The Best Invoicing Software For Small Businesses

Get Started with FreshBooks

Best for small businesses seeking an all-in-one invoicing and bookkeeping solution.

Freelancers and small business owners that want an invoicing software with bookkeeping options should look no further than FreshBooks. FreshBooks launched in 2003, but the company rebranded in 2017. The new version of FreshBooks offers lots of great accounting features, including double-entry accounting, journal entries, and bank reconciliation. If that’s more than you need, don’t worry — the smallest FreshBooks plan just focuses on invoicing. This software is a great choice for businesses that need basic bookkeeping and accounting functions but is not suitable for businesses that have more complex accounting needs.

With FreshBooks, you can send unlimited invoices and estimates to your customers. You’ll also be able to complete other tasks critical to your business, including time management, expense management, and project management tools. Depending on the plan you select, you may also be able to use features, such as bank reconciliation, reports, journal entries, and proposals. Customer service is excellent, and FreshBooks has received mostly positive reviews from its users.

It’s obvious why over 10 million customers have chosen FreshBooks as an invoicing solution. So what’s the catch? Businesses with multiple users won’t find what they need here, as each plan only supports one user. If you have multiple businesses, another software will be a better fit, as FreshBooks doesn’t offer support for more than one business. While there are numerous integrations, FreshBooks only has two payment gateways.

Pros

Unlimited invoices and estimates
Cloud-based
Support for 14 languages
Excellent customer support
Strong mobile apps

Cons

Limited users
Can be expensive

Pricing

Unlike many of the other software we’ve recommended, FreshBooks does not offer a free plan. However, there are three pricing tiers available to fit your needs best. The Lite plan is best for freelancers or microbusinesses with five or fewer customers who just want invoicing and don’t need accounting. This plan’s price is $15 per month.

The two accounting plans range from $25-$50/month. These plans give you access to double-entry accounting features and up to 500 customers (if you need a more customized solution, you can inquire about the Select plan). While you may not need the accounting plans yet, having the options there for down the road makes FreshBooks the most scalable invoicing option on this list.

2. Square Invoices: Best All-In-One For Invoicing & Payment Processing

Square Invoices

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Best for product-based small businesses that want an easy way to send invoices on the go.

Square has become known for its payment processing services, but in 2014, the company added Square Invoices to the Square Dashboard. When you sign up for a Square account, you automatically have access to Square Invoices as well as other tools for your small business. One of the best things about Square Invoices is that it’s completely free to send invoices to your customers.

Square Invoices is very easy to use and has a well-organized interface. There is just one template for invoices, but it can be customized by changing the colors and adding your logo. Square Invoices is the perfect software for busy entrepreneurs, making it easy to send invoices right from your smartphone or another connected device. In addition to mobile invoicing, Square Invoices has other tools to help you operate and grow your business, such as estimates, contact management, employee management, advanced inventory features, and sales tracking. You can even create contracts and easily attach them to your invoices.

Square Invoices is best for small- and medium-sized product-based businesses. Because of a lack of project management features and advanced invoicing capabilities, it’s not a good fit for service-based or project-based businesses.

Pros

Unlimited invoices and estimates
Excellent mobile apps
Cloud-based
Good customer support
Over 100 integrations

Cons

Limited features
No multi-currency support
Unsuited for high-risk industries

Pricing

To use Square Invoices, you must sign up for a Square account. The good news is that your Square account is free. Sending invoices to your customers is also free. However, if you want to take advantage of some of Square’s other features — such as payment processing, payroll, or advanced employee management — there are additional fees.

Square charges a transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per invoice (or 3.5% + $0.15 for cards on file). There is no charge for customers who pay via cash or check.

3. Bill.com: Best For Bill Management

Bill.com

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Best for businesses that want a simple, no-fuss solution for managing bills and invoices.

Need a hassle-free way to simplify bills and invoices? If this sounds familiar, Bill.com may be the right solution for your business. Since 2006, Bill.com has streamlined the process of paying your bills and invoicing your customers. With this software, you can take control of your accounts payable by reviewing and approving bills from any device, sending domestic and international payments to vendors and suppliers, and storing invoices, checks, and receipts.

But that’s not all that Bill.com offers. You can also manage your accounts receivable through this software. With Bill.com, getting paid is faster and easier with features that include automated invoices, automated reminders, contact management, and direct payments with ACH, credit card, or PayPal. Bill.com syncs with your accounting software, simplifying the process of reconciling your bank accounts and keeping your books balanced. There are also some features you won’t find with most other invoicing software, such as a customizable chart of accounts.

This software is best for medium- to large-sized businesses that want a more streamlined way to send invoices and pay bills. Small businesses may also benefit if they have a large number of payments and/or invoices. While this software can be a bit pricey, it’s a fraction of the cost of hiring an employee to handle these tasks. However, keep in mind that if you only want invoicing software and have your accounts payable under control, there are more affordable invoicing software options out there.

Pros

Cloud-based
Unlimited document storage
Unlimited users (for an additional cost)
Strong security features

Cons

Limited invoicing features
Expensive

Pricing

There are four pricing plans available through Bill.com. The Essentials plan is the cheapest at $39 per user per month. With this plan, you can choose to manage payables or receivables, but not both. The Team plan costs $49 per user per month. This option also only includes payables or receivables. The difference is that this plan allows you to sync the software with Xero, QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, and QuickBooks Online.

The third plan allows you to manage both receivables and payables at the cost of $69 per user per month. This plan includes additional features, such as invoice and payment automation. Finally, you can get a custom quote for the Enterprise plan if you need more advanced features.

4. Invoice2go: Best Mobile Invoice Apps

Invoice2go

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Best for creating and sending invoices through mobile devices.

