A plumber who sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars will pay a very different amount from a designer who sends 8 invoices a month and collects 12,000 dollars, even on the same plan. The monthly fee is only the first line of the bill. Card processing takes a cut of every payment, client limits force upgrades, and a free plan that caps invoices at 20 a month stops being free the moment a busy month arrives. That is why invoicing software pricing for small business has to be worked out at your real volume, not read off a pricing page.
Most owners look at the entry price and stop there. A plan at 23 dollars a month looks cheap next to one at 38 dollars a month, until the cheaper plan charges 11 dollars a month for each extra team member and the dearer plan includes them.
That gap between the plan price and the real bill is the heart of invoicing software pricing for small business, and it is the number this guide works out for every tool. A free plan looks cheaper than both, until a client pays by card and the processing fee takes 2.9 percent plus 60 cents on a 150 dollar invoice. The fee is small on one invoice and large across a year of them.
Prices in this guide are US list prices checked in November 2026, per month unless noted, before tax and before payment processing fees. Introductory discounts are left out, because they expire after three months and the list price is what you pay for the other nine. Where a vendor charges per user, the price below is per user. Where a vendor charges a flat monthly fee, the price covers the whole business. Card fees are shown separately, because they are the largest cost for most small businesses and they do not appear in the plan price.
The nine tools in this guide are Wave, Zoho Invoice, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Square Invoices, Zoho Books, Invoxa and PayPal Invoicing. They cover the full range, from a free plan that sends unlimited invoices to a full accounting suite that happens to include invoicing. The table below gives the free plan, the entry paid price, what you get at that price, and the card fee, for each one.
Invoicing Software Pricing at a Glance
The table below is the short answer. Prices are in US dollars per month, on the standard list price, before tax. Card fees are what you pay when a client pays by card, and they sit on top of the plan price.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry paid price | What you get | Card fee per payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | Starter, unlimited invoices | Pro 19 dollars a month, 190 dollars a year | Unlimited invoices, bookkeeping, automatic reminders on Pro | 2.9 percent plus 60 cents, Amex 3.4 percent plus 60 cents |
| Zoho Invoice | Free, 500 invoices a year | No paid plan | 500 invoices a year, 2 users, 3 projects | Depends on the gateway you connect |
| FreshBooks | 30 day trial only | Lite 23 dollars a month | Invoicing for up to 5 billable clients | 2.9 percent plus 30 cents |
| QuickBooks Online | Free plan, 1 user and 2 invoices a month | Simple Start 38 dollars a month | Full accounting, invoicing, 1 user | 2.99 percent per invoiced card payment |
| Xero | 30 day trial only | Early 27 dollars a month | Quotes and 20 invoices a month, 5 bills | Not published by Xero, set by your payment provider |
| Square Invoices | Free, unlimited invoices | Plus 49 dollars a month per location | Unlimited invoices, estimates, contracts, lower card fee | 3.3 percent plus 30 cents on Free, 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on Plus |
| Zoho Books | Free under 50,000 dollars annual revenue | Standard 15 dollars a month billed annually, 20 dollars monthly | 3 users, 5,000 invoices a year | Depends on the gateway you connect |
| Invoxa | First 3 documents free, 7 day trial | Pro 5.99 dollars a month, 59.99 dollars a year | Simple invoicing on web and mobile | Through your own Stripe account |
| PayPal Invoicing | Free to send invoices | No monthly plan | Unlimited invoices, PayPal checkout | Card and PayPal fees apply per payment, check your account rate |
Read the card fee column before you read the plan price column. A business that collects 6,000 dollars a month by card pays about 174 dollars a month in card fees at 2.9 percent, before the 30 or 60 cent charge on each payment. That fee dwarfs the difference between a 19 dollar plan and a 38 dollar plan, so the cheapest plan is often the one with the lowest card fee, not the lowest monthly fee.
Read the free plan column second, because a free plan that covers a real month saves a paid bill while you test the tool. Wave Starter sends unlimited invoices at no monthly cost, and Zoho Invoice sends 500 invoices a year at no monthly cost. Those two are the only free plans in this guide that cover real work.
