Best Free Invoicing Software for Small Businesses of 2025
Consider billable client limits, payment gateway integrations and customization options while choosing free invoice software.
The best free invoicing software
- Best free invoice app: Zoho Invoice.
- Best for built-in payment processing: Square Invoices.
- Best for ease of use: Wave Invoicing.
Below is our full list of the best free invoicing software options for small-business owners. “Free” here means that there’s no monthly subscription cost or software purchase to use the basic version of any of these programs. However, if you’re receiving payments online, you’ll be responsible for a per-payment transaction fee.
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Best Free Invoicing Software for Small Businesses
Learn morePros
- Send up to 500 invoices per year for free.
- 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
Best for Free invoice app
Starting at
$0
Free.
Promotion
N/A
on Zoho Invoice's website
Pros
- Send up to 500 invoices per year for free.
- 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.
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20.
Promotion
30-day free trial
of the Plus plan.
on Square's website
Pros
- 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 Invoices
Best for Built-in payment processing
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20.
Promotion
30-day free trial
of the Plus plan.
on Square's website
Pros
- 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.
Pros
- No billable client or invoice limits.
- Integrates with Wave Accounting.
- Recurring invoices and automatic billing for repeat clients.
- Automatic online payment reminders.
- Converts estimates into invoices.
Cons
- Limited features may not be suited for fast-growing businesses.
- Must use Zapier for third-party integrations.
Wave Invoicing
Best for Ease of use
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16.
Promotion
N/A
Pros
- No billable client or invoice limits.
- Integrates with Wave Accounting.
- Recurring invoices and automatic billing for repeat clients.
- Automatic online payment reminders.
- Converts estimates into invoices.
Cons
- Limited features may not be suited for fast-growing businesses.
- Must use Zapier for third-party integrations.
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.
PayPal Invoicing
Best for PayPal Business users
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.
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $12, $16.
Promotion
N/A
Pros
- Free plan supports unlimited invoices for up to 20 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
Best for Customization
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $12, $16.
Promotion
N/A
Pros
- Free plan supports unlimited invoices for up to 20 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.
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Pro plan.
Pros
- 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).
Hiveage
Best for Simple billing software
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Pro plan.
Pros
- 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).
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $13.75, $17.50 per user.
Promotion
30-day free trial
Pros
- Offers a free plan (limited to two projects).
- Advanced time tracking features, including integrations with Google Calendar, Slack, Asana, Trello and other project management tools.
- Display billable hours by task, person or project on invoices.
- Snap and upload photos of billable expense receipts with the mobile app.
- Integrates with QuickBooks Online and Xero for accounting.
Cons
- Invoice customization options are limited. Free users can’t add company logos to invoices, and Harvest offers only two templates (one PDF and one GDoc).
- Payment integrations are limited to Stripe and PayPal.
Harvest
Best for Project invoicing
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $13.75, $17.50 per user.
Promotion
30-day free trial
Pros
- Offers a free plan (limited to two projects).
- Advanced time tracking features, including integrations with Google Calendar, Slack, Asana, Trello and other project management tools.
- Display billable hours by task, person or project on invoices.
- Snap and upload photos of billable expense receipts with the mobile app.
- Integrates with QuickBooks Online and Xero for accounting.
Cons
- Invoice customization options are limited. Free users can’t add company logos to invoices, and Harvest offers only two templates (one PDF and one GDoc).
- Payment integrations are limited to Stripe and PayPal.
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $45.
Promotion
45-day free trial
of the Pro plan.
Pros
- Offers a free plan.
- Flow feature allows you to access funds from unpaid invoices (comes with a service fee).
- Pro plan subscribers can integrate with QuickBooks.
- Offers option to pass credit card processing fees to client.
Cons
- Invoice customization options are limited, with just two main templates available.
- Business software integrations are limited; third-party payment integrations are not available.
- No time-tracking features.
Hopscotch
Best for Cashing unpaid invoices
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $45.
Promotion
45-day free trial
of the Pro plan.
Pros
- Offers a free plan.
- Flow feature allows you to access funds from unpaid invoices (comes with a service fee).
- Pro plan subscribers can integrate with QuickBooks.
- Offers option to pass credit card processing fees to client.
Cons
- Invoice customization options are limited, with just two main templates available.
- Business software integrations are limited; third-party payment integrations are not available.
- No time-tracking features.
NerdWallet’s picks for best free invoicing software
Zoho Invoice
Best free invoice app
Monthly price
Payment processing fees
Why we like it: Zoho Invoice’s free mobile app has a comprehensive feature set that lets you create and send estimates and invoices, log billable expenses, track time and view real-time reports. While it offers mobile apps for both iOS and Android devices, the iOS version includes extras, like a time tracking widget for your iPhone’s home screen and the ability to send invoices via iMessage. You can access the software via browser, too.
