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There are so many different online invoicing tools so making a shortlist of the best can be tricky. You want to bill clients, track payments, and manage financial records from anywhere - and need the right tool for your team. I've got you covered! In this post I share from my personal experience billing clients and managing payments, using many different online invoicing platforms, and share my picks of the best online invoicing tools.

What Are Online invoicing Tools?

Online invoicing tools are web-based programs that help you create, send, and manage invoices over the Internet. They allow you to easily generate bills for the services or products you offer, track payments, and keep an eye on your business finances. These tools are usually straightforward to use and can be accessed from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection.

Online invoicing software can save time and reduce the hassle of dealing with paperwork. You can quickly create professional-looking invoices, send them to clients via email, and get faster payments, which helps in improving your cash flow. These tools also keep all your invoices organized in one place, making it easier to track who has paid and who hasn’t. Plus, being online, they offer the flexibility to handle billing tasks from anywhere.

Overviews Of The 9 Best Invoicing Tools

Here’s a brief description of each of the invoice software on my list that should help you narrow down on the right option for you. I have also included pros, cons, costs, and a link to each service.

Best for B2B contracts & payments

  • Free plan available
  • Zero fee payment options

Hopscotch is a free invoicing software and payment processor designed to meet the needs of small businesses and freelancers/contractors. With Hopscotch, you can easily pay bills, create and send invoices, and manage cash flow. The easy-to-navigate user experience is designed to simplify accounting workflows, improve invoicing/bill pay processes, and consolidate multiple workflows in one dashboard—track all your accounts payable, receivable, and completed payment records here. 

Want to get paid fast and avoid high transaction fees? Generate and send your invoices using Hopscotch templates. You can add as much detail as you want (dates, payment terms, items, pricing, tax data) and even drop in branding details like logo, colors, and icons. Then share a link to the payment screen & invoice in any digital channel. Take advantage of fee-free payment options like bank transfers, or get paid via debit/credit card and choose who pays the fee (you or your client). You can also manage & pay your bills through Hopscotch. Vendors, contractors, and suppliers can even accept payments without creating an account. 

You can also use your Hopscotch dashboard for a quick at-a-glance understanding of what invoices have been sent or received, as well as if any are coming due or overdue. Integrate with Quickbooks to automatically reconcile payments, using customizable tags to clarify what budget they fall into. 

Hopscotch Flow is another unique service they offer. With Flow, you can unlock funds tied up in qualifying invoices before your client pays you; access the funds right when you need them to cover gaps in cash flow or invest in your business. This can be especially helpful to small orgs and freelancers operating with less capital who may prefer to get paid faster than net-30 or net-60. Unlike traditional businesses loans, Flow won’t ding your credit and there are no strings attached. 

Integrations include QuickBooks, Gmail, Outlook, AOL, and 1000+ banks.

Hopscotch is free to use and has premium plans launching soon.



Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Low to no transaction fees
  • Can borrow against pending invoices
  • Great for SMBs & freelancers

Cons:

  • Credit/debit have higher fees
  • Instant withdrawals not available yet

Best invoice software for low transaction fees

  • 30-day free trial
  • from $22.50/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4/5

QuickBooks allows you to send a custom invoice and accept the corresponding online payment. One of their key features is that they allow you to separate your business and personal expenses. It is an accounting tool that is considered to be one of the best. It also comes with bookkeeping options for every small business owner with its user-friendly dashboard and a never-ending list of features.

Costs

It is a more expensive option than most online invoice tools with the QuickBooks’ Essentials having a monthly cost of $25. The Plus plan is $70 a month and the Advanced plan is $150 a month. Much like FreshBooks, you can get a 30-day trial period to test out the product.

For digital agencies, you would have to opt for either the Plus plan or the Advanced plan depending on the size of your business.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Extremely thorough contact records and transaction reports. You will not find a service that does reporting as well as QuickBooks does it.
  • The QuickBooks’ project profitability feature allows you to see how profitable each potential project is which can help you make better business decisions in the long run
  • There are tons of integrations you can choose from if you want to use QuickBooks alongside another service. Some of the apps the tool integrates with easily include ClickUp PayPal, Shopify, and more
  • QuickBooks charges 2.9% for invoiced cards and $0.25 per transaction making it one of the best options for affordable transaction fees

Cons:

  • The pricing is a little higher than most of its competitors

Best for cost-effective payment processing

  • Free account available
  • From 0.50% + $0.25 per transaction
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

Helcim is a payment processing platform designed to cater to the needs of businesses looking for efficient transaction handling, offering services such as point-of-sale, online checkout, and invoicing. The company distinguishes itself by providing Interchange Plus pricing and a suite of free tools aimed at reducing the overall cost of payment processing for merchants.

