Last Updated on November 25, 2022 by Markeyus Franks
If you are a contractor or freelancer, invoicing is one of the things that you definitely have to do. Generally, most people learn to use invoices by using Microsoft Word. But professionalism requires that you use a program that’s accurate, fast, secure, and effective. This is why it’s important to use invoice software to automate your work.
But what are some of the best invoicing software for contractors and freelancers? Although there is a broad range of programs to choose from, there are those that have managed to stand out. These software applications include:
1. Square
It’s one of the most popular and among the best invoicing software for contractors and freelancers. Square has all the tools needed to run a business. The program can be used to make online estimates, invoices, and payments. It’s an all-in-one solution that can be used to effortlessly create professional invoices.
This is a tool that will bring to end payment conversations that are often uncomfortable. It gives clients a more secure and convenient way to make payments. The easy-to-customize software can be modified with any business logo as well as the color scheme to provide a more personalized appearance.
While using it, you will definitely never miss a payment. This is because Square has a high level of efficiency thanks to automated reminders and invoice tracking options. And if you are using recurring invoices, you can simply start getting paid on time without the need to create new invoices constantly.
Key Features
- Create simple and customized invoices within minutes
- Provides a professional, secure, and convenient way for customers to pay
- Automatic payment reminders that can be set on, before, or after the due date. Clear and transparent tracking of invoice status
Pricing Plan
Square has all types of packages designed for various points of sale. The software is free to use and you don’t need to pay monthly fees. However, each invoice transaction comes with a commission that can go up to $0.30 per transaction.
2. FreshBooks
It’s attractive, intuitive, and well-rounded. FreshBooks provides beautiful double-entry accounting features. It’s effective in supporting the formulation of invoices within minutes. The all-in-one accounting and invoicing solution make it easier, fast, and secure to run a small business any day.
If you want to create invoices within minutes, then this is certainly one of the best invoicing software for contractors and freelancers. Its functionality makes billing simple and saves time with its automation feature. So, you can easily set payment reminders and put your business in autopilot mode.
FreshBooks is full of powerful insights hence it allows you to keep a closer eye on your financials. With more payment options, you can provide your clients with several payment options and this means that you will end up getting paid faster. FreshBooks is compatible with Apple Pay, Stripe, and even credit cards.
Key Features
Simple and effective invoicing and billing features A powerful expense tracker Double-entry accounting feature for better compliance and accuracy of finances Time-tracking option for effective time management A premium team collaboration and project management software
Pricing Plans
FreshBooks has the perfect payment plans designed to support all types of businesses. They include:
- Lite: costs $6.0 per month with 5 billable clients
- Plus: it costs $10.0 per month with 50 billable clients
- Premium: it costs $20.0 per month with 500 billable clients
- Select: a customizable option with more than 500 billable clients. It’s suitable for thriving businesses.
3. Plutio
Plutio is designed with freelancers and business individuals in mind. That’s why it’s the best invoicing software for contractors and freelancers for management. The robust invoicing solution helps its users to manage various businesses thanks to its broad range of beneficial features.
This is a highly customizable application that has everything you need. From invoicing, writing proposals, to managing tasks and projects, Plutio has it all. It eliminates the tiring process of moving between multiple applications to efficiently run a business.
The software allows you to work hand-in-hand with your clients. Besides that, you can easily collaborate with various teams. Users love the fact that it enhances productivity while providing reliability. It’s easy to use and offers a higher level of organization.
Create and send professional invoices in minutes with an option of tracking who has opened your invoices. If you want to create legally-binding contracts and beautiful proposals, then this software is the best for you. With its powerful CRM, Plutio can be used to invite or add people who you can collaborate in real-time. Don’t forget that in all this, communication is very important. But with its feature-rich inbox, communication can be seamlessly done via integrated mails or real-time messaging.
