Best overall4.5From $19/moFreshBooks
Best for: Best overall
Invoicing, time tracking, and expense management built for freelancers and service businesses. Professional invoices and recurring billing.
FreshBooks is our top pick for most freelancers and service-based businesses. It combines professional invoicing, recurring billing, time tracking, and payment collection in an easy-to-use package. Client portals and estimates round out the workflow. If you want to get paid faster and look professional without spreadsheets, FreshBooks is the default choice.
Pros
- Professional invoicing, recurring billing, and payment collection
- Time tracking and client portals in one place
- Estimates and proposals that convert to invoices
- Easy to use; built for freelancers and service businesses
Cons
- Client and project limits on lower tiers
- Less suited to product or inventory-heavy businesses
- Reporting depth below full accounting tools
Pricing: FreshBooks uses tiered plans starting around $19/month; pricing scales by client count and features. Check current plans on FreshBooks' site.
Best for QuickBooks users4.6From $30/moQuickBooks
Best for: Best for QuickBooks users
Invoicing inside QuickBooks for businesses already on the platform. Books and invoices stay in one place.
QuickBooks is the obvious fit when you already run your books in QuickBooks. Invoicing, payment links, and estimates are built in, and paid invoices flow straight into your accounts. No sync or export. If you're not on QuickBooks, a dedicated invoicing tool like FreshBooks or Wave may be simpler and cheaper.
Pros
- Invoicing, payment links, and estimates built in
- Paid invoices flow straight into books; no sync
- Familiar if you already use QuickBooks
- Strong reporting and tax prep alongside invoicing
Cons
- Heavy and expensive if you only need invoicing
- Add-ons and higher tiers increase cost
- Overkill for freelancers who don't need full accounting
Pricing: QuickBooks Online plans start around $30/month; invoicing is included. Higher tiers add more users and features. Compare with dedicated invoicing tools if you don't need full accounting.
Best free invoicing software4.3From FreeWave
Best for: Best free invoicing software
Free invoicing and receipt scanning with no monthly fee. Ideal for freelancers and very small businesses.
Wave is the best free invoicing option. You get professional invoices, payment tracking, and receipt scanning without a subscription; Wave makes money on payment processing. It's a good way to start or run a very small business on a tight budget. For more features or client workflows, paid options like FreshBooks or Zoho Invoice are worth considering.
Pros
- Free core invoicing and receipt scanning; no monthly fee
- Good for freelancers and very small businesses
- Payment tracking and basic reporting included
- Low barrier to start
Cons
- Fewer features and client workflows than paid tools
- Support more limited than paid options
- Revenue from payment processing
Pricing: Wave's core invoicing is free; payment processing has its own fees. No subscription for the free plan. Compare with paid tools if you need more clients or features.
Best value4.4From Free tierZoho Invoice
Best for: Best value
Affordable invoicing with projects, client portal, and automation. Good fit for value-focused teams.
Zoho Invoice delivers strong value: good automation, project and client tracking, and a client portal at a lower price than FreshBooks or QuickBooks. It's especially compelling if you already use other Zoho apps. The free tier is generous for light use; paid plans add more invoices and features.
Pros
- Strong automation and client portal at lower price
- Free tier generous for light use
- Good fit if you already use Zoho apps
- Project and client tracking included
Cons
- Invoice limits on free tier
- Less brand recognition than FreshBooks or QuickBooks
- Smaller ecosystem than QuickBooks
Pricing: Zoho Invoice offers a free tier and paid plans; paid plans add more invoices and features. Compare tiers for your volume and needs.
Best for businesses needing accounting + invoicing4.5From $15/moXero
Best for: Best for businesses needing accounting + invoicing
Cloud invoicing and quoting with full accounting. Strong for growing teams that want one platform.
Xero is the pick when you want invoicing and full accounting in one place. Invoices, quotes, and payments tie into the same books and reports. The interface is clean and the app marketplace is large. If you need more than just invoicing—bank feeds, reporting, multi-currency—Xero is a strong choice. For invoicing-only, FreshBooks or Wave can be simpler.
Pros
- Invoicing plus full accounting in one place
- Clean interface and large app marketplace
- Bank feeds, reporting, multi-currency
- Competitive entry-level pricing
Cons
- User limits on lower plans
- Heavier than invoicing-only tools
- Some features require higher tiers
Pricing: Xero offers tiered plans starting around $15/month; higher tiers add more users and features. Compare with invoicing-only tools if you don't need full accounting.
