TLDR (Summary)
Plutio ($19/month) is the strongest pick because invoices generate directly from tracked time, and the same platform handles proposals, contracts, projects, and a branded client portal where clients pay without emailing for a link. Bonsai ($9/month) connects invoicing to contracts and time entries but caps collaborators at 5 on Starter. FreshBooks ($17.10/month) pairs invoicing with double-entry accounting but limits the Lite plan to 5 billable clients.
Below, 8 tools compared on pricing, payment gateways, automated reminders, time-to-invoice connection, and which ones handle billing alongside the work that produces it, not just the final number.
Essential features in freelance invoicing software
The invoice itself takes 5 minutes. The hours, agreements, and follow-ups surrounding the bill are where freelancers lose time and revenue. Picking invoicing software based on template design or payment buttons misses the bigger question: does the tool connect billing to the work that came before it?
Time-to-invoice connection
Freelancers billing hourly need logged time to reach an invoice without a copy-paste step. Some tools generate invoice line items directly from time entries. Others require exporting a CSV and manually rebuilding the bill in a separate app. The fewer steps between recorded hours and a sent invoice, the fewer billable hours get lost in the transfer.
Automated reminders and late-payment handling
Sending a polite follow-up email 7 days after an invoice goes unpaid shouldn't require a calendar reminder. Automated payment reminders handle follow-ups on a schedule, so invoices don't sit unpaid because nobody remembered to check. For calculating late fees, see our late fee calculator.
Payment processing
Stripe, PayPal, or a built-in gateway, the tool needs to accept payment directly from the invoice. Every extra step between "invoice received" and "payment submitted" increases the chance of delay. Some platforms charge a transaction fee on top of the payment processor's fee, which adds up across dozens of monthly invoices.
What lives outside the bill
An invoice doesn't exist in isolation. Scope comes from a proposal, terms come from a contract, and hours come from a project tracker. Tools that handle proposals, contracts, and project management alongside invoicing keep the full paper trail in one place. Dedicated invoicing tools handle the bill, but the proposal, contract, and project scope that justify the bill live somewhere else.
All-in-one freelance platforms with invoicing
All-in-one platforms bundle invoicing with everything around the bill, from scope documentation to project tracking, so billing stays tied to proposals, hours, and deliverables. Starting prices are higher because invoicing comes packaged with everything else, and accounting features are usually lighter than dedicated billing tools.
Plutio ($19/month)
Best for: freelancers who need invoicing tied to time tracking, projects, and contracts | Capterra: 4.6/5 | G2: 4.5/5
Plutio generates invoices from tracked time in one click, so billable hours, retainer balances, and milestone payments become invoice line items without exporting data to another tool. Recurring invoices run on a schedule, and automated reminders follow up on unpaid bills on a set schedule. Stripe and PayPal handle payments with no platform fee on top of the processor's rate. The same workspace covers proposals that convert into projects, contracts that stay linked to scope, and a white-labeled client portal where clients view invoices, check progress, and pay directly. Flat monthly pricing with no per-client caps on Core or Pro.
- Invoices generate from tracked hours without exporting or re-entering data
- Recurring invoices and automated payment reminders included from the start
- Stripe and PayPal with no platform fee on top of processor rates
- Full project lifecycle from proposal to client portal in one workspace
- Flat rate pricing, no per-client caps on any plan
- No built-in accounting (connects to QuickBooks and Xero via integrations)
- Mobile app not yet available
Bonsai ($9/month annually)
Best for: solo freelancers who need contracts and invoicing together | Capterra: 4.6/5 | G2: 4.3/5
Bonsai connects invoicing to contracts and time entries, so the invoice references the original agreement and logged hours. Automated reminders follow up on unpaid invoices. Expense tracking feeds into tax-ready reports. The Starter plan at $9/month covers unlimited clients but caps collaborators at 5. Custom branding and the client portal require the Professional plan at $39/month, a gap explored in the Plutio vs Bonsai comparison and the Bonsai alternatives page.
- Invoicing tied to contracts and time entries
- Automated payment reminders included
- Tax-ready expense tracking on all plans
- $9/month entry point (annual billing)
- Collaborator cap at 5 on Starter plan
- Client portal requires Professional plan ($39/month)
- Custom branding locked to higher tiers
Moxie ($10/month annually)
Best for: budget-conscious freelancers who want billing and project management together | Trustpilot: 5/5 (520 reviews) | AppSumo: 4.81/5 (83 reviews)
Moxie builds invoices from tracked time and ties billing to projects, so hours logged against a deliverable flow into the invoice without manual entry. Recurring invoices run on Stripe and PayPal. Proposals and contracts come bundled in. The platform is newer with a smaller user base, so review presence on G2 and Capterra is limited, a factor covered in the Moxie alternatives breakdown.