That order of reading is the whole method behind invoicing software pricing for small business, because the fee that looks small on one invoice is the fee that decides the year.
Wave
Wave is the free pick for a solo owner in the United States or Canada, and its pricing is the simplest to read. Starter costs nothing a month and sends unlimited invoices and estimates, with basic bookkeeping included. Pro costs 19 dollars a month, or 190 dollars a year, and adds automatic payment reminders and automatic bank transaction imports. Wave Advisors, a bookkeeping service, starts at 149 dollars a month, but that is a service, not software, and most small businesses will never need it.
Worked cost for a business that sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars, with half the clients paying by card. Starter costs nothing a month for the software. Card payments of 3,000 dollars cost 87 dollars at 2.9 percent, plus 60 cents on each of the 15 card payments, which is 9 dollars, so the total is 96 dollars a month. Pro costs 19 dollars a month on top of that, so the total is 115 dollars a month. The Pro upgrade is worth it only if automatic reminders collect at least one late payment a month that you would otherwise chase by hand.
Wave has two limits that matter. It serves the United States and Canada only, so a business outside those countries cannot use it. The free plan does not chase late payers automatically, so an owner who forgets to follow up will wait longer for payment. A solo owner inside the coverage area who sends invoices and takes card payments should test Wave first, because no other tool in this guide sends unlimited invoices at no monthly cost.
Zoho Invoice
Zoho Invoice is the free pick for everyone Wave leaves out, and it has no paid plan at all. The free plan allows 500 invoices a year, 2 users, 3 projects and 2 organisations, with a client portal and online payment options through a gateway you connect. There is no monthly fee to pay, no annual fee, and no upgrade tier to move to when you grow past the free limits, because the limits are the product.
Worked cost for a business that sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars. That is 360 invoices a year, inside the 500 invoice limit, so the software costs nothing a month. Card fees depend on the gateway you connect, and Zoho does not publish a single rate, so check your gateway before you compare. With a gateway at 2.9 percent plus 30 cents, card payments of 3,000 dollars cost 87 dollars plus 4.50 dollars on 15 payments, which is 91.50 dollars a month. The software cost is zero, and the payment cost is the whole bill.
Zoho Invoice fits a freelancer or a two person firm that sends under 500 invoices a year and wants a free tool that will stay free. It does not fit a business that sends more than 500 invoices a year, because there is no paid Zoho Invoice plan to move to. That business moves to Zoho Books, which is a separate product with its own pricing. A global freelancer who invoices in more than one currency should test Zoho Invoice first, because Wave does not serve them.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is the pick for freelancers and service firms that bill hours or retainers, and its pricing is built around clients. Lite costs 23 dollars a month for up to 5 billable clients. Plus costs 43 dollars a month for up to 50 billable clients. Premium costs 70 dollars a month for unlimited clients. Select is custom priced. Each extra team member costs 11 dollars a month on top of the plan, and there is a 30 day free trial.
Worked cost for a service firm with 8 billable clients that sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars, half by card. Lite covers only 5 clients, so the firm needs Plus at 43 dollars a month. Card payments of 3,000 dollars cost 87 dollars at 2.9 percent, plus 30 cents on each of the 15 card payments, which is 4.50 dollars, so the total is 134.50 dollars a month. A firm with 4 clients fits on Lite at 23 dollars a month, so the total is 114.50 dollars a month, and the client count decides the plan.
FreshBooks earns its price with time tracking, expenses, proposals and a client portal in the same product, so a firm that bills hours does not need a second tool. A firm that only sends invoices and never tracks time pays for features it does not use. A freelancer with under 5 clients who bills hours should test FreshBooks first, because the time to invoice workflow is the fastest in this guide.
QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online is the pick when your accountant already works in QuickBooks, and its pricing is accounting pricing, not invoicing pricing. Simple Start costs 38 dollars a month for 1 user. Essentials costs 85 dollars a month for 3 users. Plus costs 140 dollars a month for 5 users. Advanced costs 340 dollars a month for 25 users. A free plan exists for 1 user and up to 2 invoices a month, which is a test, not a plan for a trading business.
Worked cost for a business that sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars, half by card, with one user. Simple Start costs 38 dollars a month. Card payments of 3,000 dollars cost 89.70 dollars at 2.99 percent, so the total is 127.70 dollars a month. A business that needs recurring invoices or multi currency moves to Essentials at 85 dollars a month, so the total is 174.70 dollars a month. The jump from Simple Start to Essentials is the largest step in this guide, and it catches businesses that outgrow the entry plan.
QuickBooks is the right choice when invoicing has to sit inside real books, with bank reconciliation, bills, payroll and an accountant who logs in. It is the wrong choice when you only need to send invoices, because you pay accounting prices for an invoicing job. A business whose accountant asks for QuickBooks should use it, because the accountant time it saves is worth more than the plan price.
Xero
Xero is the growth pick, invoicing inside cloud accounting that scales without a migration, and its pricing is flat per business, not per user. Early costs 27 dollars a month for quotes and 20 invoices a month and 5 bills. Growing costs 59 dollars a month with no invoice limit. Established costs 97 dollars a month and adds multiple currencies, project time and cost tracking, and expense claims. Every plan lets unlimited people log in, which is rare in this guide.
Worked cost for a business that sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars. Early covers only 20 invoices, so the business needs Growing at 59 dollars a month. Card fees are not published by Xero, because they are set by the payment provider you connect, so add your provider rate on top. At 2.9 percent on 3,000 dollars of card payments, the fee is 87 dollars, so the total is 146 dollars a month. A business that sends 15 invoices a month fits on Early at 27 dollars a month, so the total is 114 dollars a month.
Xero fits a growing firm where several people need access, because the flat price does not rise when you add a user. It does not fit a business that sends 21 invoices a month and wants the cheapest plan, because the Early cap forces the jump to Growing. A firm that invoices in more than one currency should test Established, because multi currency is the feature that justifies the top plan.
Square Invoices
Square Invoices is the pick for a business that already takes payments through Square, and its pricing is free to start. Square Free costs nothing a month and sends unlimited invoices, estimates and contracts. Plus costs 49 dollars a month per location and lowers the card fee and caps the ACH fee. Card payments cost 3.3 percent plus 30 cents on the free plan, or 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on Plus. Bank transfers cost 1 percent, with a 1 dollar minimum, and Plus caps that fee at 10 dollars.
Worked cost for a shop that sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars, half by card and half by bank transfer. On Free, card payments of 3,000 dollars cost 99 dollars at 3.3 percent, plus 4.50 dollars on 15 payments, which is 103.50 dollars. Bank transfers of 3,000 dollars cost 30 dollars at 1 percent, so the total is 133.50 dollars a month.
On Plus, the card fee falls to 91.50 dollars and the bank fee is capped at 10 dollars per payment, so the total is 49 dollars for the plan plus 101.50 dollars in fees, which is 150.50 dollars a month. Plus costs more at this volume, and only pays when bank fees are large.
Square fits a seller who takes payments in person and by invoice in the same account, because the money lands in one place. It does not fit a business that wants the lowest card fee, because the free plan card fee is the highest in this guide. A field business that invoices on the go from a phone should test Square first, because the mobile invoicing is the strongest here.
Zoho Books
Zoho Books is the value pick for a business that wants full accounting at a low price, and its pricing is per organisation. The free plan covers a business with annual revenue under 50,000 dollars. Standard costs 15 dollars a month billed annually, or 20 dollars billed monthly, for 3 users and 5,000 invoices a year. Professional costs 40 dollars a month billed annually, or 50 dollars monthly. Premium costs 60 dollars a month billed annually, or 70 dollars monthly. Elite and Ultimate are higher tiers for larger firms.
