Key Takeaways
- Billbooks starts at $7.95 a month making it the most affordable of the three by a clear margin.
- FreshBooks has 5 million users globally and is the most widely recognised name of the three but also the priciest to start.
- Invoicera integrates with 21 payment gateways which is significantly more than either of the other two offer.
- Only Billbooks and Invoicera allow file attachments on invoices, FreshBooks does not support this at all. I
- nvoicera only gives you 15 days to trial the software while Billbooks and FreshBooks both offer a full 30.
- Billbooks keyboard shortcuts make the invoicing process noticeably faster for anyone sending high volumes regularly.
- All three use 256-bit SSL encryption so security is identical across the board and should not influence your decision.
Billing which was once upon a time considered as a hectic task because of the mind-numbing manual process has now become as simple as ABC.
All credit goes to online invoicing softwares.
Market is flooded with number of invoicing softwares but it’s puzzling to choose the most productive one out of the tons of software. However, after a lot of research, analysis and based on user opinion, the experts have shortlisted 3 most accepted invoicing tools and have compared them.
In this article, we have examined Billbooks, Freshbooks and Invoicera on the basis of its features, pricing, user-friendliness and various other factors which will aid small businesses and freelancers to choose the best app that fits their need.
Here is a brief information of what this article has to offer you:
| Comparison | Billbooks | Freshbooks | Invoicera |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acclaimed | Best Cloud-Based Invoicing Software and App in ‘The Top Tens List’, in the year 2014 | Best Accounting Software in 2015 | Award winning billing platform |
| Year of Establishment | 2012 | 2003 | 2006 |
| Free Trial | Free trial for 30 days | Free trial for 30 days | Free trial for 15 days |
| Type of Clients | Small business, freelancers | Small business | Small business, medium-sized business |
| Pricing Plan | 30 days free, monthly package, yearly package | 30 days free, monthly package, yearly package | 15 days free, monthly package, yearly package |
| Customised Invoice | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File Attachment | Yes | No | Yes |
| Security | 256-bit SSL encryption | 256-bit SSL encryption | 256-bit SSL encryption |
Introduction
Billbooks as its slogan says ‘Experience the joy of billing’, actually has transformed the boring billing task into enjoyable. Billbooks was voted as Best Cloud-Based Invoicing Software and App in ‘The Top Tens List’ , in the year 2014. Thousands of users present in around 140 countries are happy to use this app due to its extremely pocket-friendly pricing policy and easy to use features. The app is really fast and allows any business to send invoices in a jiffy.
Freshbooks was entitled as Best Accounting Software in 2015. It is a cloud-based online invoicing solution that’s user-friendly, simple and efficient. The software runs smoothly on both desktop and mobile. Spend less time billing and dedicate the saved time to foster your business. Around 5 million users around the globe are using Freshbooks.
Invoicera states ‘Invoicing simplified’ and it actually became victorious in simplifying the billing task. Though it is not that popular, but still widely used invoicing app and also an award winning billing platform. This cloud based accounting software has around 2.5 million happy customers all around the world. Invoicera is a feature-rich software solution that is reliable and manageable. Invoicera offers professional customised invoicing.
Date of establishment
Billbooks came into market in 2012 and recently released its new version – Billbooks 2.0
Freshbooks was established long back in 2003
Invoicera was introduced in 2006
Type of customers
Billbooks cater the accounting needs of almost every business but is much handy for small businesses and freelancers. Startups, freelancers, web designing and web developing agencies, travel agencies, musicians, content writers, artists, lawyers, teachers, tutors find Billbooks really handy for billing their clients on regular basis.
Freshbooks is specially designed to meet the needs of small businesses. People belonging to construction line, marketing consultants, legal consultants, web designers and web developers are using Freshbooks.
Invoicera satisfies the billing requirements of small as well as medium sized businesses. It is mostly used by photographers, lawyers, restaurant and hotel owners, insurance companies, travel agencies, digital agencies and consultants.
Free Trial
Billbooks – Offers 30 days free trial (no credit card required)
Freshbooks – Offers 30 days free trial (no credit card required)
Invoicera – Offers 15 days free trial (no credit card required)
Pricing plan
Billbooks –
With 30 days free trial, you can send 5 invoices, 5 estimates to up to 5 clients. If you choose the basic plan by paying $7.95 per month, you get unlimited invoices and estimates for 100 billable clients. Standard pricing plan of $14.95 offers unlimited invoices and estimates for 500 billable clients. Professional pricing is just amazing, just pay $29.95 per month and send unlimited invoices, unlimited estimates to unlimited clients. There’s also yearly plan. Visit pricing page to know more about Billbooks pricing plans.
