Benefits of Billing and Invoicing Software. After detailed comparisons and tests, we found that the best invoicing software should be able to offer you the following benefits: Minimize late payments – The right software solution can help to streamline your billing and invoicing process and enable you to get payments on time. You can keep your. FreshBooks Accounting Software. We recommend FreshBooks as the best billing and invoice software for small businesses. In addition to easily invoicing clients, you can use it to manage and collaborate on projects, track billable time and expenses, send automatic past-due reminders, and accept invoice payments online.
Getting paid is fun but billing seldom is. Happily, there are many solutions every startup can afford.
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The last thing your small business needs is more expenses, especially for the ongoing work of invoicing accounts receivable. You want an easy-to-use invoicing solution that looks professional, works without a hitch and tracks your work securely. And you certainly don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for the service.
The good news is that there is some excellent invoicing software on the market right now, much of it completely free, with optional premium upgrades or small pay-as-you-go credit-card processing fees. From freelancers who send five or six invoices a month to larger businesses that need time tracking for multiple employees, there is a free solution for almost everyone.
We’ve collected the top 10 “forever free” invoicing software solutions so you can start saving time and money today.
1. Due
Due’s cloud-based invoicing and digital wallet integrates with Basecamp project management software, QuickBooks and PayPal. It’s completely free to set up and remains free forever. Due offers an incredibly easy way for clients to pay you. You can even embed invoices in your website, allowing clients to pay online. The software and services are completely free except for a 2.7% pay-as-you-go charge on credit-card transactions. (Editor's note: Due is a content partner of Entrepreneur Media.)
Related: Looking for a New Payment Company? You're 'Due' for Some Good News.
2. Sighted
The newest and brightest invoicing company out there, Sighted offers easy invoicing, integrated global payments, expense recording, CSV Excel downloading of all of your data and more, all using top-of-the-line security. The starter plan is free forever, and offers 20 invoices and quotes a month for a single user and 10 clients.
3.Handdy
Small businesses will love Handdy for its “pay me now” feature, which sends automatic reminder emails to clients if their payment is nearly due or is overdue. The free trial is for one user, but it’s free forever for an unlimited amount of invoices. The only downside is that the free version comes with Handdy’s logo in addition to your own on the invoices.
Related: The 15 Most Popular Online Payment Solutions
4. Invoicera
Invoicera’s free forever plan allows three clients plus unlimited invoices. The upgrades Invoicera offers would work very well for small businesses, and each premium plan allows a 30-day trial period, so this software could be optimal for a growing business.
5. Mr. Biller
Best suited for freelancers with few invoices to send, Mr. Biller is a simple cloud-based invoicing solution that offers invoice creation without ads. On the forever free plan, Mr. Biller offers quick and easy invoice creation and sending, but with no backup of your data. If you want to see your invoices again, you’ll need to upgrade to the paid plan at $9.95 a month.
6. Nutcache
Integrating time tracking, invoicing and expense management, Nutcache is invoicing and project tracking software combined. This solution is perfect for small businesses, as it allows up to 20 users and offers 1GB of storage with their free plan, which includes support (though the lag time might be considerable: they have 7 days to get back to you). This software is great for centralizing complicated work and making sure you’re invoicing the correct number of project hours.
Related: 10 Online Invoicing Services for Small-Business Owners
7. Brightbook
This completely free software makes invoicing a breeze. With your free account you get invoicing, instant insights and accounting software that allows you to import your banking statements to see profit and loss. Multiple users can use the software, but you can provide selective access for extra security and privacy.
8. Wave Accounting
Designed for non-accountants, Wave’s completely free tools include software for invoicing, accounting and payroll, as well as receipt scanning. They charge for credit-card processing, but the amount of organization you’ll have when tax time comes around will make it well worth it.
Related: 25 Payment Tools for Small Businesses, Freelancers and Startups
9. Zoho
Zoho really does it all, but if you just want invoicing they have a perfect “forever free” plan for those who have fewer than 5 customers to invoice. Zoho’s invoicing naturally integrates with their own suite of products, but it also integrates with many other applications, including Dropbox, Google Drive, PayPal, Stripe and OneDrive. Great for desktop and mobile, Zoho is an excellent place to start.
10. Reliabills
ReliaBills has an awesome free plan that allows unlimited invoices, automated email reminders and recurring invoices with no set-up fees--the only catch is that you’ll need to upgrade to their premium plan if you want to be able to accept online payments or add credit-card processing. There are also some fees for “unique” situations, but if all you’re interested in is pure invoicing, this is a great option.
With software like this, available in less time than it takes to open up Excel, there’s no longer any excuse for shoddy invoices or messy books. When you have the tools at your fingertips to make invoicing a breeze, you’ll have more money available to you more often, and your business will thrive. Happy invoicing!
Invoicing can take up a huge chunk of a business owner's time. Invoicing apps make it easy to create, send and track invoices so you get paid faster. Invoicing apps are also accessible on mobile devices for on-the-go invoicing, wherever you are. Here are five of the best apps for invoicing.
Invoice2go
Invoice2go makes it easy to create and send professional invoices. It offers a range of customizable, premade templates, so users don't have to start from scratch. It also saves pricing, customer information and other data to automatically populate required fields.
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Invoice2go makes it easy to track invoices — users can see when a client opens an invoice, set up automatic payment reminders and create financial reports for any unpaid balances. The service also accepts debit and credit cards for fast online payments. Invoice2go plans start at $19.99 per year.
Billdu
With Billdu, users can create and send invoices in seconds, and customers can instantly make payments by clicking on the 'Pay Now' button straight from the invoice. In addition to invoices, Billdu lets businesses create estimates and purchase orders; track inventory and expenses; and export files into PDF, XLS, CSV, and other formats.
A handy 'offline' mode is available, which lets users access invoices and other data even without an internet connection. Billdu offers several packages based on the number of invoices your business issues. Plans start at $1.25 per month for 24 invoices and up to $11.66 per month for unlimited invoices.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks offers a simple, all-in-one invoicing solution for small businesses. It offers customizable templates, complete with a custom logo, fonts and colors to fit your brand. FreshBooks also makes it easier to get paid with credit card payments, invoice tracking and fast deposits to your bank account. It comes with several automation features to help save time, such as recurring invoices, payment reminders, late fees, discounts and tax calculations.
Other capabilities include time tracking, project management, expenses, reporting and customer relationship management. Part of the FreshBooks cloud accounting solution, plans cost $15 per month that allow you to bill up to five active clients, $25 per month for 50 active clients and $50 per month for 500 active clients . [Read our full review of FreshBooks here.]
Invoice by Wave
Invoice by Wave is a free invoicing app that's both easy to use and lets you create professional-looking invoices. Choose from a wide range of templates, and then personalize it with your logo and company colors. Other layout options include custom columns and drag-and-drop line items.
Invoices can be sent from the Wave app, Gmail or Outlook, and then tracked to see if they have been viewed and paid. Wave makes the payment process simple — businesses can accept payments online, set up custom payment terms, create payment reminders and save credit card information for future payments.
QuickBooks
QuickBooks is all about creating beautiful invoices, fast payments and saving time. It uses what the company calls 'smart invoices,' which alerts businesses when invoices have been viewed and paid. Payment options include credit cards, debit cards and free ACH bank transfers (not available on most other invoicing apps).
Time-saving features include autofill based on past invoices, recurring invoices, recurring payments, payment reminders and converting estimates to payable invoices. QuickBooks costs $5 per month for self-employed or independent contractors, and plans start at $10 per month for small businesses. [Read our full review of QuickBooks accounting software here.]