Best invoicing software for small business Free plans, invoice limits and card fees, for freelancers and one-person trades
12 invoicing apps for freelancers and one-person trades: free plans, invoice limits, quotes, scheduling, card fees and the cost over three years.
12 compared
On price, limits and platforms, plus 4 features side by side, from each maker's own pages.
Three-year costs
From $240 to $1,044 for one person; 7 can be used free, with limits.
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| Pick | From | 3 years | Free plan | Quotes / estimates | Job scheduling | Card fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Zoho Invoiceweb app | Free | Free | Yes | Yes | No | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| 2Waveweb app | $15.83/mo yearlyor a free plan | $570 | Yes | Yes | No | 2.9% + 60¢ |
| 3QuickBooks Solopreneurweb app | $20/moor a free plan | $720 | Yes | Yes | No | 2.99% |
| 4Square Invoicesapp | Free | Free | Yes | Yes | Optional | 3.3% + 30¢ |
| 5PayPal Invoicingapp | Free | Free | Yes | Yes | No | 2.99% + 49¢ |
| 6Invoice Ninjaweb app | $11.67/mo yearlyor a free plan | $420 | Yes | Yes | No | n/a |
| 7FreshBooksweb app | $23/mo | $828 | No | Yes | No | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| 8Invoice2goapp | $6.67/mo yearly | $240 | No | Yes | Partly | 3.5% |
| 9Invoice Simpleapp | $6.99/mo | $252 | No | Yes | No | 3.49% + 49¢ |
| 10Jobberapp | $29/mo yearly | $1,044 | No | Yes | Yes | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| 11ServiceM8app | $29/moor a free plan | $1,044 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3.1% + 30¢ |
| 12Joistapp | $17/mo | $612 | No | Yes | Partly | 3.49% + 49¢ |
Prices per person, from each maker's own pricing page unless the entry says otherwise. “3 years” is the device plus the cheapest paid plan that does the job. Costs, sorted.
What's the best invoicing software for a small business?
To invoice for free, Zoho Invoice (500 invoices a year) and Wave (unlimited) cost nothing, but Wave charges a 60¢ fixed fee per card payment. If you also quote and schedule jobs, ServiceM8 is free for 30 jobs a month, and Jobber does it all from $29 a month billed yearly. Watch for invoice caps on cheap plans.
- Free, unlimited
- Wave: unlimited invoices and estimates on the free plan; cards cost 2.9% + 60¢.
- Free, standard fees
- Zoho Invoice: 500 invoices a year and 2 users free, at the usual 2.9% + 30¢ card rate.
- Trades, free
- ServiceM8: quotes, scheduling and invoices free for one user and 30 jobs a month.
- Trades, all in one
- Jobber: quotes, scheduling and invoicing in one app, from $29 a month billed yearly.
- With your books
- QuickBooks Solopreneur: invoices that land in QuickBooks, free for 2 invoices a month.
- Self-hosted
- Invoice Ninja: run it on your own server, or hosted from $11.67 a month billed yearly.
12 picks
The picks, one by one
In the order we'd look at them for most people. Each with what it costs, who it suits, the one thing it does best, and its catch. Checked Oct 13, 2026.
- 01
Zoho Invoice
web app · by Zoho
Best for: Freelancers who send under about 40 invoices a month and want to pay nothing, ever
Stands out: There is no paid tier: 500 invoices a year with quotes and online payments cost $0, so three years cost $0.
The catch: Invoices say "Powered by Zoho Invoice", the cap is 500 a year, and there's no job scheduling.
- Free planYes500 invoices a year, 2 users
- Quotes / estimatesYesQuotes on the free plan
- Job schedulingNoNo job calendar or dispatch
- Card fee2.9% + 30¢Zoho Payments, US domestic cards; Zoho adds no fee of its own, or connect Stripe, PayPal or Square instead
- Free plan500 invoices a year, 2 users; invoices carry Zoho branding
- Three yearsFree
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows
- 02
Wave
web app · by Wave Financial
Best for: Freelancers who want unlimited free invoices plus basic bookkeeping in the same place
Stands out: The free Starter plan has no invoice or client cap, and includes simple bookkeeping.
The catch: The free plan's card fee has a 60¢ fixed part, double the usual 30¢; recurring invoices need Pro.
