Best Free Invoicing Software (2026): What Each Free Plan Allows

Every tool on this page says it is free. What differs is the cap: how many invoices, how many clients, whose branding sits on your invoice, and what a client's card payment costs you. Each plan below was checked against the vendor's own pricing pages on 28 September 2026.

The short answer

• Most invoices for free: Wave (US and Canada) and Square Invoices both include unlimited invoices.
• Most features for free: Zoho Invoice includes recurring invoices, quotes and time tracking, up to 500 invoices a year.
• Unlimited invoices to a few clients: Invoice Ninja, capped at 5 clients.
• Cheapest paid upgrade: Tidybill Starter at $7 a month billed annually, against $14 for Invoice Ninja Pro, $19 for Wave Pro and $20 for Square Invoices Plus.
• Not free: Stripe Invoicing charges 0.4% of every paid invoice.

Free plan comparison table

"Not stated" means the vendor's pricing and help pages did not give a number when we checked. Card fees are the US rates; they differ by country.

Wave

Wave's free Starter plan includes unlimited estimates, invoices and bookkeeping records. The catch is branding and automation: your own logo, brand colours and removing Wave's footer are Pro-only, and so is adding users. Recurring invoices can be created for free, but sending them automatically needs Pro or Wave's online payments. Card payments cost 2.9% + 60 cents. Wave is available in the US and Canada, and Pro costs $19 a month.

Zoho Invoice

Zoho Invoice is free with no paid tier above it. The free plan includes recurring invoices, quotes, and projects with time tracking, for up to 2 users and 2 organisations. It caps you at 500 invoices a year and 3 projects, and documents carry "Powered by Zoho Invoice". Zoho adds no fee to card payments; you pay your payment gateway's rate.

Invoice Ninja

Invoice Ninja's hosted free plan includes unlimited invoices, recurring billing, quotes, time tracking and a client portal, for up to 5 clients. Invoices carry "Created by Invoice Ninja" until you upgrade. Pro costs $14 a month.

Square Invoices

Square's free plan includes unlimited invoices, estimates, customers and users, with recurring invoices on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly schedule. You pay for it in processing: 3.3% + 30 cents per invoice card payment on the free plan, against 2.9% + 30 cents on Plus. Custom invoice templates are Plus-only, at $20 a month.

PayPal Invoicing

PayPal Invoicing has no set-up or monthly fee, supports recurring invoices and your own logo, and works in over 200 markets. Every paid invoice costs a processing fee: 2.99% plus a fixed fee for cards, and 3.49% plus a fixed fee for PayPal Checkout and Venmo.

Stripe Invoicing

Stripe Invoicing is not free. Stripe stopped offering 25 free invoices a month on 1 November 2023. Invoicing Starter now charges 0.4% per paid invoice, capped at $2.00, on top of Stripe's card fee of 2.9% + 30 cents for US cards.

Tidybill

Tidybill's free plan is the smallest here: 1 company, 5 clients, 5 invoices a month and 3 projects. It still includes your own logo, online card payments through Stripe with no Tidybill fee on top, automatic payment reminders and late fees, and invoices in your client's currency.

The paid plans are where Tidybill differs. Starter, at $7 a month billed annually ($9 monthly), adds recurring invoices, time tracking that turns hours into invoice lines, quotes that convert to invoices, a client portal, and a second company. Pro, at $15 a month billed annually, runs up to 5 companies from one login, which suits a freelancer who also runs a limited company or a side business. See managing multiple companies and the full pricing.

Which free plan to choose

• You send lots of invoices and bill in the US or Canada: Wave.
• You want recurring invoices, quotes and time tracking without paying: Zoho Invoice, if 500 invoices a year is enough.
• You have a few clients and want every feature: Invoice Ninja.
• Your clients already pay you by PayPal: PayPal Invoicing.
• You expect to pay for recurring invoices and time tracking soon, or you run more than one company: Tidybill, for the lowest paid price here.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free invoicing software?

It depends on what you need for free. Wave and Square send unlimited invoices on their free plans. Zoho Invoice includes recurring invoices, quotes and time tracking for free, up to 500 invoices a year. Invoice Ninja sends unlimited invoices but caps you at 5 clients. Tidybill's free plan is smaller (5 clients, 5 invoices a month) and its paid plan is the cheapest step up at $7 a month billed annually.

Which free invoicing software has no invoice limit?

Wave, Square Invoices and Invoice Ninja all say their free plans include unlimited invoices. Invoice Ninja limits the free plan to 5 clients, and Wave's free plan is available in the US and Canada.

Do free invoicing apps put their branding on my invoices?

Most do. Wave's free plan keeps Wave branding in the footer and does not allow your own logo. Zoho Invoice adds "Powered by Zoho Invoice". Invoice Ninja adds "Created by Invoice Ninja". Tidybill lets you add your own logo on the free plan and adds a small "Sent via Tidybill" line at the bottom of the PDF.

Is Stripe Invoicing free?

No. Stripe ended its 25 free invoices a month allowance on 1 November 2023. Invoicing Starter now charges 0.4% per paid invoice, capped at $2.00, on top of Stripe's card processing fee.

How much do free invoicing apps charge when a client pays by card?

In the US, Wave charges 2.9% + 60 cents per card payment, Square's free plan charges 3.3% + 30 cents on invoices, and PayPal charges 2.99% plus a fixed fee for cards. Zoho Invoice and Tidybill add no fee of their own; you pay the payment provider's standard rate.

Sources

• Wave pricing
• Zoho Invoice pricing
• Invoice Ninja plan comparison and pricing
• Square Invoices pricing and Square fees
• PayPal business fees
• Stripe Invoicing pricing change and Stripe Invoicing pricing