Best Free Invoicing Software for Small Businesses of 2025
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. If you need additional functionality, we recommend scaling up.
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>.
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Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why trust NerdWallet
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
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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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We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
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financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance
we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are
objective, independent, straightforward — and free.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence
which products we review and write about (and where those products
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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. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or
financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance
we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are
objective, independent, straightforward — and free.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence
which products we review and write about (and where those products
appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or
advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our
partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products
or services. Here is a list of our partners .
Portal lets clients pay invoices and view their transaction history.
Payment gateway integrations include Stripe, PayPal, Square and more.
Photograph receipts and attach them to expense reports.
Free invoice app for iOS lets you add a timer widget to your home screen, send invoices via iMessage and add new contacts by taking photos of their business cards.
Cons
Limited third-party integrations outside of other Zoho products and QuickBooks Online.
Zoho Invoice software is free and allows you to send up to 500 invoices per year. It carries all the core invoicing features you’d need and expect, including automatic payment reminders, online payments, expense tracking, invoice customization and more.
Portal lets clients pay invoices and view their transaction history.
Payment gateway integrations include Stripe, PayPal, Square and more.
Photograph receipts and attach them to expense reports.
Free invoice app for iOS lets you add a timer widget to your home screen, send invoices via iMessage and add new contacts by taking photos of their business cards.
Cons
Limited third-party integrations outside of other Zoho products and QuickBooks Online.
Zoho Invoice software is free and allows you to send up to 500 invoices per year. It carries all the core invoicing features you’d need and expect, including automatic payment reminders, online payments, expense tracking, invoice customization and more.
Unlimited invoicing, estimates, contracts, users and clients in all plans.
Integrates with Square’s all-in-one payment platform.
Streamlined and intuitive.
Ability to process in-person and online card payments as well as cash, checks, ACH transfers, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Send recurring invoices.
Automatic payment reminders.
Gives clients the option to include a tip.
Cons
Must use Square’s in-house payment processing to accept online payments.
Free plan does not enable custom invoicing fields and the ability to auto-convert estimates into invoices.
Square is right up there with PayPal as one of the top all-in-one payment platforms for small-business owners. User-friendly design is its style, so even tech-shy users will likely be able to navigate its invoicing platform. Unlike many of the software solutions on this list that require integration with a payment gateway, as a payment processor first and foremost, Square offers a built-in processing solution. That makes it a great option for existing Square POS users who want to add invoicing functionality and small-business owners who don’t want the hassle of choosing a separate payment gateway to accept payments.
Unlimited invoicing, estimates, contracts, users and clients in all plans.
Integrates with Square’s all-in-one payment platform.
Streamlined and intuitive.
Ability to process in-person and online card payments as well as cash, checks, ACH transfers, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Send recurring invoices.
Automatic payment reminders.
Gives clients the option to include a tip.
Cons
Must use Square’s in-house payment processing to accept online payments.
Free plan does not enable custom invoicing fields and the ability to auto-convert estimates into invoices.
Square is right up there with PayPal as one of the top all-in-one payment platforms for small-business owners. User-friendly design is its style, so even tech-shy users will likely be able to navigate its invoicing platform. Unlike many of the software solutions on this list that require integration with a payment gateway, as a payment processor first and foremost, Square offers a built-in processing solution. That makes it a great option for existing Square POS users who want to add invoicing functionality and small-business owners who don’t want the hassle of choosing a separate payment gateway to accept payments.
Must subscribe to Pro plan to automate payment reminders.
Limited features may not be suited for fast-growing businesses.
Wave offers free invoicing and accounting software, with the option to upgrade plans or pay additional fees for payment and payroll features. The company’s software is ideal for small service-based businesses and other small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. In addition to invoicing capabilities, users get access to income and expense tracking, along with reporting. You have to pay for the Pro plan to add additional users.
Must subscribe to Pro plan to automate payment reminders.
Limited features may not be suited for fast-growing businesses.
Wave offers free invoicing and accounting software, with the option to upgrade plans or pay additional fees for payment and payroll features. The company’s software is ideal for small service-based businesses and other small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. In addition to invoicing capabilities, users get access to income and expense tracking, along with reporting. You have to pay for the Pro plan to add additional users.
If you’re already using PayPal for any of its myriad business services — PayPal’s POS systems, payment gateway and business financing are three of the platform’s more popular business services — then PayPal Invoicing, available through the free PayPal Business app, will fit nicely into your current workflow. The platform is primed for existing PayPal users to send basic invoices quickly, automatically and from anywhere.
PayPal Invoicing
Best for PayPal Business users
Best for PayPal Business users
4.5
Starting at
$0
Free.
Promotion
N/A
Pros
Straightforward and simple to use.
No billable client or invoice limits.
Send recurring invoices.
Automatic payment reminders.
Gives clients the option to include a tip.
Converts estimates into invoices.
Cons
Not as customizable as the competition.
If you’re already using PayPal for any of its myriad business services — PayPal’s POS systems, payment gateway and business financing are three of the platform’s more popular business services — then PayPal Invoicing, available through the free PayPal Business app, will fit nicely into your current workflow. The platform is primed for existing PayPal users to send basic invoices quickly, automatically and from anywhere.
Invoice Ninja
Best for Customization
4.5
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $12, $16.
Promotion
N/A
Pros
Free plan supports unlimited invoices for up to 5 clients.
Automatically transfer credit card processing fees to customers and allow them to 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.
Portal lets clients view their invoices and payment history.
