9 Best Online Invoicing Tools Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 9 best software from the 18 tools reviewed.
Get free help from our project management software advisors to find your match.
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.
The Best Online Invoicing Tools Comparison Chart
Here is a table where you can compare all the tools we just covered in the overviews.
Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Payouts Payouts' dashboard facilitates the management of pending invoices, allowing users to keep track of outstanding payments and manage cash flow effectively. | Best for intelligent invoice capture | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website |
2 | Deel Deel offers invoicing and payments in over 120 currencies, which simplifies international transactions. | Best for payroll and invoicing in one | Free demo available | Flat rate user pricing, with a free version for businesses with up to 200 people | Website |
3 | Scoro Scoro is where everything is in its place and you know the place of everything. | Best online invoicing dashboard | 14-day free trial + free demo available | From $26/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
4 | Xero Xero is one of the most well-automated options available. You can automatically alert customers when a bill is overdue or set up repeating invoices to get billed on the go. | Best invoicing software for bulk invoicing | 30-day free trial | From $1.40/month (for 3 months, then $14/month) | Website |
5 | QuickBooks Online QuickBooks is FreshBooks. | Best invoice software for low transaction fees | 30-day free trial | From $10.50/month (for 3 months, then $35/month) | Website |
6 | Helcim Helcim offers streamlined payment processing with competitive rates, multi-channel support, secure transactions, and comprehensive reporting features. | Best for cost-effective payment processing | Free account available | From 0.50% + $0.25 per transaction | Website |
7 | HoneyBook HoneyBook offers a simple and easy-to-use interface whether you're at your desk or on the go. | Best for invoice & contract templates | 7-day free trial | From $16/month | Website |
8 | Wave A common misconception is that free means a loss of quality but Wave remains one of the best accounting software options on the market. | Best free invoicing tool | 30-day free trial + free plan available | From $14/user/month | Website |
9 | Yooz You can capture invoices, PR, PO, and credit notes all in one place, and upload them through various digital channels. | Best for its use of new technologies to automate invoicing | 15-day free trial | Pricing upon request | Website |
10 | Keap Users can create and automate invoices with Keap's built-in invoicing features that support various payment methods. | Best for integrated CRM and invoicing | 14-day free trial | From $249/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
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Wrike
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.2 -
actiTIME
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.4 -
monday.com
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6
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.
Payouts is a platform tailored to automate global payouts and manage vendors, targeting businesses in sectors such as affiliate marketing, influencer marketing, gaming, and the creator economy.
One reason I chose Payouts is its intelligent invoice capture feature. Utilizing advanced optical character recognition (OCR) technology, Payouts accurately extracts data from invoices in various formats, such as PDFs and scanned images. This automation eliminates manual data entry, reducing errors and saving your team valuable time.
Another standout aspect is Payouts' automatic invoice matching capability. The platform seamlessly matches invoices to corresponding purchase orders and receipts, ensuring consistency and accuracy in your records. This feature not only speeds up the reconciliation process but also minimizes discrepancies, allowing your agency to maintain precise financial documentation.
Other notable features include customizable approval workflows that let you set up approval processes based on specific criteria like amount, vendor, or department, a collaborative vendor portal where vendors can submit invoices directly and check payment statuses, and optimized global payments supporting multiple currencies and payment methods, making international transactions straightforward.
Deel is a comprehensive platform designed to streamline the invoicing and payment processes for freelancers and remote teams, marking its distinctiveness in the global workforce management arena. One of the key features that sets Deel apart is its ability to handle invoicing in over 120 currencies, enabling seamless international transactions. This capability ensures that freelancers and businesses can send and receive payments in their preferred currency, mitigating the hassle of currency conversion and the associated fees. Additionally, Deel offers real-time tracking of invoice statuses, allowing users to monitor when an invoice is sent, viewed, and paid, thus enhancing transparency and predictability in cash flow management.
Deel integrates robust compliance tools that automate the creation of tax forms and compliance documents as part of the invoicing process. This is particularly advantageous for users working across different countries, as it significantly reduces the complexity and time involved in adhering to various local tax regulations. The platform also ensures that all invoices are compliant with local laws, which is critical for avoiding legal and financial penalties. This integration of invoicing and compliance support in a single platform provides a unique value proposition, distinguishing Deel from other invoicing software.
Deel enhances user convenience through its user-friendly interface and flexible payment options. Users can set up recurring payments and automated reminders, reducing the administrative burden often associated with invoicing. The platform also supports multiple payment methods, including bank transfers, credit cards, and even cryptocurrencies, offering greater flexibility to meet the diverse needs of its global user base. These features, combined with exceptional customer support and continuous updates to keep up with changing regulations and market needs, make Deel a standout choice for businesses and freelancers looking for an efficient and reliable invoicing solution.