It also integrates with other Zoho platforms, including Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects and Zoho Analytics. Users have the option to upgrade to Zoho Books QuickBooks Online
Square Invoices
Best for built-in payment processing
Monthly price
Payment processing fees
Why we like it: Square is right up there with PayPal as one of the world’s foremost 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 Square POS payroll
Wave Invoicing
Best for ease of use
Monthly price
Payment processing fees
Why we like it: Wave offers free invoicing and accounting software, with the option to pay for payment payroll
Wave’s invoicing software is ideal for self-employed professionals who also want access to income and expense tracking
PayPal Invoicing
Best for PayPal Business users
Monthly price
Payment processing fees
Why we like it: If you’re already using PayPal for any of its many business services (PayPal's POS system PayPal Business
Invoice Ninja
Best for customization
Monthly price
Payment processing fees
Why we like it: Invoice Ninja is an open-source platform, so developers from around the world can contribute to testing and improving the software. That also means you can write your own code (or hire a developer to do so) for a completely customized version, designed for exactly your business needs. Aside from the basics, Invoice Ninja includes unique features, like the ability to automatically add payment gateway fees to your invoices to pass the fees along to your customers Xero
The software’s basic plan is free and users can upgrade to the Ninja Pro plan or the Enterprise plan. Upgrading to a paid plan gives you the ability to invoice unlimited clients and to access dozens of other features.
Hiveage
Best for simple billing software
Monthly price
Payment processing fees
Why we like it: 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, CRM and project management software via Zapier.
Harvest
Best for project invoicing
Monthly price
Payment processing fees
Why we like it: When it comes to invoicing, Harvest’s estimate, invoice and payment collection tools are easy to navigate, and it offers helpful features like automated email reminders to customers with late payments. If you’re concerned about credit card processing fees adding up, you can switch off the ability to pay with a credit card through Stripe
Hopscotch
Best for cashing unpaid invoices
Monthly price
Payment processing fees
Why we like it: Hopscotch is a straightforward, free invoicing solution that doesn’t put caps on billable clients, invoices or bills. You can text or email invoice links to clients and connect the software with your bank account for easy transfers and deposits. While business software integrations are limited, you can upgrade to the Pro plan to sync with QuickBooks and create a custom payment gateway.
How does free invoicing software work?
Free invoicing software lets you bill clients and accept payments online without having to pay a monthly fee. Typically, you choose from a list of invoice templates, add your logo, enter payment terms
The free version of the software sometimes comes with invoice and client limits or fewer features than paid programs. Some options, like Square Invoices, offer paid plans that you can upgrade to should your needs change. Whether you use free or paid invoicing software, you will have to cover payment processing fees when a client pays their invoice online. These fees vary depending on your payment processor
How to choose free invoicing software
As you weigh free invoice software options, consider them in the context of your entire business software small-business accounting software
Your business’s trajectory also plays an important role in the decision-making process. If you plan to grow your business, you may want to look for options with more robust paid plans that you can upgrade to in the future. Options that put a cap on invoices, clients or users could be limiting.
Key features of free invoice software
Here are important features you’ll likely want your free invoicing software to include:
- Customizable invoices. Many free invoice options may lack full customizability or large libraries of invoice templates to choose from, but most free invoicing software products should enable you to customize your fees (including adding a tipping option) and terms based on the project and include your business logo.
- Estimate-to-invoice conversions. Most invoice software products, free or paid, can simplify business processes for you by automatically converting approved estimates to invoices. This feature can save you time and reduce errors.
- Recurring billing. This automation feature makes it easy for you to schedule invoices to be regularly sent to your repeat clients.
- Time tracking tools. Some free invoice software will include a feature for tracking time so you can be sure the bills you send to your customers are accurate. If your invoice software doesn’t include a built-in feature for tracking time, then look for software that integrates with time tracking apps.
- Automatic payment reminders. This automation feature is pretty nearly ubiquitous among free and paid invoicing software. Letting your software do the tricky and time-consuming work of chasing clients for payment can take a real weight off.
- Accounting software integration. Many accounting software products now include invoicing tools. But if you opt for a free invoicing solution, you’ll likely want it to integrate directly with a popular accounting product so your billing and invoicing data feeds directly into your accounting software. This will make it easier to consolidate your financial reports and prepare to file your taxes.
- Payment options. Your free invoice software should make it easy for your customers to pay you directly through your invoices. Some invoice software integrates with payment gateways that act as the payment processors and set the payment processing fees (which you will have to pay each time you collect payment on an invoice, even if your invoice software itself does not charge a monthly fee). Other invoice software offers in-house payment processing, for which the company sets its own processing rates. Consider your customer base and how they may prefer to pay (e.g., with a credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay or another method) when you’re weighing your free invoice software options.