Key Features
- Send professional invoices and keep track if they are opened
- Swift payment options including Stripe and PayPal
- An intuitive drag-and-drop editor for creating stunning proposals
Pricing Plans
Plutio’s payment plan is simple. You have three options to choose from and they include:
- Solo Plan: costs $15.0 per month and suitable for individuals
- Studio Plan: costs $20.0 per month and you can use it collaborate with unlimited clients
- Team Plan: it costs $30.0 per month and allows you to collaborate with various teams and invite contributors.
4. Bonsai
Bonsai is everything that you need to run your freelance business. It’s versatile and using it guarantees you optimal results. The all-in-one software application is designed with a smart automation feature. This means that you can fully focus on your freelance work without worrying about the invoice paperwork.
The program is integrated with powerful and automated design. This allows you to efficiently run your business seamlessly, just like a pro. Whether it’s filling in your taxes or writing a business proposal, this invoicing program allows you to manage less and make more.
Do you wish to win more work? Well, with just a few clicks you can design a well-structured proposal with defined estimates. The clarity in this is what will help you close great deals faster. Protect your business by using this software to generate legit contract estimates in just a few minutes. And if you want to manage tasks and get more effective, then you can use the task management option to stay up-to-date and keep track of each task.
When it comes to creating customized invoices, Bonsai is definitely your friend. It allows you to receive timeline updates about payments and even have an automatic payment reminder that’s sent out on your behalf.
Key Features
- Create customized invoices, set payment reminders, and get updates of payment timelines
- Track time using timesheets that can be automatically populated
- Generate auto-vetted contracts in minutes
- Automate your finances with regards to income reporting as well as taxes
- Projects and clients CRM for all-in-one project management.
Pricing Plan
Bonsai has two payment options that can be paid for either monthly or yearly.
Workflow plan: it costs $19.0 per month and $192.0 annually. You can use this plan with unlimited projects and clients.
Workflow Plus: it costs $29.0 per month and $288.0 annually. The plan consists of everything that’s found in the Workflow plan. In addition to that, it has other options such as client forms, branding, and customization, and subcontracting in client mode.
5. AND.CO
AND.CO is simply phenomenal when it comes to managing your business. What’s this software’s selling point? To handle all your paperwork for you to do what you love! Whether it’s just a proposal or payment, AND.CO makes everything easy and quick. So, if you are a freelancer, this is what you should try and invest in.
Understandably, finding the best invoicing software for contractors and freelancers isn’t easy. There are so many options out there but from user reviews, this is actually one of the top options. It’s a seamless freelancer tool that’s smart and suitable for building and managing any type of business.
Do you have financial goals that you really want to attain? If so, this application lets you set your financial objectives including how much to bill monthly. With the time tracking feature, you can no longer waste your precious time. Simply track everything that you need from the dashboard by doing quick project assignments.
As a freelancer, it’s important to keep your financial plan and items organized. With the automatic invoice generator, you can automate your invoices based on contract terms or simply on a certain set schedule. This allows you to look more professional and serious in the way you handle your work. Of course, you can do all of these by integrating it with other payment options such as Stripe, PayPal, and direct deposit.
Key Features
- Create invoices from proposals with just a few clicks and fewer errors
- Set your financial goals efficiently Carry out time-tracking from your user dashboard
- Set invoice reminders and track your receipts
Pricing Plan
AND.CO has only one payment plant that features proposals and contracts, invoicing and payments, expense tracking, reports, tasks, and time tracking. You need to only pay $18 per month and use it with unlimited clients.
6. Online Invoices
Online Invoices is simply a game-changer. It has all the vital components that a freelancer or contractor needs to create professional invoices. The online software allows you to receive payments and keep their track. Additionally, you can use it to calculate taxes and do business accounting.
Online Invoices empowers you and allows you to efficiently streamline your system. For ease of use, you can easily enable or disable various modules in this system. This simply means that you can customize it to fit your business. Some of the modules that you can play around with include online accounting and CRM, Inventory Management and Control, Client Management and Follow Up among others.
The software comes with a time tracking and billing system where you can input your daily timesheet. Furthermore, you can easily log activities, generate invoices, and track all your staff by using the timesheets!
