Arek Dvornechcuck
Branding Expert
I'm a branding expert and graphic designer based in NY. I specialize in the development of brands: brand strategy, identity & web design. Need help with your project?—Get in touch
Quickbooks is very easy-to-use. It auto-synchronizes all transactions on the dashboard and offers real-time tracking.
Bonsai is an all-in-one product suite for freelancers that automates a freelancer's essential administrative tasks
Zoho Invoice is a free cloud-based invoicing software that allows you to manage your invoicing in a professional way.
I'm a branding expert and graphic designer based in NY. I specialize in the development of brands: brand strategy, identity & web design. Need help with your project?—Get in touch
If you’re looking for the best invoicing software to get paid fast and without a hassle, you are in the right place.
There has never been a better time to be a freelancer.
However, invoicing is kinda messy—you have to calculate pricing or track your income and expenses.
Also, you would have to track inventory, draft proposals, and insights as well as track your taxes.
Unlike before, more creatives – artists, and designers are monetizing their talents online.
However, up-and-coming freelancers indeed face many challenges, including how to bill their clients.
If you have a large clientele, it is the last thing you want to worry about.
Thanks to invoice software, freelancers as a result can now keep track of their invoices!
Moreover, freelancers are faced with the ultimate selection headache - which is best for me?
There are many standalone apps, integrated software providers, and also all-in-one business management solutions.
In this article, I reviewed the top 10 best invoicing software for freelancers, so you can make an informed decision and get paid fast!
Invoicing and billing certainly don't rank among the most exciting tasks in a business. However, they are essential to its success.
What are the factors to consider when choosing the right invoicing software?
If you streamline your invoicing processes, then you can receive payments fast and also keep track of payments.
Besides, using invoicing software is often a hassle due to the time it takes to generate invoices and bill clients.
This is undeniably true for small business owners who have a bit of a lot on their plate.
Therefore, it is extremely important that you choose the best invoicing software for your business.
But how do you find the most suitable one for you?—Here are some tips that can help you find the best invoicing software.
It should have strong security features. Also, remember you always want all your data to be absolutely safe
Additionally, look out for software that has scalable features, thereby accommodating your needs as you grow.
It should be user-friendly and easy to use especially for beginners.
Afterward, opt for software that enables you to create professional invoices in a matter of seconds.
Hence, it should be flexible enough to enable you to create customized invoices and bills.
It should have high ratings and recommendations, especially when it comes to customer service.
Equally, compare the different features of invoicing software before settling for one
Also, consider what others have to say about them.
In any case, you could read or search for product reviews and suggestions online to see which one provides the best value for money.
With the features and prices listed, it is in fact up to you to decide what is best for you.
Meanwhile, if you are a beginner, I suggest you start with Zoho or Hectic as they are both easy to use.
On the other hand, if you are a professional, FreshBooks and Bonsai are certainly worth checking out.
In general, fewer features indicate a lower budget. However, it must also have a reasonable price.
Begin with a free trial and demonstration.
Then upgrade once you've determined which one will produce the highest return on investment.
One of the trusted names in the finance and accounting space is no doubt Intuit’s QuickBooks.
Best for small businesses
It is cloud-based software that helps small businesses manage their accounting, income, as well as expenses.
As a result, it is easy to create and send invoices, as well as to process payments correctly.
Furthermore, QuickBooks offers real-time tracking and automated notifications.
It also offers reminders to keep you on top of due and overdue payments,
It auto-synchronizes all transactions on the dashboard.
Therefore, no additional software is needed as all accounts can be accessed via the online login portal.
Quickbooks also creates billing and invoice solutions that are all mobile-compatible and print-friendly.
Moreover, if you communicate with your clients via text or messaging apps, you can create and send encrypted links to them.
QuickBooks is finely integrated with QuickBooks Online Payroll and Intuit GoPayment as well as third-party apps like PayPal, Apple Pay, etc.
Download QuickBooks Online now
If you’re looking for a deeply integrated, all-in-one product suite for freelancers, then Bonsai is for you.
Bonsai has the most flexible invoice templates
It evidently aggregates and automates a freelancer's essential administrative tasks — invoice creation, project management, etc.
With Bonsai, clients not only choose to pay via credit card, ACH payments, and PayPal but can also pay in 180 currencies.
However, Bonsai is paid software with two service plans.
It is priced at $19 and $29 per month when charged on a monthly basis.
On the other hand, you can choose to pay on a yearly basis for $192 or $288 per year, respectively.
With the yearly payment plan, you will get your first two months free.
The paid plan gives you additional features such as branding on your invoices, etc.
Zoho Invoice is indeed a 100% free cloud-based invoicing software.
Zoho is best for solopreneurs
It also helps freelancers and small business owners to manage invoicing in a professional way.
Furthermore, Zoho allows you to accept payments, and keep a record of sent and received invoices.
It as well records offline payments, and invoice history, and keeps track of payments.
Additionally, you can customize each template according to your business' brand and aesthetic.
With Zoho Invoice, teams can track estimates, turn them into invoices, as well as remind clients to pay their outstanding balances.
Aside from creating tasks and collecting advance payments for projects, users can also keep track of their payments.
FreshBooks is designed for freelancers who offer value by solving their customers' problems.
Freshbooks is best for service-based businesses
In addition to invoicing, FreshBooks offers expense management, time tracking, project management, and more
This invoicing software indeed has many robust features.
