Best Invoicing Software for Freelancers 2026: What I Actually Use and Why

The real talk: Good invoicing software does two things — makes you look professional and gets you paid faster. Everything else (reports, time tracking, proposals) is nice-to-have. If your invoicing tool nails those two things, you’re golden.

I’ve used 8 different invoicing tools over four years. Some for months, some for a quick test drive. Here’s what’s actually worth your time and money.

Quick Rankings

1. FreshBooks — Best Invoicing Experience Overall

Price: $19/mo (Lite, 5 clients) | $33/mo (Plus, 50 clients) | $60/mo (Premium, 500 clients)

FreshBooks’ invoicing is the reason I’ve stayed on the platform for years. It’s not the cheapest, not the most feature-packed, but the experience — for both you and your clients — is the best I’ve found.

Why the invoicing is special:

The templates look genuinely professional. Not “pretty for a free tool” professional — actually professional. I’ve had clients comment on how clean my invoices look. That sounds trivial, but perception matters when you’re asking someone to part with $5,000.

The online payment flow is seamless. Client gets email → clicks “View Invoice” → sees the invoice with a big blue “Pay Now” button → enters credit card or selects ACH → done. Two clicks to pay. Every additional click or friction point adds days to your payment timeline.

Automatic reminders that actually work. Before FreshBooks, I’d manually email clients about overdue invoices. Now FreshBooks sends gentle reminders at intervals I set. My average payment time dropped from 18 days to 11 days. That’s a week of faster cash flow on every single invoice.

Recurring invoices for retainer clients. I have three retainer clients. FreshBooks sends their invoices automatically on the 1st of each month. I literally don’t think about it. Invoice goes out, client pays, money shows up. Automation at its simplest.

What’s not great:

• The Lite plan’s 5-client limit is tight. Historical clients count toward the limit.
• $33/mo for the Plus plan adds up to $396/year. Not nothing.
• Invoice templates have limited layout customization (you can change colors and logo, not the structure).

Bottom line: If invoicing is your primary need and you’re willing to pay for the best experience, FreshBooks is the answer.

2. Wave — Best Free Invoicing

Price: Free (payment processing: 2.9% + $0.60 per credit card, 1% ACH)

Wave’s invoicing is good. Not FreshBooks-good, but solidly good — and it’s free. For a freelancer who sends 5-15 invoices a month and doesn’t need bells and whistles, Wave handles everything.

What I liked during my 8 months on Wave:

• Unlimited invoices, unlimited clients, actually free
• Online payments built in (credit card and ACH)
• Automatic payment reminders
• Recurring invoices
• Clean, professional-looking templates

What pushed me to upgrade:

• Can’t do deposit invoices (50% now, 50% later) without creating two separate invoices
• No proposals that convert to invoices
• Limited template customization
• Slightly higher per-transaction fee than competitors ($0.60 vs $0.30)

Bottom line: Start here if money is tight. You’ll know when you’ve outgrown it.

3. Bonsai — Best All-in-One Invoicing

Price: $21/mo (Starter) | $39/mo (Professional) | $79/mo (Business)

Bonsai’s invoicing is integrated with contracts, proposals, and time tracking in a way no other tool matches. The flow is: client signs proposal → contract auto-generates → you track time → invoice auto-populates with logged hours → client pays. It’s beautiful.

Where Bonsai shines:

• Proposal → contract → invoice pipeline is seamless
• Tax estimates built in (like QuickBooks SE)
• Contracts are legally solid and customizable
• International invoicing with multi-currency

Where it falls short:

• Invoice templates aren’t as polished as FreshBooks
• $39/mo for the plan most freelancers need
• Can feel overwhelming with all the features

Bottom line: If you want invoicing, contracts, and proposals in one place, Bonsai is your tool. If you just need invoicing, it’s overkill.

4. Invoice Ninja — Best Free Option for Customization

Price: Free (self-hosted) | $14/mo (hosted Pro)

Invoice Ninja is the open-source darling of freelance invoicing. The free self-hosted version gives you everything with zero cost if you have a web server. The hosted version at $14/mo is still cheaper than most competitors.

What makes it unique:

• Incredibly customizable invoice templates
• Supports 45+ payment gateways
• Client portal for invoice history
• Extensive API for automation nerds
• True open source — you own your data

The catch:

• Self-hosting requires technical ability (you need a server and PHP knowledge)
• The interface looks dated compared to FreshBooks or Wave
• Setup takes longer than cloud tools
• Support is community-based (forums) for the free version

Bottom line: If you’re technical, value data ownership, and want maximum customization, Invoice Ninja is excellent. If you just want to send invoices without thinking about servers, look elsewhere.

