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Invoicing & accounting software

Pick the right back-office tools for your solo business

Plain-English comparisons of invoicing and accounting software for freelancers and very small businesses, so you can choose without reading twenty pricing pages.

See the comparisonRead the guides
  • Every fact is dated and links to the company’s own page.
  • Listed alphabetically; the order is not a ranking.
  • We read what companies publish; we have not tested these products hands-on.

Side by side

The comparison

Listed alphabetically; the order is not a ranking. Prices are in US dollars as each company publishes them, and offers change. We have not tested these products hands-on.

Entry price, free plan and card payment fee for each tool
ToolStarts atFree planCard payment fee
FreshBooks$23/month (Lite)No free plan listed; 30-day trial advertisedNot on the pricing page
QuickBooks Online$38/month (Simple Start)No free plan listed; 30-day trial mentionedNot on the pricing page
Square Invoices$0 (Free); Plus $49/month per locationYes3.3% + 30¢ on Free; 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus
Wave$0 (Starter); Pro $19/monthYes2.9% + $0.60 on Starter (Visa/Mastercard)
Zoho Invoice$0 (Free)Yes, with limitsNot on the pricing page

Select a tool’s name to jump to its details below.

Tool by tool

What each one offers, and where it stops

Strengths and limitations restate what each company publishes on its own pages. “Best for” is our reading of those facts, not a test result.

FreshBooks

Checked on

Starts at
$23/month (Lite)
Free plan
No free plan listed; 30-day trial advertised
Card payment fee
Not on the pricing page
Source of these facts (FreshBooks)Official site (FreshBooks)

Best for (our judgment)Freelancers and service businesses that bill clients and want proposals, retainers and e-signatures.

The pricing page lists paid plans only, priced by how many billable clients you have. Proposals, retainers, e-signatures, double-entry reports and bank reconciliation start on the Plus plan.

Strengths

  • Proposals, retainers, e-signatures, double-entry reports and bank reconciliation start on Plus ($43/month).
  • Premium covers unlimited billable clients.
  • A 30-day free trial is advertised.

Limitations

  • No free plan is listed.
  • Lite covers 5 billable clients; Plus covers 50.
  • The card payment fee is not on the pricing page.
  • Select plan: price not published (contact sales).

Plans and prices as published

  • Lite: $23/month, 5 billable clients. Plus: $43/month, 50 billable clients. Premium: $70/month, unlimited billable clients (monthly billing).
  • Introductory offer shown: 80% off for 4 months. A 30-day free trial is advertised.
  • Select plan: price not published (contact sales).

QuickBooks Online

Checked on

Starts at
$38/month (Simple Start)
Free plan
No free plan listed; 30-day trial mentioned
Card payment fee
Not on the pricing page
Source of these facts (QuickBooks Online)Official site (QuickBooks Online)

Best for (our judgment)Small businesses that expect to add users and need more reports as they grow.

Four plans; each tier adds users and reporting. Simple Start covers invoicing, automated bookkeeping and general reports; inventory and project profitability start on Plus.

Strengths

  • Simple Start covers invoicing, automated bookkeeping and general reports.
  • Each tier adds users and reporting: 1, 3, 5 and 25 users.
  • Inventory and project profitability start on Plus.

Limitations

  • No free plan is listed.
  • The entry plan, Simple Start, is $38/month for one user.
  • The card payment fee is not on the pricing page.
  • A 30-day trial is mentioned; which plans it covers is not stated.

Plans and prices as published

  • Simple Start: $38/month, 1 user. Essentials: $85/month, 3 users. Plus: $140/month, 5 users. Advanced: $340/month, 25 users.
  • Introductory offer shown: 50% off for 3 months. A 30-day free trial is mentioned; which plans it covers is not stated.

Square Invoices

Checked on

Starts at
$0 (Free); Plus $49/month per location
Free plan
Yes
Card payment fee
3.3% + 30¢ on Free; 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus
Source of these facts (Square Invoices)Official site (Square Invoices)

Best for (our judgment)Sellers who want invoices and online card or bank payments from the same provider.

Invoicing is free; you pay processing fees when a client pays by card or bank transfer. Plus is priced per location and lowers the card rate.

