11 Best Invoicing Software for Small Businesses

With lots of options on the internet, finding the right invoicing software for small businesses might be a hassle. And if you are spending so much time creating invoices for your clients, you certainly would love to spend your time doing something less repetitive and mundane, especially when it can be easily automated. But as a small business owner, you may feel that e-invoicing might break your budget.

If you’re a small business owner or freelancer, we have shortlisted the top 11 invoicing software for small business requirements.

So without any further ado, let’s begin!

Let’s check out the 11 best invoicing tools for small businesses. We have selected these invoicing apps based on their unique features, ratings, and popularity.

Logo	Starting plan	Website
	Price: $28.99/ month Unique Feature: Stripe integration, easy reporting, client management, real-time notifications.	Start Free Trial
	Price: $20/ month Unique Feature: 14 languages supported, augmented analytics, request customer reviews.	Website
	Price: $12.50/ month Unique Feature: Barcoding/RFID, Cash-flow planning, bill management.	Website
	Price: $20/ month Unique Feature: Auto reminders, point of sale, offer gift cards.	Website
	Price: $5.99/ month (limited invoices) Unique Feature: Business banking, instant website, manage payroll.	Website
	Price: $4.50/ month (up to 5 invoices) Unique Feature: Time tracking, app integration, project management.	Website
	Price: ​​$10/ month (up to 10 invoices) Unique Feature: Track product inventory levels, importing and exporting vendors, bulk emailing invoices.	Website
	Price: ​​$12/ month (up to 20 invoices) Unique Feature: Unique dashboard display, bank reconciliation, manage fixed assets.	Website
	Price: $15/ month Unique Feature: Inventory management, team management, machine learning.	Website
	Price: $16/ month ( up to 50 clients) Unique Feature: API feature, manage multiple teams and businesses, track mileage.	Website
	Price: Contact Wave team for it Unique Feature: Insightful report, employee user role management, bookkeeping coaching.	Website

List of Best 11 Invoicing Software for Small Business

1. InvoiceOwl: Best Estimation And Invoicing Software With Advanced Invoicing Features

InvoiceOwl is one of the best invoicing software for small business owners and freelancers. It helps to create professional and modern invoices instantly and get paid quickly. The software covers the entire invoicing process, from creating an estimation to recording and generating sales tax and reports.

This feature-packed invoicing software helps to create estimates, quotations, purchase orders, credit memos, and unlimited invoices. You’ll also get real-time notifications when clients receive invoices and when they open them.

Additionally, you can create customized professional invoices and download them in your preferred file formats, such as Google Docs, MS Word, MS Excel, and PDF.

With InvoiceOwl’s free version, you can create 10 free invoices per month and manage unlimited clients. It also includes some of the best features you’ll find in any free invoicing software. With the premium version, you can create and send unlimited invoices for multiple users and save unlimited clients.

2. Zoho Invoice: Best Free Invoice Software

Zoho invoice is one of the most popular billing/invoice software for freelancers and small businesses. It is also considered a good billing software for growing businesses.

If you are looking for an invoicing solution that prevents silly invoicing mistakes, Zoho invoice is an appropriate option. As it automates most of the invoice creation process, narrowing down the possibility of any invoicing mistake.

Zoho is available in 14 different languages and allows you to allocate a language to a customer, which can be very useful when working with international clients. Zoho also provides functionality to create recurring invoices. It helps you automate a lot of the billing and invoicing processes to avoid late payments.

With recurring invoices, Zoho also helps you automate a lot of the billing and invoicing processes to avoid late payments. With Zoho, you can also schedule invoices for a future date which would be automatically sent to your clients on the day you choose. One other useful feature of this billing and invoicing software is that you can prevent tampering and prevent forgery with digital signatures. Zoho also helps ensure that your customers agree to your prices before you start billing them and helps you keep track of unbilled expenses.

Many users have reported that Zoho’s accounting software is not scalable for e-commerce businesses. A lot of users also feel the user interface is a bit bulky and can be quite confusing at first. Also, there’s been several complaints that this product does not integrate well with other Zoho products like their CRM, which creates a lot of double data entries. Some customers also find the pricing very expensive for small size enterprises, and there have also been complaints that customer support takes a while to respond to inquiries.