5. Zoho Invoice — Best Budget Paid Option

Price: Free (5 clients, 1,000 invoices/year) | Standard $15/mo (unlimited)

Zoho Invoice sits in the middle ground — more features than Wave, cheaper than FreshBooks. The free tier works for small freelancers, and $15/mo gets you unlimited everything.

What works:

• Time tracking built in
• Project management basics
• Client portal
• Automated workflows (reminder sequences, thank-you emails)
• 15+ payment gateway integrations

What doesn’t:

• The interface is functional but not inspiring
• Part of the Zoho ecosystem — great if you use other Zoho tools, unnecessary complexity if you don’t
• Invoice templates are decent but not FreshBooks-level polish

Bottom line: Good value at $15/mo if you need time tracking and invoicing but don’t want to pay FreshBooks prices.

6. HoneyBook — Best for Creative Freelancers

Price: $16/mo (Starter) | $32/mo (Essentials) | $66/mo (Premium)

HoneyBook is built for photographers, designers, event planners, and other creatives. The invoicing is wrapped in a beautiful client experience — branded proposals, e-signatures, and a client portal that looks like you hired a design agency.

Best for: Freelancers whose clients expect a premium, branded experience. If you’re a wedding photographer sending a $5,000 invoice, HoneyBook makes you look like a $10,000 photographer.

Not for: Developers, writers, consultants, and other freelancers where the work speaks for itself and invoice aesthetics are secondary.

7. PayPal Invoicing — Quick and Dirty

Price: Free to send invoices (2.99% + $0.49 per transaction)

PayPal invoicing exists and it works. You can create an invoice, send it to a client, and they can pay with PayPal or credit card. That’s about it.

When to use it: You need to invoice someone right now, don’t have invoicing software set up, and the client has PayPal. I’ve used it for quick one-off projects where setting up a proper invoice felt like overkill.

When not to use it: For anything recurring or professional. PayPal invoices look like PayPal invoices — everyone knows you’re using the free option. No automatic reminders, no recurring invoices, no expense tracking.

The fee issue: 2.99% + $0.49 per transaction is higher than most alternatives. On a $3,000 invoice, that’s $90.19 in fees. FreshBooks charges $87.30 for the same credit card payment, and you get a full accounting platform for the $33/mo subscription.

8. Stripe Invoicing — For the Developer Freelancers

Price: No monthly fee (2.9% + $0.30 per card payment, 0.4% for ACH up to $5)

If you’re a developer or tech-adjacent freelancer who already uses Stripe for payment processing, Stripe’s invoicing is a natural fit. No additional software needed — create invoices from the Stripe dashboard or via API.

What’s good:

• Zero additional cost beyond standard Stripe processing fees
• Clean, professional invoice design
• Clients can pay by card, ACH, or wire transfer
• Excellent for recurring invoices (Stripe Billing)
• API integration if you want to automate invoice creation

What’s missing:

• No expense tracking
• No time tracking
• No proposals
• No accounting features
• Stripe’s dashboard isn’t designed for invoice management at scale

Bottom line: If you already have Stripe and send fewer than 10 invoices/month, this works. For anything more, use dedicated invoicing software.

What Actually Gets You Paid Faster

After 340+ invoices across multiple tools, here’s what I’ve learned about getting paid quickly:

1. Online payment buttons are non-negotiable. Invoices with “Click to Pay” get paid 7-10 days faster than invoices with bank details. The convenience factor is massive.

2. Automatic reminders work. I went from manually chasing payments to automated reminders and my overdue rate dropped from 15% to 4%.

3. Send invoices immediately. Don’t batch invoices at month-end. Send them the day you deliver the work. Client satisfaction is highest at delivery — capitalize on that.

4. Offer ACH for large invoices. Credit card fees on a $5,000 invoice are $145+. Some clients won’t pay by card for that reason. ACH (1% or flat fee) gives them a cheaper option while still being online and convenient.

5. Follow up personally after 7 days. Automation handles the first reminders. But a personal email or phone call at day 7 overdue has a higher conversion rate than any automated message.

My Recommendation

Just starting out? Wave (free). Learn the invoicing basics without spending a dime.

Ready to upgrade? FreshBooks Plus ($33/mo). Best invoicing experience with solid accounting.

Want everything in one place? Bonsai Professional ($39/mo). Invoicing + contracts + proposals + tax estimates.

On a tight budget but need paid features? Zoho Invoice ($15/mo) or QuickBooks Self-Employed ($15/mo).

Creative freelancer? HoneyBook Essentials ($32/mo). Your clients will be impressed.

Tech freelancer already on Stripe? Stripe Invoicing (free). Don’t add another tool if you don’t need to.

The tool matters less than the habit. Pick one, set it up, and use it consistently. A freelancer on Wave who invoices promptly and follows up on late payments will always outperform a freelancer on FreshBooks who sends invoices three weeks late and never checks if they’ve been paid.