Best Free Invoicing Software in 2026, Compared

The best free invoicing software depends on what the free plan limits. Wave and Square give you unlimited invoices and clients but earn money on card payments. Zoho Invoice caps you at 500 invoices a year. Invoice Ninja and KipBill give you unlimited invoices but only 5 clients. FreshBooks has no free plan at all, only a 30-day trial.

We checked every plan below on the vendor's own pricing page on 16 October 2026. Prices and limits change often, so confirm on their site before you move your clients over.

Quick comparison

"Not stated" means the vendor's pricing page doesn't give a client limit, not that there is none.

How to choose in two minutes

Ask yourself three questions before you compare features:

1. How many clients will I bill this year? With 5 regular clients, a 5-client cap is fine. With 20 small one-off clients, you need Wave, Square or Zoho.
2. How do clients pay me? If most pay by bank transfer, card fees don't matter and a payment-led tool like Wave or Square loses its main advantage. If most pay by card, compare the fees: on $3,000 of card payments a month, Wave's 2.9% + $0.60 costs $87 plus $0.60 per payment.
3. Where am I based? Wave prices in USD and CAD. If you invoice in euros, pounds or another currency, or in a language other than English, check that the tool handles your tax and language before you commit.

A concrete example: a freelance designer with 4 retainer clients who sends 8 invoices a month, all paid by bank transfer, fits inside the free plans of Invoice Ninja, KipBill, Zoho Invoice and Wave. The decision then comes down to emailing, branding and language, not price.

1. Wave

Free plan (Starter): Wave's pricing page lists unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, plus invoicing from the mobile app.

What it does well: invoicing and basic bookkeeping in one free tool, with no cap on invoices or clients. For a sole proprietor in the US or Canada who wants simple books alongside invoices, it's hard to beat on price.

What it costs: card payments are 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction on Starter (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex). The Pro plan is $19 a month or $190 a year and waives the $0.60 on the first ten card payments each month.

Best for: US and Canadian freelancers and small businesses who want free bookkeeping too.

2. Zoho Invoice

Free plan: Zoho Invoice describes itself as forever free. The plan allows up to 500 invoices a year, 2 users, 3 projects and 2 organisations. It includes quotes, recurring invoices, automated payment reminders, expense tracking, time logging and a customer portal. Invoices carry "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding.

What it does well: the most generous feature list of any free plan here, including recurring invoices and reminders, and two users at no cost. It also connects to Zoho CRM and Zoho Books.

What to know: 500 invoices a year is roughly 40 a month, which covers most freelancers. If you outgrow it, Zoho points you to Zoho Billing.

Best for: small businesses already using other Zoho apps, or anyone who needs recurring invoices for free.

3. Invoice Ninja

Free plan (hosted): forever free with up to 5 clients and unlimited invoicing. It includes 11 invoice templates, your logo, online payments, recurring invoices, projects with billable time, expenses, a client portal, and deposits and partial payments. Invoices show a "Created by Invoice Ninja" notice.

What to know: sending through Gmail, Microsoft or your own SMTP server is listed under Pro. Ninja Pro costs $14 a month or $140 a year and removes the client limit and the branding. Enterprise starts at $18 a month for 1–2 users. Invoice Ninja is also open source, so technical users can host it themselves.

Best for: freelancers with a handful of clients who want online payments and recurring invoices for free, or developers who want to self-host.

4. Square Invoices

Free plan: Square's invoice pricing page lists invoices and recurring invoices, estimates and contracts, and projects on the free plan. You pay a processing fee when a client pays online. Invoices Plus adds features and lower processing fees.

What it does well: if you already take in-person payments with Square, invoices sit in the same account and the money lands in the same place.

What to know: the fee rates weren't shown on the page we could load, so check Square's current invoice rates before you rely on it for large invoices.

Best for: shops, salons and trades that already use Square at the counter.