With the invoice generator, you can also create branded invoices in just a few seconds.
Furthermore, it has the option to request a deposit on your invoice.
Also, FreshBooks has the ability to add tracked time and expenses to your invoices.
What's more, it has a built-in time tracker, and a team management system.
You can also connect your accountant to your FreshBooks account to file taxes!
On a final note, it has an excellent referral/affiliate program.
If you want something specialized in invoicing, then you may be interested in Invoicely.
Invoicely is best for small business owners
Despite offering a free plan with limited features, Invoicely is suitable for many freelancers.
As a small business owner, Invoicely offers basic functions. It is also easy to use.
Additionally, this invoicing software offers effective invoice automation.
It even has a few unique features— reminders when estimates expire, and unlimited invoicing.
In any case, Invoicely's selling point is its free plan and the ability to manage multiple companies for free.
Moreover, you’ll be able to customize invoices and also easily create professional-looking invoices.
If you're a freelancer looking to work smarter, not harder, then you might want to try Hectic.
Hectic is best for beginners
Hectic is one of the best invoicing software solutions for freelancers.
It is integrated with one of the top payment processors, Stripe.
So you can generate modern and simple invoices within minutes.
Additionally, the time-tracking tool also allows you to track your time entries and even itemize them.
With recurring invoices, automated reminders, and late fees, as well as custom payment terms, your work gets smarter.
The Hectic app is available on iOS and Android for on-the-go invoicing and payments.
Moreover, it lets you visualize deliverables and break down tasks into sub-tasks so you're always on top of your game.
Hectic provides real-time updates and collaboration between you and your clients.
Finally, using legally approved contract creation templates, you can calculate lifetime earnings, review past notes, track time, and more.
Another invoicing software designed with freelancers in mind is HoneyBook.
Honeybook is best for part-time freelancers
For expediency and convenience, HoneyBook allows you to use a recently sent invoice.
You can as well pick a suitable template, and customize it to your liking.
Furthermore, you can easily add items and services to the invoice.
The best part is that HoneyBook allows you to bill all elements of the client's project.
Time tracking ensures no minute of billable time is unpaid, whether it's brainstorming or designing a client project.
HoneyBook software also tracks and automatically collates all time entries.
Thus, making it easy to create invoices containing billable time.
Moreover, all you have to do is tick all relevant time entries and the invoice will be ready.
In addition, you can even set up recurring or scheduled payments and automatically calculate taxes and discounts.
As a result, freelancers can simplify the invoicing and billing part of client contracts, which was a huge pain.
Harvest is mainly a time-tracking app, but it also offers invoice functionality.
Harvest is best for time tracking
It does include some interesting team management and project management features.
Besides, this invoicing software makes it simple to generate invoices for the time and projects you're tracking.
In addition, users can use PayPal or Stripe to receive funds and set up automatic reminders.
Compared to other invoicing software, Harvest's invoicing features aren't as robust.
This is because it focuses on time tracking rather than invoicing.
Still, Harvest's free plan only allows you to manage two projects and lacks some team features.
If you work as a team, Harvest can be a great option.
PayPal is the easiest solution since you probably have a PayPal business account (as well as your clients).
Best for PayPal users
It’s easy to use and has a helpful search function for invoice records.
A free PayPal account can generate unlimited invoices for unlimited clients.
It also doesn’t come at any additional cost beyond the 5.4%+$0.30 standard fee per transaction.
As earlier stated, there is no cost for the invoicing functionality.
And clients will be able to pay invoices very easily through PayPal, credit card, or bank transfer.
PayPal invoicing is a convenient choice for freelancers whose clients already pay via PayPal and are looking for a simple way to deal with invoices.
Indeed, it has stepped up its game with built-in estimates, recurring invoices, reports offering sales insights, and more.
You might not get as many features as you would get from other apps on this list.
However, PayPal will show you if the invoices have been paid or not.
If you're looking for free all-inclusive invoicing software, Wave Invoicing has got you covered.
Best for micro businesses
With Wave, you can use hex color codes to specify exactly what accent color you want on your invoice.
It also integrates the most needed apps by freelancers,
Invoicing is made even easier with its free basic level that comes with features.
This includes unlimited invoicing, top-of-the-line accounting software, as well as receipt scanning for nothing monthly.
Besides, it offers a powerful invoicing product for freelancers who want to automate their basic invoicing needs.
Wave also offers an excellent accounting and invoicing solution.
Additionally, it is ideal for freelancers who would like to combine accounting and invoicing into one easy-to-use platform.
However, invoices paid by credit card directly through the system attract a 2.9%+$0.30 fee.
Hectic, Zoho Invoice, and Invoicely are always mentioned in lists of the best free invoicing software.
This is followed by QuickBooks and Bonsai as the best paid invoicing software.
What is the best invoicing software for you?
When you invest in any of the invoicing software above, your work is more organized and you are viewed as professional.
Moreover, your accounting skills will improve even further.
For beginners, I would recommend Zoho Invoice, Hectic, and PayPal.
These are great options because they make it simple to create an invoice for any project.
In the end, the best invoicing software depends on your preferences, usage, budget, and skills.
Look over my list of the 10 best invoicing software.
Don't be afraid to try out the different possibilities. I am sure you will find the most suitable match for you.
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