Visibility in this ranking can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the
shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review. The largest vendors in invoicing software
cannot hold places 1 to 3. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category,
wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
The 14 tools, reviewed
#1 Invoice Simple
Phone-first invoices and estimates for small operators · Canada · invoicesimple.com
Mobile first Very quick Light features
Invoice Simple does what its name says. A contractor finishing a job can open the app, choose the client, add line items and a photo of the work, capture a signature and send the invoice before driving away.
- Pricing: Per account / month. Published monthly or annual tiers limited by the number of invoices, with card processing fees on paid invoices. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Solo contractors and owner-operators
- Strengths: Mobile invoices and estimates; Photo attachments; Signatures.
Where it falls short
Features are shallow: few automation options, limited reporting, and weak integration with accounting tools. Tier limits on invoices force upgrades as volume grows.
Wrong for
Businesses with staff, recurring clients or a bookkeeper who needs clean data should look at Invoice2go, Zoho Invoice or FreshBooks.
Visit Invoice Simple →
#2 Billdu
European invoicing app with bookings and web shop · United Kingdom · billdu.com
European focus Bookings included Small vendor
Billdu is a sensible pick for a European micro-business that wants invoicing plus a couple of front-office tools in one subscription. Invoices and estimates can be issued in several languages and currencies, recurring billing is simple on the Premium tier, and optional modules add appointment booking and a basic web shop.
- Pricing: Per account / month. Published Lite, Standard and Premium tiers, priced the same in dollars and euros from $4.99 a month billed annually. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: EU micro-businesses selling services locally
- Strengths: Invoices and estimates; Recurring invoices (Premium); Online appointment booking.
Where it falls short
It is a small company, so integrations with larger accounting systems and payment gateways are limited to the likes of Xero, Stripe and PayPal.
Wrong for
B2B firms facing e-invoicing mandates outside Spain and Belgium, or companies needing tight accounting sync beyond Xero, should look at Zoho Invoice, Invoice Ninja or their accounting package's own invoicing.
Visit Billdu →
#3 Chaser
Automated credit control on top of your ledger's invoices · United Kingdom · chaserhq.com
Collections Ledger sync B2B focus
Chaser picks up where invoicing stops. It reads open invoices from Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and others, then sends escalating reminders that look like they were written by your credit controller, with statements, a payment portal and SMS when email fails. Replies land in one inbox.
- Pricing: Per account / month. Published monthly tiers set by annual revenue, from £199 ($259) a month for Compact, with the Care managed credit control service as an add-on. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: B2B firms with slow-paying customers
- Strengths: Reminder schedules; Personalized chasing emails; SMS reminders.
Where it falls short
It is an add-on rather than an invoicing tool, so it only works on invoices pulled from an accounting system or loaded through its API or CSV import.
Wrong for
Freelancers with a handful of clients should rely on the reminders built into Invoice Ninja, Zoho Invoice or FreshBooks, since Chaser's entry tier starts at £199 or $259 a month.
Visit Chaser →
#4 Invoice Ninja
Source-available invoicing with hosted and self-hosted options · United States · invoiceninja.com
Source available Many gateways Client portal
Invoice Ninja does nearly everything a small business asks of an invoicing tool and hands you the source code on top.
- Pricing: Free + paid tiers. Source code free to self-host under the Elastic License, with a $40 yearly white-label license to remove branding. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Freelancers and small firms wanting control
- Strengths: Quotes to invoices; Recurring invoices with auto-billing; Client portal.
Where it falls short
The interface is dense and settings pages sprawl, so first configuration takes longer than in simpler apps. The mobile experience trails Invoice2go and Square.
Wrong for
A tradesperson who invoices from a phone between jobs will be happier with Invoice2go or Invoice Simple.
Visit Invoice Ninja →
#5 Zoho Invoice
Free invoicing with a client portal and automation · India · zoho.com
Free plan Client portal Zoho ecosystem
Zoho Invoice gives away what many competitors charge for. Recurring profiles, automated reminders, a customer portal where clients approve quotes and pay, project time billing and support for several payment gateways all come in the free edition, within limits of two users, three projects and 500 invoices a year.
- Pricing: Free. Free for small businesses, within limits of two users, three projects and 500 invoices a year, with "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Small firms wanting capable free invoicing
- Strengths: Customizable templates; Recurring invoices; Automatic reminders.
Where it falls short
Limits of two users, three projects and 500 invoices a year in the free plan will pinch a growing firm, invoices carry Zoho branding, and the upgrade path runs through Zoho's own products.
Wrong for
Businesses already committed to QuickBooks or Xero gain little from a separate Zoho tool.
Visit Zoho Invoice →
#6 FreshBooks
Hours-to-invoice billing for client service firms · Canada · freshbooks.com
Time billing Proposals Clean client view
FreshBooks remains the most pleasant tool for anyone who sells time. A timer runs against a project, the hours land on a draft invoice with rates already applied, and a proposal or retainer can precede the whole engagement.