- Free planYesUnlimited invoices and estimates
- Quotes / estimatesYesUnlimited estimates on Starter (free)
- Job schedulingNoNo job scheduling
- Card fee2.9% + 60¢Starter (free). Pro: 2.9% + $0 on the first 10 card payments a month, then 2.9% + 60¢. Amex 3.4%
- Free planUnlimited invoices and estimates; recurring invoices need Pro
- Pro plan$15.83 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$570
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, Android
Price from waveapps.com. Sources: waveapps.com.
- 03
QuickBooks Solopreneur
web app · by Intuit
Best for: Sole traders who want invoices tied to the books their accountant already uses
Stands out: Card payments on invoices cost a flat 2.99% with no fixed fee, cheaper than the rest on small invoices.
The catch: The free plan stops at 2 invoices a month unless you run payments through QuickBooks; Lite is $20 a month.
- Free planYes2 invoices a month, or unlimited with QuickBooks Payments on
- Quotes / estimatesYesEstimates with mobile signatures, converted into invoices
- Job schedulingNoNo job scheduling on these plans
- Card fee2.99%QuickBooks Payments, invoiced card payments online, no fixed fee; ACH 1% ($1 min); keyed-in cards 3.5%
- Free plan2 invoices a month (unlimited if you turn on QuickBooks Payments), 1 user
- Lite plan$20 a month
- Three years$720
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, Android
Price from quickbooks.intuit.com. Sources: quickbooks.intuit.com, quickbooks.intuit.com, quickbooks.intuit.com.
- 04
Square Invoices
app · by Block
Best for: Businesses already taking in-person card payments with Square who want invoices in the same account
Stands out: Recurring invoices, estimates and contracts are all on the free plan, which most rivals charge for.
The catch: On the free plan, invoice card payments cost 3.3% + 30¢; the 2.9% rate needs a paid Square plan.
- Free planYesInvoices, recurring invoices, estimates and contracts
- Quotes / estimatesYesEstimates and contracts on the free plan
- Job schedulingOptionalBookings live in the separate Square Appointments product
- Card fee3.3% + 30¢Square Free, invoices paid online. Square Plus and Premium: 2.9% + 30¢. ACH 1% ($1 min)
- Free planInvoices, recurring invoices, estimates and contracts on Square Free
- Three yearsFree
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, Android
Price from squareup.com. Sources: squareup.com, squareup.com, squareup.com.
- 05
PayPal Invoicing
app · by PayPal
Best for: Freelancers whose clients already pay with PayPal or Venmo and who send a few invoices a month
Stands out: No subscription and no invoice cap: you only pay when a client pays.
The catch: A 49¢ fixed fee per payment, and 3.49% + 49¢ when clients pay with PayPal or Venmo.
- Free planYesNo monthly fee; an optional $14.99/month invoicing subscription exists
- Quotes / estimatesYesEstimates that clients accept, then convert to invoices
- Job schedulingNoNo job scheduling
- Card fee2.99% + 49¢US invoices paid by card or Apple Pay; PayPal or Venmo checkout 3.49% + 49¢; Pay by Bank 1%, capped at $10
- Free planCreating and sending invoices and estimates is included with a PayPal Business account; you pay per payment
- Three yearsFree
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, Android (PayPal Business app)
Price from paypal.com. Sources: paypal.com, paypal.com, paypal.com.
- 06
Invoice Ninja
web app
Best for: Freelancers who bill time on projects, or anyone who wants to run invoicing on their own server
Stands out: You can self-host it free with no client limit, and the hosted Pro plan is $140 a year.
The catch: Free hosted plan stops at 5 clients; the license is source-available, not open source.
- Free planYesHosted: 5 clients, unlimited invoices. Self-hosted: free
- Quotes / estimatesYesQuotes convert to invoices in one click
- Job schedulingNoProjects, time tracking and Kanban boards, but no job calendar
- Card feen/aYou connect your own Stripe, PayPal, Square or GoCardless account and pay that gateway's rate; Invoice Ninja lists no fee of its own
- Free plan5 clients on the hosted plan, unlimited invoices; self-hosting free
- Ninja Pro plan$11.67 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$420
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux; self-hostable
Price from invoiceninja.com. Sources: invoiceninja.com, invoiceninja.com.
- 07
FreshBooks
web app
Best for: Service freelancers who bill a handful of clients for time and expenses
Stands out: Time tracking, expenses and estimates sit next to invoices, with a standard 2.9% + 30¢ card rate.
The catch: Lite caps you at 5 billable clients; 50 clients means Plus at $43 a month.