- Invoicing from time entries with Stripe and PayPal
- Proposals and contracts bundled in regardless of tier
- $10/month entry point (annual billing)
- Newer platform with limited review presence on major sites
- Smaller integration ecosystem than established tools
- Reporting less detailed than FreshBooks or Plutio
HoneyBook ($29/month annually)
Best for: creative freelancers who combine proposals and invoicing in one document | Capterra: 4.7/5 | G2: 4.5/5
HoneyBook merges invoices with proposals into "Smart Files," so the client reviews scope, signs, and pays from a single document. Automated reminders follow up on unpaid invoices. The built-in payment gateway processes cards and bank transfers. CRM and scheduling come included. HoneyBook has no time tracking at any tier, so freelancers billing hourly enter amounts manually, a limitation explored further on the HoneyBook alternatives page.
- Proposal, contract, and invoice combined in one client-facing document
- Automated payment reminders at every tier
- Built-in CRM and scheduling included
- $29/month is the highest entry point on this list
- No time tracking at any tier (hourly billing requires manual entry)
- HoneyBook branding on client documents unless Premium ($109/month annually)
All four platforms send invoices and process payments. Plutio is the only one that generates invoices from tracked time while also covering the full project lifecycle, from first proposal to client-facing portal, at a flat rate with no per-client caps.
Dedicated invoicing tools
Dedicated invoicing tools focus on billing, payment processing, and accounting, with deeper financial reporting than all-in-one platforms. But proposals, contracts, project tracking, and client portals live in separate apps, so billing operates independently of scope and agreements.
FreshBooks ($17.10/month Lite, annual billing)
Best for: freelancers who need invoicing paired with double-entry accounting | Capterra: 4.5/5 (4,493 reviews) | G2: 4.5/5 (790+ reviews)
FreshBooks pairs invoicing with double-entry accounting, expense tracking, bank connections, and tax reports. Time tracking feeds into invoice line items at any tier. Automated reminders run on a customizable schedule. The Lite plan at $17.10/month caps billable clients at 5. The Plus plan at $29.70/month raises the cap to 50 clients and adds project management. FreshBooks has the most reviews of any tool on this list (4,493 on Capterra alone), so pricing changes and feature limitations are widely reported. No contracts or proposals at any tier, so scope documentation needs a separate tool, a point covered in the FreshBooks vs QuickBooks and FreshBooks alternatives breakdowns.
- Invoicing plus double-entry accounting in one tool
- Time tracking feeds into invoice line items regardless of plan
- Customizable automated reminder schedules
- Most-reviewed invoicing tool on this list (4,493 Capterra reviews)
- Lite plan caps at 5 billable clients
- Plus plan needed for 50 clients ($29.70/month)
- No contracts or proposals at any tier
- Additional team members cost extra on top of the base price
Wave (Free)
Best for: freelancers who need free invoicing with basic accounting | Capterra: 4.4/5 (1,700 reviews)
Wave offers unlimited free invoicing alongside basic accounting and receipt scanning at no cost. Wave Payments processes card payments at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. H&R Block acquired Wave in 2019, adding tax-prep integration to the billing workflow. The free plan covers invoicing and accounting, but bank auto-import and priority support require the Pro plan at $19/month. No time tracking on any plan, so hourly freelancers enter amounts manually. No third-party integrations on the free tier.
- Unlimited free invoicing plus basic accounting
- Receipt scanning included on the free plan
- Card payment processing built in (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction)
- No time tracking at any tier
- No third-party integrations on the free plan
- Bank auto-import requires Pro plan ($19/month)
- No contracts, proposals, or project management
Zoho Invoice (Free)
Best for: freelancers who want free invoicing with time tracking | G2: 4.7/5
Zoho Invoice includes time tracking, project billing, expense tracking, and a client portal on the free plan. Invoices generate from tracked time entries. Multi-currency support covers international billing. The free plan caps invoices at 500 per year, so freelancers billing 10 clients weekly reach the limit in about a year. Integrations outside the Zoho ecosystem are limited. No contracts or proposals.
- Free plan includes time tracking and project billing
- Multi-currency invoicing for international clients
- Client portal included on the free plan
- 500 invoice per year cap on the free plan
- Limited integrations outside the Zoho ecosystem
- No contracts or proposals at any tier
- Steeper learning curve than Wave or Invoice Ninja
Invoice Ninja (Free / $10/month Pro)
Best for: freelancers who want open-source invoicing with data control | Capterra: 4.8/5 (160 reviews) | G2: 4.5/5
Invoice Ninja offers unlimited free invoicing with time tracking, expense tracking, and 40+ payment gateway options (Stripe, PayPal, Square, and more). The Pro plan at $10/month adds proposals, purchase orders, and custom branding. Open-source code allows self-hosting, though setup requires server configuration and ongoing maintenance. The community is smaller than FreshBooks or Wave, and the interface looks dated compared to newer platforms.
