Square Invoices Review: Features, Pricing, Alternatives

Square Invoices has a robust set of free features that help small-business owners streamline the invoicing process.
Hillary Crawford
Sally Lauckner
By Sally Lauckner and  Hillary Crawford 
Updated
Edited by Mary M. Flory

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Small-business owners use Square Invoices to send invoices and payment reminders, and to accept a variety of payment types, including credit card and Apple Pay. The platform is a great option for businesses that already use Square’s point-of-sale system and don’t send invoices through their accounting software.

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How does Square Invoices work?

Aside from sending invoices and receiving payments, Square Invoices lets you track invoices, mark them as recurring, add attachments to them, accept e-signatures and send receipts. Invoicing software, in general, makes it easier to manage invoices and keep track of which customers have paid and which customers still owe you money.

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Square Invoices pricing

Free

Plus

Monthly cost

Free.

$20/month.

Payment processing cost

  • 2.9% plus 30 cents per online invoice payment.

  • 2.6% plus 10 cents per in-person payment.

  • 3.5% plus 15 cents per card-on-file payment.

  • 1% per ACH payment.

  • 2.9% plus 30 cents per online invoice payment.

  • 2.6% plus 10 cents per in-person payment.

  • 3.5% plus 15 cents per card-on-file payment.

  • 1% per ACH payment.

Features

  • Send unlimited estimates, invoices and contracts.

  • Reports and real-time invoice tracking.

  • Customer Directory.

  • Square Invoices app.

Everything in the Free plan plus:

  • Turn accepted estimates into invoices.

  • Custom invoice fields for terms and policies.

  • Custom invoice templates.

  • Split up a payment based on project phases.

  • Send estimates with multiple packages for the client to choose from.

Pros

Valuable free features

Whereas some platforms limit how many clients you can invoice, Square Invoices lets you send unlimited invoices, estimates and contracts to an unlimited number of clients. Other free features include the following:

  • An unlimited number of users can send out invoices.

  • Send invoices through email, text or link.

  • Sign with an e-signature.

  • Square Payments integration.

  • Save customer details and credit card info.

  • Reporting and cash flow management tools.

  • Send digital receipts through email or text.

  • Schedule recurring invoices and automatic payment reminders.

  • Square Invoices app.

  • Apply discount offers and taxes.

  • Issue refunds.

  • Accept tips.

  • Contract templates and clauses.

Convenient integrations

Square Invoices integrates with accounting software products, including QuickBooks Online and Xero, but it’s especially convenient for small-business owners who already use one of the company’s other products, like Square POS. The system lets you send invoices to clients from within the POS software or use Square hardware to accept invoice payments in person.

Cons

Processing fees

As great as it is not to have a monthly fee to use the Square Invoices platform, giving up a percentage of each invoice can eat into revenue over time. And there’s no processing rate discount if you decide to subscribe to the Plus package — processing costs are the same for both plans. You’ll pay a price for convenience, but it’s up to you whether it’s worth it.

Even though processing fees can add up, there is an option that helps make the platform more affordable for high-volume businesses. Square’s payment processing platform offers custom pricing options for companies that process $250,000 or more in credit card sales and have an average transaction size over $15.

Square Invoices alternatives

Zoho Invoice

Pricing: Free.

Zoho Invoice is easy to set up and user-friendly, and it’s NerdWallet’s pick for best overall invoicing software. The platform comes with a slew of helpful features, such as billing, estimates and reporting options that are similar to what Square Invoices provides. The company also offers an accounting software product, which our Zoho Books review details.

FreshBooks

Pricing: $15/month and up.

FreshBooks, which is rated the top mobile-friendly option in NerdWallet’s best accounting software roundup, offers invoicing capabilities within its core accounting product. Keep in mind that the Lite and Plus plans cap the number of clients you can invoice at five and 50, respectively. The company’s customer service stands out, and representatives aim to answer email inquiries within 90 minutes and phone calls within three rings. NerdWallet’s FreshBooks accounting review offers more information about the product.

FreshBooks Invoicing

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QuickBooks Online

Pricing: $25/month and up.

Like FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online also has invoicing features within its accounting software. The Simple Start accounting plan, for example, lets you create custom invoices, send payment reminders and track invoice status. But unlike FreshBooks, there’s no cap on the number of clients you can bill. Our review of QuickBooks Online provides an overview of its features and pricing.

Quickbooks Online

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