When you start a business as a consultant, chances are that your first need is a way to invoice your clients. And even if you do your accounting in Excel, having a nice-looking invoice template shows professionalism and will increase the chances that clients will pay you. Invoicing can be tricky when you’re just starting out! That’s why I created this guide for invoicing software for consultants. In this guide, I explain exactly what features an invoicing tool should have, what it’s used for, and give my personal take on the top 9 products in this category.
Invoicing software for small business is a hot topic at the moment, especially as many small businesses use accounting software. However, when it comes to invoicing for your business, especially if you are in the construction industry there are software downloads which you need to consider. These are important pieces of software to have in place in your business.
1. FreshBooks
Next on our list is FreshBooks, which has been leading the finance and accounting software market for years now with its hard-to-beat mix of superb features and affordable pricing. Expert and non-expert users love how the application helps them turn complex financial management operations into satisfying tasks with all the accuracy and speed that it is known for.
If you are barely familiar with any accounting or billing software, FreshBooks will let you create professional-looking invoices in no time at all, complete with the name and logo of your brand. Your invoice comes with a credit card payment facility, which allows you to collect payments faster while sparing your clients the time and trouble of attending to all that’s needed to do to pay you. To close the transaction in a cheerful mode, you simply let the application send automatic thank-you notes at the end of each payment collection.
If these features seem interesting to you, the vendor has an appealing free trial where you can actually tinker with the features at no cost. You can sign up for FreshBooks free trial.
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As a freelancer, contractor or consultant, you spend most of your time shifting from one client to another. Here you will find that you can run FreshBooks just about anywhere and any time using your iOS or Android mobile device. This means you don’t have to deal with clients who are continually frustrated at being unable to reach you any moment.
With a number of clients to mind, you will appreciate how FreshBooks puts your work on autopilot with reminders and automation rules that you can easily set up from the start. If you have a challenging client, for example, you let FreshBooks focus on following up with them while you go about doing what you do best.
You can have all these sterling capabilities at the budget-friendly $15/month price. If you have more than 5 clients, you may consider negotiating with the vendor or simply look up its other pricing plans.
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2. QuickBooks Online
From another trusted name in the finance and accounting space, Intuit’s QuickBooks Online makes it easy to create and send invoices, as well as to process payments right inside the cloud-based application. Real-time tracking and automated notifications and reminders keep you on top of due and overdue payments without losing sleep over them.
Payment in QuickBooks Online is via PayPal, Apple Pay, a free bank transfer, credit card and many more. Once the payment transaction is concluded, the application will save the details in your books and transfer the money to your bank account without the need for you to do anything else. Payments are faithfully matched in your books automatically.
Try out QuickBooks Online with their free trialVISIT WEBSITEFREE TRIAL
QuickBooks Online lets you include billable hours in your invoice, great if your arrangement with your client requires those. If you communicate with your clients via text or messaging app, the application lets you create an encrypted link that you can send to your clients via those methods.
For the subscription plans, the $6 per month Simple Start plan is already equipped with all the essential invoicing tools that you need like invoices, estimates and payment processing. The $12 Essentials plan adds bill management and time tracking to your tools.
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3. AvidXchange
If you are a small or medium-sized company, AvidXchange can be your answer to invoice management and accounts payable automation. The platform is loaded with automation features and tools to set you free from piles of paperwork, check printing, envelopes, postage, and all that time spent on manual data entry.
For example, the software has OCR technology. This allows you to extract information from scanned documents or images and convert the text to machine-readable form. This can be a handy feature when receiving and processing invoices and can save hours of repetitive data entry for your AP team.
Try out AvidXchange with their free trialVISIT WEBSITEGET DEMO
Being a web-based AP software, AvidXchange also helps companies stay organized on the go. Whether you have staff working from home or AP team members who are regularly assigned at different locations outside your physical office, they can easily access the invoice information they need through their digital devices as long as they have an internet connection. The software implements security features so your company’s details and invoice records are safe wherever they are accessed.