- Pricing: Per company / month. Published tiers priced by billable clients, with extra team members charged individually and card fees on paid invoices. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Consultants and agencies billing hours
- Strengths: Time tracking to invoice; Proposals and estimates; Retainers.
Where it falls short
The lowest tier caps the number of billable clients very tightly, and each extra team member adds a monthly fee.
Wrong for
Businesses that only need invoices and already keep books elsewhere should look at Zoho Invoice or Invoice Ninja.
Visit FreshBooks →
#7 Stripe Invoicing
Invoicing layer on top of Stripe payments · United States · stripe.com
Payment methods API-first Global reach
If Stripe already processes your payments, its invoicing is hard to beat on the collection side. The hosted invoice page accepts cards, bank debits, wallets and local methods across many countries, and smart retries recover failed payments on autopay invoices. Stripe Tax can calculate sales tax or VAT on each invoice.
- Pricing: Usage-based. No subscription. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Online businesses already on Stripe
- Strengths: Hosted invoice page; Many payment methods; Automatic retries and reminders.
Where it falls short
The dashboard is built for people comfortable with Stripe's concepts, and owners without that background find invoice setup less direct than dedicated tools.
Wrong for
Service firms that bill hours or trades that invoice from a phone should choose FreshBooks, Invoice2go or Invoice Ninja.
Visit Stripe Invoicing →
#8 Square Invoices
Free invoices tied to Square's payments stack · United States · squareup.com
No monthly fee Card reader tie-in Single processor
Square Invoices makes sense the moment a business already takes payments through Square. Invoices, in-person card swipes and online orders land in one dashboard and one payout, and a card stored during an in-store sale can be charged later against an invoice.
- Pricing: Free + processing fees. Square Free has no monthly fee, only per-payment processing fees. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Local merchants already using Square
- Strengths: Estimates to invoices; Deposits (milestone schedules on Plus); Card on file.
Where it falls short
Payments go exclusively through Square, so fees and payout holds are on Square's terms, and leaving means re-collecting stored cards.
Wrong for
B2B sellers billing on net terms and firms that want processor choice should look at Invoice Ninja or Zoho Invoice.
Visit Square Invoices →
#9 PayPal Invoicing
Basic invoices paid through a PayPal checkout · United States · paypal.com
No monthly fee Global buyer base Basic features
PayPal's invoicing is basic but reaches a huge pool of clients who already have PayPal accounts in dozens of countries.
- Pricing: Transaction fees. No monthly fee. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Freelancers with PayPal-paying clients abroad
- Strengths: Invoice templates; Partial payments; Recurring invoices.
Where it falls short
Card and PayPal wallet fees are high next to bank payments, especially for international and currency-converted payments, and accounts can be frozen or funds held with little warning.
Wrong for
Businesses invoicing larger amounts or domestic B2B clients by card should avoid paying PayPal's card rates and choose a tool with cheap bank payments and processor choice, such as Invoice Ninja or Zoho Invoice.
Visit PayPal Invoicing →
#10 Harvest
Time tracking that turns hours into invoices · Italy · getharvest.com
Timesheets first Agency billing New ownership
Harvest earns its place when invoices come straight from team timesheets. Staff log hours against projects and tasks, on the Enterprise tier a manager approves them, and Harvest builds an invoice from the approved hours and billable expenses in a few clicks, grouped the way the client wants to see them.
- Pricing: Per seat / month. Free plan for one seat and two projects. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Agencies billing tracked team hours
- Strengths: Time tracking; Invoices from tracked time; Expense billing.
Where it falls short
Invoice design and payment options are basic next to invoicing specialists. There are no quotes-to-invoice workflows, contracts or deposits.
Wrong for
Businesses that bill fixed prices, products or project milestones rather than hours should choose Invoice Ninja, Zoho Invoice or HoneyBook instead.
Visit Harvest →
#11 HoneyBook
Proposal, contract and invoice in one client flow · United States · honeybook.com
Creative services Payment schedules US, Canada, UK, Australia
HoneyBook suits the wedding photographer, event planner or small design studio whose sale runs inquiry, proposal, signed contract, deposit and final payment. A single client-facing file combines all of those, and payment schedules with autopay handle the balance without chasing.
- Pricing: Per account / month. Published Starter, Essentials and Premium tiers from $29 a month billed yearly, with card fees from 2.9% plus 25 cents and 1.5% on ACH. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Photographers, planners and creative studios
- Strengths: Proposals with embedded contract; Payment schedules; Autopay.
Where it falls short
It is available only to businesses in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, which rules out many international users. Pricing has risen notably in recent years.
Wrong for
Businesses billing by the hour, selling B2B on net terms or operating outside the US, Canada, the UK and Australia should look at FreshBooks, Zoho Invoice or Invoice Ninja.
