Guides / Comparisons

The Best Invoicing Software for Freelancers in 2026: 9 Tools Compared

Wave, Zoho Invoice, FreshBooks, QuickBooks, Xero, Bonsai, HoneyBook, Invoice Ninja and Stripe compared: free plans, prices as of October 2026, real limits.

Mythex Team · 2026-10-22 · 8 min read

The best invoicing software for most freelancers is Wave or Zoho Invoice if you want to pay nothing, FreshBooks if you want polished invoicing with time tracking and are happy to pay for it, and Bonsai or HoneyBook if you want proposals, contracts and invoices in one place. QuickBooks and Xero make sense when your accountant already uses them. Invoice Ninja suits people who want to self-host, and Stripe Invoicing suits developers or anyone who just wants a payable invoice with no monthly fee. Prices below are as of October 2026.

Invoicing software at a glance

How we compared

We compared the publicly stated features, plans and prices on each vendor's own pricing page as of October 2026. We did not do hands-on testing. Prices are in US dollars as shown on the US pricing pages, before tax. Several vendors run introductory discounts; we list the regular price and mention the promotion where the page showed one, because the regular price is what you pay after the first few months. We left out anything we couldn't confirm on the vendor's own site, including card processing rates for tools that didn't list them on the pricing page.

What matters most for freelancers:

• Free plan limits: invoices per month or year, number of clients.
• Getting paid: whether clients can pay by card or bank online, and what that costs.
• Extras: time tracking, expenses, proposals and contracts.
• Who else needs access: your accountant, or a collaborator.

Wave: free invoicing and bookkeeping

Wave is the most generous free option if you also want basic bookkeeping.

• Starter ($0): unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, plus a mobile app for invoicing on the go. Online payments are optional and subject to eligibility checks.
• Pro: $19/month or $190/year.
• Card fees: on Starter, 2.9% + $0.60 per card payment and 3.4% + $0.60 for Amex. Pro waives the $0.60 on your first 10 card transactions each month.
• Limits: the fixed $0.60 per card payment adds up on small invoices.
• Pick it if you want free invoicing and simple books in one place.

Zoho Invoice: free, with clear limits

Zoho Invoice calls itself a forever-free invoicing tool.

• Free: up to two users, three projects, 500 invoices a year and two organisations per Zoho account.
• Limits: invoices carry "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding, and there are no paid tiers listed. If you outgrow it, Zoho points you to Zoho Billing or its sales team.
• Pick it if you invoice fewer than about 40 clients a month and don't need full accounting in the same tool.

FreshBooks: polished invoicing for service work

FreshBooks is built around invoicing for service businesses, with time tracking and expenses alongside.

• Lite: $23/month, up to 5 billable clients.
• Plus: $43/month, up to 50 billable clients.
• Premium: $70/month, unlimited billable clients. Select is custom.
• Promotion: the page showed 80% off monthly plans for the first 4 months, and a 30-day free trial with no card.
• Limits: there's no free plan, and the client caps matter. Lite's 5-client limit is tight for anyone with many small clients.
• Pick it if you bill a few regular clients for time and want professional-looking invoices with little setup.

QuickBooks: when your accountant uses it

QuickBooks Online is full accounting software. Many accountants already work in it.

• Free: $0, one user, income and expense tracking, three reports and one bank account. Up to two invoices a month, or unlimited if you qualify for and enable QuickBooks Payments. No mobile app, integrations or accountant access.
• Simple Start: $38/month list price, one user; the page showed 50% off for the first three months. Essentials is $85, Plus $140 and Advanced $340.
• Limits: it's more software than a freelancer who just invoices needs, and the price climbs quickly after the discount ends.
• Pick it if your accountant asks for QuickBooks, or you want invoicing and tax-ready books in one tool.

Xero: accountant-friendly books

Xero is accounting software with a strong following among accountants.

• Early: $27/month, including quotes and 20 invoices and 5 bills.
• Growing: $59/month. Established: $97/month.
• Promotion: 90% off the base subscription for the first six months for new US customers, ending November 2, 2026.
• Limits: 20 invoices a month on Early is fine for a few retainer clients but not for high-volume small jobs.
• Pick it if you want proper accounting and your accountant prefers Xero.

Bonsai: the whole freelance workflow

Bonsai bundles client work tools: proposals, contracts, invoices, time tracking and a client portal.