Another important feature of AvidXchange is its integrations. With more than 180 integrations with leading accounting platforms and ERP systems, you can seamlessly connect the software to your current business applications. This seamless connectivity means less downtime, less friction, and more productivity within your AP team.
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4. Bill.com
As an AI-powered invoicing software, Bill.com is designed to help automate accounts payable and accounts receivable processes. Offering an intelligent way to create bills and invoices, it streamlines how you send and receive payments. Additionally, it also lets users capture invoices and digitize them. With Bill.com, freelancers and business owners alike can save as much as half of the time they spend manually managing invoices, payments, and cash flow.
Furthermore, Bill.com lets users fast-track payments they receive from their clients and customers. This is made possible through the software’s AR automation option. Freelancers can also customize a professional invoice using Bill.com’s templates and customizable invoice fields. Additionally, users can automate where the invoices will be sent and set up recurring payments.
Bill.com makes tracking payments sent and received easier and faster, too. For instance, once you send an invoice, you can immediately monitor them from your Bill.com inbox. You can also schedule reminders for your clients.
Moreover, if you are using other accounting and business tools such Xero and Quickbooks, you can integrate them with Bill.com. This way, you minimize the need to manually enter data twice. For freelancers looking for cost-efficient invoicing software, Bill.com is available for as low as $39 per user per month. You can see its features for yourself through the free trial.
Detailed Bill.com ReviewREAD MORE
5. HoneyBook
Another invoicing software designed with freelancers, consultants, and contractors in mind is HoneyBook. Right within its core, HoneyBook has the blend tools you need to effectively bill and invoice clients. Firstly, you don’t start creating each invoice from scratch. For expediency and convenience, HoneyBook allows you to use a recently sent invoice or pick a suitable template, and customize it to your liking.
Secondly, adding the billable items and service to the invoice is also a breeze. The best of it all is that with HoneyBook you can easily bill all elements of the client’s project, including those that aren’t primarily detailed in an invoice. Whether it’s time spent brainstorming or designing a client project, the time tracker ensures no single minute of billable time goes unpaid.
Try out HoneyBook with their free trialVISIT WEBSITEFREE TRIAL
By tracking and automatically collating all time entries, HoneyBook makes it easy to create invoices containing billable time. Essentially, all you need to do to create an invoice is to tick all relevant time entries and the invoice will be ready in seconds. You can even automatically compute tax and discounts, and set up recurring or schedule payments. Ultimately, this simplifies the invoicing and billing side of client contracts, which is a huge headache gone for freelancers and contractors.
Once you send the invoice, clients can access it by email and act upon it from any device — smartphone or desktop computer. Most importantly, all invoices include built-in features such as auto-payments, real-time notifications, and automatic reminders. These handy features prompt clients to make payments regularly and on time.
Detailed HoneyBook ReviewREAD MORE
6. FreeAgent
You will want to look at FreeAgent, an online finance and invoicing tool that offers attractive templates, for its $10 per month Universal Plan. Once you have your invoice done and looking good, you can then choose to send it to your clients via PDF email or by printing it first and then sending it by post.
To collect your payments, FreeAgent lets you choose from PayPal or Stripe payment gateway software, or have your clients pay you through their credit cards instead. An Invoice Timeline tool lets you see your settled invoices, unpaid ones and red-flagged overdue ones. For collaboration, you can request your client to share their relevant data with you so you work with them in real time and deliver works at speed.
You can use all these features for free for a period of time to see if the software matches your needs. Simply sign up for FreeAgent free trial.
For your peace of mind, FreeAgent gives you HMRC-compliant invoices, automatically entering the essential information that the law requires. If you have recurring invoices, you simply set up the application to send reminders on a predetermined time, saving you substantial time and cost from unsent reminders.