Costs
Deel offers a flexible pricing structure tailored to different needs, which includes a contractor plan and an employee plan. The contractor plan typically charges a fixed fee per contractor per month, which covers the management of contracts, automated invoices, and compliance with local regulations. The employee plan, aimed at full-time employees, usually involves a higher monthly fee per employee but includes additional features such as full payroll services and benefits management.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Features an intuitive dashboard that makes navigation and operation straightforward
- Offers invoicing and payments in over 120 currencies
- Ensures compliance with international laws and regulations
Cons:
- Focus is mainly on HR functionality with invoicing as a feature
- May be considered expensive for startups and small businesses
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:
- All of your information is on one clean dashboard
- The project profitability features lets you get a bird’s eye view of how profitable each project or client is
- You can automate reminders to be sent whenever a bill is overdue or has not been paid after a set number of days
- Scoro lets you set up a recurring payment plan for any customer
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
Xero was founded in 2006 in Wellington, New Zealand with the primary goal of making your finances automated and easily accessible. Thankfully for the rest of us, they succeeded in doing this by becoming one of the best invoicing tools.
Xero offers features like bulk invoicing, mobile invoices using their invoice creator app, and more.
Costs
Xero’s pricing starts at $20 per month for their starter plan. There is also a standard plan for $30 a month and a premium plan for $40 per month. They also offer a 30-day free trial.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Another cool feature is that you can see when a customer has seen your invoice and if it has been paid
- Invoices can be easily replicated and used again
- You can set up repeating invoices that get sent every month to your customers
- Bulk invoicing allows you to send multiple invoices at the same time or email all of your invoices to the same customer together so that they can pay the final amount all at once
Cons:
- This option lacks customer support aid over the phone or via chat. You can only reach out by filling out a contact form and waiting for them to get in touch
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:
- QuickBooks charges 2.9% for invoiced cards and $0.25 per transaction making it one of the best options for affordable transaction fees
- 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
- 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
- Extremely thorough contact records and transaction reports. You will not find a service that does reporting as well as QuickBooks does it.
Cons:
- The pricing is a little higher than most of its competitors
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
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:
- Super easy booking & billing processes
- High quality iOS and Android apps
- User-friendly CRM for SMBs
Cons:
- No scheduling features
- Limited third-party integrations
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:
- It seamlessly integrates with your accounting needs
- The software will automatically calculate your sales tax on each invoice
- You will be notified when your invoices have been viewed by the recipient
- You can customize payment terms for each customer
- Wave lets you customize your invoices with your brand colors and logo
Cons:
- This may not be suitable for digital agencies that are large in size and are looking for a more premium invoice automation tool.
- 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
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:
- Document fraud detection using AI
- Accessible through PC, tablet, or mobile
- The system automatically updates to the latest version
Cons:
- Mobile app has an outdated UI
- Can be complex to learn without training
Keap is a comprehensive business growth and automation tool designed for small businesses, offering features such as CRM, marketing automation, lead capture, sales automation, and lifecycle automation. Keap's invoicing tools allow businesses to automate the invoicing process, easily schedule appointments, and receive payments from customers automatically. You can process payments via Keap Pay or third-party integrations like Stripe, PayPal, and Eway.
Additionally, I like that Keap's built-in reporting feature tracks sales results, allowing businesses to make more informed decisions about their sales processes. For digital agencies, Keap is especially beneficial with its robust CRM capabilities which allow you to keep track of customers and new leads and create automated workflows and personalized messaging based on customer behavior and actions.
Costs
Keap pricing begins at $249/month with its invoicing feature available on every plan. It also offers a 14-day free trial, however, users will have no ability to process payments or send and receive texts. There's also an email sending limit of 25.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Built in email marketing features
- Many customization options
- Good marketing and sales automation
Cons:
- May be pricey for businesses with limited resources
- May not be suitable for larger businesses with more complex needs
Other Online Invoicing Tools
Here are a few invoicing tools that did not make the top list but are still worth your consideration.
- Keap
For integrated CRM and invoicing
- Tipalti
Invoicing system for large agencies
- Hopscotch
For B2B contracts & payments
- PayPal
Invoicing tool for one-time clients
- Rippling Spend
For automated expense and bill payment workflows
- Square
For startup digital agencies
- Harvest
For paying for services that need to be time tracked down to the second.
- Zoho Invoice
Invoicing software for scaling your agency
- DocuWare
For invoicing document management & control
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Notifications – The added feature of email/mobile notifications when an invoice has been paid, rejected, or edited is always helpful.
- 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.

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.
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