- It’s easier than ever to make professional-looking invoices
- Business owners can generate invoices online, using apps or their accounting software
- Paypal offers an invoicing option within its platform
If you run a small business, you probably send out invoices to your clients quite regularly. Making those invoices can be a time-consuming process. If you’re a new business owner, you might find yourself wondering what you should and shouldn’t include on an invoice or find it hard to keep track of reference numbers and other details.
The right tools can streamline the process, saving you time so you can focus on the more important parts of running your business. Read on for a list of some of the best free invoice generators available today. These tools are easy-to-use, suited for any business and available free of charge, too.
Andrey_Popov / ShutterstockWhy Use Invoice Generators?
Invoice generators help business owners present a professional image during an important interaction with a client. Whether you’re dealing with a private customer or a big business, appearing professional yourself can make life a lot easier if there’s a dispute or you find yourself dealing with late payments.
Invoice generators handle things like payment deadlines, reference numbers and contact details for you, so everything’s in writing for you to refer to when you’re doing your accounts or dealing with a dispute.
The Best Free Invoice Generators for Your Business
Entrepreneurs have several options when it comes to online invoice generators. Some accounting platforms, such as FreshBooks, offer their own built-in invoice generators. Zoho, a provider of collaboration and communication tools, also includes invoicing on its platform.
If you receive payments via PayPal, you can use its invoicing tool to send out an invoice with a built-in payment link, making tracking the payment an easy process. Finally, there are standalone tools that may work well for smaller businesses.
1. Zoho Invoice
Zoho offers email, document editing and groupware tools for individuals and organizations of various sizes. It also offers an invoice-generating tool. Zoho Invoice is available free of charge for small businesses.¹ This invoicing software supports multiple currencies and allows users to create professional-looking invoices that can be sent via email or SMS.
The invoice can include links to localized payment gateways, and the platform even supports setting up recurring payments. It’s easy to track the payment status of invoices, too.
2. Invoice Ninja
Invoice Ninja offers tiered pricing, with the free plan supporting up to 50 clients.² The tool is surprisingly powerful, allowing users to create branded invoices, include payment links and track the payment status of their invoices.
Invoice Ninja is ideal for contractors who work on an hourly rate because it has built-in support for projects and an easy way for contractors to log their billable hours. The tool also allows contractors to generate quotes and can handle multiple currencies and different tax rates for international clients.
3. FreshBooks Invoice Generator
Businesses that already use FreshBooks for accounting may find the FreshBooks Invoice Generator to be a useful option.³ This tool makes it easy to generate professional-looking invoices that link to your chosen payment processor. Users can configure automatic reminders and add late payment fees, taking some stress out of chasing clients for payments.
The tool supports multiple currencies, and it can also handle deposits and installment payments for businesses that work on larger, long-term projects.
4. Sunrise
Aimed at small business owners, Sunrise is an easy-to-use tool with an impressive list of features.⁴ Users can set up recurring billing, configure payment terms and automate email reminders with just a few clicks. The tool can be used to create an estimate, which can then be converted into an invoice with a payment date set.
When a client pays an invoice, the payment will automatically be synchronized with the Sunrise bookkeeping tool. Sunrise can save small business owners a lot of time when it comes to managing payments.
5. ZipBooks
If you’ve got a side gig that isn’t quite up to the scale of needing sophisticated accounting software and automated invoicing, ZipBooks could be the tool for you.⁵ This platform offers a website and phone app, so you can manage your record-keeping and invoicing from anywhere.
Clients can pay their invoices seamlessly, thanks to integration with major credit/debit card processors and PayPal. A clear and intuitive dashboard makes it easy to keep track of outstanding payments and see your business’ performance.
6. Simple Invoicing
Sometimes, you just need to send a one-off invoice for a consulting project or a small job. Simple Invoicing is perfect for those situations.⁶ This browser-based tool truly lives up to its name. There’s no app to download and no need to create an account.
Just edit each field of the invoice, then either print it out or generate a PDF to send via email. Simple Invoicing lacks the payment tracking features of some of the other options on this list but it’s lightweight, no-frills and gets the job done for occasional invoicing.
7. Invoice at Once
Invoice at Once is a simple, free invoice generator that is highly customizable.⁷ It supports multiple currencies and allows users to change the fonts used on the invoice, upload their own logo and change the colors, too. After creating an invoice, users can download it in PDF format for printing or sharing.
Alternatively, you can email the invoice to your client directly from the web browser. Invoice at Once is ideal for people who don’t need to send out a lot of invoices but want to make sure the ones they do share present a good image of their brand.
8. Invoiceto.me
Invoiceto.me is another simple, free invoice generating platform that allows users to create an unlimited number of professional-looking invoices.⁸ The template offered by Invoiceto.me is simple and understated.
While some users may feel the invoices look boring compared to the more colorful and friendly templates offered by some of the other tools on this list, that plain appearance could be a selling point if you’re dealing with older clients or B2B clients operating in more traditional fields.
9. PayPal Online Invoicing
If you receive a lot of payments through PayPal, then the PayPal Online Invoicing tool could be a huge time-saver. Use this tool to send out invoices that include handy payment links for your clients.⁹
You’ll be able to keep track of outstanding invoices in your PayPal dashboard, get email notifications when a client pays you, and generate payment reports for tax purposes at the end of the year. Keeping everything within the PayPal ecosystem makes record-keeping a simple task.
Present a Professional Image With Your Invoices
Dealing with late payments can be a frustrating experience for any business owner. Having a systematic approach to invoicing and using electronic invoices with easy payment links can reduce the risk of your invoices being forgotten or getting lost in a sea of emails. Don’t be shy about sending out reminders and chasing clients who fail to pay. Always remember, your suppliers are quick to chase you and you deserve to get paid for the work you’ve done.
