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Best Invoicing Software for Freelancers of April 2024

The best freelance invoice software eases the process of creating, sending and tracking invoices and automates steps such as sending payment reminders and setting recurring invoices.
By Karrin Sehmbi
Last updated on January 3, 2024
Edited bySally Lauckner
Fact checked and reviewed

⏰ Estimated read time: 7 minutes

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When you work for yourself, you have the added job of soliciting and chasing payment for your hard work. This can become a highly administrative task requiring a lot of extra time, which could be better spent doing billable work. That’s where freelance invoice software can help ease the burden by automating much of the process, including creating, sending and tracking invoices as well as accepting payments. And many invoicing software tools these days include a feature that automatically nudges clients when payment due dates are approaching or have passed, thereby sparing you those awkward communications you may find yourself dragging your heels on sending.
Here are our top picks for freelance invoice software.

Best Invoicing Software for Freelancers

Product
Promotion
Learn more

FreshBooks

Learn more

on FreshBooks' secure website

4.5/5

Best for Overall freelance invoice software

$19/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $33, $60, custom.

30-day free trial

or monthly discount (terms vary).

Learn more

on FreshBooks' secure website

Square Invoices

Learn more

on Square Invoices' secure website

5.0/5

Best for Including contracts

$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20.

30-day free trial

of the Plus plan.

Learn more

on Square Invoices' secure website

Wave Invoicing

4.5/5

Best for Free software

$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16.

N/A

Bonsai

Best for End-to-end project management

$24/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $39, $79.

7-day free trial

HoneyBook

Best for Streamlined client experience

$19/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $39, $79.

7-day free trial

or 50% off for the first year if billed annually.

Our pick for

Overall freelance invoice software

FreshBooks

Learn more

on FreshBooks' secure website

Starting at
$19/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $33, $60, custom.

Promotion
30-day free trial

or monthly discount (terms vary).

Our pick for

Including contracts

Square Invoices

Learn more

on Square Invoices' secure website

Starting at
$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20.

Promotion
30-day free trial

of the Plus plan.

Our pick for

Free software

Wave Invoicing

Starting at
$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16.

Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

End-to-end project management

Bonsai

Starting at
$24/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $39, $79.

Promotion
7-day free trial

Our pick for

Streamlined client experience

HoneyBook

Starting at
$19/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $39, $79.

Promotion
7-day free trial

or 50% off for the first year if billed annually.

Our picks for best freelance invoice software

FreshBooks: Best overall

Price:
  • $19 per month for the Lite plan.
  • $33 per month for the Plus plan.
  • $60 per month for the Premium plan.
  • Custom pricing for the Select plan.
Why we like it: Invoicing is just one feature integrated into the robust FreshBooks product suite, which also includes accounting, expense management, time tracking, project management, payments and reports. Some of the more unique abilities of FreshBooks’ invoicing feature include an invoice generator to create customized invoices in a matter of seconds, the option to request a deposit on your invoice and the ability to add tracked time and expenses on your invoices. FreshBooks also offers a host of features specific to retainer invoicing and project management, like generating retainer summaries, managing scope creep and monitoring your time spent on retainer projects. It has a mobile app, too. Read our full FreshBooks review.

Wave Invoicing: Best for free software

Price: $0.
Why we like it: Best known for its free accounting software for small businesses, Wave also boasts a free invoicing product useful for freelancers who want to streamline and automate basic invoicing needs. Wave is a great choice for freelancers who want to aggregate accounting and invoicing under one, extremely user-friendly platform — without paying for it.
With Wave Invoicing, you can create personalized invoices, accept bank and credit card payments, set automatic payment reminders for your clients and more. Wave Invoicing will also automatically calculate sales tax. You can also access these features via the Wave Invoicing app for Android and iOS, which allows you to create, send and process invoices right from your phone. It’s cloud-based, so everything between your app and dashboard syncs and saves to the cloud automatically. Read our full Wave Accounting review.

Square Invoices: Best for including contracts

Price:
  • $0 per month for the Free plan.
  • $20 per month for the Plus plan.
Why we like it: Perhaps the simplest and most straightforward option on this list, Square Invoices is a great choice if you want a no-fuss, reliable invoicing software and not much else — unless, of course, you also want to take advantage of Square’s merchant services and payment processing solutions.
Square makes the process of creating and sending invoices intuitive. Once your client receives the invoice, they can pay online, in person or from their mobile phone. Clients can pay with a debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH transfer or Cash App Pay. Square Invoices has additional features, including invoice and payment tracking, automatic payment reminders, the option to set up recurring invoices and send clients estimates — all the essentials. Additionally, Square Invoices enables you to send customized digital contracts along with your estimates. Square even offers contract templates to help get you started. It also has a powerful mobile app for iPhones and Androids.
Because Square POS enables in-person payment processing, Square Invoices is also a good option if you run a brick-and-mortar business or want the ability to accept payments physically, in addition to digitally. Read our full Square Invoices review.