If you’re one of the people that prefers using your smartphone to conduct business, Invoice2go can help simplify sending invoices and getting paid by your customers.

Invoice2go features strong Android and iPhone apps that make it easier than ever to create customized professional invoices on the go. Setting up and using the software is simple, allowing you to send your first invoice in just minutes. Invoice2go offers additional features as well, such as expense tracking, invoice templates, estimates, time tracking, and purchase order management. You can send invoices in a variety of ways, including SMS and mobile apps. Cloud-based desktop software is also available if you prefer to go that route.

On the downside, though, Invoice2go — as the name implies — focuses primarily on invoicing. If you need more advanced bookkeeping and accounting features, another option will better suit your needs. If you don’t primarily use your mobile device for business purposes, Invoice2go likely won’t be a good fit for your business.

Pros

Strong mobile apps
Good customer service
Unlimited storage
Easy to use

Cons

Limited features
Limited integrations

Pricing

There are several plans to choose from if you select Invoice2go as your invoicing solution. Invoice2go has four paid plans ranging from $2.99 to $33.99. The larger the plan, the more customers, users, and features you have access to. All plans include mobile apps and the ability to accept payments through PayPal.

5. Zoho Invoice: Best Overall Invoice Software

Zoho Invoice

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Best overall invoicing software for small businesses. Ideal for businesses needing strong features, great invoicing automations, and international invoicing.

Zoho Invoice has grown to become one of the most popular invoicing options on the market today. This cloud-based software offers features ideal for small- to medium-sized businesses at multiple pricing options, including a free version for business owners on a budget.

In addition to boasting such features as customizable templates and support for multiple languages, Zoho Invoice goes beyond merely invoicing. Through this program, you can create estimates, track time and expenses, manage contacts, and create and manage projects. Zoho Invoice also has a very user-friendly interface and excellent customer support. It should come as no surprise that Zoho Invoice has gotten overall favorable reviews from its users.

There are, however, a few drawbacks, although these are minimal. If you need an extensive inventory tracking system, look elsewhere, as Zoho Invoice only has a basic item list available. This software also falls a little short in terms of integrations, although that number is on the rise. At this time, Zoho Invoice has ten payment gateways and 14 integrations. For most businesses, though, this shouldn’t pose a problem, and the many positive aspects of this software overshadow the few negatives.

Pros

Unlimited invoices and estimates
Cloud-based
Easy to use
Invoicing in 14 languages
Excellent customer support
Exceptional customer support and resources
Multiple mobile apps

Cons

No inventory feature
Limited integrations

Pricing

Zoho Invoice offers four pricing plans. The Free plan allows one user to invoice up to five customers at absolutely no cost. The paid plans range from $9-$29/month. The larger the plan, the more customers and users are supported.

6. Invoice Ninja: Best Free Invoicing Software

Invoice Ninja

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Best for small businesses that want to save money with free software.

This forever-free software boasts features you would find with paid software, including invoices and estimates, time and expense tracking, item lists, contact management, and project management. An especially unique feature is Invoice Ninja’s voice commands, which allow you to send invoices and perform other tasks using your voice. If you need assistance, Invoice Ninja offers multiple ways to get in touch and exceptional customer support. The software has overall received excellent reviews from past and present users.

The free version of Invoice Ninja is best for small businesses and freelancers that serve 100 or fewer customers. If you have more than 100 customers, you will have to upgrade to one of the paid (but still affordable) software options. If you also have more than one user, you will need to upgrade your subscription, as the free version only allows access to a single user.

InvoiceNinja is also the only invoicing software on this list to offer an open-source invoicing software option.

Pros

Unlimited invoices and estimates
Over 40 payment gateways
Excellent customer support
Cloud-based and open-source options
Strong mobile apps
Available in 30 languages

Cons

No inventory feature
Outdated UI
Limited integrations
Limited reports

Pricing

The Forever Free plan is truly free. This plan allows one user to send invoices to up to 100 customers (the real price is that your invoices will have Invoice Ninja branding on them). If you have more than 100 customers, you can sign up for one of the paid plans, which range from $10-$14/month.

The larger the plan, the more features and users that you have access to. The paid plans also remove Invoice Ninja branding from your invoices.

7. Harvest: Best All-In-One For Project Management & Invoicing

Harvest

Best for small businesses that want to manage time, projects, and invoices in one place.

Harvest launched in 2006 with a focus on time tracking. Since its launch, the software has evolved to provide additional tools for small businesses. Though its invoicing features are limited when compared to its competitors’, Harvest’s time tracking features, basic invoicing, and project management tools are ideal for service-based and project-based businesses.

You won’t find advanced invoicing features with Harvest, but there’s enough to get the job done. In addition to being able to create and send invoices, you can also create and send estimates, track time, set up recurring invoices, create reminders, and manage your employees. Harvest also offers basic expense tracking as well as project management options that allow you to assign projects, set budgets, and track time and expenses.

There are a few drawbacks to be aware of before you sign up. Harvest isn’t a good fit for product-based businesses or any business that needs advanced invoicing features. If you need more advanced accounting features or don’t have much use for the project management tools offered through Harvest, consider shopping around for another software option.

Pros

Unlimited invoices
Unlimited estimates (paid plan only)
Unlimited clients
Over 90 integrations
Good customer support
Strong security features

Cons

Unsuited for product-based businesses
Unsuited for high-risk industries
Limited reports

Pricing

Harvest offers two plans. The first is the Free plan, which doesn’t cost a dime. This plan allows one user to manage up to two projects and gives access to all of the other great features.

If you need to add more users or projects, you can sign up for Harvest Pro, which costs $12 per user per month. With this plan, you can manage unlimited projects as well as take advantage of Harvest’s other features.