Detailed FreeAgent ReviewREAD MORE
7. Zoho Books
Available on iOS, Android and Windows, online accounting and invoicing software Zoho Books lets you send clear, accurate and customized statements to your clients and get paid quickly from its selection of multiple currencies. To create or change your invoice, you simply add your company logo to the default template. If the fonts do not fancy the font, clicking a single button will fetch you the one you like instead.
To process payments, Zoho Books lets you get paid via cheques, credit cards, or through online payment gateways like Stripe, Authorize.Net, Worldpay, Braintree and PayPal among others. To ensure your clients pay you on time or settle overdue invoices, you can set up Zoho Books to send regular reminders at predetermined times. Support for multiple currencies means that you can offer your services to any part of the world, freeing you from a possible limited locality that you currently find yourself in.
Try out Zoho Books with their free trialVISIT WEBSITEFREE TRIAL
If you want to investigate these features closely, you can easily do so when you sign up for Zoho Books free trial.
If you have clients that pay you regularly, you can simply make their invoices recurrent from the pop-up menu. If your work involves refunds and returns, Zoho Books lets you manage these tasks efficiently.
With its $9 per month Basic Plan, Zoho Books offers a sweet deal for freelancers, contractors and consultants out there.
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8. Sage 50cloud
From another finance and accounting software veteran, Sage 50cloud lets you take care of invoicing and billing of clients online without worrying about compliance with the latest laws that affect your work. All you have to do is access your online account from anywhere and anytime, create or update your invoices and send them to your clients. From there, you can easily track how much any one client owes you and request and receive instant payments right with your invoices.
Invoice tracking means that Sage 50cloud will present you with the number of invoices that you have sent thus far, which ones still need to be paid, and which ones are already past their due dates. All of these follow your rules on due dates, personalized terms, and credit limits. Since your figures are regularly matched with your bank, you don’t have to worry about entry errors.
The vendor has an appealing free trial where you can tinker with the features at no cost. You can sign up for Sage 50cloud free trial.
As with many of the solutions on this list, Sage 50cloud lets you customize your invoice forms for a more professional look. That works with your logo and company name. You also get to have templates that you can easily edit if you are not too worried about what you can come up in this area.
Sage 50cloud’s international clout is evident in how it lets you create and submit invoices using any global currency of your choice. You don’t have to manually calculate exchange rates, charges or any other adjustments as the application has it all figured out for you. If you are feeling generous, you may also use the application to introduce discounts by a fixed amount or percentage, whichever suits your situation.
Sage 50cloud offers all these essential invoicing features and much more at an introductory price of $10 per month for its Accounting Start plan. Another plan, simply called Accounting for $25 per month, enables you to generate quotes and estimates, create powerful reports and view cash flow statements.
Detailed Sage 50cloud ReviewREAD MORE
9. Zoho Invoice
If a more dedicated invoicing platform from the same Zoho vendor works better for you, then Zoho Invoice covers the part splendidly, with the added benefits of more payment gateway options and support for the preferred language of your own clients. Aside from these, you also gain from this application’s capability to automate an expanded number of workflows, giving you more control on your collectibles and more time to focus on your productive work.
If you are worried of elevated pricing, you will be happy to know that not only do you have to pay the same rate as you would with Zoho Books, but you also get a free plan that lets you invoice up to 5 customers along with an allowance for 5 automated workflows.
Try out Zoho Invoice with their free trialVISIT WEBSITEFREE TRIAL
You can see for yourself how this application could affect your workflow once you sign up for Zoho Invoice free trial.
If you are used to providing estimates for your clients, then Zoho Invoice lets you accomplish this task with its Estimates tool. You can give your customers a draft of your prices, what discounts you could give them under certain arrangements, and the essential terms and conditions that apply to your working partnership. For recurring clients, you get an estimates history to help you negotiate with them better each time.
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10. Xero
One name that made its mark in the accounting software sector, Xero not only ensures that your ledgers are in order, but also that your invoicing works do not earn the unwanted attention of the tax man. With that taken care of, you can then push the application to give you the polished look of a professional, with invoice forms that reflect your company name, logo, and other design elements to go with them.