Worked cost for a business that sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars, half by card, with 2 users. Standard at 15 dollars a month on annual billing covers 5,000 invoices a year, so the plan is not the limit. Card fees depend on the gateway, and at 2.9 percent plus 30 cents the fee on 3,000 dollars is 91.50 dollars a month, so the total is 106.50 dollars a month. That is the lowest paid total in this guide at this volume, because the plan is cheap and the invoice allowance is large.
Zoho Books fits a budget conscious business that wants accounting, invoicing, bills, bank reconciliation and projects in one product, and that already uses Zoho CRM or another Zoho app. It does not fit a business that wants a single published card rate, because Zoho leaves that to the gateway. A small firm under the revenue limit should start on the free plan, because it costs nothing and covers real invoicing.
Invoxa
Invoxa is the cheapest paid invoicing tool in this guide, and its pricing is a single plan. Pro costs 5.99 dollars a month, or 59.99 dollars a year, which works out to about 5 dollars a month. The first 3 documents are free without a plan, and there is a 7 day free trial. There is no bookkeeping, no payroll and no client portal, because Invoxa does one job, which is sending invoices from the web or a phone.
Worked cost for a freelancer who sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars, half by card. Pro costs 5.99 dollars a month. Card payments run through your own Stripe account, so the fee is the Stripe rate on your account, and at 2.9 percent plus 30 cents the fee on 3,000 dollars is 91.50 dollars a month, so the total is 97.49 dollars a month. That is the lowest total in this guide at this volume, because the plan price is almost nothing and the only real cost is the card fee.
Invoxa fits a freelancer who wants simple, low cost invoicing and already has a Stripe account. It does not fit a business that needs bookkeeping, reminders or a client portal, because those features are not in the product. A solo owner who sends invoices and nothing else should test Invoxa first, because the price is hard to beat.
PayPal Invoicing
PayPal Invoicing is the pick when your clients already have PayPal, and its pricing is free to send. There is no monthly plan and no annual fee. You send unlimited invoices, clients pay through PayPal checkout, and PayPal takes its fee on each payment. The fee depends on your account and your country, so check your account rate before you compare, because the rate is the whole cost and there is no plan price to hide behind.
Worked cost for a business that sends 30 invoices a month and collects 6,000 dollars, all through PayPal. The software costs nothing a month. The payment fee is the only cost, and at a typical PayPal rate the fee on 6,000 dollars is well over 150 dollars a month, which is more than the total cost of Wave Pro or Zoho Books Standard at the same volume. PayPal is cheap to start and expensive to scale, because the fee applies to every dollar collected and there is no plan that lowers it.
PayPal fits a freelancer whose clients ask to pay by PayPal and who sends a few invoices a month. It does not fit a business that collects thousands of dollars a month, because the payment fee grows with revenue and never falls. A business that already invoices through PayPal should compare the fee against Wave or Zoho Books, because the saving on a paid plan is often larger than the plan price.
What the Monthly Fee Hides in Invoicing Software Pricing for Small Business
What the Monthly Fee Hides
The plan price is only the start of invoicing software pricing for small business, and the three costs below are the ones that move the total.
The plan price is the smallest part of the bill for most small businesses. Card fees, client limits and extra users are where the money goes. A plan at 23 dollars a month that charges 11 dollars a month for each extra team member costs 45 dollars a month for a three person team.
Client limits are the second hidden cost. FreshBooks Lite covers 5 billable clients, Xero Early covers 20 invoices a month, and Zoho Invoice covers 500 invoices a year. Each of those limits is generous until the month you pass it, and then the upgrade is not optional. Count your clients and your invoices before you choose, and pick the plan that covers your busiest month, not your average month.
Card fees are the third hidden cost, and they are the largest. At 2.9 percent, a business that collects 6,000 dollars a month by card pays 174 dollars a month in card fees, before the per payment charge. A business that collects by bank transfer pays about 1 percent, so steering clients to bank transfer saves more money than switching plans. Offer bank transfer on every invoice, and put the card option second.
Cheapest for Each Use Case
| Use case | Cheapest fit | Monthly cost at 30 invoices and 6,000 dollars collected |
|---|---|---|
| Solo owner, United States or Canada, free plan | Wave Starter | 96 dollars, card fees only |
| Global freelancer, under 500 invoices a year | Zoho Invoice | 91.50 dollars, card fees only |
| Service firm billing hours, under 5 clients | FreshBooks Lite | 114.50 dollars |
| Business whose accountant uses QuickBooks | QuickBooks Simple Start | 127.70 dollars |
| Growing firm, several people need access | Xero Growing | 146 dollars |
| Seller already on Square, invoicing on the go | Square Free | 133.50 dollars |
| Full accounting on a budget, 2 users | Zoho Books Standard | 106.50 dollars |
| Simple invoicing only, lowest plan price | Invoxa Pro | 97.49 dollars |
| Clients insist on PayPal | PayPal Invoicing | Over 150 dollars, fees only |
Use this table as the shortlist for invoicing software pricing for small business, then work out the total at your own volume before you choose. Read the table by use case, not by price alone. The cheapest tool for a solo owner is not the cheapest tool for a firm whose accountant uses QuickBooks, because the accountant time saved is worth more than the plan saving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a truly free invoicing tool?
Yes. Wave Starter sends unlimited invoices at no monthly cost in the United States and Canada, and Zoho Invoice sends 500 invoices a year at no monthly cost anywhere. Square Free also sends unlimited invoices at no monthly cost. Those three are the only free plans in this guide that cover real work.
How much does invoicing software cost per month?
A small business should expect to pay nothing a month on a free plan, 5.99 dollars to 27 dollars a month for a focused invoicing tool, and 27 dollars to 38 dollars a month for invoicing inside full accounting. Card fees add about 2.9 percent of the amount collected by card, which is usually larger than the plan price. A business that collects 6,000 dollars a month should budget about 100 dollars to 150 dollars a month in total, including card fees.
That total is the honest answer to invoicing software pricing for small business, because it includes the card fees most guides leave out.
Which invoicing tool is cheapest for a small business?
It depends on the volume and the payment method. Invoxa Pro at 5.99 dollars a month is the cheapest paid plan, and Wave Starter and Zoho Invoice cost nothing a month for the software. At 30 invoices and 6,000 dollars collected, with half paid by card, Zoho Books Standard has the lowest paid total in this guide at 106.50 dollars a month.
At that volume, invoicing software pricing for small business comes down to the card fee, not the plan price, and Wave Starter has the lowest total overall at 96 dollars a month, because the software is free and only card fees apply.
Do unused invoices roll over?
No, on most tools in this guide. Zoho Invoice allows 500 invoices a year, and unused invoices do not carry into the next year. Xero Early allows 20 invoices a month, and unused invoices do not carry into the next month.
Which invoicing tool is best for a small business that bills hours?
FreshBooks is best for a firm that bills hours, because time tracking, expenses and invoicing sit in the same product. Harvest and QuickBooks Time also track time, but they are time tools first and invoicing tools second.
Verdict
For most small businesses, the best value is Wave Starter at no monthly cost, if the business is in the United States or Canada, or Zoho Invoice at no monthly cost, if it is anywhere else. Both send real invoices for free, and the only cost is the card fee when a client pays by card. A business that wants paid features should look at Zoho Books Standard at 15 dollars a month on annual billing, because it adds full accounting for less than the price of a focused invoicing tool.
For a service firm that bills hours, FreshBooks Plus at 43 dollars a month is the best pick, and that is the simplest read on invoicing software pricing for small business for a firm that bills time, because the time tracking and client portal save more time than the plan costs. For a business whose accountant uses QuickBooks, QuickBooks Simple Start at 38 dollars a month is the only pick that makes sense, because the accountant time it saves is worth more than the saving on a cheaper plan.
The right tool is the one that fits the invoice count, the client count and the payment method at the volume you will send in six months, not at the entry price, because the entry price buys a limit that may not cover a real month of invoicing. Work out the total at your volume, including card fees, and the cheapest fit will be clear.
Work out the total at your volume, including card fees, and the cheapest fit will be clear. That volume test is the last step in invoicing software pricing for small business, and it is the one that saves the most money.
