Getting paid shouldn’t be the hardest part of your job. But for freelancers and small businesses, invoicing is where revenue goes to die — late payments, forgotten follow-ups, and awkward “did you get my invoice?” conversations. The right invoicing software fixes all of that.

We compared the top invoicing tools on ease of use, payment collection, automation, and price.

Quick Comparison

1. FreshBooks — Best Overall Invoicing Experience

FreshBooks was built for people who hate accounting. The invoicing flow is smooth, the templates are professional, and the entire experience — from creating an invoice to getting paid — is designed for non-accountants. If you want invoicing that just works without a learning curve, FreshBooks is it.

Pros:

• Most intuitive invoicing interface available
• Professional, customizable invoice templates
• Automatic payment reminders and late fee charging
• Accepts credit cards, ACH, and Apple Pay
• Built-in time tracking (billable hours → invoices)
• Expense tracking with receipt scanning
• Project management for tracking deliverables
• Strong mobile app
• Good reporting (revenue, aging, tax summaries)

Cons:

• Entry plan limits you to 5 clients (unlocked at $33/mo)
• More expensive than Wave or Zoho Invoice
• Accounting features are simpler than QuickBooks
• No inventory management
• Customization options are good but not unlimited
• Customer support can be slow during tax season

Pricing: Lite $19/mo (5 clients); Plus $33/mo (50 clients); Premium $55/mo (unlimited)

Best for: Freelancers and small businesses that want the easiest, most polished invoicing experience with built-in time tracking and expense management.

Try FreshBooks →

2. Wave — Best Free Invoicing

Wave offers free invoicing, accounting, and receipt scanning. It’s the most feature-rich free option available. If budget is your primary concern and you need basic invoicing that works, Wave delivers.

Pros:

• Completely free — no monthly fees, no limits on invoices or clients
• Unlimited invoices and clients
• Built-in accounting (double-entry)
• Receipt scanning with OCR
• Accepts credit cards and ACH (via Stripe)
• Good-looking invoice templates
• Dashboard shows income, expenses, and balances
• Strong for very small businesses with simple needs

Cons:

• Credit card processing fees: 2.9% + $0.60 (higher than most)
• ACH processing: 1% (most charge a flat fee)
• No automatic payment reminders (manual follow-up only)
• No time tracking built in
• Limited project management features
• Customer support is email-only (no phone)
• No mobile app for invoicing (web-based)
• Wave Advisors (bookkeeping help) costs extra
• Ads appear in the free version

Pricing: Free; credit card processing 2.9% + $0.60; ACH 1%

Best for: Freelancers and micro-businesses that need free, basic invoicing and don’t mind higher processing fees or limited features.

Get Wave →

3. Zoho Invoice — Best Free Invoicing with Automation

Zoho Invoice is also free, but unlike Wave, it includes powerful automation features — automatic payment reminders, recurring invoices, and multi-currency support. If you bill internationally or send a lot of recurring invoices, Zoho Invoice is the best free option.

Pros:

• Free forever — no limits on invoices, clients, or users
• Automatic payment reminders (customizable schedule)
• Recurring invoices with auto-billing
• Multi-currency and multi-language support
• Time tracking and expense tracking included
• Project billing (time and expenses → invoices)
• Good template customization
• Integrates with Zoho’s full suite (CRM, Books, etc.)

Cons:

• No built-in payment processing (connect Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
• Interface is less polished than FreshBooks
• Learning curve for advanced features
• Customer support is email-only
• Zoho ecosystem integration is great but can feel like vendor lock-in
• No receipt scanning
• Mobile app is functional but not great

Pricing: Free forever (Zoho makes money on Zoho Books, the paid accounting product)

Best for: Freelancers and small businesses that need free invoicing with automation, recurring billing, or international clients.

Get Zoho Invoice →

4. QuickBooks Online — Best Invoicing + Full Accounting

QuickBooks isn’t just invoicing — it’s full accounting software that also does invoicing well. If you need proper double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, and tax preparation alongside invoicing, QuickBooks is the most complete option.