While sending reminders for due and overdue invoices, you might need to pay more attention to clients who need a more convincing approach to send in their payments. For that to happen, Xero lets you know when a client has opened or seen your invoices but stopped right there. If there are more of this type of client, you can resort to sending another batch of invoices in one session, saving you further hassle on attending to this much-needed task.
Another time saver feature from this application is evident once you are creating your invoice: while adding an item, Xero simply retrieves the matching price from your pricing schedule and fills in the necessary field.
If you have up to five active clients, the Early plan valued at $9 per month should be adequate for your needs. For more than that, there’s the $30 Growing plan and the $60 Established plan, with more advanced features for your expanding needs.
Detailed Xero ReviewREAD MORE
11. Jobber
Next up on our 12 best invoicing software for freelancers, contractors and consultants is Jobber, whose online field service management and invoicing solution works perfectly for people on the go. With its client hub, you get a clearing place for your clients to approve quotes, check work details or pay due invoices at agreed schedules.
If invoicing double entries are a constant source of headache for you and your clients, having Jobber on your side means putting this trouble to rest by setting up Jobber to dispatch completed job line items into a matching invoice format that you can then send according to schedule. If you are prone to forgetting to send invoices too, then Jobber could prompt you with timely reminders to get the task done right on target.
Jobber’s invoicing tool and other powerful modules are all yours for $19 per month with its Lite plan, just right for all freelancers, contractors and consultants out there.
Detailed Jobber ReviewREAD MORE
12. BigTime
BigTime is your ticket to a fully integrated time and billing solution to process and collect payments from your clients effectively. A WIP management module helps you meet your own end of the job contract and prevent risky work positions. If you need to review your professional obligations and your own performance, the application’s smart tool, BigTime IQ, should let you probe your data for crucial insights.
As with Online Invoices, BigTime packs a handful of other tools to let you earn more from your freelancing, contracting or consulting profession. Its project management tool, for example, lets you dive into individual tasks and budgets, ensuring that you are allocating resources at optimal levels.
An expense management solution, on the other hand, lets you keep a tight watch on expenditures that could hurt your bottom line, from mileage, proper submission of receipts and more.
Pricing for BigTime range from the Express plan at $10 per user per month, to the Pro plan at $30 per user per month, and the Premier plan at $40 per month. Unlike other billing software solutions, BigTime does not limit the number of clients that you can work with.
Detailed BigTime ReviewREAD MORE
Have you chosen your invoicing software yet?
While Online Invoices easily takes the cake for bringing in an unprecedented number of business solutions around billing, which places it well within the ERP software ranks, it’s less than likely that users in the freelancing, contracting and consultancy professions would have much urgent need for the added capabilities.
Mr. Biller with its lowest price $3 monthly for the premium plan is unique, but it still needs more polish in the payment processing department.
The rest will be great for your varying needs, but whatever you finally decide to purchase, go the extra mile and see how the software could actually work for you by availing yourself of the free trial offer, which most, if not all, of these vendors give to potential customers. In the case of our top candidate, you can sign up for Freshbooks free trial.164323
By Daniel Epstein
Daniel Epstein is a senior financial research analyst at FinancesOnline and the architect behind our Fintech and ERP content division. His main areas of expertise are blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, and the use of biometrics in fintech solutions. His work has been frequently quoted by such publications as Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, and LA Times. With more than 1,800 solutions scrutinized in the last 5 years spent on our team he always prioritized offering readers an unbiased perspective on modern financial technologies.
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Conclusion
Invoicing software for consultants can be a thing of beauty for you and your client. In the same way, the wrong invoicing software might make your client run away from you. You probably use some manual pages to give your client an invoice or you send email with the invoice attached. This might be good enough for some clients but not all of them. If you want to stand out as an expert in your field, the best way to do this is with amazing invoicing software!