- Free planNo30-day free trial only
- Quotes / estimatesYesEstimates on Lite; proposals and retainers from Plus
- Job schedulingNoNo job scheduling
- Card fee2.9% + 30¢FreshBooks Payments, all plans except Select; ACH 1%
- Lite plan$23 a month
- Three years$828
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, Android
Price from freshbooks.com. Sources: freshbooks.com.
- 08
Invoice2go
app
Best for: Sole traders who send fewer than 30 invoices a year and want free bank transfers
Stands out: Bank transfer (ACH) payments are free on every plan, where most rivals charge 1%.
The catch: Starter stops at 30 invoices a year and charges 3.5% on cards; unlimited invoices cost $449.99 a year.
- Free planNo30-day trial, card details required
- Quotes / estimatesYesUnlimited estimates on every plan
- Job schedulingPartlyAppointments you can track and bill for; no team dispatch
- Card fee3.5%Starter. Professional 3.0%, Premium 2.9%. Bank transfers (ACH) free
- Starter plan$6.67 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$240
- Runs oniPhone, Android, Web
Price from invoice.2go.com. Sources: invoice.2go.com.
- 09
Invoice Simple
app
Best for: Someone who sends a few invoices a month from their phone and wants the simplest app
Stands out: A plain phone app for estimates, invoices and receipts, starting at $6.99 a month.
The catch: Essentials allows 3 invoices a month and Plus 10; unlimited is Premium at $21.99, and cards cost 3.49% + 49¢.
- Free planNo14-day trial
- Quotes / estimatesYesEstimates on every plan
- Job schedulingNoNo job scheduling
- Card fee3.49% + 49¢Stripe through Invoice Simple, US credit and debit cards; ACH 1% + 30¢, capped at $15
- Essentials plan$6.99 a month
- Three years$252
- Runs oniPhone, iPad, Android, Web
Price from invoicesimple.com. Sources: invoicesimple.com, help.invoicesimple.com.
- 10
Jobber
app
Best for: Trade and home-service businesses that book, quote, schedule and invoice jobs in one app
Stands out: Quotes, scheduling, online booking and invoicing all come on the one-user Core plan.
The catch: $29 a month only if you pay yearly; $49 month to month, and reminders need Connect at $99.
- Free planNoFree trial only
- Quotes / estimatesYesQuotes on Core
- Job schedulingYesJob scheduling and online booking on Core
- Card fee2.9% + 30¢Jobber Payments, credit cards, on the plans shown
- Core plan$29 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$1,044
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, Android
Price from getjobber.com. Sources: getjobber.com.
- 11
ServiceM8
app
Best for: A one-person trade business that wants quoting, scheduling and invoicing free
Stands out: The only pick with job scheduling and quotes on a free plan.
The catch: Plans cap jobs a month (Free 30, Starter 50, Growing 150), and its card fee is above the usual 2.9%.
- Free planYes1 user, 30 jobs a month; texts cost 10¢ each
- Quotes / estimatesYesQuotes on every plan, Free included
- Job schedulingYesScheduling on every plan, Free included
- Card fee3.1% + 30¢US domestic cards: Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ plus ServiceM8's 0.2%, or ServiceM8 Pay (needs Starter or up); Tap to Pay 3.1% + 10¢
- Free plan1 user, 30 jobs a month, quotes and scheduling included
- Starter plan$29 a month
- Three years$1,044
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows
Price from servicem8.com. Sources: servicem8.com, servicem8.com, support.servicem8.com.
- 12
Joist
app
Best for: Contractors who mostly need to write estimates on site and turn them into invoices
Stands out: Unlimited estimates and invoices from the phone for $17 a month on Pro.
The catch: No free plan any more, scheduling needs the $100 Run plan, and cards cost 3.49% + 49¢.
- Free planNoFree plan discontinued; 14-day trial
- Quotes / estimatesYesEstimates on every plan; Basics caps estimates plus invoices at 5 a month
- Job schedulingPartlyOnly on the top Run plan ($100/month, or $58.33 billed yearly)
- Card fee3.49% + 49¢Joist Payments, US cards; Tap to Pay 2.79% + 49¢; ACH 1%, capped at $15
- Pro plan$17 a month
- Three years$612
- Runs onWeb, iPhone, Android
Three years, one person
What each one costs over three years
The device, plus the cheapest paid plan that does the job, for 36 months. Optional subscriptions aren't counted, and many have a free plan with limits: see each entry. Hermit is shown at its planned price.
Add up the ones you pay for: subscription calculator.
Lately
What changed in this category
The facts behind a few of the picks, each with its source.
