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Guide · Invoicing

How to choose invoicing software for a small business

A buying guide for invoicing and small-business accounting software, covering client limits, payment fees, country support, accountant access and a trial plan.

By YourTechAI EditorialPublished Documentation research
Editorial illustration · Invoicing and accounting

The short answer

Count the clients you will bill in a year, confirm the software supports your country, currency and tax rules, and list the features you will use every month, such as recurring invoices, reminders and online payments. Check payment processing fees and accountant access, then send a real invoice through to payment during the trial. The worksheet below collects these answers.

Goal
Choose invoicing software that fits your client count, payment methods and country rules.
Written for
Freelancers and small service businesses that invoice clients regularly.
You will end with
A completed requirements list and a trial that sends a real invoice through to payment.

1. Count your billable clients for a year

Many invoicing plans limit how many clients you can bill. FreshBooks, for example, lists 5 billable clients on Lite, 50 on Plus and unlimited on Premium. Count every client you invoice across a year, including one-off jobs, before choosing a plan.

2. Confirm country, currency and tax support

Check that the software supports your country’s sales tax or VAT rules, the currencies you invoice in, and the payment methods your clients use. If the vendor’s pages do not say, ask before you import records. This matters most for businesses outside the vendor’s home market.

3. List the features you will use every month

Common requirements:

  • Estimates that convert to invoices.
  • Recurring invoices and card-on-file payments for regular clients.
  • Automatic payment reminders and late fees.
  • Expense tracking and receipt capture.
  • Time tracking for hourly work.

Note which plan includes each item.

4. Understand payment fees

Online payments usually carry transaction fees separate from the subscription. Find the fee for each payment method your clients use and include it in your cost estimate.

5. Plan for your accountant and team

Check whether accountant access is included and on which plan; FreshBooks lists accountant access from Plus. If others on your team need logins, check the cost per extra user.

6. Run a real trial

During the trial, create a real client, send a real estimate, convert it to an invoice, and pay it yourself with a small test amount if the vendor allows it. Export a report your accountant would need and confirm they can work with it.

Requirements worksheet

Copy this list and fill it in before you start a trial:

  • Clients billed per year:
  • Currencies and tax rules:
  • Client payment methods:
  • Must-have features:
  • Users who need access, including your accountant:
  • Budget per month, including payment fees:

Next steps

How we researched this

Documentation research

The guide is editorial reasoning. FreshBooks examples cite its pricing and invoicing pages, checked on 4 October 2026; FreshBooks was not tested hands-on.

We did not test this product hands-on for this article.

Read our evaluation methodology

Sources

  1. FreshBooks pricing, FreshBooks (accessed )
  2. FreshBooks invoicing features, FreshBooks (accessed )