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Compare invoice software

See how inv.so stacks up against popular invoicing tools. Find the right fit for your freelance business.

Best for designers & creatives: inv.so — upload your own designs, time tracking, online payments, $79/year

Best for full accounting: FreshBooks — time tracking, expenses, double-entry bookkeeping, from $17/mo

Best free option: Wave — free accounting with ads, no custom branding or multi-currency

Best for developers: Invoice Ninja — open source, self-hostable, free or $10/mo hosted

Feature comparison

inv.so RecommendedFreshBooks Wave Invoice Ninja QuickBooks Xero
Price$79/yr or $8/wkFrom $22/moFree (ads)Free / $10/moFrom $30/moFrom $29/mo
Invoicing
Unlimited invoices
PDF generation
Email sending
Client management
Payment tracking
Online payments
Design & workflow
Upload your own designs—————
Natural-language time logging—————
Custom branding—
Dark mode————
Advanced
Multi-currency—
Partial payments—
Time tracking—
Expense tracking—
Tax calculations—
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inv.so Our pick

Design-first invoicing built for designers, freelancers, and studios

$79/yr or $8/wk
  • Natural-language time entry grouped by client and project
  • Upload your own PDF/PNG invoice designs as templates
  • Add bank details or a hosted payment link to any invoice
  • Multiple business profiles, bank accounts, and currencies
  • Unlimited invoices during the trial and subscription
  • No expense management
  • No accounting features (by design)
  • No automatic recurring invoices

Best for: Freelance designers, photographers, and creatives who want beautiful invoices and practical time tracking — without accounting complexity

Try inv.so free

FreshBooks

Full accounting software for small businesses

From $22/mo
  • Full double-entry accounting
  • Time tracking and project management
  • Expense management with receipt scanning
  • Well-known brand with mature mobile app
  • 7x more expensive than inv.so
  • Complex UI — overkill if you just need invoicing
  • No custom template upload
  • Generic invoice templates

Best for: Small businesses that need full accounting, time tracking, and expense management in one tool

Wave

Free accounting and invoicing with ad-supported model

Free (ads)
  • Free to use with no plan limits
  • Full accounting and bookkeeping
  • Receipt scanning included
  • Ad-supported — ads throughout the interface
  • Generic templates only, no custom branding
  • No multi-currency support
  • Primarily US/Canada focused

Best for: Budget-conscious freelancers who need basic accounting and don't mind ads

Invoice Ninja

Open-source invoicing with self-hosting option

Free / $10/mo
  • Open source — can self-host for free
  • Feature-rich with time tracking and expenses
  • Good API for developer integrations
  • Many payment gateway options
  • Complex setup, especially self-hosted
  • Overwhelming interface for simple invoicing
  • No custom template upload
  • Dated visual design

Best for: Developers and tech-savvy users who want self-hosting and full control

QuickBooks

Enterprise accounting software for businesses

From $30/mo
  • Industry-standard accounting software
  • Payroll, inventory, tax filing built in
  • Massive ecosystem of integrations
  • Accountant-friendly reporting
  • 9x more expensive than inv.so
  • Massively overcomplicated for freelancers
  • Generic invoice templates
  • Steep learning curve — built for accountants

Best for: Established businesses with employees, inventory, and complex tax needs — overkill for freelancers

Xero

Cloud accounting for small-to-medium businesses

From $29/mo
  • Strong double-entry accounting
  • Good bank reconciliation
  • Popular with accountants globally
  • Large app marketplace
  • 9x more expensive than inv.so
  • Full accounting suite — way too much for invoicing
  • No custom template upload
  • Complex setup and onboarding

Best for: Small-to-medium businesses that need full cloud accounting — overkill for solo creatives

Frequently asked questions

What is the best invoice software for freelance designers?
inv.so is built specifically for designers, freelancers, and creative studios. It combines custom template uploads (use your own PDF/PNG designs), natural-language time tracking, hosted payment links, and multiple business profiles — all without the complexity of full accounting software. One plan at $79/year or $8/week, after a 14-day free trial with no card required.
How much does inv.so cost?
inv.so has one plan, billed either $79/year or $8/week. Both include unlimited clients and invoices, uploading your own invoice design, time tracking, custom branding, multi-currency, and partial payments. Every account starts with a 14-day free trial and no card is required to start.
How does inv.so compare to FreshBooks?
inv.so is far cheaper than FreshBooks ($79/year vs $22/mo) and purpose-built for creatives. FreshBooks is full accounting software with expenses and reconciliation — great if you need that, but overkill if you just want to send beautiful invoices and get paid. inv.so uniquely lets you upload your own invoice design, which FreshBooks doesn't.
Can I upload my own invoice design?
Yes. Every paid option lets you upload your own invoice designs as PDF or PNG and convert them into reusable templates. Map content areas visually, and every invoice you create uses your exact layout.
Does inv.so support online payments?
Yes. Paste any hosted payment link into an invoice. Clients can open it from the invoice email, public invoice page, or PDF. inv.so adds no platform fee; your payment provider's normal fees still apply.

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