Core Features:

• Contact database: InvoiceOwl lets you manage client relations effortlessly synchronized across all your devices
• Expense tracking
• Employee database
• Multilingual and multicurrency invoicing
• Save customer credit card information for recurrent payments
• Customer auto debit
• Digitally sign invoices
• Client portal
• Available on Android and IOS

3. Quickbooks: Best Accounting and Invoicing Software

Quickbooks is one of the best free invoicing software solutions on the market. This app offers customization for most business types and helps you spend less time creating or sending invoices. With Quickbooks online, business owners get to create personalized recurring invoices, bill for extra hours, and track payments in real-time. It also supports automated invoicing with the option of creating multiple invoices a lot faster.

Progress invoicing is another effective feature of Quickbooks online. This feature helps make the payment process a breeze for your clients which ensures you get paid quickly. With Quickbooks online, you can easily import transactions from your bank, credit card, and PayPal. It also helps automatically sort transactions into unpaid and paid invoices as well as various tax categories.

Quickbooks online is also an accounting software that helps create various accounting reports, including profit & loss, expenses, and balance sheets. This software also can also help automatically track mileage and categorize business and personal trips. Quickbooks also helps you automatically calculate taxes on your invoices and allows you to integrate your preferred e-commerce tools.

Quickbooks online may be preferred by accountants and bookkeepers, but many small business owners report difficulty in using this invoice software. Many more users also complain that Quickbook online is quite laggy and full of bugs. 

There are also a number of reports online of customers’ frustration trying to resolve issues ranging from billing after a canceled subscription to login access issues. Many small businesses also reported that Quickbooks online is a tad complex and requires training to complete the basic tasks required to run their day-to-day business.

Core Features:

• Backorder management
• Customer accounts
• Payment notifications
• Demand forecasting
• Mileage tracking
• Business funding
• Manage sales tax
• Full-system payroll

4. Square Invoices: Low Cost Invoicing and Billing Software

Square Invoices is also a decent invoicing app for small businesses. It is a free invoice tool and you only have to pay processing fees when you accept online payments as e-payments. Accept cash and checks, and it won’t ask you any monthly subscription fee.

The invoicing software also sends automatic payment reminders that ensure you get paid on time. The auto-reminder features remind you about the upcoming due dates and the unpaid invoices. Square invoicing also lets you track invoices in real-time, and customers can store their credit card details for easy payment.

Square Invoice also accepts tipping and also enables payment requests for a portion of your invoice as an upfront deposit.  Square invoice is a total accounting software and it supports offline payments and issues receipts for cash and checks. Issuing refunds can also be made directly from your dashboard.

Square invoice is good overall, but it can get a little complex when doing basic tasks. Customer service is also a bit of a concern to many users, and others have complained that their first set of payments was put on hold pending business information and documentation verification.

Core Features:

• Auto reminders
• Recurring billing schedules
• Itemized billing
• Standardize tax & discounts
• Service item list
• Accept tipping
• Online payments 24/7
• Real-time invoice tracking
• Refund management

5. Invoice2go: Best Mobile Invoicing Application

Invoice2go is another great software from the pool of small businesses invoicing software. Although it is basically for creating invoices when compared to other free billing software, it has a wide range of additional accounting features.

Create multiple invoices, estimates, and financial reports with this accounting software that helps keep you and your entire team on the same page. And with multiple payment gateways, you can accept payments with Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

Invoice2go also helps set up instant websites for your business with an ‘about us’ section, photo gallery, contact form, customer reviews, and more. This app also has lots of project management features to keep your projects organized.

One of the major drawbacks of Invoice2go is that sent invoices sometimes fall into clients’ junk mail. Some clients have also reported some major synchronization issues, and the latest update seems too clunky and counterintuitive, even for basic accounting.

Core Features:

• Client communication
• Project management
• Bank account
• Billing hours tracker
• Automated payroll
• Quickbooks integration
• Request customer reviews
• Small business banking (United States only)

6. Freshbooks: Best Billing Software For Freelancers

Freshbooks is quite popular among small business owners and freelancers for its easy invoicing and bookkeeping options. Create invoices quickly with invoice templates, and with its automatic checks and balances feature, you get to lower the chances of errors. You can also send late payment reminders to inform your clients about their outstanding invoices and include late fees by charging a percentage or flat fee for any invoices past their due date on any new invoices you create.

