Best Free Invoicing Software for Small Businesses of 2026
The best free invoicing software makes it easy to bill clients and take payments online. Some offer features like recurring invoicing and automatic payment reminders. But most excel in just the basics. For more functionality, we recommend paid options.
Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Karrin Sehmbi is an editor and content strategist on the small-business team. She has covered small-business software and lending since 2022 and has more than sixteen years of editorial experience in the fields of educational publishing, content marketing and medical news. She has also held roles as a teacher and a tutor.
Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Karrin Sehmbi is an editor and content strategist on the small-business team. She has covered small-business software and lending since 2022 and has more than sixteen years of editorial experience in the fields of educational publishing, content marketing and medical news. She has also held roles as a teacher and a tutor.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
NerdWallet's content is
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It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure
the information is as clear and complete as possible. Learn more by checking
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Editorial Guidelines.
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why trust NerdWallet
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
80+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
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NerdWallet's small-business software content, including ratings, recommendations and reviews, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business software, including payroll, accounting and payment processing. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, Yahoo Finance and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity to ensure accuracy and fairness in our coverage.
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which products we highlight and where they appear on our site. Other
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proprietary website methodologies.
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Here is a list of our partners.
Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Karrin Sehmbi is an editor and content strategist on the small-business team. She has covered small-business software and lending since 2022 and has more than sixteen years of editorial experience in the fields of educational publishing, content marketing and medical news. She has also held roles as a teacher and a tutor.
Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Karrin Sehmbi is an editor and content strategist on the small-business team. She has covered small-business software and lending since 2022 and has more than sixteen years of editorial experience in the fields of educational publishing, content marketing and medical news. She has also held roles as a teacher and a tutor.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
NerdWallet's content is
fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness, and relevance by humans.
It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure
the information is as clear and complete as possible. Learn more by checking
our
Editorial Guidelines.
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why trust NerdWallet
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
80+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
75+ categories of best business software selections.
NerdWallet's small-business software content, including ratings, recommendations and reviews, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business software, including payroll, accounting and payment processing. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, Yahoo Finance and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity to ensure accuracy and fairness in our coverage.
Advertiser disclosure
You're our first priority.
Every time.
We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
confidence. While we don’t cover every company or financial product on
the market, we work hard to share a wide range of offers and objective
editorial perspectives.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us for advertisements
that appear on our site. This compensation helps us provide tools and
services - like free credit score access and monitoring. With the
exception of mortgage, home equity and other home-lending products or
services, partner compensation is one of several factors that may affect
which products we highlight and where they appear on our site. Other
factors include your credit profile, product availability and
proprietary website methodologies.
However, these factors do not influence our editors’ opinions or ratings, which are based on independent research and analysis. Our partners cannot
pay us to guarantee favorable reviews.
Here is a list of our partners.
Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us
when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not
influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.
Portal lets clients pay invoices and view their transaction history.
Payment gateway integrations include Stripe and PayPal.
Includes recurring invoices, automated payment reminders and time tracking.
Integrates seamlessly with Zoho Books for accounting.
Cons
Limited third-party integrations outside of other Zoho products and QuickBooks Online.
Zoho Invoice has just about all of the features we look for in free invoicing software. It lets you create up to 1,000 invoices per year, log billable expenses, track time and view reports for free. And at 2.9% plus 30 cents per online transaction, its payment processing rates are lower than most of its competitors. It also integrates seamlessly with Zoho Books for accounting.
We especially like its iOS app. There’s a time-tracking widget for your iPhone’s home screen, and it lets you send invoices via iMessage. Additionally, you can add new contacts by taking photos of their business cards. There’s an Android version too, but it doesn’t include as many features. It doesn’t let you set transaction reminders using Siri or lock your app with Touch ID, for instance.
Unlimited invoicing, estimates, contracts, users and clients in all plans.
Integrates with Square’s POS and payments software.
Includes recurring invoices and automated payment reminders.
Can give clients the option to include a tip.
Cons
Must subscribe to paid plan to customize invoices.
Free plan processing rates are high.
Square has user-friendly point-of-sale (POS) solutions for retailers, service-based businesses and cafes alike. Its free POS plan offers a handful of valuable features, including invoicing. If you’re looking for invoicing software and a POS system, Square is a great choice.
You can use Square to create unlimited contracts, invoices and estimates. It also lets you send recurring invoices and set up automated payment reminders for clients. You’ll need to upgrade to the paid Plus plan to add custom invoice fields, though. This plan comes with lower online processing rates (2.9% plus 30 cents) as well.
