For many small businesses and entrepreneurs, invoicing and collecting payments is the lifeblood of your organization. However, finding the best invoicing software for small businesses can prove challenging.
Many of your existing platforms or tools might have an invoicing capability (for example, GoDaddy Invoicing), or you might want a stand-alone solution to meet your needs.
Depending on your accounting knowledge, available resources, and budget, the invoicing software you choose can make a big difference in your day-to-day operations. That’s why we’ve evaluated the six best invoicing software options for small businesses, contractors, or solopreneurs — in no particular order.
Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice from GoDaddy on any subject matter.
6 best invoicing software options for small business
You’ve put a lot of hard work into your business, so it makes sense you’d also want the best invoicing software. Here are the best options:
- GoDaddy Invoicing
- Wave
- Intuit Quickbooks Invoicing
- Square
- PayPal
- Stripe
Ready to take a big first step toward easier invoicing and collecting payments? Let’s take a look.
Editor’s note: All prices and processing fees are accurate as of the publishing date.
1. GoDaddy Invoicing
- Cost: Free and Plus tiers available (Plus = $11.99/month).
- Payment Capabilities: All major credit and debit cards, checks, Apple Pay, Google Pay. Tap to Pay using the GoDaddy Mobile App also available.
- Payment Processing Fees: Free tier: 2.9% + 30¢ per online invoice transaction. Plus tier: 2.8% + 30¢ per online invoice transaction.
- Mobile App: Yes (app can handle tap to pay, pay links, keyed-in, and QR codes)
GoDaddy Invoicing makes it simple for business owners to create, send, and manage invoices all from a single place. The free tier of GoDaddy Invoicing allows for unlimited invoices and secure online payments, but the Plus tier allows for extra options, such as:
- Add your own branding to your invoices.
- Use your own domain name to host your invoice checkout page.
- Send invoices from your business email.
- Lower transaction fees.
- Automate recurring invoices.
- Add employees and access permissions.
2. Wave
- Cost: Starter and Pro tiers available (Starter = free. Pro = $16/month).
- Payment Capabilities: Accepts all major credit cards, including international payments, and ACH payments
- Payment Processing Fees: Starter tier: 2.9% + 60¢ per credit card transaction. Pro tier: 2.9% + 0¢ per credit card transaction for first 10 transactions/month (after 10 transactions, 2.9% + 60¢ applies). ACH is 1%.
- Mobile App: Yes
Wave is a solid invoicing software option. This web-based invoicing and accounting platform is ideal for business owners with minimal accounting knowledge. It offers a very beginner-friendly and interactive platform, allowing new users to start invoicing immediately.
To create your invoices, you can choose from multiple templates, then further customize the design with your logo and color schemes to match your branding. When creating invoices, there’s a drag-and-drop functionality to update the layout.
3. Intuit Quickbooks Invoicing
- Cost: Must have a QuickBooks account, plans range from $0/month to $235/month.
- Payment Capabilities: Accepts major credit and debit cards, ACH, Apple Pay, PayPal, and Venmo.
- Payment Processing Fees: Ranges from 2.5% to 3.4% + $0.25 per credit card transaction, ACH payments are 1%
- Mobile App: Yes
For business owners with a QuickBooks account, it might be a no-brainer to use their invoicing function. One of the main reasons QuickBooks stands among the best invoicing software is the backing of the Intuit suite of products and expertise.
Setting up an account and learning how to use QuickBooks might not be as easy as some of the other invoice options. While QuickBooks continues to adapt their user experience, there can still be a slight learning curve.
Related: GoDaddy Payments lets Hinterland Skis avoid high transaction fees & keep more of what it makes
4. Square
- Cost: Free and Plus tiers available (Plus = $20/month).
- Payment Capabilities: Accepts all major credit cards
- Payment Processing Fees: Free tier: 3.3% + 30¢ per online invoice transaction. Plus tier: 2.9% + 30¢ per online invoice transaction. ACH is 1%.
- Mobile App: Yes
Square is one of the original digital payment processors made exclusively for small businesses or solopreneurs. They originated the credit card reader that connects to a smartphone. Square also offers invoicing software for small businesses.
Square as a system is easy to set-up and quite beginner-friendly, a big reason it’s included among the best invoicing software.
The invoices themselves aren’t very customizable, but you can add your logo. The system allows you to set up recurring payments, reminders and notifications when the client views invoices.
Square is also convenient for businesses that need to accept payments in-person or on-the-go, from a smart device. As a stand-alone invoicing system, though, you’ll find a more robust alternative in the other options we’ve outlined.
5. PayPal
- Cost: Free
- Payment Capabilities: Accepts all major credit cards, including PayPal, Venmo, and Apple Pay️.
- Payment Processing Fees: 2.99% + 49¢ per credit card transaction. 3.49% + 49¢ per PayPal/Venmo transaction
- Mobile App: Yes
One of the only free providers on this list, PayPal is a solid invoicing option for small business owners. Another OG of internet payment providers, PayPal is a known and trusted provider. WIth PayPal, businesses have the option to customize their invoices with their business logo, name, and contact information. There are also invoice template options available to help users get started with the least amount of friction possible.
The downside to PayPal as an invoicing provider is that it doesn’t provide any sort of accounting software abilities, so an extra tool will be needed for business accounting. Additionally, their non-credit card fees can be a bit high comparatively.
6. Stripe
- Cost: Starter and Plus tiers available (Starter = 0.4% per invoice. Plus = 0.5% per invoice). A Stripe Payments account will also be required (free account).
- Payment Capabilities: Accepts all major credit cards, including PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay️.
- Payment Processing Fees: 2.9% + 30¢ per successful charge for domestic cards (and per invoice fee depending on the plan you choose). ACH is 0.8%.
- Mobile App: Yes
With no fixed monthly fees, Stripe is included as one of our best invoicing software options because of its low barrier to entry and comparatively robust features. Stripe includes a hosted invoice checkout page, along with the ability to customize your invoices using Stripe’s dashboard.
Stripe is a fairly basic invoice software, however. Integrating Stripe into your existing website or checkout services requires more advanced technical knowledge due to using an API to connect with other payment services.
Ready to find the best invoicing software?
Running a successful small business is demanding enough without having to stress about invoicing and accounts receivable. Getting the best invoicing software allows you to create custom invoices, get paid online (in real-time) through a variety of mediums, and automate your payment process.
Not to mention, many of the best invoicing software options listed here will provide a robust accounting and reporting dashboard, so you can visualize your financials.
To ensure the best match, think about the unique needs for your business and compare that with the key features of an invoicing software. You can also sign up for free trials to test out the system prior to committing for a number of these alternatives.