If you are looking for invoicing software that lets you send a quote and convert it to an invoice, you have probably been doing it the long way. The quote goes out as a document or an email. The client says yes in a reply, or on the phone, or not at all. Weeks later, when the job is done, you open a blank invoice and type the same line items in again, hoping they match what was agreed.
Every step in that chain is a place for something to slip: a price that changed, a line that got missed, a quote nobody chased, a yes that nobody wrote down.
The short answer: most invoicing tools that do quotes can turn one into an invoice. The differences are in the steps between. Check four things: how the client accepts the quote, whether the tool follows up when they go quiet, whether the quote expires so old prices cannot be accepted, and whether conversion carries every line across without retyping.
Is this you?
- You write quotes in a document and invoices somewhere else.
- You retype line items from the quote when the job is finished.
- You have lost track of which quotes were accepted and which went quiet.
- A client once accepted an old quote at a price you no longer charge.
- The only record that a client said yes is a line in an email thread.
- You chase quotes when you remember to, which is not often.
The quiet quotes are the costly part. A quote nobody follows up is often a job that went to whoever did.
The four steps between a quote and an invoice
1. The client accepts
An accepted quote is your record of the agreed price and scope. The weakest version is a reply to an email. Better is the client clicking to approve or decline on the quote itself, so the status changes without you doing anything. Some tools also capture a digital signature, which matters more for larger jobs where you want a clear record of who agreed.
2. The tool follows up when the client goes quiet
Most clients who do not reply have not said no. They are busy, comparing, or waiting to be asked. Automatic follow-ups on quotes, sent a set number of days after the quote goes out, do the chasing for you. This is the step where tools differ most: many that remind clients about unpaid invoices do not do the same for quotes.
3. The quote expires
An expiry date stops a client accepting last year's price this year. It also gives a follow-up a natural reason: the price holds until a date.
4. One click turns it into an invoice
Once approved, the quote should become an invoice with the same client and the same lines, ready to adjust if the job changed. Retyping is where agreed prices quietly drift.
Which tools do which steps
From each company's own documentation and pricing, as recorded on our comparison pages in August 2026. We only list what we have checked, so a tool not mentioned for a step has not been checked for it, not ruled out.
- QuickBooks Online automates reminders on invoices but not on estimates. Native e-signature is limited to its mobile app, or DocuSign on the Advanced plan. See Billbooks vs QuickBooks.
- Xero relies on third-party apps for quote reminders and digital signatures. See Billbooks vs Xero.
- FreshBooks sends follow-ups on estimates manually. Digital signatures apply to Proposals, on the Plus and Premium plans. See Billbooks vs FreshBooks.
- Zoho Invoice applies automatic reminders to invoices, not estimates. It offers e-signatures through Zoho Sign. See Billbooks vs Zoho Invoice.
- Wave applies automatic reminders to invoices only. See Billbooks vs Wave.
- Invoice Ninja has no automatic quote follow-up, and e-signatures are on Pro and up, from $14 a month. See Billbooks vs Invoice Ninja.
- Invoice2go lets clients approve an estimate with a button rather than a captured signature. See Billbooks vs Invoice2go.
- Bonsai is strongest where quotes turn into contracts: proposals, legally binding e-signed contracts, projects and invoices in one flow, at $25 per user a month. See Billbooks vs Bonsai.
- Refrens sends automatic reminders on quotes as well as invoices; e-signatures are a usage-based add-on. See Billbooks vs Refrens.
- Billbooks covers all four steps on every plan from $7.95 a month: the client approves or declines from a link with no login, quotes carry an expiry date, automatic follow-ups go out every 7, 15, 30 or 45 days until the client answers or the quote expires, and an approved quote converts to an invoice with the same client and lines. Quotes are unlimited.
If you need signed contracts as well as quotes, Bonsai is built for that. If you mostly need quotes that get answered and turn into invoices cleanly, the follow-up is the feature to check first, because it is the one most often missing.
Send a proper quote today
Fill in your client, your line items and how many days the price holds, and download a clean quote as a PDF. It is a good way to see what a finished quote should contain before you choose a tool to send them from.
What to do now, with what you already have
- List your open quotes. Every quote sent in the last three months with no answer. Most people find more than they expect.
- Follow up on each one today, with one line: is the job still going ahead, and the price holds until a date you choose.
- Add a valid-until date to every quote from now on.
- Keep the acceptance with the quote. Whatever you use, the client's yes should sit with the quote itself, not in a separate email thread.
- Test conversion on a trial before choosing a tool: send yourself a quote, approve it as the client would, turn it into an invoice, and check every line came across.
Free tools for quoting
For what belongs on the quote itself, see how to write an estimate, and for the difference between the three documents, quote vs invoice vs receipt.
Frequently asked questions
Which invoicing software lets me send a quote and convert it to an invoice?
Most invoicing tools that handle quotes can convert an approved one into an invoice. The differences are in client approval, automatic follow-up on quotes, expiry dates and whether every line carries across. Billbooks does all four on every plan from $7.95 a month.
Is there software that does quotes, estimates and invoices in one place?
Yes. Tools such as Billbooks, FreshBooks, Zoho Invoice, QuickBooks Online and Invoice Ninja handle quotes or estimates alongside invoices. Check how each handles client approval and follow-up on quotes, since that is where they differ most.
Do invoicing tools send automatic reminders on quotes?
Not all of them. Several send automatic reminders on invoices only. Per their own documentation in August 2026, QuickBooks Online, Zoho Invoice and Wave remind on invoices but not quotes, while Billbooks and Refrens follow up on both.
How do clients accept a quote online?
Usually by opening the quote from a link and clicking to approve or decline, which updates its status automatically. Some tools also capture a digital signature, which gives a clearer record of agreement on larger jobs.
Should a quote have an expiry date?
Yes. An expiry date stops a client accepting an old price after your costs have changed, and it gives a natural reason to follow up before the date arrives. Choose a window that matches how quickly your own costs change.
What is the difference between a quote and an estimate?
A quote is usually a fixed price for defined work, while an estimate is an approximate price that may change. Many invoicing tools treat them the same way, and both can be converted into an invoice once the client agrees.
