Free Invoicing Software: Effective billing and invoicing are just two of the main aspects of running a thriving small, medium, and large-scale business. Good invoicing software needs to be simple to use, and has incorporated payment links, recurring billing, payment obligations, and a lot more features, which I have discussed as you roll down the page.
Before then, let’s talk a bit about what invoices and bills are:
Invoice
A bill is usually sent after the products or services are sent or completed. Original paper-based invoices have been replaced with electronic types.
Bills
Bills” are received from vendors. They list expenses, plus they record that the business occupies the owner and the amount of cash that looks at the fee. Bills might be included in the status. Draft, Pending, and Sent An awesome feature to deal with all your bills online
Before we get you to view the list, let’s give you a bit of background on invoicing software.
Advantages of Cloud Invoicing and Billing Software
- Cost-effective
Not having billing software can make tiny extra costs appear. You have to keep a record of all the details in a manual way, and that can cost you: the ink, the paper, and also time, which can cost you as well, as time is money. But with billing software, you can save it all in the system and in the software without having to write it down and keep wasting money on pens and notebooks to keep everything recorded. It helps you do more work than doing the billing, so you can give more time to your business.
- Instant updates
Automated billing software updates you on all the daily sales of products and integrates with inventory and accounting software. This way, you remain updated about the accounts and business that is happening, and the inventory level remains under check. As the billing happens, the sold items get updated along with the required information.
- Notifications and reminders
It helps you take a professional approach to the overdue payments and bills that are yet to be paid. And you will not miss out on any bill, as it gets as easy as going through your Facebook account as the notifications about the bill being paid are updated. Just like you keep reminders for birthdays and anniversaries, you can stay alert about the payments, and your company will never be in a state of payment delay.
- Instant invoices
Be it related to online payments or billing, it will help you print or send invoices to customers instantly. This helps customers and clients get information about transactions and purchased items immediately, which results in customer satisfaction. This also acts as proof; hence, clients and customers have complete satisfaction as it is instant as well.
- Accessibility
The accessibility makes it simple for the business owners to get updates anywhere, and this way, the business remains in the hands of the owner. Even when you are away on a trip, you will remain aware of what is happening in your business. All you will require is an internet connection.
- Integrates with other software
Unlike other billing software, online billing software integrates with other software to a necessary extent. Inventory management and accounting software require integration as they help track inventory levels and keep the business’s accounts. This way, it makes it easier for you to run your business, and all the work gets done at once without you having to go through every other piece of software in your company to look for updates.
- Faster billing
Making a queue in a supermarket is one of the most irritating situations we experience, and that makes us lose our patience and manners. But with billing software, your customers and employees will have a more relaxed experience, as billing software helps with faster billing.
In a manual manner, we enter the price, the information, and each product separately and then calculate them. This time-consuming process becomes a task in a few minutes as the billing software reads the barcode with the help of a barcode reader, enters all the details, and then calculates it with a printed invoice in the end. Boom, you have it all in just a few minutes, with no one forcing you to wait in a line for several minutes.
Free Invoicing Software: Feature Analysis
Good invoicing and billing software is the backbone of any business. A good SaaS software for invoicing and billing will provide you with the following features:
- Accounting
Any good billing and invoicing software should perform tasks such as maintaining the ledger, accounts payable and receivable, bank reconciliation, and managing your assets (fixed and variable) as well as liabilities.
- Tax Management
The good billing and invoicing software provides a tax management module that helps in carrying out tax calculations, along with reporting and integration of taxes.
- CRM Billing
This module lets you store customer and banking information. You can also migrate billing data from legacy systems by integrating CRM systems with secure database development.
- Invoice tracking
With automatic tracking, you can find out which invoices have been paid, which are due, and which are past the due date.
- Easier client payments
With the help of billing and invoicing software, you can send reminders to clients when payment is due. You can also offer different payment options, such as credit or debit cards, payment apps, etc., making it easier for clients to pay you.
- Integrated Reporting System
You can get important audit information, such as sales data, taxes, and expenses, in addition to basic invoices and bills.
Top Free Invoicing Software
The selection of the best free invoicing software generally involves a comparison of different programs on the basis of varied factors. Among the many considerations to make, user friendliness and cost should form an important part.