5. PayPal Invoicing

Free plan: PayPal says creating and sending invoices is included with your account. You pay when the invoice is paid: 2.99% + $0.49 for cards and Apple Pay, 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal and Venmo, and 1% (capped at $10) for Pay by Bank in the US. International fixed fees vary by currency.

What it does well: zero setup if you and your clients already use PayPal.

What to know: it's a payment tool first. There's no client management, quote workflow or reporting in the sense of an invoicing app.

Best for: occasional invoices to clients who prefer to pay through PayPal.

6. KipBill

KipBill is our product, so here is what the free plan includes and limits, straight from our plan table:

• Unlimited invoices, plus quotes and credit notes
• 5 clients, 1 business and 3 PDF templates
• 10 invoice emails a month from the app, with a notification when your client opens the invoice
• Client portal, where clients view and download their invoices without an account
• Tax per line, including a second tax and withholding tax (useful in Spain, Mexico and other countries that withhold income tax)
• AI assistant: 10 messages a month to create invoices by chat or voice, and 5 receipt scans a month
• 12 languages and 31 currencies, set per client

What the free plan doesn't include:

• Invoices carry a "Powered by KipBill.com" footer.
• Recurring invoices, automatic reminders and reports start on Starter ($4.99 a month, or $3.49 a month billed yearly), which also raises the limit to 50 clients and 8 templates.
• Online card payments via Stripe, e-signatures on quotes, the API and team access are on Pro ($8.99 a month, or $5.49 a month billed yearly).
• KipBill creates PDF invoices. It isn't certified for national e-invoicing systems.

Best for: freelancers and small businesses with a few regular clients who invoice in several languages or currencies, or who need withholding tax on their invoices.

FreshBooks: trial, not free

FreshBooks often appears in "free invoicing" lists, but its pricing page shows a 30-day free trial, no credit card required, and then paid plans. The cheapest, Lite, lists at $23 a month for 5 billable clients (it was on an introductory discount when we checked). FreshBooks is a full accounting product with time tracking and expenses, and many service businesses are happy to pay for it. It just isn't free. If you're comparing it with lower-cost options, see our FreshBooks alternatives.

Which free invoicing software should you pick?

• Unlimited clients and free bookkeeping, US or Canada: Wave.
• Recurring invoices and reminders without paying: Zoho Invoice (up to 500 invoices a year) or Invoice Ninja (5 clients).
• You already take payments with Square or PayPal: use their built-in invoicing.
• A few clients, several languages or currencies, or withholding tax: KipBill.
• Full accounting and you're happy to pay: FreshBooks after its trial.

Common catches with "free" plans

1. Client caps. A 5-client limit is fine for retainers and painful for many one-off jobs. Count last year's clients first.
2. Payment fees. "Free" payment-led tools charge on each card payment. Bank transfers usually avoid that.
3. Branding. Most free plans add a "Powered by" or "Created by" line to your invoices.
4. Email limits. Some free plans limit how many invoices you can send from the app. You can always download the PDF and email it yourself.
5. Trials dressed as free. A 14- or 30-day trial ends. A free plan doesn't.
6. Leaving. Check that you can download your invoices as PDFs and export your data before you build your records in any tool.

FAQ

Is there invoicing software that is completely free?

Yes, with limits. Wave, Zoho Invoice, Invoice Ninja, Square, PayPal and KipBill all have free plans that don't expire. Each limits something: clients, invoices per year, emails, branding or payment fees.

What's the best free invoice app for freelancers?

For a freelancer with a few regular clients, Invoice Ninja, Zoho Invoice and KipBill all work for free. Pick Zoho Invoice if you need recurring invoices, Invoice Ninja if you want online payments, and KipBill if you invoice in more than one language or currency. For a broader walk-through of invoicing itself, read our guide to invoicing as a freelancer.

Can I just use a free invoice template instead?

Yes. A Word or Google Docs template works if you number invoices in sequence and include the details your country requires. Software starts paying off once you need to track who has paid, send reminders or reuse client details.

Want to try KipBill with your own invoices? Create a free account. No credit card, unlimited invoices.