5 best online billing software in 2024 (free and paid)

Tired of spending hours invoicing? Get yourself a billing software! In this guide, we’ll compare the most popular billing software so you can make an informed decision and streamline your billing process.

Efficient billing is crucial for running a successful business. While creating invoices may be time-consuming, utilizing invoice software specifically designed for this task can help you save valuable time and get paid faster.

In this guide, we’ll present some of the most popular billing software and compare their functionality and pricing.

Create free invoices now

What is a billing software?

A billing software is an online tool that lets you create and send invoices. Billing software come in all shapes and sizes. Some are free and have limited features, while others offer advanced automation.

Below are 10 benefits of using online billing software to speed up the invoicing process:

• Create invoices quickly: Creating and sending invoices is time-consuming. Billing software makes it faster by helping you fill out fields and send the invoice to your customers in their preferred invoicing format (email or e-invoice).
• Keep track of payments: By registering all incoming payments in one place, you’ll always know which customers owe you money.
• Automate the payment reminder process: Create automated payment reminders and spend less time on manual work.
• Bulk invoicing: Make and send several invoices simultaneously.
• Recurring billing: Create invoices that are sent automatically weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly.
• Easier accounting: Billing software can help you keep track of your income and payments, easing the process of accounting.

Best billing software in 2023

1. Conta: Free billing software

Platform: Desktop and mobile | Pricing: Free

Conta is an easy-to-use billing software for small and medium-sized businesses. With Conta, you can craft professional-looking invoices in seconds, whilst you also get access to coming automation functionality.

And the best part of it all? It’s free!

Top features:

• Create and send invoices for free – no hidden costs!
• Mobile friendly invoicing software
• Customize the invoice template with your business logo
• Automated payment reminders (coming soon!)
• Recurring billing (coming soon!)

This image shows how you create invoices in Conta:

Sign up – it’s free!

2. Freshbooks: Easy-to-use billing and accounting software

Platform: Desktop and mobile | Pricing: Starts at $19/month (limited to 5 clients)

Freshbooks is an easy-to-use billing software that seamlessly integrates with more than 100 apps. 

Regardless of the size of your business, Freshbooks has a plan to suit your needs. It also has accounting functionality and a mobile app, allowing you to invoice clients and track expenses on the go. 

The starting price for Freshbooks is $19/month, which allows you to invoice up to 5 clients. The next plan, Plus, costs $33 per month and allows you to invoice up to 50 clients.

Top features:

• Customize and tailor invoices to your needs
• Track billable hours with Freshbooks’ own time-tracking module
• Work on the go with an easy-to-use mobile app for iOS and Android
• Accept online payments and get paid faster than regular bank transfers
• Set up recurring billing

3. Square: Online payment and billing platform

Platform: Desktop and mobile | Pricing: Starts at 3,3 % + 30¢ fee per paid invoice

Square is a billing and payment platform where you can generate invoices that include an online checkout link. Online checkout links are payment links that allow the receiver to pay the bill directly from their phone, tablet or computer using a credit card. According to Square, 75 percent of invoices with online checkout links are paid on the same day.

Please note that Square is priced differently than the majority of other billing software. For some businesses, it can get very expensive. In Square, you pay 30¢ per invoice plus 3,3 percent of the invoice amount.

Top features:

• Create invoices and send invoices that get paid fast
• Track payments live in the Square app
• Bill multiple customers at once with batch invoicing (paid feature!)

4. Intuit QuickBooks Online: Powerful accounting solution

Platform: Desktop + mobile | Pricing: Starts at $17/month

Quickbooks is an accounting software with a powerful invoicing module.

With accounting and billing on the same platform, you can save a lot of time on bookkeeping. For instance, invoices are automatically registered in your books, saving your accountant a lot of time, which in turn saves you a lot of costs.

Top features:

• Invoicing and accounting in the same software
• Create and send invoices and estimates directly from your phone
• Integrates with more than 750 apps
• Allow customers to settle up instantly via debit and credit cards

5. Vyapar: Affordable desktop software

Platform: Desktop | Pricing: Starts at $59.99 per year

Vyapar is a popular choice among small and medium businesses in India.

The predominant reason why Vyapar har managed to take the South Asian market by storm is that it allows you to easily create GST reports.

Please note that Vyapar is a desktop application, which means that you will have to download and install the software for it to function properly.

Top features:

• More than 10 ready-to-use invoice templates
• Easy-to-use desktop software
• Send invoices via email or print
• Keep track of expenses
• Create GST reports in minutes

Billing software pricing: How much does billing software cost?

Billing software can cost between $0 to $60 per month.

If you only need to software to create invoices and track payments, Conta is a good option.

In Conta, you can generate as many free invoices as you like and send them to customers via email. The software will also soon have advanced features such as recurring billing and automated payment reminders, making it a good alternative for most businesses.

Interested in sending invoices for free?

Sign up for our free invoicing software →

Can Excel be used as billing software?

The short answer is no.

You cannot create invoices, track payments and follow up on late payments in an efficient manner using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Therefore, Excel cannot be used as billing software.

It is, however, possible to create invoices in Excel. The easiest way to create an invoice in Excel is with an invoice template.

Note that invoice templates are not recommended for businesses or private individuals that are planning to send more than a few invoices a year, as it can be very time-consuming.

How to choose the best billing software for your business

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to billing software. Here are a few tips that will help you choose the right software for your business:

1. Get an overview of your needs: Make an overview of all your current and future needs. Here are a few questions you should consider: Are you looking for easy-to-use software? Would you prefer if the software was available online? Do you need any third-party integrations?

2. Eliminate the options that don’t meet your requirements: Software that doesn’t to meet your needs should not be included in your final decision process.

3. Choose the most cost-efficient alternative: Based on an estimate of the number of invoices you are going to send each month, choose the most affordable software.