8 Best free invoicing Tools for small businesses, Managing the commercial parts of your work as a freelance designer or developer will have a significant impact on your overall performance. Having exceptional creative or coding talents will get you started, but in order to make money in the long run, you’ll have to run the firm successfully.
You’ll most likely work with an increasing number of clients as your small business or freelancing grows. While this is a good thing, the increase in the number of clients increases in billables, of course. It also means a lot more billing and invoicing work.
You’ll need a system to keep track of all of your clients and projects, invoice them on time, manage your tax obligations, and, in certain situations, chase down your checks to keep things organized and the revenue rolling in. Simply, you are not a true numbers-nerd, the accounting part of your business is unlikely to be enjoyable.
It’s one of the least fascinating aspects of working as a freelancer. However, It must be completed. So, you’ll need a system if you want things to run smoothly—invoices being received, payments being made on time, and data being easy to acquire for taxes and financial tracking.
Nevertheless, as the startup and gig economy expands, so does the number of tools available to make the lives of small business owners and freelancers easier, including invoicing apps and software.
Using one of the eight invoicing tools listed below, stay on top of your books and hope to get paid a lot faster:
Top 8 Free Invoicing Tools For Small Businesses
1. Refrens
Refrens is a new-age start-up launched in 2018, with an aim to simplify and billing work for small businesses and freelancers. It offers an array of features that will literally pull your life out of misery if you are struggling with invoicing and billing issues.
It also provides tracking of inventory, in the case of small businesses. In addition, The option to accept credit card payments directly from the invoice adds to its professionalism. Automatic reminders, late fees, and the ability to accept deposits for work that has not yet been done make it an excellent choice for small business owners and freelancers.
Functions:
- For smooth transactions, online banking integration is required.
- Options for multilingual and multi currency invoice templates.
- Professional invoices are customisable to suit your needs.
- Automated regular payments help manage cash flow.
- Creating a schedule for recurring invoicing.
Highlights:
- Allows several users to control the system, allowing for improved team collaboration.
- For universal connectivity, a cloud-based deployment is used.
- Automated billing and professional invoicing templates.
- Smoothest user-interface, that helps easy navigation.
- Support and maintenance are provided at no cost.
Shortcomings:
- For new freelancers, it may appear to be rather complicated due to the numerous menu selections.
2. Zoho
Zoho makes it simple to produce and deliver professional-looking invoices. Even if you have a free account, you may personalize every feature of your invoice to reflect your brand.
Google Checkout, PayPal, Stripe, 2Checkout, and Authorize.net are among the payment gateways supported by the service. In addition, Zoho Invoice works nicely with Zoho’s other products, including marketing, email, HR, and business process management.
Zoho is an excellent solution for folks on the go because it has mobile invoicing.
Functions:
- To synchronise operations with rules, automated bank feeds were implemented.
- For improved access and support, create a collaborative client portal.
- Recurring invoices schedule
Highlights:
- Workflows that are automated to eliminate manual billing processes.
- Allows for bulk payments to be made straight from the client portal.
- To deliver detailed analytical insights, a visual dashboard is used.
- Customize invoice templates to your heart’s content.
Shortcomings:
- In comparison to similar market products, custom reporting possibilities are somewhat limited.
- Large businesses may find it unsuitable.
3. Fresh Books
The invoices from FreshBooks stand out as being incredibly professional. You may personalize your invoice to match your brand’s style and messaging. In addition to that its ability to collect credit card payments directly from the invoice adds to the professional feel.
FreshBooks also has a time tracking function (for you and your team) that allows you to automatically charge for tracked hours if you bill by the hour. It is a good option if you’re looking for a small business accounting-cum-billing system.
Functions:
- Monitors billable hours for more accurate client billing
- Invoice production and money collection in one place
- Capabilities for powerful reporting and analysis
- Expense management that is organised
Highlights:
- To save time and effort, a robust automatic scheduled payment collection system is used.
- Dashboards that are easy to use and help managers make better decisions
- A significant number of third-party apps are integrated.
- Improved project management and team collaboration.
Shortcomings:
- There are no free plans for individuals or small groups.
- Customers do not receive invoice tags.
4. Wave
Wave not only provides a user-friendly package of professional accounting services, but it also does it for no cost. It provides small businesses and freelancers with a comprehensive set of billing and invoicing solutions.
Wave also provides invoice customization, recurring billing, and payment reminders. Furthermore, if you use the Wave Accounting app for your small business, the invoices are automatically integrated into your financial management.
