Wish to soar straight to the reply? One of the best billing and invoicing software program for most individuals is BILL or FreshBooks
Accumulating funds from shoppers and prospects could be difficult. Ineffective invoicing techniques can create severe money stream issues—late funds stack up, follow-ups fall by the cracks, and your crew spends hours on handbook duties.
For service companies, freelancers, and B2Bs, trendy billing and invoicing software program automates the busywork and hurries up collections. You’ll receives a commission sooner, scale back errors, and provides prospects handy methods to pay—with out including extra admin to your day.
The Prime 7 Finest Billing and Invoicing Software program
- BILL – Finest intuitive interface and automatic AP/AR workflows
- FreshBooks – Finest all-in-one billing and invoicing for small groups
- Sq. – Finest for low-volume invoicing with built-in funds
- Zoho Bill – Finest free automation options
- Xero – Finest invoicing inside small-business accounting
- Wave – Finest forever-free invoicing and accounting
- Invoicely – Finest easy billing and invoicing software program
After researching and testing dozens of billing and invoicing options, we narrowed the sphere to seven standouts. Beneath you’ll discover up to date options, pricing, and use instances that will help you select confidently.
BILL – Finest Intuitive Interface & Automated Workflows
BILL is a streamlined billing and invoicing platform with a clear UI that minimizes coaching time. It’s not a full-suite accounting device—no payroll or stock—nevertheless it excels at accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR) automation throughout approvals, funds, and collections.
On login, the dashboard summarizes upcoming due dates, overdue payments, and money going out and in with 5 clear queues:Â
- Payments to Pay
- Open Invoices
- Invoice Approvals
- Funds InÂ
- Funds Out
The left menu homes AP/AR, distributors, prospects, and reporting, whereas a to-do checklist on the correct retains priorities seen. Integrations embody QuickBooks, Xero, and Oracle NetSuite, so your ledger stays in sync.
A standout time-saver is BILL’s vendor inbox. Share a customized BILL e mail with distributors, and invoices stream in robotically with due dates, quantities, and line objects pre-captured. You simply verify the seller, add an outline, and approve. It’s superb for multi-step approvals and audit trails.
Pricing (per consumer, per thirty days): Necessities $45 · Staff $55 · Company $79 · Enterprise customized. A 30-day risk-free trial is on the market.
Finest for: companies that need sturdy AP/AR automation and approvals with out adopting a full accounting suite. Good to have: versatile roles/permissions, audit trails, worldwide funds, and two-way sync with main ledgers.
FreshBooks — Finest All-in-One Billing and Invoicing Software program
FreshBooks combines invoicing, funds, bills, primary AP, time monitoring, and easy reporting in a single platform. It’s a favourite for solo professionals, small businesses, and consultancies that need polished client-facing invoices with out the complexity of a full ERP.
Create skilled invoices in minutes—select a template, add your emblem, customise phrases, and ship. FreshBooks helps deposits (flat or %), bank card and ACH funds, recurring invoices, automated reminders, and configurable late charges.
Past invoicing, you get time monitoring, expense seize, estimates and proposals, retainers, primary undertaking monitoring, and easy stories. It’s every little thing most small groups must invoice precisely and receives a commission shortly.
Pricing: Lite $21/month (5 billable shoppers), Plus $38/month (50 shoppers), Premium $65/month (limitless shoppers), Choose customized. A 30-day free trial is on the market; FreshBooks continuously runs seasonal reductions—examine the location for present presents.
Finest for: service companies that need a simple, all-in-one billing stack with polished invoices and built-in funds.
Sq. — Finest For Low-Quantity Invoicing
Sq. is greatest identified for POS and card readers, however its invoicing is superb for freelancers and trades that ship a handful of invoices every month and need built-in funds.
Ship digital invoices from desktop or cellular, save playing cards on file, arrange recurring profiles, and select from industry-specific templates. Monitoring and reminders are in-built, and shoppers pays with a few clicks.
Pricing: The Free plan has no month-to-month price and allows you to ship limitless invoices and estimates. Commonplace on-line card processing is 3.3% + $0.30 per paid bill; card-on-file and keyed-in funds are 3.5% + $0.15; ACH is 1% (minimal $1). Sq. Invoices Plus is $20/month and lowers on-line card processing to 2.9% + $0.30 with ACH capped at $10 per cost, plus superior options like customized fields, batch invoicing, and multi-package estimates.
Finest for: low-volume or seasonal invoicing the place ease of use, shopper comfort, and built-in funds matter most.
Zoho Bill — Finest Automation Options
Zoho Bill focuses purely on invoicing—and it shines. Create invoices and estimates, automate reminders and late charges, and settle for funds by your most popular gateway. It’s light-weight, quick, and superb whenever you don’t want a full accounting suite.
Templates cowl invoices, estimates, and retainers. You’ll be able to add customized fields, monitor tax, arrange recurring billing profiles, and get learn receipts when shoppers view an bill—helpful for follow-ups.
Extras embody time monitoring and bills for correct billing. Join a cost gateway to take bank cards or ACH, and let the automations do the remainder.
Pricing: Zoho Bill is free.
Xero — Finest Invoicing Software program For Small Companies
Xero is a cloud accounting platform with sturdy invoicing baked in. Construct branded invoices, add a “Pay now” button, and settle for on-line funds by way of Stripe or GoCardless. All the things syncs again to your books robotically.
