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The Billbooks Blog

Practical guides on invoicing, getting paid, and running a small business. Written by the people who build the invoicing app.

featured guide

Zoho Books Alternative for Simple Invoicing
Small business

A Zoho Books alternative is invoicing software you choose when Zoho Books is more accounting platform than you need: full double-entry books, six pricing tiers, and a place inside Zoho's larger suite, when your…

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Find the right guide fast. Everything's grouped by what you're trying to do.

Invoicing basics

What to include, terms, and getting invoices out the door.

104 guides

Freelancing

Rates, contracts, and getting clients to pay on time.

83 guides

Small business

The day-to-day of running a small operation, sorted.

56 guides

Running a business

Margins, cash flow, and the numbers that keep you afloat.

101 guides

Productivity

Work smarter, waste less time, get more done.

27 guides

Startups & growth

Burn rate, runway, and building something that lasts.

31 guides

Marketing

Find clients and win the work, without a big budget.

9 guides

Industry guides

Invoicing playbooks for specific trades and professions.

51 guides
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The getting-paid path

1 How to invoice as a freelancer: a simple step-by-step guideYou did the work. Now you have to ask for the money,… 3 min 2 What to put on an invoice: a complete checklistAn invoice does two jobs: it tells the client exactly what they… 3 min 3 How to get clients to pay on timeLate payment is the quiet killer of small businesses. The work is… 3 min 4 How much should you charge? A freelance rate guideSetting your rate is one of the hardest parts of going freelance.… 3 min 5 How to work out your burn rate and runwayBurn rate and runway are two of the most important numbers a… 3 min

Latest articles

Small business
Invoicely Alternative for Simple Invoicing
An Invoicely alternative is invoicing software you move to when Invoicely's plans get in the way: the five-invoices-a-month…
7 min readAug 20Read
Small business
Xero Alternative for Simple Invoicing
A Xero alternative is invoicing software you move to when Xero is more accounting platform than you need:…
8 min readAug 20Read
Small business
Simple Invoicing Software: How It Compares to the Big Names
Simple invoicing software is a tool built to do one job well: create, send, and track invoices, without…
6 min readAug 20Read
Small business
How to Price Service Jobs: Rates and Estimates
Pricing a service job comes down to a repeatable method: measure the work, pick a pricing model, set…
5 min readAug 20Read
Small business
Invoice2go Alternative for Simple Invoicing
An Invoice2go alternative is invoicing software you move to when Invoice2go's invoice-count caps get in the way: 30…
6 min readAug 20Read
Small business
Zoho Invoice Alternative for Simple Invoicing
A Zoho Invoice alternative is invoicing software you move to when Zoho Invoice's free plan starts to pinch:…
7 min readAug 20Read
Small business
Wave Alternative for Simple Invoicing
A Wave alternative is invoicing software you choose when Wave's free plan does not quite fit: when you…
7 min readAug 20Read
Small business
FreshBooks Alternative for Simple Invoicing
A FreshBooks alternative is invoicing software you move to when FreshBooks' plan structure gets in the way: the…
7 min readAug 20Read
Small business
QuickBooks Alternative for Simple Invoicing
A QuickBooks alternative for invoicing is software built to create, send, and track invoices without the full double-entry…
7 min readAug 20Read

Latest from our socials

Fresh from the feeds: the last couple of posts on each channel.

X @billbooks

Late payment isn't a cash-flow problem, it's a terms problem. 3 wording changes that get invoices paid faster.

2 days agoView post

New on the blog: the lowest-fee invoicing tools of 2026, compared on what you actually pay to get paid.

5 days agoView post

LinkedIn Billbooks

What makes a good profit margin for a small business? We broke down the benchmarks by industry, and how to read yours.

3 days agoView post

Freelancers: your rate isn't just "market rate." Here's the break-even math most people skip.

6 days agoView post

Facebook Billbooks

Sending your first invoice? Our step-by-step freelancer guide takes you from blank page to paid.

4 days agoView post

Electricians: deposits, materials markup, job line items. The invoicing guide built for the trade is live.

1 week agoView post

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