Freshbooks also helps you send quotes and estimates to your clients. With its recollection feature, you won’t have to waste time writing the same information again. Freshbook is not only an invoicing solution; you can also track time, manage projects, and improve expense management with reports.

With Freshbooks’ automated bank reconciliation feature, you can import and categorize your financial transactions from your bank. Freshbooks also helps you manage your business bills effectively. You can scan and save your paper, digital bills, and receipts or forward them to your account via email.

Most customers feel that the company has shifted its goals from small businesses and its recent update is not user-friendly. Some customers have also complained about duplicating and sometimes triplicating versions of the same transaction. The latest update is buggy and relies heavily on javascript for features that make the software laggy.

Core Features:

• Customized invoice
• Multi-currency
• Client portal
• Billing
• Mileage tracking
• Include penalty for late payments
• Project management
• Available on Android and IOS

7. Invoice Ninja: Completely Free Invoicing Software

Invoice Ninja stands out as it offers a forever-free plan. With almost all the features available on their free plan, you may not need to worry about paying extra money.

It is a simple free invoice software that offers estimates, invoices, time-tracking, item lists, and expense management. In their other plans, you will get features like customizable invoices, customizable billing, and recurring invoices.

Ninja Invoice helps you manage your inventory and set levels per product. It also helps you manage invoices for up to 10 business accounts under one account. You can also bill long-term clients for ongoing work automatically by creating recurring invoices. This accounting solution also helps you attach 3rd party files like project files, proposals, contracts, and timesheets as images or documents.

Core Features:

• Multi-language (16+ languages)
• Automate billing
• Client portal
• Payment getaways
• Project management with Kanban boards
• Custom domain
• Create client subscriptions

8. Xero: Most Affordable Accounting And Invoicing Software

Xero is an intuitive solution for invoice management with features like customizable templates, reminders, secure data management, and multiple online payment options.

Xero has accounting features that are useful for small businesses and accountants. This app automatically calculates your sales tax on transactions, and with its multi-currency feature, you can get paid in over 160 currencies and have it converted to your local currency. Xero also makes it easy to import your data from other invoicing platforms after some initial setup.

One drawback about Xero accounting is that businesses would have to manually follow up on unpaid invoices and this can be a bit of a concern if you’re a growing business. Also, the time tracking feature is not available on the Starter and Standard plans which means entrepreneurs, contractors, and freelancers can only use this feature when they purchase the premium plan.

Core Features:

• Account payable
• Inventory management
• Billing and invoicing
• Third-party integration
• Automate billing
• Manage purchase orders
• Cash flow and finance analytics
• Manage fixed assets

9. Zipbooks: Best Invoicing Software Program With Primary Accounting Functionalities

This software offers simplified bookkeeping with professional and easy invoicing templates that help you to create estimation and invoices easily. Customizing your invoices is quite simple, and you can also include your company logo and other relevant brand information.

The free subscription of ZipBooks lets you send and track customer invoices. The automated billing feature helps you to collect payments faster and effortlessly. ZipBooks also monitors accounts receivable, so you know how much your clients owe you at any given time.

With ZipBooks, you can manage your accounts and only share information with the professionals who help you run your business. ZipBooks also helps you manage invoices and taxes efficiently.

ZipBooks lacks many sought-after inventory accounting features like balance statements, the cost of goods sold (COGS), and the division of income sources. It’s also very US-centric, and you might find it difficult to connect banks outside of the US to the system.

Core Features:

• Accept payment online
• Create customized invoices
• Machine learning auto-categorization
• Manage vendors and customers
• Generate business insights reports
• Schedule recurring bills and track time

10. Hiveage: Best Invoicing And Project Management Software

Hiveage strives to simplify billing and online payments for small business owners. Invoices and recurrent payments are easy to set up and use. It also makes sending detailed estimates a breeze, and its expiration notification feature helps keep your clients in the loop.

This invoicing software also lets you track all your business expenses and helps you convert them easily to convert them to invoices. You can also categorize or tag expenses to keep your expense sheet organized.

Hiveage’s reporting tool lets you keep an eye on your finances with detailed financial reports and year-to-date income reports. You can also share client account statements with each client whenever there is a need to review your transaction history.