Includes automated payment reminders for online payments.
Integrates with Wave’s free accounting software.
Cons
Must subscribe to Pro plan to send recurring invoices and remove Wave branding.
Customer support only available if you subscribe to add-ons.
Expensive online payment processing.
Wave’s ease of use makes it an ideal solution for solopreneurs. You can use it to create an unlimited number of invoices, set up payment reminders and track income and expenses. Plus, the system updates you when your client views an invoice, pays it or it becomes due. That way, you can make sure you’re being paid on time. Wave includes other accounting features, like reporting and transaction tracking, too.
You can upgrade to Wave’s Pro plan to access chat and email support, capture and upload receipts, add users and automatically import bank transactions.
Includes recurring invoices and automated payment reminders.
Integrates seamlessly with PayPal’s POS and payments software.
Cons
Steep online processing rates.
Similar to Square, PayPal has built-in POS and payment processing capabilities. But it lets you accept more payment methods, including PayPal and Venmo. PayPal’s POS and invoicing software are both free too.
Its invoicing software features recurring invoicing (albeit for a higher processing rate of 3.49% plus 49 cents) and automated payment reminders. You can send invoices by email, SMS, social media or QR codes.
Portal lets clients pay invoices and view their transaction history.
Payment gateway integrations include Stripe and PayPal.
Includes recurring invoices, automated payment reminders and time tracking.
Integrates seamlessly with Zoho Books for accounting.
Cons
Limited third-party integrations outside of other Zoho products and QuickBooks Online.
Zoho Invoice has just about all of the features we look for in free invoicing software. It lets you create up to 1,000 invoices per year, log billable expenses, track time and view reports for free. And at 2.9% plus 30 cents per online transaction, its payment processing rates are lower than most of its competitors. It also integrates seamlessly with Zoho Books for accounting.
We especially like its iOS app. There’s a time-tracking widget for your iPhone’s home screen, and it lets you send invoices via iMessage. Additionally, you can add new contacts by taking photos of their business cards. There’s an Android version too, but it doesn’t include as many features. It doesn’t let you set transaction reminders using Siri or lock your app with Touch ID, for instance.
Portal lets clients pay invoices and view their transaction history.
Payment gateway integrations include Stripe and PayPal.
Includes recurring invoices, automated payment reminders and time tracking.
Integrates seamlessly with Zoho Books for accounting.
Cons
Limited third-party integrations outside of other Zoho products and QuickBooks Online.
Zoho Invoice has just about all of the features we look for in free invoicing software. It lets you create up to 1,000 invoices per year, log billable expenses, track time and view reports for free. And at 2.9% plus 30 cents per online transaction, its payment processing rates are lower than most of its competitors. It also integrates seamlessly with Zoho Books for accounting.
We especially like its iOS app. There’s a time-tracking widget for your iPhone’s home screen, and it lets you send invoices via iMessage. Additionally, you can add new contacts by taking photos of their business cards. There’s an Android version too, but it doesn’t include as many features. It doesn’t let you set transaction reminders using Siri or lock your app with Touch ID, for instance.
Portal lets clients pay invoices and view their transaction history.
Payment gateway integrations include Stripe and PayPal.
Includes recurring invoices, automated payment reminders and time tracking.
Integrates seamlessly with Zoho Books for accounting.
Cons
Limited third-party integrations outside of other Zoho products and QuickBooks Online.
Zoho Invoice has just about all of the features we look for in free invoicing software. It lets you create up to 1,000 invoices per year, log billable expenses, track time and view reports for free. And at 2.9% plus 30 cents per online transaction, its payment processing rates are lower than most of its competitors. It also integrates seamlessly with Zoho Books for accounting.
We especially like its iOS app. There’s a time-tracking widget for your iPhone’s home screen, and it lets you send invoices via iMessage. Additionally, you can add new contacts by taking photos of their business cards. There’s an Android version too, but it doesn’t include as many features. It doesn’t let you set transaction reminders using Siri or lock your app with Touch ID, for instance.
Unlimited invoicing, estimates, contracts, users and clients in all plans.
Integrates with Square’s POS and payments software.
Includes recurring invoices and automated payment reminders.
Can give clients the option to include a tip.
Cons
Must subscribe to paid plan to customize invoices.
Free plan processing rates are high.
Square has user-friendly point-of-sale (POS) solutions for retailers, service-based businesses and cafes alike. Its free POS plan offers a handful of valuable features, including invoicing. If you’re looking for invoicing software and a POS system, Square is a great choice.
