MinuteDock alternative
A MinuteDock alternative for firms that invoice in Wave
MinuteDock and Swell both turn tracked hours into Wave invoices. Swell is narrower: it does the Wave billing step only, costs less for teams of one to ten, and locks time once it is invoiced. Here is how the two compare, including where MinuteDock is the better choice.
Swell vs MinuteDock for Wave invoicing
Both tools track time by client and project and send it to Wave. The differences are price, how much else each product does, and how the Wave step works. Competitor details come from MinuteDock's own site, checked on the date below.
| Feature | Swell | MinuteDock |
|---|---|---|
| Price for 1 user | $15/month (Solo) | $19/month (Freelancer) |
| Price for 3 users | $29/month (Team, 3 users included) | $38/month (Starter: $29 for 2 users + $9) |
| Price for 5 users | $43/month (Team + 2 users at $7) | $49/month (Small Team, 5 users included) |
| Price for 10 users | $78/month (Team + 7 users at $7) | $94/month (Small Team + 5 users at $9) |
| Free plan / trial | No free plan. 14-day trial. | No free plan. 14-day trial. |
| Wave invoicing | Yes Creates a Wave invoice draft from reviewed time, with grouped or detailed lines. You approve and send it in Wave. | Yes Creates Wave invoices from selected hours, grouped by date, project or task. |
| Other accounting software | No Wave only | Yes Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB and FreshBooks as well as Wave |
| Invoicing without accounting software | No Invoices are created in Wave | Yes Built-in invoices from tracked time |
| Timer and manual entry | Yes Timer, or a date and duration, plus saved timer shortcuts | Yes Timer or manual entry |
| Mobile apps | Partly Responsive web app; no native app | Yes iOS and Android apps |
| Billing rates | Yes Per project, per team member, or both | Yes Per person, client, project or task |
| Time rounding | Yes Nearest or up, to 6, 15 or 30 minutes | Not described on its features page |
| Budgets and retainers | Partly Project budgets in hours | Yes Project budgets and retainer management |
| AI assistant time entry | No Not available | Yes Log time and run reports through Claude or ChatGPT |
Prices are list prices for monthly billing, calculated from each company's published per-user pricing. MinuteDock offers two months free on annual billing.
Why Wave users choose Swell
Swell is built for one job: getting a small firm's billable hours into Wave accurately at the end of each billing period.
Lower cost at every team size from one to ten
Swell's Solo plan is $15 a month against MinuteDock's $19. Team includes three users for $29, and each extra user is $7 instead of $9. At five people that is $43 against $49; at ten it is $78 against $94, on monthly list prices.
Review the invoice before it exists in Wave
Swell's review step shows each outgoing line, the hours and rate behind it, and the notes from the underlying time entries. You can edit a line description for that invoice without changing the original entries, then create a draft. The invoice stays a draft until you approve and send it in Wave.
Invoiced time cannot drift or be billed twice
When Swell creates a Wave invoice, it links every included time entry to that invoice and freezes the hours and amount. Linked entries can no longer be edited or deleted, and an entry can never be selected for a second invoice, so last month's totals match what the client was billed.
Billing rules applied the same way everywhere
Set rates per project, per team member, or both; the most specific rate wins. Account-wide rounding (nearest or up, to 6, 15 or 30 minutes) is applied consistently to the timesheet, reports, CSV exports and the Wave invoice, so the numbers your team sees are the numbers your client sees.
Honest tradeoffs
Where MinuteDock is the better choice
MinuteDock does more than Swell. If any of these matter to you, it is likely the better fit.
- Native mobile apps
- MinuteDock has iOS and Android apps. Swell runs in the browser and works on a phone, but there is no app to install, no home-screen widget and no offline tracking. If your team logs most hours away from a computer, MinuteDock's apps are a real advantage.
- More than one accounting system
- MinuteDock also connects to Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB and FreshBooks, and can create invoices on its own. Swell only invoices through Wave. If you might leave Wave, or bill some clients from another system, MinuteDock avoids a second migration later.
- Retainers and AI time entry
- MinuteDock manages retainers alongside project budgets, and lets you log time and pull reports through Claude or ChatGPT. Swell tracks budgets in hours only and has no retainer or AI assistant features. Agencies billing mostly on retainer will find more built in at MinuteDock.
- Track record and annual pricing
- MinuteDock has been operating since 2009, and annual billing on its plans includes two months free, which narrows the price gap with Swell. Swell is a newer product with monthly pricing. If a long operating history is a deciding factor, that favors MinuteDock.
MinuteDock alternative FAQ
How much does MinuteDock cost?
As of October 2, 2026, MinuteDock lists four monthly plans: Freelancer at $19 for one user, Starter at $29 for two users, Small Team at $49 for five users and Business at $99 for ten users. Extra users are $9 a month, every plan has a 14-day trial and annual billing includes two months free.
Does MinuteDock work with Wave?
Yes. MinuteDock creates Wave invoices from the hours you select, with lines grouped by date, project or task. It also works with Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB and FreshBooks. Swell works only with Wave and creates a draft invoice that you review, approve and send inside Wave.
Do I need Wave Pro to use Swell or MinuteDock with Wave?
Swell requires an active Wave Pro plan or Wave Advisors, because Wave limits API-connected integrations to those plans. Wave's pricing page lists third-party integrations as a Pro feature. MinuteDock's Wave page does not mention a plan requirement, so confirm with MinuteDock if you are on Wave's free Starter plan.
Can I move my MinuteDock history into Swell?
Swell does not import time entries from MinuteDock. During setup Swell brings in your Wave customers for you to match to existing clients or add as new ones, so clients are ready to track against. Most firms switch at the start of a billing period, finish invoicing the previous period in MinuteDock and keep an export of old entries for their records.
Does Swell have a mobile app?
No. Swell is a web app that works in any modern browser, including on a phone, where you can start and stop timers and log time. There is no native iOS or Android app and no offline mode. MinuteDock offers native mobile apps if you need them.
Is there a free version of Swell?
No. Swell is a paid product with a 14-day free trial on both plans: Solo at $15 a month for one user, and Team at $29 a month for three users plus $7 for each additional user. There are no long-term contracts, and you can cancel before renewal.
More on Swell: time tracking for Wave Accounting, features, time tracking for consultants and plans from $15/month.
Try Swell with your own Wave account
Connect Wave, import your customers and create your first invoice draft during the 14-day trial.
MinuteDock details checked October 2, 2026 from: MinuteDock pricing , MinuteDock features , MinuteDock Wave integration , Wave pricing . MinuteDock is a trademark of its owner. Swell is not affiliated with MinuteDock.