Some programs provide automated features, customization options, and templates to choose from. Even the email integration feature is available in some free invoicing software. Here are the top 15 free and paid invoicing software programs:
In FreshBooks, you can customize your invoice with a logo, template, colors, and fonts to make it look more professional and unique. You can also accept credit cards online and get paid directly from your invoice.
Prices start at $15 per month (which includes only five billing clients). Other options include payments of $25 per month (50 billing clients) and $50 per month (500 billing clients).
- InvoiceMeNow
InvoiceMeNow is the best on-the-go solution for small business owners, contractors, and freelancers. Over 26,000 businesses worldwide already trust it. With the help of this app, you can easily make invoices and estimates, control all the expenses, add clients, and purchase orders.
Invoicing your customers in seconds is a reality with the InvoiceMeNow mobile app.
The good news is that unlimited access to all tools is free for all subscribers.
Invoice2Go is a mobile app designed as a simple invoicing, expense tracking, and reporting tool for small business owners. Based on the quantity of invoices, clients, and account managers, the app is available via subscription.
Unlimited access starts at $39.99 per month for first-year subscribers.
- Invoicera
Another robust accounting solution is Invoicera, which is characterized as having all the attributes of an easy-to-use and smart accounting tool. With the product, users no longer have to spend days on financial tasks as it deals with all accounting work such as accounts receivable and payables, reporting, and payment disputes, to name a few.
Multiple businesses and accounts can be managed simultaneously, preserving service quality at the same time. Invoicera works with top-of-the-line legacy systems and integrates with several payment gateways. Subscriptions can be managed in multiple languages, making the app suitable for international users.
- Xero
Another leading invoicing and billing tool is Xero, which boasts one of the most advanced invoicing modules in accounting. It is capable of providing any business type and size with all its invoicing needs. The product is easy to use and does not require too much experience when doing complicated financial operations.
All features are accessible through the dashboard, where users can track invoicing and billing status and view charts in real time. Its settings tab is where all corporate information is stored and financial settings are tweaked.
Xero’s accounts menu, on the other hand, enables users to make changes to bank accounts, check checks, and create records for use in payroll. The app’s flexible pricing makes it highly attractive, while its wide array of integrations offers loads of benefits.
- Zoho Invoice
Essentially a part of a much larger productivity suite, the cloud invoicing system Zoho Invoice is designed for use by small and budding businesses. The software provides users with all the help that they need to ensure on-time payment collection and stable client relationships.
This is done through quick and efficient invoice generation and distribution. Aside from this, the product facilitates online payment, automated reminders, time tracking, and time management. It seamlessly integrates with known Zoho tools and third-party applications for easy migration of data. You can check out all the product’s features as it comes with a free trial.
- Tipalti
The widely-known billing and invoicing application Tipalti is designed to resolve problems like administrative overload, human errors, noncompliance, and late payments. It is highly intuitive, streamlining payment processes for customers, vendors, partners, and affiliates in over 190 countries.
The system sees to it that businesses’ tax and regulatory requirements have been met with minimal human intervention. It is known for providing both vendors and customers with richer payment experiences without compromising quality. For those who want to take the software for a spin first, a free trial is available.
- ZipBooks
ZipBooks is free, user-friendly software. It was designed to get business owners organized and paid faster. When you can speed up the invoicing process by doing it online, you speed up the payment process.
It’s newer, web-based software that’s free. It’s got professional-looking templates that you can send right to a client’s email.
Ten other compelling features:
- It’s 100% free, forever. (There are no monthly fees or hidden costs.)
- Send invoices anywhere, anytime.
- Gives clients a button to pay right from the invoice you send.
- Send invoices from any device.
- Simple, professional invoice template
- Has project-tracking tools
- It saves your invoice history.
- Stores client information online
- Has time-tracking
- Allows you to record and save quotes online.
Additionally, if you can get paid right at the time of sending an invoice rather than several days or weeks later when the client gets around to payment, your business will continue smoothly sailing. ZipBooks offers the option to get paid right away rather than waiting until the end of the payment term to get your money.
- Wave
If you’re looking for something affordable for very small businesses, I’d definitely recommend Wave. The invoicing is 100% free, with absolutely zero limits (note: I work at Wave).