You can use Square to create unlimited contracts, invoices and estimates. It also lets you send recurring invoices and set up automated payment reminders for clients. You’ll need to upgrade to the paid Plus plan to add custom invoice fields, though. This plan comes with lower online processing rates (2.9% plus 30 cents) as well.
Pros
Unlimited invoicing, estimates, contracts, users and clients in all plans.
Integrates with Square’s POS and payments software.
Includes recurring invoices and automated payment reminders.
Can give clients the option to include a tip.
Cons
Must subscribe to paid plan to customize invoices.
Free plan processing rates are high.
Square has user-friendly point-of-sale (POS) solutions for retailers, service-based businesses and cafes alike. Its free POS plan offers a handful of valuable features, including invoicing. If you’re looking for invoicing software and a POS system, Square is a great choice.
You can use Square to create unlimited contracts, invoices and estimates. It also lets you send recurring invoices and set up automated payment reminders for clients. You’ll need to upgrade to the paid Plus plan to add custom invoice fields, though. This plan comes with lower online processing rates (2.9% plus 30 cents) as well.
Pros
Unlimited invoicing, estimates, contracts, users and clients in all plans.
Integrates with Square’s POS and payments software.
Includes recurring invoices and automated payment reminders.
Can give clients the option to include a tip.
Cons
Must subscribe to paid plan to customize invoices.
Free plan processing rates are high.
Square has user-friendly point-of-sale (POS) solutions for retailers, service-based businesses and cafes alike. Its free POS plan offers a handful of valuable features, including invoicing. If you’re looking for invoicing software and a POS system, Square is a great choice.
You can use Square to create unlimited contracts, invoices and estimates. It also lets you send recurring invoices and set up automated payment reminders for clients. You’ll need to upgrade to the paid Plus plan to add custom invoice fields, though. This plan comes with lower online processing rates (2.9% plus 30 cents) as well.
Includes automated payment reminders for online payments.
Integrates with Wave’s free accounting software.
Cons
Must subscribe to Pro plan to send recurring invoices and remove Wave branding.
Customer support only available if you subscribe to add-ons.
Expensive online payment processing.
Wave’s ease of use makes it an ideal solution for solopreneurs. You can use it to create an unlimited number of invoices, set up payment reminders and track income and expenses. Plus, the system updates you when your client views an invoice, pays it or it becomes due. That way, you can make sure you’re being paid on time. Wave includes other accounting features, like reporting and transaction tracking, too.
You can upgrade to Wave’s Pro plan to access chat and email support, capture and upload receipts, add users and automatically import bank transactions.
Includes automated payment reminders for online payments.
Integrates with Wave’s free accounting software.
Cons
Must subscribe to Pro plan to send recurring invoices and remove Wave branding.
Customer support only available if you subscribe to add-ons.
Expensive online payment processing.
Wave’s ease of use makes it an ideal solution for solopreneurs. You can use it to create an unlimited number of invoices, set up payment reminders and track income and expenses. Plus, the system updates you when your client views an invoice, pays it or it becomes due. That way, you can make sure you’re being paid on time. Wave includes other accounting features, like reporting and transaction tracking, too.
You can upgrade to Wave’s Pro plan to access chat and email support, capture and upload receipts, add users and automatically import bank transactions.
Includes automated payment reminders for online payments.
Integrates with Wave’s free accounting software.
Cons
Must subscribe to Pro plan to send recurring invoices and remove Wave branding.
Customer support only available if you subscribe to add-ons.
Expensive online payment processing.
Wave’s ease of use makes it an ideal solution for solopreneurs. You can use it to create an unlimited number of invoices, set up payment reminders and track income and expenses. Plus, the system updates you when your client views an invoice, pays it or it becomes due. That way, you can make sure you’re being paid on time. Wave includes other accounting features, like reporting and transaction tracking, too.
You can upgrade to Wave’s Pro plan to access chat and email support, capture and upload receipts, add users and automatically import bank transactions.
Includes recurring invoices and automated payment reminders.
Integrates seamlessly with PayPal’s POS and payments software.
Cons
Steep online processing rates.
Similar to Square, PayPal has built-in POS and payment processing capabilities. But it lets you accept more payment methods, including PayPal and Venmo. PayPal’s POS and invoicing software are both free too.
Its invoicing software features recurring invoicing (albeit for a higher processing rate of 3.49% plus 49 cents) and automated payment reminders. You can send invoices by email, SMS, social media or QR codes.
Includes recurring invoices and automated payment reminders.
Integrates seamlessly with PayPal’s POS and payments software.
Cons
Steep online processing rates.
