This was easily remedied by creating an extract and pushing it to Tableau Server, where performance went to lightning fast
    Incentivized
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    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
    Tableau
    Tableau support has been extremely responsive and willing to help with all of our requests. They have assisted with creating advanced analysis and many different types of custom icons, data formatting, formulas, and actions embedded into graphs. Tableau offers a weekly presentation of features and assists with internal company projects.
    Incentivized
    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
    In-Person Training
    Tableau
    It is admittedly hard to train a group of people with disparate levels of ability coming in, but the software is so easy to use that this is not a huge problem; anyone who can follow simple instructions can catch up pretty quickly.
    Read full review
    Wave
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Tableau
    I think the training was good overall, but it was maybe stating the obvious things that a tech savvy young engineer would be able to pick up themselves too. However, the example work books were good and Tableau web community has helped me with many problems
    Incentivized
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    Wave
    easy to use and east to train on ! Our WAVE clients enjoy the ease of use
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Tableau
    Again, training is the key and the company provides a lot of example videos that will help users discover use cases that will greatly assist their creation of original visualizations. As with any new software tool, productivity will decline for a period. In the case of Tableau, the decline period is short and the later gains are well worth it.
    Incentivized
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    Wave
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Tableau
    I have used Power BI as well, the pricing is better, and also training costs or certifications are not that high. Since there is python integration in Power BI where I can use data cleaning and visualizing libraries and also some machine learning models. I can import my python scripts and create a visualization on processed data.
    Incentivized
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Tableau
    Tableau Desktop's scaleability is really limited to the scale of your back-end data systems. If you want to pull down an extract and work quickly in-memory, in my application it scaled to a few tens of millions of rows using the in-memory engine. But it's really only limited by your back-end data store if you have or are willing to invest in an optimized SQL store or purpose-built query engine like Veritca or Netezza or something similar.
    Read full review
    Wave
    Once they out grow what is ability to move up to a more robust system?
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Tableau
    • Tableau was acquired years ago, and has provided good value with the content created.
    • Ongoing maintenance costs for the platform, both to maintain desktop and server licensing has made the continuing value questionable when compared to other offerings in the marketplace.
    • Users have largely been satisfied with the content, but not with the overall performance. This is due to a combination of factors including the performance of the Tableau engines as well as development deficiencies.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots