{
  "title": "Invoicing software compared",
  "description": "Free-tier limits, cheapest paid plan, and card and ACH processing fees for the invoicing tools freelancers and small businesses compare most. Every row cites that vendor's own pricing page, dated. Reviewed by the JupiterInvoice team.",
  "row_count": 9,
  "source": "https://jupiterinvoice.com/reference/invoicing-software-compared/",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to JupiterInvoice and each row's primary source.",
  "rows": [
    {
      "tool": "Wave",
      "free_tier": "Yes: Starter plan, unlimited invoices",
      "cheapest_paid": "Pro, $19/mo",
      "card_fee": "2.9% + $0.60 (Amex 3.4% + $0.60)",
      "ach_fee": "Bank payments available; rate not on pricing page",
      "source_name": "Wave pricing",
      "source_url": "https://www.waveapps.com/pricing",
      "last_verified": "2026-08-13",
      "notes": "Pro waives the per-transaction flat fee on the first 10 card payments each month."
    },
    {
      "tool": "Zoho Invoice",
      "free_tier": "Yes: free plan, up to 500 invoices/yr and 2 users",
      "cheapest_paid": "None: Zoho Invoice is fully free",
      "card_fee": "Via gateway (Stripe, Zoho Payments, etc.)",
      "ach_fee": "Via gateway",
      "source_name": "Zoho Invoice pricing",
      "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/us/invoice/pricing/",
      "last_verified": "2026-08-13",
      "notes": "The 500-invoice/2-user free-plan limit is stated in Zoho's help center; the standalone Zoho Invoice product has no paid tier."
    },
    {
      "tool": "Invoice Ninja",
      "free_tier": "Yes: free plan, up to 5 clients, unlimited invoices (self-hosting is free and open source)",
      "cheapest_paid": "Ninja Pro, $14/mo ($140/yr)",
      "card_fee": "Via gateway (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)",
      "ach_fee": "Via gateway",
      "source_name": "Invoice Ninja pricing",
      "source_url": "https://invoiceninja.com/pricing-plans/",
      "last_verified": "2026-08-13",
      "notes": "Open-source; the self-hosted edition carries no subscription fee."
    },
    {
      "tool": "Square Invoices",
      "free_tier": "Yes: free to create and send invoices",
      "cheapest_paid": "Invoices Plus, $20/mo",
      "card_fee": "3.3% + $0.30 (invoice paid online)",
      "ach_fee": "1%, $1 minimum, $10 cap",
      "source_name": "Square processing fees",
      "source_url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/payments/our-fees",
      "last_verified": "2026-08-13",
      "notes": "Invoices Plus adds recurring invoices, milestone schedules, and custom fields."
    },
    {
      "tool": "Stripe Invoicing",
      "free_tier": "Yes: Starter, 0.4% per paid invoice",
      "cheapest_paid": "Plus, 0.5% per paid invoice",
      "card_fee": "+ 2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe Payments applies on top)",
      "ach_fee": "Stripe Payments ACH pricing applies",
      "source_name": "Stripe Invoicing pricing",
      "source_url": "https://stripe.com/invoicing/pricing",
      "last_verified": "2026-08-13",
      "notes": "Invoicing has no fixed monthly fee; the per-invoice rate is charged in addition to standard Stripe Payments processing fees."
    },
    {
      "tool": "PayPal Invoicing",
      "free_tier": "Yes: free to create and send invoices",
      "cheapest_paid": "None: no subscription",
      "card_fee": "3.49% + $0.49 when an invoice is paid",
      "ach_fee": "Not on this fees page",
      "source_name": "PayPal business fees",
      "source_url": "https://www.paypal.com/us/business/paypal-business-fees",
      "last_verified": "2026-08-13",
      "notes": "No monthly cost; you pay only the transaction fee when a customer pays."
    },
    {
      "tool": "FreshBooks",
      "free_tier": "No: 30-day free trial only",
      "cheapest_paid": "Lite, $23/mo (up to 5 billable clients)",
      "card_fee": "Not on pricing page (FreshBooks Payments)",
      "ach_fee": "Not on pricing page",
      "source_name": "FreshBooks pricing",
      "source_url": "https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing",
      "last_verified": "2026-08-13",
      "notes": "The 5-client cap on Lite is the practical constraint for freelancers with a growing roster."
    },
    {
      "tool": "Bonsai",
      "free_tier": "No: 7-day free trial only",
      "cheapest_paid": "Essentials, $19/user/mo billed annually ($25 monthly)",
      "card_fee": "Not on pricing page",
      "ach_fee": "Not on pricing page",
      "source_name": "Bonsai pricing",
      "source_url": "https://www.hellobonsai.com/pricing",
      "last_verified": "2026-08-13",
      "notes": "The cheaper Basic plan ($9/user/mo annually) does not include invoicing; invoicing starts at Essentials."
    },
    {
      "tool": "QuickBooks Online",
      "free_tier": "No: free trial only",
      "cheapest_paid": "Simple Start, $38/mo",
      "card_fee": "Not on pricing page (QuickBooks Payments)",
      "ach_fee": "Not on pricing page",
      "source_name": "QuickBooks pricing",
      "source_url": "https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/",
      "last_verified": "2026-08-13",
      "notes": "Simple Start is the lowest plan and includes invoicing. Card and ACH payments are charged separately through QuickBooks Payments."
    }
  ]
}