- Unlimited free invoicing with time tracking and expense tracking
- Open-source with self-hosting available for full data control
- 40+ payment gateway integrations
- $10/month Pro tier is the cheapest paid plan on this list
- No contracts or project management at any tier
- Self-hosting requires technical setup and server maintenance
- Smaller community than FreshBooks or Wave
- Interface design older than newer platforms
FreshBooks covers the most accounting ground. Wave and Zoho Invoice offer free plans with different trade-offs (Wave has no time tracking, Zoho caps at 500 invoices per year). Invoice Ninja gives data control through open-source self-hosting. None of the four include contracts, proposals, or full project management, so billing runs separately from the agreements and scope that back up the numbers.
Feature comparison at a glance
All 8 tools compared side by side on pricing, time tracking, contracts, client portal, accounting, and payment gateway.
| Tool | Price | Time Tracking | Contracts | Client Portal | Accounting | Payment Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plutio | $19/mo flat | Included | Included | Included | No (QuickBooks/Xero) | Stripe, PayPal |
| Bonsai | $9/mo | Included | Included | Professional ($39/mo) | Basic expenses | Stripe, PayPal |
| Moxie | $10/mo | Included | Included | Pro ($20/mo) | Basic expenses | Stripe, PayPal |
| HoneyBook | $29/mo | No | Included | Included | No | Built-in gateway |
| FreshBooks | $17.10/mo | Included | No | Invoice portal | Double-entry | Stripe, PayPal |
| Wave | Free | No | No | No | Basic accounting | Wave Payments |
| Zoho Invoice | Free | Included | No | Included | Basic expenses | Stripe, PayPal, others |
| Invoice Ninja | Free / $10/mo | Included | No | No | Basic expenses | 40+ gateways |
Plutio is the only tool on this list that includes every category in the table above, from time tracking through client portal, at a flat monthly rate. FreshBooks covers the most accounting depth. The three free tools (Wave, Zoho Invoice, Invoice Ninja) each trade contracts, proposals, or portal features for a $0 price tag.
Picking the right freelance invoicing software
No single invoicing tool fits every freelancer. The right pick depends on whether billing needs to connect to contracts, time tracking, and project management, or whether a standalone invoicing app covers the workflow.
If the full workflow needs one platform
Plutio handles the full billing lifecycle in one workspace at $19/month, from first proposal through paid invoice. Logged hours become invoice line items without rebuilding the data. Clients view progress and pay invoices through a branded portal. No per-client caps on Core or Pro. For freelancers who want billing connected to every stage of a project, Plutio covers the most ground on this list.
If budget comes first
Wave offers free invoicing with basic accounting and receipt scanning, but no time tracking and no third-party integrations on the free plan. Zoho Invoice includes free time tracking and project billing but caps invoices at 500 per year. Invoice Ninja offers unlimited free invoicing with time tracking and open-source self-hosting. Each free option trades a different feature for the $0 price tag.
If accounting matters most
FreshBooks pairs invoicing with double-entry accounting, bank connections, expense tracking, and tax reports. Time tracking feeds into invoices on every plan. The Lite plan at $17.10/month works for freelancers with 5 or fewer clients. Freelancers with more clients need Plus at $29.70/month. No contracts or proposals at any tier, so scope documentation lives in a separate tool.
If contracts and invoicing belong together
Bonsai ties invoicing to contracts and time entries at $9/month. HoneyBook merges proposals, contracts, and invoices into a single client document at $29/month but has no time tracking. Both cover the contract-to-invoice workflow but skip project management, so task tracking and deliverables need a separate app.
The decision comes down to what happens before and after the invoice. Freelancers who only need billing can start with a free tool. Freelancers whose invoices connect to tracked hours, contracts, and client communication need a platform that handles the full workflow.
Common invoicing mistakes freelancers make
The most expensive invoicing mistake isn't picking the wrong template. The mistake is choosing a tool that handles billing but ignores everything around it.
Ignoring per-client caps
FreshBooks Lite limits invoicing to 5 billable clients. Freelancers who sign a 6th client either upgrade to Plus ($29.70/month) or start a second account. Checking client caps before committing to a plan avoids a forced upgrade three months in.
Separating time tracking from invoicing
Tracking hours in one tool and invoicing from another means manually transferring line items between apps. Every manual transfer is a chance to miss a billable hour or round down. Tools that generate invoices from logged time (Plutio, FreshBooks, Zoho Invoice, Invoice Ninja) close that gap.
Skipping automated reminders
According to Jobbers, 65% of freelancers wait 30+ days for payment. Automated reminders follow up on unpaid invoices on autopilot. Most tools on this list include reminders, but some lock the feature behind paid tiers.
Choosing free without checking the limits
Wave's free plan has no time tracking. Zoho Invoice caps at 500 invoices per year. Invoice Ninja's free tier lacks proposals and custom branding. A free plan that doesn't cover the full billing workflow often costs more in workarounds than a $10-19/month platform that includes everything.
Treating the invoice as a standalone document
An invoice references scope, terms, and deliverables. When proposals, contracts, and project tracking live in separate apps, the bill arrives with no reference to the scope, terms, or hours that produced it. The invoicing tool matters less than whether billing ties back to the proposal, contract, and tracked hours that justify the amount.
