• What to Look For
  • The Tools

Freelancers need invoicing software that makes a professional invoice quickly, lets clients pay online, sends payment reminders, and handles repeat work with recurring invoices. If you bill by the hour, time tracking that feeds the invoice helps too. This page compares five tools using what each vendor says on its own website, opened on October 29, 2026.

Billed publishes this page and is listed first. The other tools follow in alphabetical order and aren't ranked. Prices change, so check each vendor's pricing page.

What to Look For

  • Speed from draft to send: saved services, default payment terms and your details filled in.
  • Online payments, so clients can pay from the invoice.
  • Payment reminders for invoices that are due or past due.
  • Recurring invoices for retainers and repeat work.
  • Estimates or quotes that convert into invoices.
  • Time and expense tracking if you bill hours or pass costs through.

The Tools

Billed

  • Invoicing and payments: Billed's invoice software page says you can "Create branded invoices, send them by email, take card and PayPal payments on them, and see which invoices are paid, partly paid or past due, all from one Billed account."
  • Reminders: the same page says "you can see who owes you money and send them a payment reminder. Payment reminders can be customized."
  • Recurring invoices: the recurring invoices page says "Invoices are created automatically and sent to your customers according to your settings."
  • Estimates: the estimating software page describes "converting approved estimates into invoices with just a few clicks."
  • Time and expenses: the time tracking page says you can "invoice hourly projects from the time you tracked", and the expense tracking page says "Give every expense a category".
  • Mobile: the mobile app page says you can "Create invoices, send estimates, log expenses, and accept payments from wherever you are."

FreshBooks

From FreshBooks' invoicing page:

  • "Automate your entire billing workflow, from recurring invoices and card-on-file payments to sending reminders and charging late fees."
  • "Request deposits on estimates and offer flexible payment options like Buy Now, Pay Later so you can cover costs, protect cash flow, and start projects with money in hand."
  • You can track your hours and client expenses, "then turn them into professional invoices in seconds so every bill reflects the full value of your work."

QuickBooks Online

From QuickBooks' invoicing page:

  • "Go from quoting a job to invoicing for it without re-entering data."
  • "Set up recurring invoices to auto-send every day, week, month, or year."
  • "Accept cards, ACH, Apple Pay®, PayPal, and Venmo, and manage it all right in QuickBooks."

Wave

From Wave's invoicing page:

  • "Set up recurring invoices and automatic credit card payments for your repeat customers and stop chasing payments."
  • "Know when an invoice is viewed, becomes due, or gets paid, so you can take the right actions to manage your cash flow."
  • "Set up late payment reminders to automatically email your customers when payment is due (with Wave's online payments feature or the Pro Plan)."

Zoho Invoice

From Zoho's Zoho Invoice page:

  • "Send tax-compliant invoices, accept online payments, and automate payment reminders with Zoho Invoice."
  • "Invoice your customers through an email, SMS, or as a PDF on WhatsApp or iMessage."
  • "Track billable hours, invoice timesheets, and charge customers accurately."

Worked Example: A Freelance Writer's Invoice

These are sample figures for a fictional freelance writer.

  • Three blog articles: 3 × $350.00 = $1,050.00
  • Editing changes requested after delivery: 2 hours × $60.00 = $120.00
  • Invoice total: $1,050.00 + $120.00 = $1,170.00, due in 14 days

Send it the day you deliver the work, with a payment option on the invoice, and set a reminder for the due date. For more, see how to invoice for freelance work and how to follow up on unpaid invoices.

Related Guides

FAQ

How can a freelancer start invoicing quickly?

Use an invoicing tool with your business details, logo and payment terms saved as defaults, so each invoice only needs the client and the work. Add an online payment option so the client can pay from the invoice.

When should a freelancer send an invoice?

Send it when you deliver the work, or on the date your agreement sets, such as the start of each month for a retainer. In the sample on this page, the writer sends a $1,170.00 invoice on delivery, due in 14 days.

Which of these tools send payment reminders?

Billed, FreshBooks, Wave and Zoho Invoice each describe payment reminders on the pages quoted here. Wave's page says its automatic late payment reminders come "with Wave's online payments feature or the Pro Plan".

Do freelancers need accounting software or just invoicing software?

It depends on what you need to track. Invoicing tools cover sending invoices, payments and reminders. If you need full bookkeeping, ask your accountant which tool fits, and check each vendor's own pages for what it includes.

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