Best Invoice Software for Small Businesses
Discover the best invoicing software for small businesses, with pricing and reviews. Includes comparisons between Zoho Invoice, Invoice Ninja, and Invoicera.
Updated on September 19th, 2023
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Updates:
Updated 24th of February 2022
We updated our rankings and added comparisons between Zoho Invoice, Invoice Ninja, and Ivoicera's packages.
Updated 14th of December 2021
We reviewed and updated our rankings.
Updated 18th of February 2020
We added a table on common invoicing mistakes and how to avoid them.
Invoice software is used to generate and send invoices to customers. Some invoicing software is built with other accounting features to track financial activities in small businesses. With this software, businesses can send invoices electronically rather than having to deliver them in person or through the mail.
Why We Chose Zoho Invoice, Invoice Ninja, and Invoicera:
Zoho Invoice is our top choice for small and medium businesses. The software includes convenient functions, such as time and expense tracking, as well as a client portal, and is completely free.
Businesses can use Zoho Invoice to create and send invoices in multiple currencies and languages; create estimates and automatically convert these into invoices; set up payment reminders; and collect payments. An intuitive dashboard, customizable reports, and advanced analytics make it easy to keep track of invoicing processes and payments.
Invoice Ninja is our second pick as this open-source software offers an extensive range of features. While users get a solid selection of features on the free version — including unlimited, branded invoices, time tracking, and auto-billing — it limits the number of clients that users can invoice.
Invoice Ninja's paid plans are affordable and include an even wider range of features than the free plan. From $10.00 per month, users can include a branded URL in their invoices and customize invoice fields. They can also attach invoices and estimates in PDF format and send these via a Gmail account.
We chose Invoicera for our third spot since it's a powerful invoicing solution suitable for businesses of all sizes, although the free plan limits users to three clients. The software includes a range of automation and security features as well as accounts payable and receivable functionality.
Things to Consider When Evaluating Invoice Software:
- Evaluate your invoicing process and see what works and what doesn't. That way, you can find software that will improve your efficiency.
- Consider the platform's privacy policy and security features, since it will be handling your financial data.
- Look at the design options offered by different platforms and choose one that will give your business a sleek and professional image.
Free Invoice Software
Discover the best free invoice software for small businesses. Includes information about free offers and frequently asked questions.
Jan 31, 2023
Best Invoice Software:
Rank | Name | Offer | Review | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Free. | Completely free, offers great templates, supports multiple currencies and languages, features a self-service client portal, and is user-friendly. There is also a mobile app. | ||
2. | Free and paid options. | The platform is budget-friendly and offers a comprehensive range of invoicing features, including branding options, auto-billing, recurring invoices, and a client portal. | ||
3. | Free and paid options. | A feature-rich invoicing software with good automation capabilities, client and vendor portals, automatic currency and language conversions, expense management, and integrations with a wide range of payment gateways. | ||
4. | From $1.50 /mo. | Supports a wide range of integrations and features quote/invoice and payment management as well as time-tracking tools, but does not offer a free plan. The most affordable plan is limited to five billable clients. | ||
5. | Free and paid options. | Cloud-based invoicing software with a solid feature profile. Includes time and mileage tracking, expense management, as well as online recurring payments and subscription billing. | ||
6. | From $45.00 /user /mo. | Offers the ability to create invoices and accept online payments. Integrates with QuickBooks. Best suited for small to medium businesses. | ||
7. | Free and paid options. | The free plan is limited but provides access to various invoice templates. The software does not feature cash flow management or automated accounts receivable tools. | ||
8. | From $15.00 /mo. | Allows users to create professional custom invoices, track invoice status, send payment reminders, and accept credit card and bank transfer payments in the invoice. | ||
9. | Free and paid options. | Offers some good features, such as estimate to invoice conversion, subscription billing, invoice consolidation, and multi-currency support, but customization options are limited. | ||
10. | From $13.00 /mo. | Includes essential invoicing features, such as quote and invoice creation and automated payment reminders, along with a convenient dashboard for tracking payments. | ||
11. | Contact for quote. | The platform offers an all-in-one solution for automated invoicing, billing, payment processing, and expense tracking. However, there is no free trial. |
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Mar 20, 2023
Zoho Invoice vs. Invoice Ninja Forever Free vs. Invoicera Starter:
Zoho Invoice's only plan is completely free. Of the three providers, Zoho offers the richest feature profile. While users can send up to 25 invoice statements at a time, bulk invoicing is not included in Invoice Ninja's free plan. All three platforms offer time and expense tracking, but only Zoho Invoice and Invoicera offer reporting tools.
While Invoicera offers a solid range of features, its free plan limits users to three clients. By comparison, Invoice Ninja allows for up to 20 clients but includes fewer invoice and quotation templates. Overall, users get the most with Zoho Invoice, which does not limit the number of clients or organizations that can be managed.