Bonsai: Best for end-to-end project management

Price:
  • $24 per month for the Starter plan.
  • $39 per month for the Professional plan.
  • $79 per month for the Business plan.
Why we like it: If you’re looking for a deeply integrated, all-in-one project management platform designed specifically for freelancers, Bonsai is it. This unique software aggregates and automates virtually every essential administrative process that freelancers have to manage — proposals, contracts, project management, time tracking, task management, taxes, miscellaneous forms and, of course, invoicing and payments — under one roof.

HoneyBook: Best for streamlined client experience

Price:
  • $19 per month for the Starter plan.
  • $39 per month for the Essentials plan.
  • $79 per month for the Premium plan.
Why we like it: Like Bonsai, HoneyBook is an all-in-one, deeply integrated client and project management software for very small businesses and freelancers. Pricing is very similar across both solutions as well. But HoneyBook stands out for its especially streamlined client flow, which starts with an optional interactive proposal that flows into an invoice followed by a contract for e-signature and then on to the payments flow.

How to invoice as a freelancer

If you’re new to invoicing, here are the general steps you’ll need to follow, regardless of whether you choose to use invoicing software for freelancers or create, send and track invoices on your own.
1. Create the invoice. If you’re using software, it will likely offer one or more invoice templates you can start from. Otherwise, you can work in a Word or Google document. Microsoft Word offers a few different invoice templates, and you can also find some for free online. Here is important information you’ll want to be sure to include:
  • The word “INVOICE”: This is a clear and standard indicator that payment is owed for services. 
  • Invoice number: This will be helpful for tracking, reference and recordkeeping purposes. 
  • Contact information: You’ll want to include your business name, physical address, email address and phone number as well as your client’s contact information.
  • Pricing details: In addition to listing the price for your services, you’ll want to add an explanation of the specific work that’s been done. If you bill on an hourly versus a project basis, then include your hourly rate along with the number of hours worked. Be sure the total amount owed is big, clear and easy for your client to see.
  • Payment information: If you’re using invoice software to send the invoice, then it will often take your client directly to a payment page that will enable a card payment or electronic fund transfer. But if you’re sending an invoice you created via email or by mail, then you’ll need to inform your client of how to pay you (e.g., whom to make a check payable to, or your identifying information to be paid via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or similar service). 
  • Due date: Similar to the total amount owed, you’ll want to be sure the payment due date is highly visible to help ensure you get paid on time.
2. Send the invoice. Freelance invoice software like the solutions that make our list will do this through the platform or mobile app with the click of a button. But if you’re not using software, then you’ll need to mail or, more likely, email the invoice to your client. It’s helpful to use a clear and direct subject line such as, “[Your business name] Invoice No. [X] — due [month/day/year].” That way, your client sees right away it’s an important message related to payment.
3. Track the invoice. Again, software will do this for you. But if you’re not using software, you’ll likely want to create a spreadsheet or similar document that includes the following:
  • Client name.
  • Invoice number.
  • Total amount invoiced.
  • Payment due date.
  • Invoice send date. 
  • Payment received date.
A glance down the “payment received” column on a regular basis will help you quickly see which invoices are still outstanding and which clients you may need to nudge for payment.
4. Follow up with your client. If a payment due date is approaching and you haven’t yet received payment, it’s a good idea to send a quick and friendly reminder to your client. (One of the many perks of using software — it will do this for you!) If a due date passes without you receiving payment, then you’ll want to follow up right away. And, if the project is complete and your client has paid, a final follow-up to thank them for the opportunity to work with them can go a long way toward encouraging future business.
If you have simple invoicing needs so prefer not to use freelance invoice software but would still like to automate some of the invoice creation process, a quick internet search will find you some options for free invoice generators.
Last updated on January 3, 2024

Methodology

To determine the best invoicing and billing software, NerdWallet considered the following features:
Invoicing capabilities. The best invoicing and billing software should offer invoice customization options, the ability to send automatic payment reminders and accept online payments, a dashboard to easily track invoice and billing status plus some reporting capabilities. Standout products also make it easy to convert estimates to invoices and offer most or all features within a mobile app as well. Affordability. Most of the plans for the software included on our list start below $20 per month (and many offer free plans). Integrations. Ideally, standalone invoicing and billing software directly integrates with popular accounting software, like QuickBooks Online and Xero. Some of the higher-rated products on our list also offer direct integrations with e-commerce, CRM, inventory and other software applications.
Additional consideration was given to customer support availability, pricing transparency and whether a free trial is offered for paid products.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
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