Cons
No direct integrations with bookkeeping or accounting software.
Enterprise plan pricing increases as you add more users.
Invoice Ninja’s free plan offers all of the key features that invoice software should, including time tracking, the ability to ask customers to pay a deposit up front and the opportunity to add taxes and discounts to invoices. Clients can pay online or use ACH payments to transfer funds.The paid plans come with additional useful features like bulk invoicing, but the free version is so robust that you may never need to upgrade, as long as you don’t exceed 5 clients. Keep in mind that you can only add additional users to the most expensive Enterprise plan (for an added fee).
Invoice Ninja
Best for Customization
Best for Customization
4.5
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $12, $16.
Promotion
N/A
Pros
Free plan supports unlimited invoices for up to 5 clients.
Automatically transfer credit card processing fees to customers and allow them to 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.
Portal lets clients view their invoices and payment history.
Cons
No direct integrations with bookkeeping or accounting software.
Enterprise plan pricing increases as you add more users.
Invoice Ninja’s free plan offers all of the key features that invoice software should, including time tracking, the ability to ask customers to pay a deposit up front and the opportunity to add taxes and discounts to invoices. Clients can pay online or use ACH payments to transfer funds.The paid plans come with additional useful features like bulk invoicing, but the free version is so robust that you may never need to upgrade, as long as you don’t exceed 5 clients. Keep in mind that you can only add additional users to the most expensive Enterprise plan (for an added fee).
Free plan supports unlimited invoicing for up to five clients.
Integrates with a dozen payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Square and more.
Assign different billable rates to each type of task.
Direct clients to your own custom domain with the Plus plan.
Cons
No built-in, direct integrations with bookkeeping or accounting software.
All plans have client limits (highest-tier Plus plan caps at 1,000).
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the features other software programs offer and all you need to do is send invoices and receive payments, Hiveage stands out for its simplicity. Creating one-time and recurring invoices is straightforward, the dashboard is easy to navigate, and it offers time and expense tracking even in the free version. You can accept online payments with any plan, but to accept offline payments through cash, check and bank transfer, you’ll have to subscribe to the most expensive Plus plan. Hiveage can also integrate with accounting, customer relationship management and project management software via Zapier.
Free plan supports unlimited invoicing for up to five clients.
Integrates with a dozen payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Square and more.
Assign different billable rates to each type of task.
Direct clients to your own custom domain with the Plus plan.
Cons
No built-in, direct integrations with bookkeeping or accounting software.
All plans have client limits (highest-tier Plus plan caps at 1,000).
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the features other software programs offer and all you need to do is send invoices and receive payments, Hiveage stands out for its simplicity. Creating one-time and recurring invoices is straightforward, the dashboard is easy to navigate, and it offers time and expense tracking even in the free version. You can accept online payments with any plan, but to accept offline payments through cash, check and bank transfer, you’ll have to subscribe to the most expensive Plus plan. Hiveage can also integrate with accounting, customer relationship management and project management software via Zapier.
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How we choose the best free invoicing software
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 the ability to process online payments (or integrate with payment gateways). All our picks include these.
Selections also had to have at least one of the following features:
Recurring invoicing.
Time tracking.
Client portal.
Automatic payment reminders.
Accounting tools.
Some of our top picks are standalone free invoicing software products. To make our list, these products need to offer free plans and receive at least four stars in our invoicing rubric. Our other picks are free accounting software products with built-in invoicing capabilities. To make our list, they need to receive at least four stars in both our accounting and invoicing rubrics or fill a specific niche.
Who should use free invoicing software?
Free invoicing software is a good choice for very small businesses and side hustles. Consider it if you use spreadsheets instead of accounting software to track your sales.
Accounting software with built-in invoicing is better for most small businesses, though. These all-in-one options help you track income, expenses and invoices in the same place. This also helps minimize integrations and manual data entry.
Is free invoicing software actually free?
Free invoicing software doesn’t have subscription costs. But it won’t be entirely free if you accept payments online as opposed to by check.
The software provider charges you to facilitate these transactions. You’ll pay credit card processing fees as a result. You can save money by asking customers to pay via ACH transfer instead. ACH transfers 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.
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.
Here are some other features to look for:
Accounting integrations: Some products, like Wave, double as accounting and invoicing software. Products that don’t should integrate with popular accounting software products, like QuickBooks or Xero.
Option to include tip: This is important for service-based businesses that accept tips. Providers that offer this feature include Square and PayPal.
Automated payment reminders: Don’t want to have to remember to remind customers that their payment is due? Some options, like PayPal and Zoho Invoice, include automated payment reminders.
Recurring invoicing: Similar to automated payment reminders, this feature may only come in a paid plan. But some products, like Invoice Ninja, have it in their free ones. This is useful for businesses with repeat clients.
Live customer support: Free invoicing software often comes with email support, but phone support isn’t as common. PayPal has a phone line, but most other options don’t for free plan customers.
Mobile app: Mobile apps make it easy to send invoices on the go and check in on invoice status whenever. Lots of our picks have a mobile app, but Zoho Invoice’s app stands out for having more capabilities than the competition. Some highlights include a time-tracking widget and an Apple Watch version of the app.
Time tracking: Built-in time-tracking tools can be helpful for freelancers and other project- or service-based businesses who bill by the hour. Hiveage, for example, includes time-tracking tools in all of its plans.
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 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:
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 income and expenses, however, standalone invoicing software will probably do the trick.
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.
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.
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.
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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