Zoho Invoice vs. Invoice Ninja Forever Free vs. Invoicera Starter Comparison:
Feature | Zoho Invoice | Invoice Ninja Forever Free | Invoicera Starter |
|---|---|---|---|
Pricing | Free. | Free. | Free. |
Number of clients | Unlimited | 20 | 3 |
Customizable invoices | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Accept online payments | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Multi-currency support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Integrated time tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Report creation | ✓ | x | ✓ |
Invoice Ninja Pro vs. Invoicera Pro:
Invoice Ninja Pro is more affordable than Invoicera's equivalent plan and allows users to add an unlimited number of clients, whereas Invoicera limits the number of clients that can be invoiced to 100. While Invoice Ninja's free plan falls short on reporting tools and API access in its free plan, these features are included in its Pro Plan.
Invoicera offers more invoicing templates than Invoice Ninja does on any of its plans. Zoho Invoice does not have an equivalent paid plan, but the features included in its free plan are comparable to those included in Invoice Ninja and Invoicera's first pricing tier as it includes reporting features and customizable invoice templates.
Invoice Ninja Pro vs. Invoicera Pro Comparison:
Feature | Invoice Ninja Pro Plan | Invoicera Pro |
|---|---|---|
Pricing | $10.00 /mo. | $15.00 /mo. |
Number of clients | Unlimited | 100 |
Report creation | ✓ | ✓ |
Report creation | ✓ | ✓ |
Billing Software
Learn more about the best billing software with average customer ratings, pricing information, and frequently asked questions.
Apr 28, 2023
Common Invoicing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them:
Mistake | Avoiding the Mistake |
|---|---|
Using manual systems to enter information on your invoice, which can lead to miscalculations, particularly in taxes and fees. | Use accounting software to automate these tasks and avoid small errors and discrepancies. |
Being lazy in itemizing your invoice and simply clumping similar products or services together. | Be precise in your itemization. Using invoice software will allow you to save descriptions for quick insertion later on. |
Forgetting to state payment terms, which may lead to delayed payments. | Be clear in your terms and due dates so that your clients will not be confused by company jargon such as "net 10" (meaning that payment is due in 10 days). |
Including hidden or surprise fees, which leads to trust issues that can cause your clients to move to your competitors. | Make sure to communicate all charges upfront. Many invoicing software solutions offer estimate/proposal features that will help you to detail all project costs and taxes. |
Being inconsistent in sending invoices to clients, which can lead to delayed payments. | Work with pre-assigned dates so that your clients know when to expect your invoices. Using invoice software will allow you to send automatic reminders to your clients. |
Sending invoices to the wrong client. | Double-check your invoices and cross-verify the information with your clients to avoid sending invoices to the wrong person. |
Sending unbranded invoices. | Add your brand to your invoices to make them unique and recognizable while creating a sense of professionalism. |
Making it difficult to pay. | Use invoice software that allows you to add payment options to your invoices and makes payment easy for your clients. |
Not following up on overdue payments. | Opt for invoice software that will automatically send payment reminders to your clients. |
Not backing up invoices, which is a legal requirement in certain states. | Back up your invoices so that you can pull out an old invoice at your client's request and maintain compliance. |
FAQs:
Which is the best invoice software?
What software can I use for invoices?
What is the easiest invoice app to use?
Zoho Invoice and Bill.com are both very user-friendly and make it easy to create invoices for your business.
How much does invoicing software for a small business cost?
Most small business invoice software costs between $10.00 and $30.00 per month. There are many solutions on the market, making the price range very broad.
Can I give my accountant access to my online invoicing software?
Most electronic invoicing software solutions allow you to add new users by creating extra accounts where others can log in using their email addresses. In some cases, you need to pay per user, but you should be able to give someone else access to your invoicing software, if needed.
What is e-invoicing software?
The "e" stands for "electronic." Most invoicing is now done electronically with online invoice software or an invoicing program.
What is the best invoice software for Mac computers?
The majority of invoice processing software is available in a Mac version, but some programs work especially well with the Mac interface.
What is a simple invoice software I can use?
Invoice Home is a great option if you're looking for simple invoice software to create customized invoices for your business. Other user-friendly options include Zoho Invoice and Bill.com.
What is a good retail invoice software solution?
Zoho Invoice is a solid invoicing software that is a great option for retail businesses already using other Zoho solutions, such as Zoho Commerce, Zoho Inventory, Zoho Checkout, and Zoho CRM, due to their ability to integrate.
What is the best invoice software for small business?
What is invoice automation software?
Invoice automation software is a type of invoicing software that automates your invoices so that you can send them out automatically every month. Automation software will also mark your invoices as paid when they come in.
Is there a way to receive notifications when invoices are sent?
If you use invoicing software online, you can set up your customer accounts in such a way that someone will be notified when you send them an invoice. This is usually done via an email address or a phone number.