Similar to Square, PayPal has built-in POS and payment processing capabilities. But it lets you accept more payment methods, including PayPal and Venmo. PayPal’s POS and invoicing software are both free too.
Its invoicing software features recurring invoicing (albeit for a higher processing rate of 3.49% plus 49 cents) and automated payment reminders. You can send invoices by email, SMS, social media or QR codes.
Includes recurring invoices and automated payment reminders.
Integrates seamlessly with PayPal’s POS and payments software.
Cons
Steep online processing rates.
Similar to Square, PayPal has built-in POS and payment processing capabilities. But it lets you accept more payment methods, including PayPal and Venmo. PayPal’s POS and invoicing software are both free too.
Its invoicing software features recurring invoicing (albeit for a higher processing rate of 3.49% plus 49 cents) and automated payment reminders. You can send invoices by email, SMS, social media or QR codes.
Usually, we recommend using the invoicing features built into your other business software products. All of our choices above combine invoicing capabilities with accounting, POS or payments software.
If you’re looking for a free standalone invoicing product instead, you might consider the following:
4.5
NerdWallet rating
Why we like it: Invoice Ninja is an open-source platform, so developers from around the world can contribute to testing and improving it. That also means you can write your own code (or hire a developer to do so) for a completely customized version.
Aside from the basics, Invoice Ninja includes unique features, like the ability to automatically add payment gateway fees to your invoices. This lets you pass your processing costs to customers. However, there is no built-in, direct integration with QuickBooks Online or Xero for accounting.
Pros
Automatically transfer credit card processing fees to customers and let them tip on invoices or pay incrementally over time.
Integrates with more than a dozen payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Square and Apple Pay.
Built-in inventory tool tracks items as they’re invoiced.
Cons
Free plan only lets you send invoices to five clients.
4.5
NerdWallet rating
Why we like it: Hiveage makes it easy to create one-time and recurring invoices. And navigating its dashboard is simple and straightforward. Unlike some of its competitors, it also has free time tracking — even in the free version. You’ll find expense tracking features too.
However, you’ll need to pay extra to integrate it with any other types of business software (aside from payment gateways). If you don’t use other software programs, this isn’t a big deal. Otherwise, paying for an integration isn’t ideal.
Pros
Integrates with a dozen payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, Square and more.
Can assign different billable rates to each type of task.
Includes unlimited time and expense tracking.
Cons
Free plan only lets you send invoices to five clients.
No built-in, direct integrations with accounting software.
All plans have client limits (highest-tier Plus plan caps at 1,000).
NerdWallet’s editorial team has evaluated more than 60 invoicing products. Our writers and editors gather more than 20 pieces of data for each one we rate.
To make our list of the best free options, we eliminated any products without a $0 plan. From there, we prioritized those with customization options, invoice tracking and online payment processing. All our picks include these.
Selections also had to have at least one of the following features:
Recurring invoicing.
POS software.
Automatic payment reminders.
Accounting tools.
Our picks are either free accounting software or free POS software products with built-in invoicing capabilities. To make our list, they need to receive at least four stars in our invoicing rubrics or fill a specific niche.
They also need to have reasonable invoice limits. Some free plans limit the number of billable clients you can have. But they don’t put strict limits on how many invoices you can send. We ruled out certain products, like Invoicely, because it only lets you send five invoices per month.
Who should use free invoicing software?
Free invoicing software is a good choice for solopreneurs and those with side hustles. It can be sufficient if you only need to send a handful of invoices each month.
If you use other business software (e.g., accounting, payments), you might already have access to free invoicing. We recommend making use of these features before subscribing to another program. This can help you minimize manual data entry and avoid additional integrations.
If you send dozens of invoices each month, however, you likely have more complicated needs. In this case, it’s best to opt for a paid product. Paid invoicing products typically don’t put limits on invoices or billable clients. They also usually include more customization and automation options.
Is free invoicing software actually free?
Free invoicing software doesn’t have subscription costs. But it’s not entirely free if you accept payments online as opposed to by check.
You’ll need to pay credit card processing fees to process online card payments. You can save money by asking customers to pay via ACH transfer instead. These still generate transaction fees, but they’re usually lower.
Square’s free plan, for example, charges 3.3% plus 30 cents per online card transaction. But it charges just 1% for ACH transfers. And if you deposit the transfer into a Square Checking account, it’s free.
You can also ask trusted customers to transfer money to your business account via Zelle. These transfers are free.
What features should you look for in free invoicing software?
