Zoho Invoice: pricing, free plan and alternatives

A completely free invoicing app from Zoho, with no paid tier to upsell.

Prices checked on the official pricing pages on . Prices are in US dollars and can change at any time.

Zoho Invoice and its alternatives at a glance

ToolFree planPaid plansBest for
Zoho InvoiceYesFreeFreelancers who need invoices, quotes and payment reminders but not full accounting.
WaveYesFrom $19/moFreelancers who want free invoicing and simple books.
FreshBooksNo (free trial)From $23/moFreelancers and consultants who bill a small number of clients.
QuickBooks OnlineNo (free trial)From $38/moBusinesses whose accountant works in QuickBooks, or that will need payroll and inventory later.

Zoho Invoice: what you get

A completely free invoicing app from Zoho, with no paid tier to upsell.

Price
Free. (Zoho's full accounting product, Zoho Books, is sold separately.)
Free plan
Forever free: up to 500 invoices a year, 2 users, 3 projects and up to 2 organizations.
Best for
Freelancers who need invoices, quotes and payment reminders but not full accounting.
Works on
Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Pros

  • Free with no paid tier
  • 500 invoices a year is plenty for most solo businesses

Cons

  • Invoicing only, not full bookkeeping
  • Only 3 projects for time tracking

Key features

  • Invoices and quotes
  • Payment reminders
  • Projects with time tracking (up to 3)

The alternatives

1. Wave

Free invoicing and bookkeeping, paid for mainly through card-processing fees.

Price
Pro $19 a month or $190 a year: automatic bank imports, receipt capture and late-payment reminders.
Free plan
Starter is $0: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, plus mobile invoicing. Card payments cost 2.9% + $0.60 (Amex 3.4% + $0.60).
Best for
Freelancers who want free invoicing and simple books.
Works on
Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Pros

  • Genuinely free invoicing and bookkeeping
  • Pro is cheap compared with QuickBooks

Cons

  • Bank imports need Pro
  • Card fee of 2.9% + $0.60 is higher than Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢

Key features

  • Unlimited invoices and estimates free
  • Bookkeeping records
  • Automatic bank import (Pro)
  • Late-payment reminders (Pro)

2. FreshBooks

Invoicing-first accounting software built around service businesses and their clients.

Price
Lite $23 a month (5 billable clients); Plus $43 (50 clients); Premium $70 (unlimited). An 80%-off-for-4-months offer was showing when we checked.
Free plan
No free plan. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
Best for
Freelancers and consultants who bill a small number of clients.
Works on
Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Pros

  • Very easy invoicing for service work
  • Client-friendly invoices and payment pages

Cons

  • Lite plan limits you to 5 billable clients
  • Extra team members cost $11 a month each

Key features

  • Invoices, estimates and online payments
  • Expense tracking
  • Proposals and retainers (Plus)
  • Project profitability (Premium)

3. QuickBooks Online

Intuit's cloud accounting software, the default choice of many US accountants.

Price
Simple Start $38 a month for 1 user; Essentials $85 (3 users); Plus $140 (5 users). A 50%-off-for-3-months offer was showing when we checked.
Free plan
No free plan. 30-day free trial.
Best for
Businesses whose accountant works in QuickBooks, or that will need payroll and inventory later.
Works on
Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Pros

  • Most US accountants already know it
  • Grows with you into payroll and inventory

Cons

  • No free plan
  • Expensive for a one-person business once the discount ends

Key features

  • Invoicing and online payments
  • Bank feeds and categorisation
  • Reports and tax-time exports
  • Accountant access on every plan

Sources

Official pages we checked for the prices, plans and limits on this page:

How we choose and check these tools

See every invoicing and accounting tool in the finder