I chose Helcim for the online invoicing tools category due to its commitment to low processing rates and its transparent pricing model. What differentiates Helcim is its Interchange Plus pricing, which can lead to significant savings on credit card fees, and the convenience of sending free online invoices. I believe Helcim is best for low-cost payment processing because it not only offers competitive rates but also provides a suite of business tools and payment options that cater to various business types.

Beyond just payment processing, Helcim provides a full suite of integrated services, including a comprehensive merchant platform that supports a wide range of functionalities such as invoicing, customer management, and inventory management. This all-in-one platform approach enables businesses to manage various aspects of their operations seamlessly within one ecosystem, enhancing efficiency and streamlining workflows.

Features include merchant accounts for accepting credit and debit card payments, a mobile app for iOS and Android for on-the-go payment acceptance, virtual terminals for processing transactions over the phone or via other non-direct methods, and payment gateways for integrating payments into business websites with features like hosted payment pages, QR codes, and recurring payment plans.

Integrations include Xero, Quickbooks, WooCommerce, Foxy.io, and Great Exposure.

Costs

Pricing starts from 0.50% + $0.25 per transaction and there is a free plan available.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Support through phone, email, and an online ticket system
  • Interchange-plus pricing model is highly transparent
  • Extensive range of services beyond payment prossing alone

Cons:

  • Limited physical presence outside Canada and the US
  • Complexity for small merchants

Best for small-to-mid-sized businesses

  • 30-day free trial
  • $4.50/month
Visit Website
Rating: 5/5

FreshBooks is an online accounting software designed to help businesses manage their finances. It is specifically tailored for small and medium-sized businesses, providing them with the tools they need to stay organized. With FreshBooks, businesses have a comprehensive suite of invoicing and payment options that enable them to keep track of their finances more efficiently. 

FreshBooks is ideal for HR teams who need to easily create invoices, accept payments from clients and customers, and keep track of various financial details. The software also offers detailed analytics that provide insights into how much money has been earned during a certain period of time. This information can then be used to better plan future finances or make adjustments where necessary. 

In addition, FreshBooks features scheduling capabilities which allow users to quickly schedule appointments or send reminders about upcoming tasks.

This accounting tool is most suitable for entrepreneurs or teams that want to grow their business and streamline their invoicing needs such as recurring invoices, overdue invoices, using customizable invoices . You can expect to see features like online payment options (ACH and credit card payment), late payment reminders, and automated invoicing.

Integrations include over 100 different third-party apps, like DocuSign, Stripe, Gmail, Hubspot, Dropbox, PrestaShop, Kissflow, Fundbox, Acuity Scheduling, Checkkeeper, Gusto, and Mailform.

Costs

This FreshBooks billing software pricing starts at $15 a month which allows you 5 billable clients and unlimited invoices. There is also a Plus plan for $25 a month with 50 billable clients and a Premium plan for $50 a month with 500 billable clients. For each plan, you will have to pay an additional $10 for every team member you add.

Apart from this, you can also ask for a custom quote if you want custom service (or a higher number of billable clients). You can test run their software with their 30-day free trial.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Generous 30-day free trial available
  • Custom invoices with due dates, tax, & discounts
  • Collaborative project tools & time tracking included

Cons:

  • No freemium version available
  • Real-time notifications when invoices are paid

Best for invoice & contract templates

  • 7-day free trial
  • From $39/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

HoneyBook is a comprehensive invoice software for digital agencies. It provides the tools to manage inquiries, contracts, scheduling, and payments⁠—everything it takes to serve clients as a service-based business. HoneyBook helps you move clients from inquiry to invoice by combining your workflow and client experience. You can add a contact form to your website or social media page and new inquiries get automatically added to your pipeline. You can even trigger proposals, invoices, contracts, and scheduling tools.

Beyond client management, HoneyBook gives you a birds-eye view of your overall business through reporting that tracks financial data, success rates, and lead sources.

HoneyBook has some free tools you can try, too, including invoice generators, email signature generators, and mission state generators. You can also access free invoice and contract templates.

Key features include invoicing, proposals, scheduling, contracts, workflow automation, digital payment processing, client communication, meeting/appointment bookings, tasks and to-do lists, file and document storage, and project management.

Integrations include Zoom, QuickBooks, Gmail, and Google Calendar. You can unlock more through a Zapier subscription (may incur additional costs).

Costs

After your 7-day free trial, you can use HoneyBook for $1/month for your first 6 months with code: ONLY1. From then on, HoneyBook starts at $39/month.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • User-friendly CRM for SMBs
  • High quality iOS and Android apps
  • Super easy booking & billing processes

Cons:

  • Limited third-party integrations
  • No scheduling features

Best online invoicing dashboard

  • Free plan available
  • From $26/user/month (min 5 seats) (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

Scoro has one of the cleanest and most user-friendly dashboards available. It is easy to understand and everything you could possibly need is a simple click away.

