This paper represents the effect of rotor geometry on the performance of a small-scale Wells turbine for wave energy conversion. In this study, four kinds of blade profile were selected from previous studies with regard to the blade profile of the Wells turbine. The experimental investigations have been performed for two solidities by model testing under steady flow conditions, and then the effect of blade profile on the running and starting characteristics under sinusoidal flow conditions have been investigated by a numerical simulation using a quasi-steady analysis. In addition, the effect of sweep on the turbine characteristics has been investigated for the cases of CA9 and HSIM 15-262123-1576. As a result, a suitable choice of these design factors has been suggested.