An Ultimate Guide To Finding The Best Invoice software for freelancers
The most boring part of being a freelancer, self-employed or running a small business is paperwork!
Having to keep track of incoming and outgoing payments can be a tedious task, especially trying to create custom invoices for each client.
This is why invoicing software can be so useful and will save you a load of time.
And as we know, time is money!
In this article, I’m going to be covering the best invoicing software available to get started with right away, as well as things you should be looking for.
I also personally like to use invoicing software that has accounting features as well, to keep everything under one roof.
A few benefits of using invoicing software are:
- Professional-looking templates that take seconds to customize
- Automated overdue emails, saving you from awkward conversations when a client hasn’t paid yet.
- The use of invoicing apps when you’re on the go
- The ability to keep track of who’s paid and who hasn’t in seconds.
We will also look at some of the best free invoicing software, for those of you who are starting out or on a budget.
If you’re in a hurry and need an answer quickly, then my recommendation and who I personally use for my invoices and accounting is Quickbooks.
They are used by millions of businesses worldwide and offer all the features you could need to grow your business and keep track of payments.
For those of you who want more information, carry on reading!
Best Invoice Software For Freelancers
- Quickbooks
- Freshbooks
- Lili
- Bonsai
- Melio
- Wave
I’ll also be sharing a couple of free invoicing software options as well, for those who are just getting their business off the ground.
Best Invoicing Software In-depth Overview
1) Quickbooks (Best Overall Invoicing Software)
About Quickbooks
Quickbooks is one of the most popular accounting and invoicing software programs available.
It’s a great option for freelancers who need to track income and expenses, as well as send invoices to clients.
Quickbooks has both a desktop version and an online version. The online version is slightly more expensive, but it offers more features and is much easier to use.
Quickbooks also offers a mobile app, so you can track your finances on the go, as well as create and customize invoices from your phone.
Overall, Quickbooks is perfect for those with a freelance business, self-employed, or those on the go a lot who need comprehensive accounting software as well as invoicing tools.
QuickBook Features
- See all your paid and unpaid invoices in a super user-friendly dashboard all in one place
- Save hours of admin and reconciliation
- The ability to set up faster payments with Paypal and Gocardless
- Create and send invoices wherever you are from your desktop, phone, laptop or tablet.
- You’re able to track payments in real-time (Time Tracking)
- You have the ability to fully customize the invoicing templates
- Customers can pay invoices with debit or credit card
- Expense tracking
Pricing
Quickbooks gives you the option to have a 30-day free trial, or the option to buy now and get 50% off for 3 months.
I personally went with the 50% off for 3 months as it works out better in the long run.
You have 4 different paid plans to choose from depending on your needs:
- Simple Start plan is priced at $15 per month
- Essentials plan is priced at $27 per month
- Plus plan is priced at $42.50 per month
- Advanced plan is priced at $100 per month
2) Freshbooks (Best Invoicing software for freelancers and small businesses)
About Freshbooks
Freshbooks is an invoicing software created with small businesses and freelancers in mind.
It’s user-friendly, comes with a mobile app and has features such as time tracking, automatic late payment reminders, and the ability to accept credit card payments.
With over 30 million people worldwide using the app from over 160 different countries it’s a popular choice for accounting and invoicing.
With FreshBooks, creating attractive business invoices has never been easier.
Making and customizing your invoice, adding your logo, and personalizing your thank you email is simple with the invoice maker.
Freshbooks Features
- Partnered with Apple Pay, Mastercard, Visa and American Express
- Accepts Debit and credit cards
- Multiple Payment Gateways
- Professional invoicing and billing software
- Charge late fees, set reminders and change currency if needed.
- Ability to request deposits upfront
- You can invoice from anywhere, with the option to create professional-looking invoices straight from your phone using the invoicing app.
- Automated tax calculations are done for you.
Pricing
Freshbooks gives you the option to have a 30 day free trial, or the option to buy now and get 70% off for 3 months, which is the best option to save.
They offer 3 different pricing plans depending on your needs, with the ability to save 15-25% on the year plan options.
- Lite plan is priced at $4.50 per month
- Plus plan is priced at $7.50 per month
- Premium plan is priced at $15.00 per month
3) Lili (Most affordable invoicing software for freelancers on the go)
About Lili
Lili is one of the most affordable invoicing software available on the market.
It’s predominantly used by customers who are on the go alot, and track everything through the Lili mobile banking app.
Lili is designed to save time, money, and energy for anybody who runs a business on their own by combining banking with accounting software and technology to optimize tax liability.
What’s different between Lili and Quickbooks and Freshbooks, is Lili is an online banking app, that allows you to transfer, make payments, withdrawals etc.
As well as invoicing, the ability to accept payments and account management.
Lili Features
- Accept online payments from all the major debit card and payment providers such as Visa, Mastercard and Apple Pay
- Payment processing options
- Automatic Payment reminders and late payments fees
- Manage all past and present invoices in a simple to use app.
- You can generate custom invoices that are customizable in just a few clicks
- Different invoice templates
Pricing
You can download the Lili Pro App from the app store or by clicking the link below it’ll take you to their website to learn more.
It’s then priced at $4.99 per month
4) Bonsai (Best Invoicing Software for those self-employed)
About Bonsai
Bonsai is another fantastic invoicing software, that’s great for small businesses and freelancers looking to create keep track of their revenue, invoices and payments.
