• What agencies need from invoicing software
  • Worked example: a monthly agency invoice

The right invoicing software for an agency lets several people work in one account, bills monthly retainers on a schedule, turns tracked time into invoice lines, and shows clients exactly what they're paying for. Below is what to check, a sample agency invoice, and what five tools say about themselves on their own pages.

Billed publishes this page. Billed is listed first, and the other tools follow in alphabetical order. The order isn't a ranking, and we didn't test these products. Each description and price comes from the vendor's own pages, opened on October 29, 2026. Prices and plans change, so check each pricing page before you buy.

What agencies need from invoicing software

  • Team access with permissions, so account leads, project managers and finance can each do their part.
  • Recurring invoices for monthly retainers.
  • Time tracking by project that turns hours into invoice lines, for work outside the retainer.
  • A way to bill expenses you pay on a client's behalf, such as stock images or printing, shown apart from your fees.
  • Online payments and reminders for client accounts payable teams.

Worked example: a monthly agency invoice

The figures here are a sample. An agency's contract with a client sets a $6,000 monthly retainer, out-of-scope work at $150 an hour, and pass-through costs billed at cost. In May, the team logs 12 out-of-scope hours and buys a $350 stock photo license for the client's campaign.

  1. Retainer: $6,000.
  2. Out-of-scope work: 12 × $150 = $1,800.
  3. Stock photo license, at cost: $350.
  4. Invoice total: $6,000 + $1,800 + $350 = $8,150.

Put the retainer, the extra hours and the pass-through cost on separate lines, and name the approved change request on the hours line. The client's finance team can then match each line to the contract. See guide to retainer invoicing.

What each tool says it does

Billed

Billed's invoice software page says you can "Invite your team, accountant or contractors and give them permissions in your account." For retainers: "For clients you bill on a schedule, set up a recurring profile once." Its time tracking page says you can "Log the time you and your team spend on tasks and projects, see it by day and by week, create timesheets, and invoice hourly projects from the time you tracked," and "If you run more than one business in Billed, you can assign team members to specific businesses."

Billed's pricing page lists a Free plan with 1 team member, Pro at $99.99 a year with 1 team member, and Premium at $250 a year with 3 team members.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks' invoicing page says you can "Dedicate a specific number of hours to your client's retainer and schedule work against that amount," and "Automate your entire billing workflow, from recurring invoices and card-on-file payments to sending reminders and charging late fees." It also says you can "track your hours and client expenses, then turn them into professional invoices in seconds."

On October 29, 2026, FreshBooks' pricing page showed a limited-time discount on its plans, so see that page for current prices.

Harvest

Harvest's features page says you can "Turn your team's tracked time and expenses into invoices and collect payment quickly with integrated online payments," and "Use Timesheet Approvals to ensure the accuracy of your team's tracked time before you invoice clients." It also says Harvest can "Automatically copy your Harvest invoices and payments to QuickBooks Online or Xero."

Harvest's pricing page lists a Free plan at $0 for 1 seat and 2 projects, Teams from $9 a seat a month ($108 per seat, billed annually), and Enterprise from $14 a seat a month ($168 per seat, billed annually). It says that on paid plans, "additional invoices, projects, clients, and tasks are billed based on what you use."

HoneyBook

HoneyBook's invoicing page says you can "Accept deposits, bill for one-time services, or invoice as you go with flexible installments," and "Schedule invoices that automatically send at a specific date and time."

HoneyBook's pricing page lists Starter at $29 a month, Essentials at $49 a month with "Up to 2 team members," and Premium at $109 a month with "Unlimited team members," each billed yearly. The page showed a "Fall savings" offer on annual plans on October 29, 2026.

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks' invoicing page says you can "Go from quoting a job to invoicing for it without re-entering data" and "Accept cards, ACH, Apple Pay®, PayPal, and Venmo, and manage it all right in QuickBooks."

QuickBooks' pricing page lists 1 user on Simple Start, 3 users on Essentials and 5 users on Plus. On October 29, 2026, its paid plans showed "50% off for 3 months," so see that page for current prices.

How to choose

  • Count who needs access. Check each plan's team member or user limit against your team.
  • Check how pass-through costs get onto invoices. FreshBooks and Harvest describe turning tracked expenses into invoices on their pages.
  • If you track time in one tool and invoice in another, check the integration on both vendors' pages.
  • Price it at your size. Per-seat and per-user pricing grows with your team.
  • Ask your accountant what your books need beyond invoicing.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should agencies look for in invoicing software?

Team access with permissions, recurring invoices for retainers, project time tracking that turns hours into invoice lines, a way to bill pass-through costs, and online payments with reminders. Check each one on the vendor's own pages.

How should an agency invoice pass-through costs?

Put them on their own lines, apart from your fees, and say whether they're billed at cost or with a markup your contract allows. In the sample, a $350 stock photo license billed at cost sits on its own line next to the $6,000 retainer and $1,800 of extra hours.

How do I bill a retainer plus extra hours?

Bill the retainer and the extra hours as separate lines. In the sample, 12 out-of-scope hours at $150 add $1,800 to a $6,000 retainer, for an $8,150 invoice.

Which of these tools let a team share one account?

Billed, Harvest, HoneyBook and QuickBooks Online describe team members, seats or users on their own pages, with limits that vary by plan. FreshBooks' pricing page lists team members as an add-on. Check each plan's limit.

Is this page a ranking of the tools?

No. Billed publishes this page, Billed is listed first, and the other tools are in alphabetical order. The descriptions come from each vendor's own pages, opened on October 29, 2026, and we didn't test the products.

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