It should be noted that you don’t have to be an accountant to manage your business. This invoicing software allows you to considerably improve your business, even without spending a single cent. Regardless of the device you are using, you can add incomes as well as expenses. It’s so much easier and quicker to track what you spend and even get powerful reports while using Online Invoices.
Key Features
- A fully customized system that you can use to send emails and receive notifications.
- Excellent for in-store or online invoicing with an option of automatic follow-up reminders
- A user-friendly program that ensures both you and your customers are on time with payments and bills
- Quick and easy time tracking and billing.
- A customized client follow-up and management system with options for client status, reservations, appointments, and history among others.
- Inventory management and control system with the list or contact details of suppliers
- Perfectly integrates with multiple payment options including PayPal and Credit Cards
Pricing Plan
Online Invoices focuses on versatility and offering its users the best services. It comes with three payment plans and they include:
- Silver Plan: it costs $9.95 per month and can accommodate up to 300 clients
- Gold Plan: it costs $19.95 per month and suitable for use with up to 2500 clients
- Platinum Plan: it costs $39.95 per month with unlimited clients and invoices.
7. QuickBook Self-Employed
Quickbook Self-Employed stands out as one of the best invoicing software for contractors and freelancers due to its flexible plans. It allows users to be more independent while carrying out their transactions. The program has been specifically designed for those who are self-employed.
This is a cloud-based application that allows you to easily create and send invoices. In addition to that, it’s suitable for processing payments right inside it. QuickBooks comes with an automated notifications system and a real-time tracking option alongside reminders to ensure that you are always on time.
Generally, it’s a versatile program that lets you add billable hours to your invoice. And if you are keen on organization, then it will effectively allow you to plan your items. We understand that communication with clients must happen, right? But what if you want to link your invoicing app with messages from clients?
Well, it’s efficiently easy with this software. If you are using a messaging app, then you can still use an encrypted link from this application to send clients messages via the messaging application. Payments through this program are usually through Apple Pay, PayPal, credit card/ bank transfer among others.
Key Features
- Track your business expenses by connecting the app to various payment applications you’re using
- Send personalized and professional invoices with an option of setting up recurring invoices
- Accept payments by phone, online, or on the go and immediately spend it
- Effectively use the tax deductions options and save more money
- Run reports and see your overall performance at a glance
- Manage your cash flow, make forecasts, and get comprehensive insights
Pricing Plan
There are simply two payment plans available: simple start and essentials.
Simple start: it costs $8.0 per month and suitable for one user Essentials: it costs $12.0 per month and can suit a maximum of 3 users.
8. Zoho
Closing our list of the best invoicing software for contractors and freelancers is Zoho. The unique and powerful software program allows you to effectively run your whole business from anywhere. It should be noted that this Zoho was designed with productivity and transformation in mind.
It provides all businesses with deep insights needed to make progress. This includes offering comprehensive statistics on business intelligence, data, and analytics. Zoho is one of the few invoicing software that perfectly integrates with any digital proposal option. You can use it to create estimates that automatically turn into invoices in case the client agrees with your terms.
The user-friendly service normally integrates with other payment gateways. This includes PayPal, 2Checkout, and Google Checkout. Furthermore, it’s also compatible with a suite of other apps including HR, marketing, business process tools, and email among others.
Key Features
- An invoice dashboard consisting of graphs and charts for tracking business activities
- 16 invoice templates with the option for customization
- 15 estimate templates that can be duplicated or converted into projects or invoices
- Contact management option with customization features such as shipping address, name, and business address, etc. 30 reports related to business activity and sales
- Default email messaging option
Payment Plan
Zoho has three payment options:
- Basic Plan: it costs $9.0 monthly and it allows you to invoice up to fifty customers
- Standard Plan: it costs $19.0 monthly and you can use it to invoice up to 500 customers
- Professional Plan: costs $29 per month and you can use it to invoice unlimited customers.
The Bottom Line
The best way to take your contractor or freelancing career to the next level is by using professional documents. If you want to create premium invoices fast, then the above-listed software programs provide the best alternatives. They save time and allow you to make your financial plans without the need for paperwork. Simply make sure that you choose a software that fits your needs and budget.