The platform is an all-in-one management tool that includes invoicing features that allow you to create beautiful invoices, send reminders, and get paid on time- all the time.

Costs

Scoro’s pricing starts at $26 per user per month with a minimum of 5 users. This is in reference to their essential plan (the smallest plan they have). They also have a work hub plan and a sales hub plan, both of which have a recurring cost of $37 per month per user.

You can test run their services today with a 14-day free trial.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Scoro lets you set up a recurring payment plan for any customer
  • You can automate reminders to be sent whenever a bill is overdue or has not been paid after a set number of days
  • The project profitability features lets you get a bird’s eye view of how profitable each project or client is
  • All of your information is on one clean dashboard

Cons:

  • Since Scoro is an all-in-one solution that includes things like key performance indicators, calendar management, and task management; an agency that is simply looking for an invoicing tool may feel overwhelmed

Best for invoicing document management & control

  • 30-day free trial + free demo
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

DocuWare is a cloud-based online invoicing software that helps businesses to streamline and improve their invoice management system. This software integrates with existing financial systems, allowing companies to easily access and manage their purchase orders, invoices, payments, and more. 

The DocuWare platform provides users with an array of features that can help them better organize their digital documents. For example, the drag-and-drop function makes it easy for business owners to upload multiple invoices at once as well as categorize them for future use. Additionally, users have access to customizable invoice templates which can be tailored to match a company's branding and style guidelines. 

Overall, DocuWare is an efficient tool that simplifies the process of managing online invoices so businesses can more quickly generate accurate statements for their customers.

DocuWare integrates with over 500 different applications across email, team portals, CRM, ERP, and HR systems, including Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, QuickBooks, and SAP.

Costs

DocuWare offers pricing upon request. They have a 30-day free trial and free demo to get you started.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good optical character recognition (OCR)
  • Great functionality vs cost
  • Automate online invoicing, storage, and management

Cons:

  • More tutorials for new users
  • OCR occassionally misses data

Best free invoicing tool

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $35/month + $6/employee/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

If you are looking for invoicing software that gives you all of the basic features necessary to run your business while still staying affordable, Wave is the best option out there. It is a no-frills invoicing option that allows you to send customizable and unlimited invoices. Wave makes payment processing easy with ways to track and manage recurring payments, issue professional invoices, and getting reminders on overdue invoices.

Costs

You cannot beat free which is why when it comes to costs, Wave wins every time.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Wave lets you customize your invoices with your brand colors and logo
  • You can customize payment terms for each customer
  • You will be notified when your invoices have been viewed by the recipient
  • The software will automatically calculate your sales tax on each invoice
  • It seamlessly integrates with your accounting needs

Cons:

  • You will not get amazing customer support but that should not come as a surprise since you are paying for what you get and in this case you are not paying at all
  • This may not be suitable for digital agencies that are large in size and are looking for a more premium invoice automation tool.

Best for its use of new technologies to automate invoicing

  • 15-day free trial
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

Yooz is a cloud-based accounts payable (AP) and invoice payment automation solution that offers secure purchase-to-pay (P2P) and invoice processing solutions. 

Yooz can automate vendor communications and invoice approvals. The AI-driven data capture module allows you to import, scan, and record relevant information from different documents while using electronic data interchange (EDI) and email addresses for the distribution of data.

It is also designed to eliminate the need for manual data entries by simply automating the delegation of numerals to financial inputs. You can effortlessly check, approve, and reassign invoices to the right stakeholders from virtually anywhere at any time. The software can reduce costly and time-consuming errors by detecting duplicates and potential fraud, as well as eliminating manual data entries.

Additionally, Yooz provides a purchase module that you can use to define and automate various processes, including approval workflows, purchase requests (PR), and purchase order (PO) creation. It also lets you manage deliveries and keep track of budgets.

Yooz allows touchless deployment, giving you the ability to automate approvals, data recordings, and payments in real time with the help of big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). It enables in-app mailboxes and smart workflows for request approvals and rejections. In addition they can prepare and release bills with the Stamp feature and categorize documents with SmartSplit.

Integrations for this software include over 250 financial management systems, including Sage, Quickbooks, NetSuite, Infor, SAP, Oracle, and FinancialForce.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • The system automatically updates to the latest version
  • Accessible through PC, tablet, or mobile
  • Document fraud detection using AI

Cons:

  • Can be complex to learn without training
  • Mobile app has an outdated UI

Best invoicing system for large agencies

  • Free demo available.
  • From $447/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Tipalti was built with larger agencies in mind. Their pricing and features reflect this. They have advanced features like data entry using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology and bill data prediction using machine learning.

All of the features have one goal in mind- to save you time. You can also add on unlimited invoice approvers which means if you are dealing with a company that has a multi-tier setup, you can create your invoices in a way wherein they have to be approved at multiple levels.