Functions:
- Provides free accounting software with easy-to-manage cash flow and a high level of security.
- Accounting interface that is well-organized, secure, and user-friendly for accountants.
- Allows you to rapidly create professional invoices at no additional cost.
Highlights:
- The UI is simple to use and set up.
- The most significant benefit of Wave is that it is completely free.
- Mobile apps allow users to track, produce, and submit invoices from anywhere.
Shortcomings:
- There is no card swipe option for payment.
- Users will find the UI clumsy as new features are added without indication.
5. Invoicera
Invoicera is a powerful invoicing and billing application. It also includes some project management and client management tools that are likely overkill for most freelancers searching for an invoicing app.
This mobile invoice tool maintains corporate procedures current by allowing users to create invoices while on the go, track spending, calculate billable hours, and organize project management. Invoicera might be a good alternative if you require additional functionality.
Functions:
- Real-time data updates on the activity dashboard.
- Workflow automation that is tailored to your needs.
- For quick analysis, generates and prints client reports.
- Recurring payment alerts and reminders are sent automatically.
Highlights:
- Allows several users to control the system, allowing for improved team collaboration.
- Support for several languages and currencies for international transactions.
- Billing software hosted in the cloud that encourages teamwork.
- Automated billing and professional invoicing templates.
Shortcomings:
- The software may have a user interface that is difficult for new users to understand.
- Without the necessary assistance, navigation is a little difficult.
6. QuickBooks
QuickBooks is a well-known brand among freelancers and small business owners, and it comes with a slew of features for a reasonable monthly fee. All QuickBooks plans contain useful invoicing, cost, and payment capabilities, but the tax tools, which include features like automatically computing taxes and categorizing spending into the appropriate categories for deductions, set them apart.
Functions:
- Dashboards that can be navigated and advanced reporting choices
- Automated regular payments help manage cash flow.
- Employee labour hours are tracked in real time.
Highlights:
- Allows several users to control the system, allowing for improved team collaboration.
- Billing app housed in the cloud that supports better data security.
- Support and maintenance are provided at no cost.
Shortcomings:
- For sole accountants, there is no free plan.
- For new members, it may appear to be rather complicated due to the numerous menu selections.
7. InvoiceSimple
The smart online billing app InvoiceSimple is a multi-faceted application that simplifies bookkeeping and accounting processes in businesses by performing a number of functions.
It’s one of the most user-friendly estimating and invoicing programs you’ll ever come across for your small business. To save time, you can use the feature of pre-built professional invoice, estimate, and receipt templates.
Functions:
- Integrations with many payment gateways.
- Creating a schedule for recurring invoicing.
- Management of suppliers and purchase orders.
- Processing payments with automatic reminders.
Highlights:
- An ingenious mobile app that boosts employee engagement.
- For universal connectivity, a cloud-based deployment is used.
- To increase efficiency, accurate employee time tracking is necessary.
- Unlimited client support and maintenance upgrades are provided at no cost.
Shortcomings:
- There is no option for customer feedback.
- The user interface lags sometimes, causing serious delays.
8. Harvest
If you work in a group, Harvest can be a terrific solution. It’s mostly a time-tracking programme, but it also has billing capabilities. It has some fantastic features for team management and project management, as well as the ability to integrate time tracking into those activities.
Harvest’s attractiveness isn’t limited to its intuitive time and cost tracking features: it also makes it simple to combine that data into invoices, send automatic reminders to clients, accept online payments, and more.
Functions:
- The time and expenditures tool helps you to keep track of clients, projects, and activities while maintaining a timesheet.
- Harvest converts billable time, including time tracking and expenses, into an invoice automatically.
- Users can create team timetables and convert them into visual plans.
- Time monitoring allows you to keep track of your team and tasks.
Highlights:
- Excellent time management that allows you to stay on top of ongoing projects and team members.
- An intuitive interface that eliminates uncertainty and puts the user at rest.
- Configuration and management are simple.
Shortcomings:
- It does not allow you to get job data from the prior day.
- There is no real-time phone assistance available.
Bottom Line
Depending upon your industry and clientele list, it will become important for you to consider different factors while choosing an invoicing generator for your business. Do not forget to factor in the time involved in making invoices even with these tools, choose the least time-consuming and most smooth invoice generator.
Now, what are you waiting for? Hop on! Check out these platforms from our listing and get started with your billing!