Arrange repeat invoices, ship in bulk, replicate previous invoices, and handle billing from cellular. You can too on-charge bills, add customized cost phrases, and reconcile funds shortly.
Pricing: Early — $20/month (restrict 20 invoices/quotes and 5 payments per thirty days), Rising — $47/month, Established — $80/month. A 30-day trial is on the market, and Xero integrates with tons of of apps for funds, stock, CRM, and extra.
Be aware: Xero doesn’t embody native cost processing, however connects to Stripe and GoCardless for playing cards, ACH, and digital wallets.
Wave — Finest Free Billing and Invoicing Software program
Wave presents free core invoicing and accounting—nice for freelancers, very small companies, and facet hustles. Customise templates, ship limitless invoices, and handle every little thing from the cellular app.
Key options: multi-currency invoicing, estimates and estimate-to-invoice conversion, recurring invoices, automated reminders, partial funds, tax calculation, cash-flow insights, and cellular apps for iOS/Android.
Pricing: Core invoicing and accounting are free. For those who settle for on-line funds by Wave, normal charges apply (generally 2.9% + $0.60 for Visa/Mastercard/Uncover; 3.4% + $0.60 for Amex; ACH 1% with $1 minimal). Wave additionally presents an elective Professional plan billed yearly that provides extras and discounted intro processing on a restricted variety of transactions.
Invoicely — Finest Easy Billing and Invoicing Software program
Invoicely is a simple device trusted by tons of of 1000’s of small companies. It favors simplicity over bells and whistles, which makes it straightforward to roll out and prepare on.
You’ll be able to spin up invoices in beneath a minute, arrange recurring statements, invoice in any forex, ship estimates, settle for on-line funds, and monitor time, mileage, and bills for correct billing.
There’s a free plan for people, nevertheless it contains Invoicely branding, which most client-facing companies will wish to keep away from.
Pricing: Primary — $9.99/month, Skilled — $19.99/month, Enterprise — $29.99/month. Plans primarily differ by variety of crew members and bill quantity.
Finest for: easy, no-frills invoicing whenever you don’t want a full accounting suite.
How one can Discover the Finest Billing and Invoicing Software program For You
With so many succesful instruments, the “greatest” selection will depend on your shoppers, quantity, {industry}, and the way tightly you need billing tied to your accounting. Use the standards beneath to shortlist a number of choices, then trial them with 2–3 actual invoices to see what really saves time.
As you evaluate, deal with readability (straightforward to learn invoices), automation (fewer clicks), and cost flexibility (simpler to pay = sooner money). The fitting match ought to decrease days gross sales excellent (DSO) inside a month or two.
Variety of Shoppers
What number of shoppers do you’ve got at the moment—and subsequent quarter? Instruments like FreshBooks cap shoppers by plan (e.g., 5 on Lite, 50 on Plus), whereas others supply limitless shoppers at each tier.
Look ahead to bill or quote limits on entry plans (e.g., some “starter” tiers cap month-to-month invoices). For those who plan to develop, select software program that gained’t drive an early, costly improve simply to ship extra invoices or estimates.
Backside line: be certain that your software program scales with you. If unsure, decide a plan with headroom or a supplier that gives straightforward upgrades with out downtime.
Some platforms additionally supply limitless invoicing—even on free plans—as long as you’re comfy paying per-transaction processing charges when shoppers pay on-line.
Automation
Nice billing instruments ought to take away handbook work. Search for:
- Recurring invoices and retainers
- Automated cost reminders and late charges
- Saved objects/providers and drag-and-drop line objects
- Tax calculation and multi-currency assist
- Approval workflows and roles/permissions (for groups)
Fee Assortment
Sending invoices is just half of it—you continue to must receives a commission. Many platforms embody built-in processing or combine with gateways so prospects pays by card, ACH/financial institution switch, and typically digital wallets. Anticipate charges within the ballpark of ~2.9% + $0.30 for playing cards and ~1% for ACH, although precise charges differ by supplier and plan.
Be sure to can add a “Pay now” button, retailer a card on file (with authorization), and arrange automated funds for recurring work. These three adjustments alone can shave days off your common time-to-cash.
Accounting Instruments
Many invoicing platforms double as light-weight accounting (bills, primary AP, stories). Others are a part of full accounting suites with financial institution reconciliation, receipt seize, stock, and undertaking monitoring. If you have already got a most popular ledger, prioritize instruments that sync two-ways to keep away from duplicate knowledge entry.
Examples of helpful add-ons embody expense administration, time monitoring, detailed stories, and receipt scanning. For those who don’t want these, preserve it easy and get monetary savings with a devoted invoicing app.
Integrations & Ecosystem
Test that your invoicing software program integrates together with your accounting system, CRM, cost gateway, and undertaking instruments. A wholesome app market means fewer workarounds and extra automation throughout your stack.
Safety & Compliance
Search for role-based entry, audit trails, and safe cost dealing with. For those who take ACH or playing cards, verify tokenization and PCI compliance by your processor. For worldwide billing, verify tax settings and multi-currency assist.
The Prime Billing and Invoicing Software program in Abstract
One of the best invoicing platforms mix automation (recurring payments, reminders, late charges), clear reporting, and handy methods to pay. They scale back handbook entry, enhance accuracy, and aid you monitor receivables at a look.
Whether or not you select the automation-first strategy of BILL, the all-in-one simplicity of FreshBooks, the built-in funds of Sq., or the free-forever mannequin of Wave or Zoho Bill, the correct selection will shorten your time-to-cash and make invoicing really feel easy.