The US QuickBooks Solopreneur page now sells three tiers: Free ($0, 2 invoices a month), Lite ($20 a month) and Simple Start ($38 a month).
Source: quickbooks.intuit.comJoist's free plan is no longer available; new users get a 14-day trial, and the cheapest plan is Basics at $12 a month for 5 documents.
Source: joist.comOn Square's free plan, invoices paid online by card cost 3.3% + 30¢; paid Square Plus and Premium plans get 2.9% + 30¢.
Source: squareup.comWave's free Starter plan charges 2.9% + 60¢ per card payment, double the 30¢ fixed fee most rivals charge.
Source: waveapps.com
Method
How we picked
- What one person pays over three years on the cheapest plan with no invoice cap that bites.
- Invoice limits: several cheap plans stop at 3 a month or 30 a year.
- The card fee clients' payments cost you, from each payments page.
- Whether it also does quotes and job scheduling, for trades that need both.
We compare what each maker publishes: plans, limits, platforms, privacy terms and documented features, from their own pages, dated. We haven't used every product here for months, and we don't pretend to. We earn nothing from these links.
The order is our judgement of fit for most people, not a score. How we research these pages. Seen a price change? Tell us.
Not a pick: on our waitlist
Hermit, quotes, jobs and invoices for one-person trades for $99 once
Quotes, a job schedule and invoices for a one-person trade business. Runs in your browser, works offline, $99 once instead of every month. It isn't built yet, so it isn't ranked above. We build the dupes people sign up for first; Jobber Core costs $1,044 over three years.
Questions
Best invoicing software for small business: FAQ
What is the best invoicing software for a small business?
For a freelancer, Zoho Invoice (free, 500 invoices a year) or Wave (free, unlimited invoices) covers most needs at $0. For a one-person trade business that also books jobs, ServiceM8's free plan (30 jobs a month) or Jobber Core ($29 a month billed yearly) adds quotes and scheduling.
Is there a free invoice app for small business?
Yes. Zoho Invoice, Wave, Square Invoices and PayPal Invoicing have free plans with no monthly fee, though you pay a card fee when clients pay online. QuickBooks Solopreneur's free plan allows 2 invoices a month unless you turn on QuickBooks Payments, and Invoice Ninja's hosted free plan stops at 5 clients.
What is the best invoice app for iPhone or Android?
Every pick here has both an iPhone and an Android app. Invoice Simple, Invoice2go and Joist are built mainly around the phone; Invoice2go's Starter plan is $79.99 a year for 30 invoices, and Joist Pro is $17 a month for unlimited estimates and invoices.
Which invoicing software also does quotes and estimates?
All twelve picks do. Square Invoices, Wave, Zoho Invoice and ServiceM8 include them on free plans. Joist's cheapest Basics plan counts estimates and invoices together toward a limit of 5 a month.
What is the best scheduling app for contractors?
Jobber Core includes quotes, scheduling, online booking and invoicing for one user at $29 a month billed yearly ($49 month to month). ServiceM8 includes scheduling and quoting on its free plan for 1 user and 30 jobs a month. Joist puts scheduling only on its Run plan.
How much do invoice apps charge per card payment?
From 2.99% with no fixed fee (QuickBooks Payments) and 2.9% + 30¢ (FreshBooks, Jobber, Zoho Payments), up to 3.49% + 49¢ (Invoice Simple, Joist). On a $1,000 invoice that's $29.90 at QuickBooks, $29.30 at 2.9% + 30¢ and $35.39 at 3.49% + 49¢.
How much does invoicing software cost over three years?
At list prices: Zoho Invoice $0; Invoice2go Starter $239.97 (3 × $79.99); Invoice Ninja Pro $420 (3 × $140); Wave Pro $570 (3 × $190); QuickBooks Solopreneur Lite $720 ($20 × 36); FreshBooks Lite $828 ($23 × 36); Jobber Core $1,044 ($29 × 36, billed yearly). Card fees come on top of these.
Is there an invoice limit on cheap invoicing plans?
Often, yes. Invoice2go Starter allows 30 invoices a year, Invoice Simple Essentials 3 a month, QuickBooks' free plan 2 a month (without QuickBooks Payments), Zoho Invoice 500 a year, and FreshBooks Lite 5 billable clients. Wave's free plan has no invoice limit.
Keep comparing
Alternatives to the apps above
Every subscription app we've compared, by the job it does, with what three years of it costs against one payment.
Mockingbird
Catbird
Bowerbird
Cuttlefish