Costs

Tipalti has pricing models that are designed to grow with your digital agency. Their Tipalti Express platform comes with a fee of $299 and you can choose to upgrade to their Tipalti Pro platform at any point for a fee of $447 per month.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Automated routing emails can be sent for online approval. This eliminates the need to chase down multiple people to approve an invoice
  • Payments can be made easily by grouping together multiple invoices regardless of who they are from or what payment method they are using
  • Notifications via email allow anyone who is interested to see payment and invoice information easily
  • OCR scanning allows you to scan invoices and avoid time being wasted on data entry

Cons:

  • It is a far more expensive option than most. They have two pricing options with the cheaper one having a price tag of $299

The Best Online Invoicing Tools Comparison Chart

Here is a table where you can compare all the tools we just covered in the overviews.

Tools Price
Hopscotch Zero fee payment options
QuickBooks Online from $22.50/month
Helcim From 0.50% + $0.25 per transaction
Freshbooks $4.50/month
HoneyBook From $39/month
Scoro From $26/user/month (min 5 seats) (billed annually)
DocuWare Pricing upon request
Wave From $35/month + $6/employee/month
Yooz Pricing upon request
Tipalti From $447/month
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	Compare Software Specs Side by Side</h2>

Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

Compare Software

Other Online Invoicing Tools

Here are a few invoicing tools that did not make the top list but are still worth your consideration.

  1. Tipalti

    Best invoicing system for large agencies

  2. PayPal

    Best invoicing tool for one-time clients

  3. Xero

    Best invoicing software for bulk invoicing

  4. Zoho Invoice

    Best invoicing software for scaling your agency

  5. Square

    Best for startup digital agencies

  6. Harvest

    Best for paying for services that need to be time tracked down to the second.

How I Picked The Best Online Invoicing Tools

What do I look for when I am selecting an invoice software? Here are a few features that I think any tool should include:

  1. Software should be able to calculate automatically – Any invoicing software you use should have the ability to calculate your total and deduct any discounts or coupons automatically.
  2. The ability to change pricing plans – There is a very good chance your business may need to switch a customer’s pricing plans while still keeping track of their purchase history with the company.
  3. Multiple template styles – Having multiple templates to choose from and the ability to customize your invoice with brand colors or the business logo is a must.
  4. The ability to add discounts or coupons – For most digital marketing agencies, the ability to give a customer a discount or let them use a certain coupon code is part of their business model. Your invoice software should allow you to do this.
  5. Notifications – The added feature of email/mobile notifications when an invoice has been paid, rejected, or edited is always helpful.
  6. Affordable – No one wants to waste hundreds of dollars every month on any tool. No matter how many awesome features a tool may have, I always look at whether it makes financial sense for me to be paying that amount every month.
online invoicing tools logos list

Invoicing Software FAQ

Have a few lingering questions? Here’s a good place to start.

What key features can I find in online invoicing tools?

These are a few features that all or most of the software I will cover include:

  • Recurring Billing
  • Expense tracking
  • Account Management
  • Customizable Templates
  • Multiple Currency Setting

Is there a free invoicing tool?

Yes! If you are a small business looking to test a new tool, you can try Invoice Ninja. They have a free plan that lets you handle 20 clients with an unlimited number of invoices and invoice customization options.

Once you are ready to take on more work, you can pay for another tool or upgrade to one of their paid plans.

What is the best free invoice software?

The best free invoice making app, in my opinion, has to be Wave. The software has extremely customizable templates, is easy to use, and lets you create unlimited invoices.

You can also create recurring bills for repeat customers that serve as a passive income source- this feature works well for subscriptions or monthly payments for services you offer.

After this you can even choose to connect your invoices to the Wave accounting software. The software also has a free app that is available on the Play Store or the Apple app store.

What information should you include in an invoice?

An invoice should ideally include all or most of the following information-

  • A unique invoice number that you can refer to in the future.
  • Your company name (or your name if you are a solopreneur).
  • An address you can be contacted at in case of a dispute.
  • The date that you provided the product or service and the date of the invoice.
  • Description of each good/service you are billing the customer for along with the relevant cost.
  • At the end of the invoice will be the total amount that needs to be paid.

What's Next?

According to a study by Ultimate Software, 92% of employees say that having technology that helps them do their job efficiently directly affects their work satisfaction. Invoicing tools are one of the many ways you can save time for yourself and your fellow employees. Tasks that normally take a few days could be completed in a few hours which means you can spend those hours growing your business.

Working smart is the key to business growth after all.

You can also subscribe to the DPM newsletter to get some of the best advice, podcast episodes, articles, and tool reviews sent directly to your inbox.

By Ben Aston

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. I'm a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut!