These Top 7 Invoicing Tools Are Your Answer To Sending Small Business Invoices
There are lots of tasks you have to perform to keep your business operating. Ordering supplies and inventory, marketing to your customers, and — perhaps most importantly — getting paid. Getting paid for your services or products is critical to keeping your business on track. And to get paid, you have to invoice your clients — a task that’s made simple using invoicing software.
Invoicing software allows you to create and send invoices directly to your customers. But today’s software options take things a little further, providing you with a variety of tools that simplify getting paid and running your business. These options include creating estimates and proposals, tracking time and expenses, and integrating with payment gateways (so you no longer have to wait on a paper check in the mail).
If you have explored invoicing software in the past, the many options out there can be overwhelming. That’s why we created this guide. We’ve narrowed down the choices to seven of the best options on the market today. We’ll dissect each option, giving you the most important information, such as pricing and features. We’ll also look at the factors you should consider when making your choice. Invoicing software simplifies invoicing your clients, and this guide is designed to simplify choosing the best software for your business. Let’s get started!
Learn More About Our Top Picks
| Company | Best For | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
 | Best overall invoicing software for small businesses. Ideal for businesses needing strong features, great invoicing automations, and international invoicing. | |
 | Best for small businesses that want to save money with free software. | |
 | Best for small businesses seeking an all-in-one invoicing and bookkeeping solution. | |
 | Best for businesses that want a simple, no-fuss solution for managing bills and invoices. | |
 | Best for product-based small businesses that want an easy way to send invoices on the go. |
Other Featured Options:
- Harvest: Best for small businesses that want to manage time, projects, and invoices in one place.
- Invoice2go: Best for creating and sending invoices through mobile devices.
Read more below to learn why we chose these options.
What To Look For In Good Invoicing Software
The good news is that there are lots of invoicing software options on the market. The bad news? Choosing which one is best for your business can be a challenge. While forever-free options and free trials make it easy to shop around, know what to look for before you sign up by considering these factors.
- Price: Nothing in life is free…or is it? Fortunately, there are plenty of invoicing software options available at no cost. What’s the catch? It depends on the software. Some software is ad-supported, while other apps place limitations on the number of clients you invoice or lacks features found in paid options. While free software may work in the beginning stages of your business, you may need a more robust program as your business grows. In this case, an upgrade may be an order. Be aware, however, that if your subscription costs more than $30 per month, there are more affordable options out there. Or you can use those funds to invest in full accounting software instead.
- Strong Features: Any software you select should have a strong feature set. Specific features that you need vary based on your preferences and the needs of your business. At a minimum, though, every business should look for software that offers powerful security features, good mobile apps, a user-friendly interface, and a well-organized client portal.
- Automations: Some invoices will need to be sent manually. Others can be sent automatically with software that offers invoice automation, allowing you to set up recurring invoices, send out reminders, and schedule other tasks. The more automations, the more smoothly your business runs, so you can get back to doing what you love most.
- Integrations: The software you choose should integrate with third-party apps and software. For example, if you already use bookkeeping or accounting software, look for an invoicing solution that syncs with this software. It’s also important that your chosen software integrates with multiple payment gateways, allowing your customers to pay their invoices online easily.
- Good Customer Support: There may come a time when you have a question about your software, need troubleshooting advice, or simply want to upgrade your subscription. All of this is made much easier with strong customer support and good customer service. Look for software that offers multiple ways to get in touch, has fast response times, and provides resources to help you get the most out of your software.
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1. Zoho Invoice
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, introduced in 2008, 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
What makes Zoho Invoice’s offerings stand out from other invoicing software solutions? There are quite a few benefits to selecting this software, including:
- Unlimited invoices and estimates
- 16 customizable invoice templates
- Cloud-based
- Easy to use
- Invoicing in 14 languages
- Excellent customer support
- Well-designed client portal with real-time notifications
- Expense and time tracking
- 30 reports
- Exceptional customer support and resources
- Multiple mobile apps
Zoho Invoice offers four pricing plans. The Free Plan allows one user to invoice up to five customers at absolutely no cost. For $9 per month, the Basic Plan gives one user the ability to invoice up to 50 customers. Upgrading to the Standard Plan at $19 per month gives access to three users and allows you to invoice up to 500 customers. The Professional Plan costs $29 per month, can be used by up to ten users, and has no limitations on the number of customers that are invoiced.
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2. Invoice Ninja
Invoice Ninja
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Best for small businesses that want to save money with free software.
Small business owners — especially new ones — often look for ways to cut expenses. One way is to take advantage of free software, such as the tool offered by Invoice Ninja. Since 2014, over 90,000 small business owners have signed up with Invoice Ninja for its great features at no cost — and no, there isn’t a catch.
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 allows 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.
Pros
Invoice Ninja is one of the top options for forever-free invoicing software. If you need additional features, you can upgrade to one of the paid subscriptions. However, many small businesses will find everything they need with the no-cost plan. All plans include the following benefits:
- Unlimited invoices and estimates
- Over 40 payment gateways
- Excellent customer support
- Cloud-based and self-hosted options
- Strong mobile apps
- Available in 30 languages
- Up to 10 invoice templates
- Recurring invoices and payment reminders
The Forever Free Plan is truly free and gives you access to all of the previous benefits. This plan allows one user to send invoices to up to 100 customers. If you have more than 100 customers, you can sign up for the Ninja Pro Plan. At $8 per month, you’ll be able to send invoices to unlimited customers. You’ll also have access to additional features, including 13 reports, proposals, and invoices that don’t feature Invoice Ninja branding. This plan is limited to one user only. Pay for ten months, and you’ll receive two months free. You can also take this plan on a test drive with a free 14-day trial.
If you have multiple users, you can sign up for the Enterprise Plan, which starts at $12 per month. Like Ninja Pro, you can pay for ten months and receive two months free. You’ll also receive a 30-day guarantee. This plan supports up to 20 users and offers additional benefits, such as support for third-party attachments and branded client portal links.
Get Started with Invoice Ninja
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3. FreshBooks
FreshBooks
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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 old version is still available. FreshBooks Classic is true invoicing software with a few bookkeeping features. 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. Both versions of the software are very easy to use. 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
FreshBooks stands out from its competitors because of accounting features that you won’t find with other invoicing software. Other benefits of this all-in-one software include:
- Unlimited invoices and estimates
- Cloud-based
- Support for 14 languages
- Excellent customer support
- Strong mobile apps
- Two customizable templates
- Up to 11 reports
- Over 80 integrations
- Recurring invoices and payment reminders
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 don’t need double-entry accounting. This plan’s price is $15 per month. The Plus Plan costs $25 per month and allows you to bill up to 50 customers. As a Plus customer, you’ll get even more features, including unlimited proposals, automated payment reminders, and double-entry accounting reports. The Premium Plan will set you back $50 per month but allows you to bill up to 500 customers. Additional team members can be added as users for $10 per person, and payment processing is also available for an additional fee.
If you need a more customized solution, you can inquire about the Select Plan. This plan is for businesses that need to bill more than 500 customers. This plan — which is custom priced based on the needs of your business — also gives you access to a personal account manager, custom training, and other features.
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4. Bill.com
Bill.com
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Best for businesses that want a simple, no-fuss solution for managing bills and invoices.
Software that does it all and comes packed with features is great for some businesses. But what if you’d prefer 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
If billing and invoicing are slowing down your business, take advantage of all that Bill.com has to offer, including:
- Cloud-based
- Unlimited document storage
- Unlimited users (for an additional cost)
- Strong security features
- Up to 30 reports
- Recurring invoices and payment reminders
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. It comes with all the features included in the other plans with the addition of advanced features, such as more integrations and API access.
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5. Square Invoices
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
Square is more than just a payment processor. Its invoicing feature and other tools are also beneficial to many businesses. Why should you choose Square? Consider the following benefits:
- Unlimited invoices and estimates
- Excellent mobile apps
- Cloud-based
- An easy three-step process to send custom invoices
- Recurring invoices and payment reminders
- 14 reports plus custom reports
- Good customer support
- Over 100 integrations
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.
Get Started with Square Invoices
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6. Harvest
Harvest
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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
Why is Harvest on this list? In addition to being a great choice for project-based and service-based businesses, here are more reasons why you should consider using this software:
- Unlimited invoices
- Unlimited estimates (paid plan only)
- Cloud-based
- Unlimited clients
- Over 90 integrations
- Good customer support
- Strong security features
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. Harvest offers several discounts for Pro members, including 10% off when you pay annually and 15% off for nonprofits. You can also give Pro a try with a 30-day free trial.
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7. Invoice2go
Invoice2go
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Best for creating and sending invoices through mobile devices.
Most business owners aren’t just sitting behind a desktop computer anymore. Today’s busy entrepreneurs are relying more and more on mobile devices to keep in contact with vendors and clients, collaborate with team members, and even send invoices. 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. Another downside is the limitations placed on the less-expensive subscription plans, which we’ll discuss in detail in just a moment.
Pros
Considering Invoice2go as your invoicing software? There are many reasons why you should choose this option, including:
- Strong mobile apps
- Good customer service
- Unlimited storage
- Easy to use
- 13 reports
- Good customer service
There are several plans to choose from if you select Invoice2go as your invoicing solution. The Standard Plan allows you to send up to 200 invoices and 200 estimates per month. One user can use the software, and up to 25 clients can be added. The Standard Plan costs $9.99 per month. For $19.99 per month, you can sign up for the Advanced Plan, which allows you to send up to 400 invoices and 400 estimates per month. Two users are included in this plan, and you can add up to 100 clients. This plan also gives you access to appointments. The Unlimited Plan, at the cost of $33.99 per month, lives up to its name by allowing you to send unlimited invoices and estimates and store an unlimited number of clients. This plan gives access to five users and includes recurring invoices and payment receipts. All plans are billed annually. A 14-day free trial is available, and Invoice2go offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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Choosing The Best Invoicing Software For Your Business
Choosing the right invoicing software can be a hassle, but there are a few things to keep in mind to help narrow down your choices. Start with the options in this post and compare pricing, features, and other factors to find software that works for your business. Don’t be afraid to shop around and even test out a few options before making your final decision. When testing out software, look for options that offer free plans or free trials, so you can fully explore the software before making an investment. If the software you test lags, is difficult to use, or it doesn’t offer the features you need, move on to another option until you find your perfect match. Your ideal match should have the features you need and make sending your invoices a breeze.
A Last Look At Our Top Picks
- Zoho Invoice
Best For - Best overall invoicing software for small businesses. Ideal for businesses needing strong features, great invoicing automations, and international invoicing. - Invoice Ninja
Best For - Best for small businesses that want to save money with free software. - FreshBooks
Best For - Best for small businesses seeking an all-in-one invoicing and bookkeeping solution. - Bill.com
Best For - Best for businesses that want a simple, no-fuss solution for managing bills and invoices. - Square Invoices
Best For - Best for product-based small businesses that want an easy way to send invoices on the go. - Harvest
Best For - Best for small businesses that want to manage time, projects, and invoices in one place. - Invoice2go
Best For - Best for creating and sending invoices through mobile devices.
Erica Seppala
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