Freshbooks –
Choose lite plan by just paying $15 per month and send unlimited invoices and estimates to 5 billable clients. Plus is the most popular pricing plan where you just have to pay $25 per month for 50 billable clients and get unlimited benefits. Premium plan also offers amazing benefits by paying $50 for 500 billable clients. Freshbooks also offers custom pricing plan.
Invoicera –
Minimum pricing plan offered by Invoicera is $19.95 per month for 100 clients while the other two billing packages $ 39.95 and $ 99.95 per month offers invoicing for unlimited clients. Invoicera also provides auto bill recurring. After you upgrade the plan, you can opt for monthly, half-yearly or annually payment.
Unique Product Features
Experience the joy of billing with classic combination of speed, usability and features offered by Billbooks.
- Billbooks has exclusive keyboard shortcuts feature which makes sending invoices much simpler, quick and efficient
- Supports multi-currency and multi-language
- Reports will be calculated as per the fiscal month
- Auto payment reminders available
- Easily access regular clients by marking them with a star
- If you are migrating from other invoicing software to Billbooks, you can easily import all your important data using the Migration tool
- You can effortlessly add stock and manage your inventory using “Items”
- Find clients and invoices instantly with live search option
Freshbooks is one of the most popular invoicing softwares in the world which is widely acclaimed and accepted.
- Send customised invoices
- Supports multi-currency and multi-language
- Assign and rebill expenses
- Auto payment reminders
- Easily track offline payments
- The software has automatic PayPal integration feature
- Freshbooks boast a unique feature to calculate employee payroll in a flash. It allows its employees to enter their work time using mobile app
- Snail mail service is available at additional cost
With Invoicera, you can manage all the invoices from a single dashboard itself. Here are some amazing features offered by Invoicera:
- Send good looking and professional invoices with free invoice templates
- Manually and professionally customise the invoices
- Just click a button, convert invoices to PDF files in no time
- There are incredible 21 payment gateways integrated with Invoicera
- Mark invoices as sent manually (if needed)
- Completely mobile-friendly
- You can attach important files or documents to your invoice or estimate
Security
Billbooks is an authentic site and its servers are protected with external intrusion as it is guarded with 256-bit SSL encryption. The software is safe behind high resistant firewalls. Explore the Billbooks security features here.
Freshbooks use 256-bit SSL encryption. And for total security purpose, the servers are safeguarded with firewalls and are safe from unauthorised access.
Invoicera like other softwares, even Invoicera is safeguarded with 256-bit SSL encryption. The software is completely secured from unauthorized access and destruction caused due to virus.
We have done the hard work to help you take quick and perfect decision in choosing invoicing application that fits your business. However, the final verdict is yours.
FAQs
Q: Which one makes the most sense for a solo freelancer just starting out?
Billbooks is the honest answer for most people in that situation. It was designed with freelancers in mind, the pricing starts low, and there is nothing complicated to figure out before you can send your first invoice. If you want something that works from day one without a manual, that is where I would start.
Q: How different are the prices really?
More different than they look at first glance. Billbooks gets you unlimited invoices to 100 clients for $7.95 a month. FreshBooks charges $15 for just five clients at the entry level, which feels tight for that price. Invoicera sits at $19.95 for 100 clients. If keeping costs down matters, Billbooks is not even a close competition.
Q: Is the free trial genuinely free or do they sneak in card details?
No card required for any of them. Billbooks and FreshBooks both give you 30 days to properly test things out. Invoicera cuts it to 15 days, which honestly does not feel like enough time to know whether a tool is right for how you work. That extra two weeks with the other two makes a difference.
Q: My clients are in different countries, which one handles that best?
All three manage multiple currencies but Invoicera stands out for international work specifically. It connects with 21 different payment gateways which gives clients far more ways to actually send you money regardless of where they are. If cross-border payments are a regular part of your work, that flexibility is worth a lot.
Q: FreshBooks has millions of users, surely that means it is the best option?
Popular does not always mean the best fit for your situation. FreshBooks is well built and widely trusted but it costs more at entry level and does not support file attachments on invoices, which is a gap that neither Billbooks nor Invoicera has. Do not let the name recognition make the decision for you.
Q: I am currently using different software, can I bring my data across?
Billbooks has a migration tool built specifically for this. You can pull in your existing client list and invoice history without having to rebuild everything from scratch. If you are switching from another platform, that is a genuinely useful feature that saves a lot of time and frustration.
Q: Which one is best if my clients pay in all sorts of different ways?
Invoicera by a significant margin. Twenty-one integrated payment gateways means clients can almost always find a method that works for them. FreshBooks has PayPal integration built in which is convenient but much more limited if your clients are spread across different countries with different preferences.
Q: Is one of these more secure than the others?
No, they are identical on that front. All three run 256-bit SSL encryption with firewall protection. Security should not be the thing that tips your decision one way or another, focus instead on which one actually fits the way you work and what you can afford to spend each month.