It’s used by over 500,000 people worldwide and has a wide range of features.
The software has international coverage with businesses using it worldwide and catering to a variety of different businesses from design, writing, marketing, development, photography and so on.
The Bonsai software has tons of ready-made invoicing templates to choose from that suit all their clients from:
- Contract templates
- proposal templates
- Invoice templates
- Agreement templates
- Quote templates
- Brief templates
As well as custom designs for graphic design templates, social media marketing templates, project management templates and so on.
Bonsai Features
- Tons of different templates to suit all types of businesses
- Time tracking options on every device
- Accounting and tax software
- Contract template vetted by freelancers and a lawyer.
- Tons of free resources
- Client CRM and Expense tracking
Pricing
Bonsai offers 3 different plans based on your needs and requirements, with the ability to save 2 months by paying a year upfront.
However, if you were to pay monthly the plans are:
- Starter Plan priced at $24 per month
- Professional Plan priced at $39 per month
- Business Plan is priced at $79 per month
I would recommend taking advantage of the 30-day free trial before purchasing, which will give you full access to the invoicing software.
5) Melio
About Melio
Melio is an accounts payable software that’s easy to use and has all the features and invoicing tools you need.
The software is a lot more than just ‘invoicing’, Melio has all the functionalities to run your business with:
- Batch payment options
- International payments
- Approval Workflow
- Points and rewards
And much more.
Melio gives you many different options to keep track of your cash flow, with immediate feedback when a bill is paid.
Allowing you to easily track what’s coming in and going out.
Melio Features
- Make international payments with ease
- Integrations to link up your accounting software
- Recurring payments option
- Debit and credit card payments
- Time tracking options
- Send single or recurring invoices
Pricing
Melio allows you to create invoices for free, as well as the ability to connect up to your favorite accounting software.
The prices above are fees they will take from each payment you process.
Best Free Invoice Software for Freelancers
Wave
About Wave
Wave is a free accounting and invoicing software with credit card processing & payroll services.
It’s a great option for freelancers who are just getting started out in the world of business, as it offers tons of features for creating invoices.
These include keeping tabs on your income, using their user-friendly dashboard, sending professional invoices, and letting Wave send payment over-due reminders.
With all the payment options in one place, the software makes it super easy for you to keep track of your finances to see who’s paid and who hasn’t.
Melio Features
- Invoicing app to check payments on the go
- Instant notifications when you’re paid or have a payment overdue
- Accept payments with credit card, debit card and Apple pay
- Simple fee structure with no hidden fees.
- They make money from payroll services and payment processing, so invoicing is totally free
- Customer support
Pricing
If you’re just looking to create and send invoices for your freelance business then Wave has a free plan for this.
You can sign up without credit card details by clicking the button below.
If you need Payroll services, to speak with experts and advisors or need help processing payments then the fees are above.
Other Free Invoicing Software Options
If all you’re looking to do is create an invoice to send to a client, then there is tons of options and ways in which you can do this.
Even Microsoft Word has templates that you can edit to create a template for an invoice.
As well as many free invoicing apps that you can find on the app store.
Two other options are:
- Invoice-generator.com
- Stripe
Stripe is a payment processer that a lot of businesses use, but they also have a free invoicing section.
What is invoicing software?
Invoicing software can help businesses save time and money by streamlining their billing and invoicing process. It can also help businesses keep track of their expenses, customers, and inventory.
This can be a crucial part of running your freelance business, as it allows you to keep track of the money you are owed, and makes it easier to get paid on time.
If you’re only invoicing a couple of clients a month and can easily keep track, then just downloading a template and making them on your own is easy enough.
But when you start to get busier, being able to easily see who’s paid, who still owes you money, and set automatic reminders will save you a ton of time.
Not only that, chasing people up for money isn’t fun, however, if you choose an invoicing software like Quickbooks, it does it for you on automation.
Why do freelancers need to use invoice software?
Most freelancers like to use invoice software to save a load of time. In fact, the average time saved for using Freshbooks is 500 hours, which is crazy!
I use invoicing software as it does all the boring paperwork for me, so I can focus on generating more business and more revenue.
Sure I could choose to create the invoice templates for free and chase people up, but for a cost of $25ish a month, it’s just not worth the hassle.
If you’re a freelancer who has a lot of business, recurring invoices, takes deposits and so on, invoicing software will be a lifesaver for you.
How to choose the best invoicing software?
The answer to this question will depend on a few factors, such as:
- How many clients you have
- How often you invoice them
- What type of business you’re in
- If you need accounting software as well
- If you take deposits and need to set up recurring invoices
- Where your clients are based around the world
- How much do you want to pay per month?
I use Quickbooks simply because of its vast amount of features and because it allows me to connect my accountant to the software.
If you need to keep track of your accounts, tax, expenses, and so on, then I’d recommend using invoicing software that has accounting features as well, to save on the extra costs.
All of the best invoicing software will allow you to fully customize your invoice, changing the colors, logo, layout, templates, and so on.
Overview Of The Best Invoice Software For Freelancers
I hope you’ve found this article helpful in trying to choose the best invoice software for freelancers and your business.
If you still haven’t decided, I would recommend going with Quickbooks.
They are used globally by millions of businesses and offer all the bells and whistles to keep track of payments, ins and outs, and can allow an accountant access, should you need to in the future.
However, if you need free invoicing software, then Wave is a good option for you.
If you have any questions feel free to reach me here