At a minimum, free plans should include basic capabilities, like accepting online payments and customizing invoices with logos. The table below lists some other features to look for:
Zoho Invoice
Square Invoices
Wave Invoicing
PayPal Invoicing
Accounting integrations
✔️ (Zoho Books and QuickBooks Online)
✔️ (QuickBooks Online, Xero and Zoho Books)
✔️ (Wave for accounting)
✔️ (QuickBooks Online)
Option to include a tip
X (must use paid subscription of Zoho Books)
✔️
X (no built-in function; must use workaround)
✔️
Automated payment reminders
✔️
✔️
✔️ (with online payments)
✔️
Recurring invoicing
✔️
✔️
X (paid plan only)
✔️
Customer support
✔️ (email)
✔️ (chat and email, plus phone support for first 90 days)
X (email and live chat with paid add-ons only)
✔️ (phone and chat)
Online payment processing
2.9% plus 30 cents
3.3% plus 30 cents
2.9% plus 60 cents
2.99% plus 49 cents
Free invoicing software usually won’t have all of the features listed above. But it should have at least two to three of them. You can often upgrade plans to access additional features.
It’s probably no surprise that free invoicing software has fewer features than paid versions. The biggest differences between the two come down to these:
Free
Paid
Customer support
Often limits you to just email and/or chat support.
Typically includes more live support options, like phone assistance.
Billable client and invoice limits
May limit how many clients you can bill or how many invoices you can send. For example, Invoice Ninja supports unlimited invoicing, but only for five clients.
Doesn’t usually cap billable clients or invoices.
Payment processing rates
Commonly charge more per transaction than paid plans.
May offer lower processing rates. For example, Square’s rates go down as you upgrade plans (from 3.3% plus 30 cents for online transactions in its Free plan to 2.9% plus 30 cents in its Plus plan). Of course, the Plus plan’s $49 monthly fee will offset some of those savings.
Follow these steps to determine the best fit for you:
1. Decide on standalone invoicing or all-in-one accounting software. Most businesses should use accounting software. And all of our top accounting software picks include invoicing features. If you use spreadsheets to track finances, however, standalone invoicing software should do the trick.
2.Make a list of must-have features. Free invoicing software often has fewer bells and whistles than paid products. But if it has the two or three most important features you’re looking for, it may be sufficient.
3. Confirm it integrates with your business software suite. If you use other business software for tasks like inventory or time tracking, make sure your invoicing software syncs with it. This eliminates manual data entry.
4. Gauge whether you’ll need to scale up in the future. If you’re planning to grow your business, make sure the product you’re considering has multiple plan tiers. If not, you may have to switch invoicing software down the road. This can be time consuming.
5. Make sure it’s user friendly. Sign up for free invoicing software to test it out before you commit. Does the software make the invoicing process feel intuitive? If you struggled to create or customize a mock invoice, that product probably isn’t the right one for you.
Lots of invoicing software programs, like the ones listed above, let you generate invoices for free. You can usually choose from various templates and upload your own logo. However, you’ll need to pay processing fees if you’re accepting payments online. Fees vary depending on which payment gateway you choose.
Simple invoicing software, like Wave, lets you create invoices on the go in just a few steps. It has enough automation features — like automatic payment reminder emails — to streamline the invoicing process, but not so many add-ons that you’re overwhelmed.
These types of invoice apps are best for businesses that only need to include basic information like due dates, sales tax, and product or service descriptions on their invoices and don’t require complex accounting features.
There are several free invoice apps on the market, including our top picks above. For more complex invoicing needs, many of these providers also offer paid plans, which can cost upward of $40 per month. Paid plans usually allow you to give access to more users and invoice more clients. If you already subscribe to accounting software, though, you’ll likely save money by using the invoicing features it includes. That way, you don’t have to add another monthly payment to your expenses.
Methodology
To determine the best invoicing and billing software, NerdWallet considered the following features:
Invoicing capabilities: The best invoicing and billing software should offer invoice customization options, the ability to send automatic payment reminders and accept online payments, a dashboard to easily track invoice and billing status plus some reporting capabilities. Standout products also make it easy to convert estimates to invoices and offer most or all features within a mobile app as well.
Affordability: Most of the plans for the software included on our list start below $20 per month (and many offer free plans).
Integrations: Ideally, standalone invoicing and billing software directly integrates with popular accounting software, like QuickBooks Online and Xero. Some of the higher-rated products on our list also offer direct integrations with e-commerce, CRM, inventory and other software applications.
Additional consideration was given to customer support availability, pricing transparency and whether a free trial is offered for paid products.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
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