We asked over 250 small business owners about the tools they swear by to get the job done. Based on 500+ hours of research, here is our curated list of the best apps and software for tiny companies—as told to us by real small business owners.
So your team just shipped out a huge job. Pretty cool, right? But before you celebrate, you need to ask your client to pay up.
Solid invoicing software prevents you from having to mail out a paper invoice and cross your fingers that you’ll eventually get paid.
While some of the most popular accounting software includes invoicing capabilities, like Xero and QuickBooks, this list is for people who want to integrate invoicing with their current accounting software—as most of these tools don’t replace actual accounting software.
The winner: Bill.com
Bill.com was the most popular invoicing software among respondents, with nearly 80 percent of respondents who use the service saying they would recommend it to other entrepreneurs.
Why business owners recommend it
- It’s intuitive for non-accountants. Business owners like that they can feel confident about asking vendors to use the platform because it’s easy to pick up. As one respondent points out, “It’s a simple solution for me to process payments without adding in extra work for the people involved.”
- The dashboard is customizable. Respondents like that they can customize the dashboard so it displays exactly what they want to see, like to-do lists and forecasts.
- There are a bunch of payment options. You can choose between ACH, paper checks, or even have Bill.com mail your checks for you.
- It can sync with the most popular accounting software. You can sync with your existing accounting software for faster data entry and auto-reconciliation. It plugs into many popular products, like QuickBooks and Xero.
Things to consider
- The price is a bit high. Compared to other invoicing programs, it’s on the expensive side—especially for small companies that have to work with a limited budget.
- The look could be better. “They haven’t put a lot into the aesthetic front. Their UX just updated after eight years,” says Jason Blumer, owner of South Carolina-based accounting firm, Blumer CPAs. Some respondents say the program is hard to navigate, and the drag-and-drop invoice functionality doesn’t always work right away.
- The QuickBooks sync isn’t the same for all tiers. Respondents say that there are limitations with the QuickBooks integration if you’re on the lowest pricing tier. Others say
“the integration is a little bumpy.”
Price
- Bill.com has four pricing tiers, with the cheapest plan at $29 per user per month. They also offer a free trial so you can try it out before taking the plunge.
| Plan | Price |
| Essentials | $29 per user, per month |
| Team | $39 per user, per month |
| Corporate | $59 per user, per month |
| Enterprise | Contact Bill.com to get a quote |
Best for business owners who have basic invoicing needs: Invoicely
Invoicely is a web-based program that satisfies basic invoicing needs as well as a few light bookkeeping essentials.
Why business owners recommend it
- It’s designed for (very) small companies. The functionality is “super basic,” says one survey respondent. Because the tool isn’t that robust but is “very affordable,” it’s best for small companies with basic invoicing needs. The Enterprise plan supports up to 25 users, so it might not be a smart option if you have over 25 employees who would need access.
- It offers what many business owners need for free. Its selling point, however, lies in the free invoicing plan it offers, with support for unlimited invoices and unlimited clients. Many other programs that are free require you to pay for unlimited invoicing.
- It covers all the bases. The program allows users to copy invoices that have already been created, records when an invoice has been paid, and supports multiple currencies. While the feature set isn’t exhaustive, it does the essentials.
- It’s convenient. Tabs for invoices, bills, dashboards, and settings are conveniently located and easy to use.
Things to consider
- It’s fairly limited for an invoicing tool. This is the main thing to keep in mind. Invoicely has limited importing functionalities and reporting options. Some respondents also noted that while it does what they need, the features are fairly bare bones.
- You can’t customize the invoices much. There’s only one invoice template, and it’s difficult to change what it looks like.
- It doesn’t have a lot of integrations. Another downside is the lack of integrations. As a survey respondent pointed out, “I would prefer a software that integrates better with Salesforce, but it works fine for what we need.”
Price
- The free plan takes care of unlimited invoices, but if you want to add team members or track expenses and mileage, the basic plan starts at $9.99 a month. And if you pay upfront for the year, you can save 20 percent on your bill.
| Plan | Price if billed annually | Price if billed monthly |
| Free | $0 | $0 |
| Basic | $95.90 per year | $9.99 per month |
| Professional | $191.90 per year | $19.99 per month |
| Enterprise | $287.90 per year | $29.99 per month |
Best for self-employed business owners: AND CO by Fiverr
AND CO is an invoicing and contracts tool for service-based, one-person businesses. It offers “a polished and pretty” invoicing feature, which is why it made the list.
Why business owners recommend it
- It’s now free. After being purchased by Fiverr, AND CO is now 100 percent free. “It’s a smart option for freelancers looking for the basics when it comes to invoicing and setting up contracts,” says one business owner.
- It’s a one-stop shop. AND CO’s proposal feature makes it easy for potential clients to greenlight a project. From there, you can track the time you spent on the project, and then translate those times directly to your invoice. You can also see when your invoices have been emailed, viewed, and paid.
- It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles—which may be a good thing. Users like that AND CO is solely focused on the contracts, invoicing, and project management stuff for self-employed business owners. It provides clean, simple features designed to get someone to sign up, a project done, and payment in your hands.
Things to consider
- It doesn’t support mileage deductions or self-employment taxes. Taxes are a big deal for soloprenuers, especially in light of the 2018 tax reform. The fact that AND CO doesn’t help with the tax side of things is a dealbreaker for some folks.
- You can’t customize the invoice templates much. AND CO’s invoice templates have limited customization options. If you’re invoicing someone for an item rather than a project connected to a proposal, you have to type in the service and price when you want to charge them.
Price
- Free, since it got acquired by Fiverr.
Get more info on AND CO’s feature set
An intuitive invoicing tool keeps your payments rolling in while saving you the hassle of tracking if, when, and how a client has settled their bill. Some of the tools we highlighted in this series already have built-in invoicing capabilities.
That’s why it’s important to brush up on the features your accounting software already has so you can pick a tool that will round out what you’re currently using.
