Key Takeaways
- Zoho only gives you 14 days to try before you pay, Billbooks and FreshBooks both give you a full 30.
- Billbooks was built for freelancers and small businesses who just want to send an invoice quickly and get on with the work.
- FreshBooks connects directly to PayPal without any extra setup, which is genuinely useful if that is how most of your clients pay.
- Zoho is the most flexible of the three and can grow with you from solo freelancer all the way up to a larger business operation.
- The Billbooks dashboard shows everything you need, sales, expenses, overdue invoices, the moment you log in without clicking around to find it.
- Zoho is the only one that lets clients pay in instalments, which makes a real difference when you are working on larger projects.
- Security is identical across all three so do not let that be the deciding factor, look at what each one actually does day to day.
If you are one of the businesses that always found invoicing as a Herculean task then there is end to your long haul.
The digital industry has introduced assortments of invoicing softwares that has automated the backbreaking billing process and have lessened the burden of number of entrepreneurs around the globe.
Since new softwares are getting launched every now and then, it can be baffling for you to choose an application that matches your business requirement perfectly. Out of the myriads, we have selected three contenders and compared them – Billbooks, Freshbooks and Zoho Invoice.
Based on their qualities and features, you can decide your own winner and utilise it in the best possible way for your business.
Experience the joy of billing
With this tagline Billbooks ensures, you enjoy every bit of your billing process. In 2014, this invoicing app was voted as Best Cloud-Based Invoicing Software and App in ‘The Top Tens List’ . You can send customised invoices in less than 60 seconds. Billbooks is extremely fast, user-friendly and economical invoicing software. With just a device and internet connection, you can send invoices to your clients from anywhere and anytime.
Painless Billing
Freshbooks makes the otherwise cumbersome billing process completely painless and efficient. In 2015, the software was declared as Best Accounting Software. Generate customised invoices, send smoothly and securely to your clients. No matter where your client is located, you can send invoice anywhere in the globe in no time. Freshbooks works efficiently on both mobile and desktop. You can track payment and accept via check, credit card or cash.
Hassle-free Invoicing Software
As the tagline indicates, with Zoho Invoice you can easily create professional-looking invoices, automatically send it your clients and get paid on time. It is an award winning online software that offers advanced features at simple price. As invoices are sent via mail, you can send it anytime and anywhere.
Suitable for:
Billbooks is specially crafted to cater the accounting needs of small business and freelancers. The wide number of users spread over 140 countries comprise of consulting services, lawyers, writers/bloggers, web designing agencies, fashion designers, tutors, web development agencies, photographers, caterers, travel agencies and other such line of work.
Freshbooks have over 5,000 users who either own small business, medium-sized business or self- employed workers. Marketing and advertising business, consulting services, digital service companies, contractors, legal consultants, food business, architects and any freelancer can effortlessly send unlimited bills via Freshbooks.
Zoho Invoice is great invoicing software for freelancers, small business, medium size businesses and also enterprises. Zoho Invoice offer rock solid billing solution to wide range of businesses such as web service providers, freelance writers, marketing companies, accountants, interior designers, non-profit organisations, construction business, information technology services, photographers and other similar sort of businesses.
Core features:
- Customised invoices
- Recurring billing
- Import / Export clients in CSV or Excel format
- Track inventory
- Smart keyboard shortcuts for instant invoicing
- Supports multicurrency
- Star important clients for quick success
- Fresh theme based templates available
- No matter mobile, laptop, tablet or PC, Billbooks works smoothly on every device
- Customised invoices
- Track time and expenses
- Recurring billing and auto payment reminders
- Late payment reminders
- Professional-looking invoice templates available
- Easy view of customer history
- Invoicing formats accepted – emails, PDF, online
- Automated followups
- Works best on any device, especially Mac and PC
- Customisable bills
- Expense tracking
- Recurring invoice
- Accept partial payments
- Attractive invoice template available
- Multicurrency accepted
- Report collection
- Import data easily
- Send invoices on the go via your Android, iOS or Windows device
Unique feature of each software:
Billbooks – One of the exclusive features of Billbooks is the Dashboard which gives you a quick and clear snapshot of your business and latest activities. Total sales, total expenses, overdue invoices all can be viewed instantly on your Dashboard as soon as you log in.
Freshbooks – The exceptional feature of Freshbooks is that it has automatic PayPal integration feature.
Zoho Invoice – This software has a dedicated client portal where they can keep track of all their transactions. On the other hand, you can also keep a track of clients who have viewed or paid invoice with real time status view.
For your more convenience, we have compared the 3 softwares in tabular form:
| Comparison | Billbooks | Freshbooks | Zoho Invoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of Establishment | 2012 | 2008 | 1996 |
| Motto | Experience the Joy of Billing | Painless Billing | Hassle-free Invoicing Software |
| Best Suited for | Small Business, Freelancers | Small Business, Medium-size Business, Freelancers | Small Business, Freelancers, Mid-size Business, Enterprises |
| Free Trial | Free trial for 30 days | Free trial for 30 days | Free trial for 14 days |
| Demo Video | Available | Available | Available |
| Pricing Plan | 30 days free, monthly package, yearly package | 30 days free, monthly package, yearly package | 14 days free, monthly package, yearly package |
| Tax Calculation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File Attachment Option | Yes | No | Yes |
| Security | 256-bit SSL encryption | 256-bit SSL encryption | 256-bit SSL encryption |
After going through the comparison, you might get an idea of which software suits the best for your line of work. Choose wisely, save time and effort and enjoy your billing process.
FAQs
Q: which one makes sense for a solo freelancer?
Honestly, Billbooks is the way to go. it’s just easier. like, they actually made it for people working on their own, stays simple and you can get an invoice out in like a minute. Zoho is cool too though
maybe if you think you’ll need more stuff as you grow.
Q: is the pricing actually that different?
They look pretty similar but the details vary, what you actually get at each level is kinda different.
even the trials Freshbooks and Billbooks give you 30 days. Zoho only gives you 14 which is kinda short. just look at how many invoices you send before deciding.
Q: Which is the easiest to get started with?
Billbooks without question. Sign up, fill in the details, send your first invoice in minutes. FreshBooks has more layers to navigate and Zoho sits somewhere in the middle.
Q: Do all three work properly on a phone?
Yes. FreshBooks is particularly polished on Mac and PC. Zoho covers Android, iOS, and Windows. Billbooks works across everything without favouring any particular device.
Q: What does Zoho do that the other two do not?
The client portal. Your clients get their own login to view invoices and payment history. You also see in real time whether a client has actually opened an invoice, which saves a lot of awkward follow-up messages.
Q: Most of my clients pay through PayPal, which should I use?
FreshBooks. The PayPal integration is built in and automatic rather than something you set up manually. If PayPal is how most money comes in, that makes FreshBooks the most practical choice.
Q: My clients pay in stages, which handles that best?
Zoho is the only one of the three that accepts partial payments natively. If instalment billing is a regular part of how you work, that feature alone might make the decision for you.
Q: Can any of these replace an accountant?
For day to day invoicing and expense tracking, yes. For tax time or anything requiring actual financial advice, no. These tools handle the billing admin side, not professional accounting.