Pros:

• Full accounting system (not just invoicing)
• Invoicing + bank reconciliation + expense tracking + tax prep in one
• Automatic payment reminders and late fees
• Accepts credit cards, ACH, and Apple Pay
• Strong reporting and financial dashboards
• Most accountants and CPAs know it
• Massive integration ecosystem (750+ apps)
• Tracks sales tax across jurisdictions
• Good for businesses growing out of “just invoicing”

Cons:

• Most expensive option on this list ($30/mo minimum)
• Invoicing isn’t as smooth or intuitive as FreshBooks
• Overkill if you only need invoicing
• Learning curve for non-accountants
• Pricing increases after the introductory period
• Customer support quality varies
• Entry plan limits features (need Essentials $60/mo for most features)

Pricing: Simple Start $30/mo; Essentials $60/mo; Plus $90/mo; Advanced $200/mo

Best for: Small businesses that need full accounting (not just invoicing) and want everything in one system.

Start free trial →

5. Square Invoices — Best for In-Person + Online Businesses

Square Invoices is built for businesses that invoice clients online and also accept payments in person. If you’re a contractor who invoices by email but also takes payments on-site, Square handles both seamlessly with the same account and the same card reader.

Pros:

• Free invoicing (no monthly fee)
• Integrated with Square POS (accept payments in person)
• Same account for online and in-person payments
• Accepts credit cards, ACH, and cash/check
• Automatic payment reminders
• Good mobile app for creating invoices on the go
• Next-day deposits (standard)
• Simple, flat-rate pricing

Cons:

• No time tracking or project management
• No expense tracking or accounting features
• Invoice templates are less customizable than FreshBooks
• No built-in bookkeeping (you’ll need a separate accounting tool)
• Limited reporting compared to dedicated invoicing tools
• Not ideal for businesses that are purely service/online

Pricing: Free; processing 2.9% + $0.30 (online); 2.6% + $0.10 (in-person)

Best for: Businesses that need both online invoicing and in-person payment acceptance in one system.

Get Square Invoices →

6. HoneyBook — Best for Creative Service Businesses

HoneyBook is designed for creative professionals — photographers, designers, event planners, consultants — who need client management alongside invoicing. It combines proposals, contracts, invoicing, and client communication in one platform.

Pros:

• All-in-one client management: proposals, contracts, invoices, scheduling
• Beautiful, on-brand templates for proposals and invoices
• Client portal for reviewing and paying
• Automated workflows (proposal → contract → invoice → reminder)
• Good for client-facing businesses that need to look professional
• Built-in scheduling and intake forms
• Strong mobile app
• Integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, and Zapier

Cons:

• More expensive than basic invoicing tools
• Not a full accounting system
• Learning curve for setting up workflows
• Fewer integrations than FreshBooks or QuickBooks
• Best for project-based businesses (not ideal for product businesses)
• Pricing can add up for teams

Pricing: Starter $8/mo; Essentials $16/mo; Premium $33/mo

Best for: Creative service businesses (photographers, designers, planners, consultants) that want proposals, contracts, and invoices in one professional platform.

Get HoneyBook →

How to Choose

1. What’s your budget?

Free → Wave, Zoho Invoice, or Square Invoices. Under $20/mo → FreshBooks Lite or HoneyBook Starter. Under $30/mo → FreshBooks Plus. Full accounting needed → QuickBooks.

2. How do you bill?

Hourly → FreshBooks (time tracking → invoices). Project-based → HoneyBook or FreshBooks. Recurring → Zoho Invoice (free auto-billing). In-person + online → Square Invoices.

3. Do you need accounting too?

Just invoicing → FreshBooks, Wave, or Zoho Invoice. Full accounting → QuickBooks. Invoicing + light accounting → FreshBooks.

4. Do you work internationally?

Yes → Zoho Invoice (multi-currency, multi-language). No → Any option works.

Our Top Pick

For most freelancers and small businesses, FreshBooks delivers the best invoicing experience — it’s fast, professional, and includes time tracking and expenses. If budget is tight, Zoho Invoice is the best free option with automation. And if you need full accounting alongside invoicing, QuickBooks is worth the cost.

SoftDecide helps churches, nonprofits, and small organizations find the right software. Our comparisons are independently researched. We may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page — at no extra cost to you.