Wave also offers some pretty robust invoicing features, including the ability to schedule recurring invoices, create estimates and convert them to invoices, send a receipt of payment, and more! In terms of automation, it connects to Wave’s credit card processing (enabling you to receive payment by credit card directly in the invoices you send) and to Wave’s accounting product (ensuring that your accounting will update automatically).
Many invoicing products are either free or offer free trials, so I’d definitely recommend you try a few of these out and see what’s the best fit for your needs.
I believe Invoiceberry is one of the best online invoicing software programs. The software has several unique features that make it distinctive from other invoicing software. Some of which are:
- Invoice page at a glance
The invoice page is your most important page at InvoiceBerry. You can create, edit, and send your invoices by email or post directly from this page.
- Add payments to your invoices.
Keep track of your clients’ payments by quickly adding payments you receive to an invoice. It’s now much simpler to add payments for deposits before you start work or to offer payments in installments.
- Customize your invoices.
Add your logo, terms and conditions, address, and notes to your customer to any invoice. Customize even further by choosing one of our invoice templates that will help reflect your company’s identity and make you look more professional.
- Recurring invoices
Automate invoicing by scheduling invoices at a fixed date. If you have a client that you regularly invoice, the recurring invoice function will save you time, as you’ll only have to set up the invoice once.
- Freemium
The best of it all is that it is pretty much free for small business owners and tailored to suit every business’s financial needs.
- AnyInvoice
A very simple, fast, and easy-to-use software for freelancers and small businesses. It’s only $9/month and includes everything (unlimited users, invoices, etc.). And if you write an honest review, you will get a free subscription.
- Compatible on all devices
- Integrates with Stripe and PayPal
- One subscription gets you everything, so you don’t need to worry about pricing or limitations.
- Good customer support
- Zoho Invoice
Zoho Invoice: Send beautiful invoices and receive payments faster, even when you are on the move. Zoho Invoice is an online invoicing app that helps you create professional invoices, track expenses, and receive payments faster. For project-based billing, track time spent on projects and invoice customers.
Download the hassle-free invoicing app on your Windows desktop, phone, or Surface for free and sign up for the 14-day free trial. Once the trial period ends, your account will be moved to the free plan, where you can have one user and create transactions for up to five customers.
But if you are a digital agency, you need to check out Dashable. It’s a product we built for ourselves at Koombea, because we are an agency of almost 100 people, to give us the invoicing solution we needed. Feel free to call the hotline on the site to talk to an invoicing specialist who can help you with questions and customizations.
It is an invoicing tool designed for small businesses. It allows you to keep track of clients, create customized reports, accept online payments, and track time, expenses, and mileage in one place. It’s a cloud-based tool that you can use from anywhere at any time, making it easy to keep up with work on the go.
(It’s perfect for busy freelancers, too!). The basic software is free for all customers to use and allows for unlimited invoicing. This idea is that it helps simplify accounting in a number of ways so that you can focus on your business and what you do best, particularly if that is not paperwork.
QuickBooks is Intuit Inc.’s set of software solutions designed to manage payroll, inventory, sales, and other needs of a small business. The software’s features include marketing tools, merchant services, products and supplies, and training solutions. Each solution is developed according to different industries and their needs.
Intuit’s products for construction contractors include the Simple Start Plus Pack, Quickbooks Pro, Quickbooks Premier Contractor, and Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions: Contractor. These products are designed to meet the contractor’s needs based on company size.
QuickBooks solutions are used to monitor expenses, create invoices and reports, track change orders and job status, and manage inventory, customers, vendors, and employees. In addition to these industry-specific packages and their corresponding capabilities, Intuit offers add-ons to Quickbook versions as well as third-party tools that integrate with Quickbooks to enhance current functions.
Over to you!
In sum, the choice of the right billing and invoicing software depends on the most pressing needs in your business. People are talking about a particular billing and invoicing software, even to the point of accessing the free version. We did recommend it, but that doesn’t make it the best fit for your business.
Check reviews, testimonials, and references; find at least one person you trust who tried it and liked it. And most of all, look for one that has a free demo or trial version and try it yourself. The last thing you want is to have your business held hostage by an unscrupulous billing and accounting software vendor.