Best Online Invoicing Software
Product | Promotion | Learn more | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
FreshBooks Learn more on FreshBooks' secure website | 4.5/5 Best for All-in-one invoicing and accounting software | $17/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $30, $55, custom. | 30-day free trial or monthly discount (terms vary). | Learn more on FreshBooks' secure website |
QuickBooks Online Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for All-in-one invoicing and accounting software | $30/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $60, $90, $200. | 50% off for first three months or free 30-day trial. | Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website |
Xero Learn more on Xero's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for All-in-one invoicing and accounting software | $15/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $42, $78. | 30-day free trial or monthly discount (terms vary). | Learn more on Xero's secure website |
Square Invoices Learn more on Square Invoices' secure website | Best for Sending digital contracts | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20. | 30-day free trial of the Plus plan. | Learn more on Square Invoices' secure website |
Zoho Invoice Learn more on Zoho Invoice's secure website | Best for Free invoicing software | $0 Free. | N/A | Learn more on Zoho Invoice's secure website |
Wave Invoicing | Best for Free invoicing software | $0 Free. | N/A | |
Invoice Ninja | Best for Payment flexibility | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $10, $14. | N/A | |
Hiveage | Best for Simple billing software | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49. | 14-day free trial of the Pro plan. | |
Harvest | Best for Project invoicing | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $12 per user. | 30-day free trial of the Harvest Pro plan. |
Our picks for
All-in-one invoicing and accounting software
FreshBooks
on FreshBooks' secure website
$17/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $30, $55, custom.
30-day free trial
or monthly discount (terms vary).
Pros
- Built-in, direct integrations with dozens of other software programs, including payroll and e-commerce software. Payment integrations include FreshBooks Payments, Stripe and PayPal.
- Bookkeeping and accounting features.
- Client portal lets customers pay invoices and communicate with business owners.
- Mobile app recognizes when you’re driving and tracks miles for you.
- Snap and upload photos of billable expense receipts on the go.
Cons
- No free option, and adding users costs extra.
- Lower-tier plans have billable client limits.
QuickBooks Online
on QuickBooks Online's secure website
$30/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $60, $90, $200.
50% off
for first three months or free 30-day trial.
Pros
- Bookkeeping and accounting features, including a robust suite of reports.
- Photograph receipts and automatically match them to existing expenses.
- Mobile app automatically tracks miles for you and can categorize trips as business or personal.
- Integrates with hundreds of apps, including POS systems, e-commerce products and payroll software. Payment integrations include QuickBooks Payments, PayPal and Apple Pay.
Cons
- No free option, and plans can be expensive.
- Must subscribe to the Essentials plan to enter billable hours and the Plus plan for billable expenses.
- Automatic time-tracking software costs extra.
Xero
on Xero's secure website
$15/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $42, $78.
30-day free trial
or monthly discount (terms vary).
Pros
- Bookkeeping and accounting features, plus unlimited users in all plans.
- Use Hubdoc to capture bills and receipts.
- Integrates with more than 1,000 apps, including POS systems, payroll software and e-commerce products. Payment integrations include Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Cons
- No free option.
- Early plan limits bills and invoices to five and 20 per month, respectively.
- Must subscribe to highest-tier Established plan to access mileage and time tracking.
Our pick for
Sending digital contracts
Square Invoices
on Square Invoices' secure website
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20.
30-day free trial
of the Plus plan.
Pros
- Free plan supports unlimited invoicing and unlimited users.
- Create digital contracts for clients to e-sign.
- Send invoices via SMS.
- Integrates with various third-party products, including QuickBooks Online and Xero. You can accept online payments through Square, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Cons
- Must subscribe to paid plan to auto-convert estimates to invoices.
- No in-house time tracking or expense receipt scanning.
Our picks for
Free invoicing software
Zoho Invoice
on Zoho Invoice's secure website
$0
Free.
N/A
Pros
- Send up to 1,000 invoices per year for free.
- Portal lets clients pay invoices and view their transaction history.
- Payment gateway integrations include Stripe, PayPal, Square and more.
- Autoscan uploaded receipts and convert them into expenses.
Cons
- Limited third-party integrations outside of other Zoho products and QuickBooks Online.
Wave Invoicing
$0
Free.
N/A
Pros
- Free plan supports unlimited invoicing and an unlimited number of users.
- Upload photos of receipts and attach them to expenses.
- Accept card and Apple Pay payments online with in-house payments software.
Cons
- Integrations are limited to Wave’s in-house products.
- No time-tracking features.
Our pick for
Payment flexibility
Invoice Ninja
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $10, $14.
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 users.
- No receipt upload tool for billable expenses.
Our pick for
Simple billing software
Hiveage
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49.
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).
- No receipt capture tool for billable expenses.
Our pick for
Project invoicing
Harvest
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $12 per user.
30-day free trial
of the Harvest Pro plan.
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.
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What is invoicing software?
How does online invoicing work?
Pros
- Immediate customer receipt. Customers receive online invoices immediately, cutting out the delivery time of nondigital methods.
- Faster payments. Adding a link in an invoice to pay it online is not only convenient for customers, but also good for your business’s cash flow.
- Streamlined accounting records. Invoicing software options usually integrate with accounting programs and consolidate record-keeping in one location. For example, lots of accounting software products let you view unpaid invoices right from your dashboard.
- Saved time. You’ll spend less time tracking which invoices are paid, prepping new ones by hand and mailing them to customers.
Cons
- Processing fees. Offering your customers the option to pay online is convenient, but it often comes with a payment processing fee, unlike receiving payment by check.
- Spam filters can hide invoices. Sending invoices by email means a customer’s inbox could tag them as spam, so you might still have to call a few customers who are unaware they have an invoice waiting.
- Email can be hacked. Privacy might be compromised if a customer’s email is hacked, which is much less likely if an invoice is mailed.