The major con of using Hiveage is that many users claim customer support is very unresponsive. Also, sales tax is calculated on an accrual basis and includes taxes on unpaid invoices and bills. Also, many users report that emails are sent to clients’ spam box and would relish the option of mailing through their personal or business email accounts.

Core Features:

• Analytics report
• Customizable invoices
• Time tracking
• Payment getaways
• Auto-billing recurring

11. Wave: Best All-In-One Invoicing Software Program

The last but not least on the list of invoicing software is Wave. This all-in-one invoicing software is efficient for small and growing businesses and helps you to keep track of payments, expenses, and bills.

Wave helps you design professional invoice templates that resonate with your brand ideals. Send automated reminders, manage recurring bills, monitor online payment, view customer transaction history, and gain insightful reports with Wave’s easy-to-use accounting package without breaking a sweat.

Core Features:

• Automate billing
• Tax calculator
• Reminder
• Track invoices
• Expense tracking

So, these are the top eleven out of most invoicing software for a small-scale business.

Did we get you in a catch-22 moment? Let’s get you out by telling you why you should use invoicing software.

Why Should You Use Invoicing Software?

Before deciding which invoicing software for small businesses is right for you, first define what you need in any invoicing software.

An efficient invoicing tool simplifies the daily invoicing process and makes managing your business much easier. It also helps manage client relationships and keep track of your business expenses. Here are some of the major benefits of most invoicing software.

• It saves time by automating the invoicing process
• It helps you to create and send invoices to multiple clients at once
• It helps you manage and organize all client invoices
• It helps you in sending invoices on-site to get paid quicker
• It helps you access invoices from anywhere
• It allows you to offer multiple payment options to your clients

These are the major benefits of invoicing apps for small businesses, and you can use these to streamline your choices when faced with multiple options. Moving ahead, let’s see how to choose the best invoicing software for your small business.

How to Choose the Best Invoicing Software For Your Business?

When you’ve narrowed your search to a few options, here are a few critical questions you may need to answer to help you decide on the best invoicing solution for your business:

• How long are you planning to use it?
  Pick the right tool, you need to decide on how long you plan to use it. If you don’t plan to use it as your business grows, investing a lot may not be a  wise option, and you are better off customizing free invoicing templates online. Also, in such cases, you should strongly use a billing and invoicing software that supports a free plan. And if you are planning to use it for a long time, make sure it is scalable.
• Does the client require it too?
  Not all clients would agree to install a software before they can pay invoices, and such requests could delay payments. So make sure it is practical from the client’s point of view.
• Is it compatible with the tool you already use?
  If you are currently using a tool for invoicing, you might want to ensure the new software you want to bring on the board easily integrates the current tool, or you might lose valuable data.
• Can you afford it?
  As a small business, you might be on a strict budget. So, you might be better off with an invoicing software that is well within your budget. And if you are willing to push the envelope, ensure the additional features and benefits are worth it.

How We Evaluated Invoicing Software?

One of the essential elements that contribute to the success of an organization is handling billing and invoicing. Optimizing and automating the estimation and invoice processes can ensure prompt payment receipt. Keeping track and following up would also be much easier. Plus, it would aid in the precise archiving of various bills.

You can easily achieve all of these things and much more by picking the perfect invoice software with exceptional invoicing capabilities, such as customizable invoice templates, online payment solutions, real-time invoice tracking, and project management tools.

Therefore, when assessing the software discussed above, we took into account the following factors in order to assist small business owners in finding the best invoicing software programs.

• Features comparison
• Ease of use
• Predefined templates
• Integrations
• Scalability
• Automation
• Reports generation
• Pricing

Conclusion

Did you find an invoicing solution that suits your business needs?

Let us know if you’re still undecided and what invoice app features are most critical to your business success.

And if you are still on the fence, why not try an easy-to-use invoice software created for small businesses like yours. The InvoiceOwl app was specifically designed for small businesses, startups, freelancers, start-ups, and self-employed business owners to create unlimited invoicing without hassle. InvoiceOwl also comes with many other useful invoicing features, making your entire invoicing work simpler and helping you get paid faster.

Sign Up Now for InvoiceOwl and create your first invoice.