Invoice tools, compared
Fifteen ways to make an invoice — generators, accounting software, design tools and the spreadsheet you already own — compared on what each one actually costs you rather than what it advertises.
Not sure what belongs on an invoice yet? The guides cover the document itself, field by field.
What these are compared on
Tested at the download button, which is where the claim usually breaks. Four of the tools here let you fill in every field and then ask for an email address.
Somebody else’s name on a document asking your client for money. Two of these do it and neither says so on the page that says “free”.
Most free generators end at a download, which leaves the actual job — getting it in front of the person who pays — exactly where it started.
A count, a value, a trial length or a watermark. All four exist here, and the meter is almost never the one you assumed you were buying.
All fifteen, at a glance
Every figure read off that vendor’s own pricing or generator page on 28 August 2026. Where a fact could not be established without registering an account, the table says “not stated” rather than guessing. Free tiers change without announcement, so treat the date as part of the figure.
| Tool | Account needed | Watermark free | Emails your client | Free tier runs out of | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1001invoice | No | No | Yes | 3 invoices / month | $9/mo |
| invoice-generator.com | No | Not stated | Not stated | Unlimited (their claim) | — |
| Wise | No | Not stated | No | Unlimited (their claim) | — |
| Wave | No | Not stated | No | Unlimited generator | Separate product |
| Zoho Invoice | To save, not to make | Not stated | Yes | A genuinely free product | Free |
| Invoice Simple | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 invoices / month | $4.99/mo |
| Invoice Home | Yes | Yes | Yes | $1,000 of invoices / 30 days | $6.99/mo |
| Invoice2go | Yes | Not stated | Yes | None | $5.99/mo — 30 invoices a year |
| Invoice Ninja | Yes | No | Yes | 5 clients, self-hosted only | $18/mo cloud |
| FreshBooks | Yes | No | Yes | None | $23/mo — 5 clients |
| QuickBooks | Yes | No | Yes | Generator only | Paid product |
| Canva | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Design tool, not metered | Free tier |
| Adobe Express | Yes | Not stated | No | Design tool, not metered | Free tier |
| Word / Excel | No | No | No | You already have it | Office licence |
| Google Docs | Yes | No | No | Free with an account | — |
The comparisons in full
- Word and Excel invoice templates Word cannot add up. Excel can, and quietly rounds what it shows while keeping what it stores. Which to use, and the mistakes each one makes for you.
- Making an invoice in Canva Canva makes the best-looking invoice on this site and does not know what an invoice is. What that costs, and when the trade is worth making anyway.
- Google Docs invoice template Google Docs makes a good invoice and cannot add up, cannot number them, and will let you send the wrong copy. How to build one that survives all three.
- Invoice generators that need no sign-up Several generators promise no sign-up and ask for an account at the download button. Which ones let you finish, and what you give up by not registering.
- Zoho, Invoice Ninja and Invoice2go alternatives Three tools that meter three different things: clients, server hosting, and invoices per year. Which limit you are about to hit, and what to move to.
- Invoicing software for freelancers Freelancers rarely struggle to make an invoice. They struggle to get paid for it. Which features change that, which are sold instead, and what each tool costs.
- FreshBooks alternatives FreshBooks prices by how many clients you have, not how much you invoice — and archived ones still count. What that means, and what to use instead.
- QuickBooks alternatives Most people wanting a QuickBooks alternative do not need accounting software — they need to send invoices. How to tell which you are, and what to use.
- The best invoice generators, compared Ten invoice generators compared on the thing none of them advertise: what the free tier actually costs you. Watermarks, caps, and who can really email a client.