• Basic: $15/month ($9 billed yearly), but it does not include invoicing.
• Essentials: $25/month or $19/month billed yearly per user, adding invoices and payments, proposals, contracts, forms, scheduling, a client portal and expense tracking.
• Premium ($39, or $29 yearly) and Elite ($59, or $49 yearly): add reports, integrations with QuickBooks, Xero and Zapier, and branding removal.
• Limits: a 7-day trial, then you need a paid plan. Removing Bonsai branding requires Premium.
• Pick it if you send a proposal and contract before every invoice and want one tool for all of it.

HoneyBook: for creative businesses

HoneyBook is a client management platform popular with photographers, planners and other creative service businesses.

• Starter: $29/month billed yearly, with unlimited clients and projects, invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, a client portal and up to 2 live lead forms.
• Essentials: $49/month billed yearly, adding a scheduler, automations, the QuickBooks Online integration and up to 2 team members.
• Premium: $109/month billed yearly.
• Trial: the FAQ says you can try it free for 30 days with no card.
• Limits: it's more than an invoicing tool, priced like it. The page didn't list monthly-billed prices clearly.
• Pick it if you run bookings, contracts and deposits for events or shoots.

Invoice Ninja: cheap, and you can self-host

Invoice Ninja offers a hosted service and a version you run on your own server.

• Free (hosted): up to 5 clients, unlimited invoicing.
• Ninja Pro: $14/month or $140/year. Enterprise: from $18/month for 1–2 users.
• Self-hosted: the official repository describes it as source-available under the Elastic License, with all Pro and Enterprise features included. Removing Invoice Ninja branding costs $40 a year.
• Limits: self-hosting means you handle the server, updates and backups.
• Pick it if you want control over your data or the lowest paid price on this list.

Stripe Invoicing: no monthly fee

Stripe Invoicing lets you send invoices that clients pay online through Stripe.

• Starter: 0.4% per paid invoice. Plus: 0.5% per paid invoice, including quotes.
• Stripe says there are no fixed fees or setup costs, but Stripe's normal payment processing fees apply on top.
• Limits: it's an invoicing and payments tool, not accounting. You'll still need somewhere to track expenses and taxes.
• Pick it if you already use Stripe, or you invoice rarely and don't want a subscription. Our Stripe vs PayPal guide covers the payment side.

When a custom invoicing tool makes more sense

Off-the-shelf tools fit standard freelance billing well. They fit less well when your billing has its own rules: a translator who prices by word count and language pair, a contractor who builds quotes from a parts list, a tutor who bills parents for packages of sessions, or a small agency that wants clients to log in and see every project, quote and invoice in one portal.

That's where a small app of your own can be better. With Mythex, you describe the tool in chat, for example "clients, a quote builder that prices by word count, convert a quote into an invoice, and a page where clients see what they owe", and the AI builds it with a live preview. It adds a database, login and file storage when the app needs them, and you publish to a URL in one click. The Free plan gives 5 credits a day; Pro starts at $25 a month and adds code export and GitHub. For a quote-first workflow, see the quotes builder, and our step-by-step guide on how to build an invoicing app.

The honest trade-off: a custom tool doesn't come with bank feeds, tax reports or an accountant who already knows it. Taking card payments means connecting a provider such as Stripe yourself (see how to add payments to your app). For most freelancers, Wave, Zoho Invoice or FreshBooks is the faster answer. Build your own when the way you price or present work is the thing the standard tools can't do. Our guide on build vs buy software for small business covers that decision in more depth.

Who each suits

• Pay nothing, want bookkeeping too: Wave.
• Pay nothing, just invoices: Zoho Invoice.
• A few clients, billing time: FreshBooks.
• Your accountant chooses: QuickBooks or Xero.
• Proposals and contracts first: Bonsai or HoneyBook.
• Self-hosting or lowest paid price: Invoice Ninja.
• No subscription, already on Stripe: Stripe Invoicing.
• Unusual pricing or a client portal: a custom tool.

Verdict

Start free with Wave or Zoho Invoice, and only pay when you hit a real limit. FreshBooks is the most invoicing-focused paid option, but watch its client caps. QuickBooks and Xero are worth it once you want full accounting, especially if your accountant uses one of them. Bonsai and HoneyBook earn their price only if you'll use the contracts and proposals too. Check the regular price, not the first-months discount, and add up card fees on a typical invoice before you decide. If you're setting up a freelance practice from scratch, our guide on how to start a consulting business covers the rest.