Calamari vs Wave Payroll
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and integrations.
Quick Verdict
Calamari offers more features (135 vs 23) and more integrations (15 vs 3). Starting price: Calamari at $2/mo vs Wave Payroll at $25/mo. Calamari has 134 unique features while Wave Payroll has 22 unique features, with 1 features in common.
| Calamari | Wave Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | HR & Payroll | HR & Payroll |
| Total Features | 135 | 23 |
| AI-Powered Features | 2 | 0 |
| Starting Price | $2/mo | $25/mo |
| Pricing Tiers | 7 | 3 |
| Integrations | 15 | 3 |
| Shared Features | 1 | |
| Shared Integrations | 0 | |
| Data Quality | 95% | 70% |
Feature Comparison by Category
Accuracy (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 100% Payroll Accuracy Guaranteed |
Authentication (10 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Centralized User Management | ||
| Enhanced Security with SSO | ||
| Faster Login Process | ||
| Google SSO | ||
| Microsoft 365 SSO | ||
| SAML Integration | ||
| SSO - Google | ||
| SSO - Microsoft | ||
| SSO - Slack | ||
| Slack SSO |
Automation (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Abnormality Detection |
Compliance (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Government Relief Programs Support |
Core HR (8 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Coworker Information Access | ||
| Custom Fields | ||
| Employee Data Editing | ||
| Employee Profile Management | ||
| People Data Management | ||
| Predefined Answers | ||
| Profile Questions | ||
| Work With Me Profile |
Core Payroll (0 vs 3)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Deposit | ||
| Pay Employees and Contractors | ||
| Run Payroll in Minutes |
Data Management (1 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| CSV Import | ||
| Easy Migration from Other Providers |
Document Management (6 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Directory Access Restrictions | ||
| Document Action History | ||
| Document Storage | ||
| Document Upload with Statuses | ||
| Employee Document Access | ||
| HR Documents Repository |
Employee Management (0 vs 4)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Portal Access | ||
| Full Employee Management | ||
| Leave Time and Accruals Tracking | ||
| Self-Service Pay Stubs and Tax Forms |
Infrastructure (2 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Infrastructure | ||
| High Availability |
Integration (21 vs 4)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| API Integration | ||
| Automatic Payroll Journal Entries | ||
| Google Calendar Synchronization | ||
| Google Workspace Employee Import | ||
| HR Bot | ||
| Integration with Accounting | ||
| Integration with Invoicing | ||
| Integration with Online Payments | ||
| MS Teams Absences Checking | ||
| MS Teams Breaks Management | ||
| MS Teams Clock In/Out | ||
| MS Teams Entitlement Balances | ||
| MS Teams Integration | ||
| MS Teams Work Time Visibility | ||
| Microsoft 365 Dashboard |
Internationalization (3 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| International Time Zone Support | ||
| Multi-Country Policies | ||
| Multilingual Support |
Leave Management (10 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Absences Overview Calendar | ||
| Automatic Balance Calculations | ||
| Automatic Carry-Over | ||
| Leave Duration Units | ||
| Leave Entitlement Control | ||
| Multi-Country Absence Policies | ||
| Public Holiday Calendars | ||
| Requesting Restrictions | ||
| Time-off Request Management | ||
| Unlimited Absence Types |
Mobile (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Applications |
Multi-tenancy (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Google Domains |
Notifications (19 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday Notifications | ||
| Clock In/Out Reminders | ||
| Custom Date Field Reminders | ||
| Cyclic Absence Notifications | ||
| Email Notifications | ||
| Late Arrival Notifications | ||
| MS Teams Real-Time Notifications | ||
| MS Teams Recurring Notifications | ||
| Mobile Notifications | ||
| Outlook Notifications | ||
| Pending Request Reminders | ||
| Remote Work Notifications | ||
| Slack Channel Notifications | ||
| Slack Notifications | ||
| Slack Real-Time Shift Notifications |
Performance Management (7 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| AI Support in Performance Reviews | ||
| Administrator Panel | ||
| Flexible Survey Configuration | ||
| Manager Summaries | ||
| Performance Reviews | ||
| Reviewer Assignment | ||
| Self-Assessment and Peer Review |
Pricing (0 vs 2)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Day Free Trial | ||
| No Hidden Fees |
Reporting (14 vs 2)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Absence Request Report | ||
| Attendance Report | ||
| Employee Data Report | ||
| Employee Profiles Report | ||
| Entitlement Report | ||
| Excel Export | ||
| Historical Timesheet Data | ||
| PDF Export | ||
| Payroll Expense Breakdown | ||
| Payroll Report | ||
| Presence List Report | ||
| Project Time Report | ||
| Reports for Payroll | ||
| Timesheet Details Report | ||
| Timesheet Report |
Security (6 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Auth Logs | ||
| Continuous Security Monitoring | ||
| Data Encryption at Rest | ||
| Data Encryption in Transit | ||
| Data Separation | ||
| Regular Backups |
Support (7 vs 2)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Chat Support | ||
| Data Import Assistance | ||
| Email Support | ||
| Interactive Tutorials | ||
| Onboarding Support | ||
| Online Documentation | ||
| Priority Customer Support | ||
| Shared Screen Demo |
Tax Compliance (0 vs 3)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic Tax Remittances | ||
| Generate T4 and T4A Slips (Canada) | ||
| Generate W2 and 1099 Forms (US) |
Time Tracking (9 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance Management | ||
| Auto-Close Unfinished Shifts | ||
| Project Time Tracking | ||
| Remote Work Marking | ||
| Seven Time Tracking Methods | ||
| Shift Management | ||
| Time Clock | ||
| Timesheet Management | ||
| Work History Access |
Workflow Automation (9 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Wave Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Approval History | ||
| Approval Processes | ||
| Auto-Approval Option | ||
| Backup Approver | ||
| Cancellation Approval Flows | ||
| Document Approval Process | ||
| Manager Selection in Approval | ||
| Multi-Step Approval Flows | ||
| Timesheet Approval Flows |
Unique Features
Only in Calamari (134)
Centralized User Management
Enhanced Security with SSO
Faster Login Process
Google SSO
Microsoft 365 SSO
SAML Integration
Slack SSO
SSO - Google
SSO - Microsoft
SSO - Slack
Abnormality Detection
Coworker Information Access
Custom Fields
Employee Data Editing
Employee Profile Management
People Data Management
Predefined Answers
Profile Questions
Work With Me Profile
CSV Import
+ 114 more unique features
Only in Wave Payroll (22)
100% Payroll Accuracy Guaranteed
Government Relief Programs Support
Direct Deposit
Pay Employees and Contractors
Run Payroll in Minutes
Easy Migration from Other Providers
Employee Portal Access
Full Employee Management
Leave Time and Accruals Tracking
Self-Service Pay Stubs and Tax Forms
Automatic Payroll Journal Entries
Integration with Accounting
Integration with Invoicing
Integration with Online Payments
30-Day Free Trial
No Hidden Fees
Payroll Expense Breakdown
Wage and Tax Payment Reporting
Priority Customer Support
Automatic Tax Remittances
+ 2 more unique features
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