Strengths

  • The Free plan includes invoices, recurring invoices, estimates, contracts and projects.
  • Plus ($49/month per location) lowers the card rate to 2.9% + 30¢ and adds payment schedules and custom invoice templates.
  • Bank-transfer fees are 1% with a $1 minimum, capped at $10 on Plus.

Limitations

  • A card payment through an invoice costs 3.3% + 30¢ on Free.
  • Plus is priced per location.

Plans and prices as published

  • Free: $0 per location, with invoices, recurring invoices, estimates, contracts and projects. Plus: $49/month per location, adds payment schedules, custom invoice templates and a $10 cap on bank-transfer fees.
  • Card payment through an invoice: 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus. Bank transfer (ACH): 1% with a $1 minimum.

Wave

Checked on

Starts at
$0 (Starter); Pro $19/month
Free plan
Yes
Card payment fee
2.9% + $0.60 on Starter (Visa/Mastercard)
Source of these facts (Wave)Official site (Wave)

Best for (our judgment)Freelancers and very small businesses that want free invoicing and bookkeeping.

The Starter plan is free and includes unlimited invoices and bookkeeping records. The paid Pro plan adds automatic bank transaction import and categorization, and late-payment reminders.

Strengths

  • Starter is free, with unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records.
  • Pro ($19/month or $190/year) adds automatic bank transaction import and categorization, and late-payment reminders.

Limitations

  • Card payments on Starter cost 2.9% + $0.60 (Visa/Mastercard) or 3.4% + $0.60 (Amex).
  • Prices come from Wave’s own comparison page; the Pro introductory offer is shown without an end date.

Plans and prices as published

  • Starter: $0, with unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records. Pro: $19/month, or $190/year.
  • Card payments on Starter: 2.9% + $0.60 (Visa/Mastercard) and 3.4% + $0.60 (Amex). Bank payments: 1% with a $1 minimum.
  • Prices as stated on Wave’s own comparison page; an introductory offer for Pro is shown without an end date.

Zoho Invoice

Checked on

Starts at
$0 (Free)
Free plan
Yes, with limits
Card payment fee
Not on the pricing page
Source of these facts (Zoho Invoice)Official site (Zoho Invoice)

Best for (our judgment)Freelancers with modest invoice volume who want invoicing for free.

A free invoicing tool with set limits. The pricing page lists no paid tiers and points to Zoho Billing as the more advanced option.

Strengths

  • Free invoicing: up to two users, three projects, 500 invoices a year and two organizations.
  • The pricing page points to Zoho Billing as the more advanced option.

Limitations

  • Free-plan limits: 500 invoices a year, two users and three projects.
  • Invoices carry “Powered by Zoho Invoice” branding.
  • The card payment fee is not on the pricing page.
  • Paid plans are not listed on the pricing page.

Plans and prices as published

  • Free ($0): up to two users, three projects, up to 500 invoices per year and up to two organizations. Invoices carry “Powered by Zoho Invoice” branding.
  • Paid plans: not listed on the pricing page.

Guides

Short answers to one question each

Built from the same published data as the comparison, with the arithmetic worked through.

Free plans

What free invoicing plans actually include

Which of the tools we compare have a free plan, what the plan covers, what limits it has and where the cost shows up.

3 of 5 tools have a free plan

Method & transparency

How we compare, and how this site is funded

For freelancers, consultants and owners of very small businesses who need to send invoices, get paid and keep their books in order, and would rather spend that time on their actual work. Every tool is looked at against the same short list, so the comparison stays fair.

  1. Pricing clarityWhat you pay, what is extra, and what changes as you grow.
  2. InvoicingHow easy it is to create, send and follow up on invoices.
  3. Getting paidSupported payment methods and the fees that come with them.
  4. Accounting depthWhat it can do beyond invoicing, and where it stops.
  5. Fit and availabilityWho it suits best and where it is available.

Sourced and dated

Every tool entry shows the date we checked it and links to the page the facts came from.

No hands-on claims

Unless a page says otherwise, we have not tested a product hands-on, and we do not publish ratings that imply we did.

How this site makes money

No link on this site earns us a commission today. If we join affiliate programs, we will label those links and say so in the affiliate disclosure. The criteria above do not change either way.

How we pickAbout this site