Visit HoneyBook →
#12 Invoice2go
Mobile invoicing for trades, owned by BILL · United States · invoice.2go.com
Trades Mobile app Volume-capped tiers
Invoice2go has served tradespeople for years, and the mobile app shows that maturity: estimates, invoices, photo attachments, reminders and card payments are all quick, and a simple business website comes included.
- Pricing: Per account / month. Published tiers set by annual invoice volume, with discounts on card fees at higher tiers. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Tradespeople invoicing from job sites
- Strengths: Estimates and invoices; Online payments; Client website builder.
Where it falls short
Tiers are capped by invoices per year, so a busy trade business pays for a larger plan than the feature list suggests.
Wrong for
Trades businesses that need scheduling and dispatch should move to field service software; office-based service firms billing hours will prefer FreshBooks or Harvest.
Visit Invoice2go →
#13 Wave
Free invoicing tied to free bookkeeping · Canada · waveapps.com
Free core Books included US and Canada only
Wave's argument is that the invoice and the books live in the same free account.
- Pricing: Free + processing fees. The Starter plan is free with unlimited invoices and estimates. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: North American sole traders on tight budgets
- Strengths: Unlimited invoices and estimates; Recurring invoices; Card and bank payments.
Where it falls short
Online payments go only through Wave's in-house processor, so there is no shopping around for a cheaper gateway, and a frozen payout has no fallback.
Wrong for
A business billing clients in Europe or in several currencies, or anyone who wants a choice of payment gateway.
Visit Wave →
#14 Moneybird
Dutch invoicing and bookkeeping with Peppol built in · Netherlands · moneybird.com
Peppol e-invoicing Benelux focus Bookkeeping included
Moneybird is widely used by Dutch freelancers and small BVs, and the reason it earns a place here is e-invoicing. Businesses in the Netherlands and Belgium can send and receive Peppol invoices from the ordinary invoice screen at no extra charge, which matters now that Belgium requires structured B2B invoices from 2026.
- Pricing: Per account / month. Published monthly plans in euros: Compact €3, Start €15, Growth €29 and Complete €41, differing mainly by processed bank transactions, linked bank accounts and users, with a 60-day trial and up to 25% off on yearly billing. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Dutch and Belgian freelancers and small firms
- Strengths: Peppol sending and receiving; Quotes and recurring invoices; Payment links with iDEAL.
Where it falls short
Everything is shaped around Dutch and Belgian tax practice. A US or UK business will find little reason to use it, and some help content and settings assume Dutch-language users.
Wrong for
A business outside the Benelux, or a firm selling mostly to foreign clients by card.
Visit Moneybird →
Questions and answers
What is the best invoicing software in 2026?
Invoice Simple ranks first of 14, best for solo contractors and owner-operators. Billdu is second (eU micro-businesses selling services locally) and Chaser third (b2B firms with slow-paying customers). Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands, wherever the category has them.
Is free invoicing software good enough for a small business?
Often, yes. Zoho Invoice, Wave, Square Invoices, PayPal's invoicing and Invoice Ninja's free options all send professional invoices, accept payments and send reminders.
How can I cut card processing fees on invoices?
Offer bank transfer or ACH as the default and card as an option, since bank payments usually cost a fraction of card fees.
Do I need separate invoicing software if I already have accounting software?
Usually not. QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho Books and FreshBooks all include decent invoicing.
What must a legally valid invoice contain?
Requirements vary by country, but most tax authorities expect a unique sequential invoice number, issue date, the seller's and buyer's names and addresses, a description of goods or services, amounts before tax, the tax rate and tax amount, and the total.
What is e-invoicing and does it affect my invoicing software choice?
E-invoicing means sending invoices as structured data, such as Peppol UBL or country formats, rather than PDFs. Several EU countries are phasing in mandates for business-to-business invoices, with Belgium starting in 2026 and others following.
Which invoicing software handles recurring retainers and deposits best?
Invoice Ninja and Zoho Invoice both schedule recurring invoices with automatic card charging and handle deposits or partial payments well. HoneyBook is strongest for creative businesses that take a retainer at booking and bill the balance on a payment schedule.
Can invoicing software chase late payments automatically?
Nearly all tools on this list send scheduled reminders before and after the due date, and several add late fees automatically.
What is the best invoicing app for contractors and trades?
Invoice2go and Invoice Simple are built for billing from a phone: create an estimate on site, convert it to an invoice, take a card payment and attach photos of the finished job.
How do invoicing tools handle clients paying in other currencies?
Most tools here let you issue invoices in the client's currency, and several show both currencies on the document.
Why isn't Stripe Invoicing ranked first, given its popularity?
Stripe is one of the largest payment companies in the world, and our rules keep dominant platforms out of the top three. It is also a developer-oriented product whose invoicing makes most sense when Stripe already processes your payments.
