2025 Best Invoicing Software for Small Business
Published August 26, 2025 · 10 min read
Picking the best invoicing software for small business depends on how you bill: fixed-fee projects, time-and-materials, field work, or bulk orders. Below is a practical guide to popular invoicing tools—what they do well, where they fit, and how they compare—so you can get paid faster with fewer errors.
TL;DR recommendations
- Cherry — Best for small teams and wholesalers that need mobile invoicing, catalogs, barcode scanning, and QuickBooks sync.
- QuickBooks Online — Best if you want invoicing tightly connected to full accounting.
- FreshBooks — Best for freelancers and service providers who track time and expenses.
- Zoho Invoice — Best for customizable templates and multi-currency on a budget.
- Square Invoices — Best if you already use Square POS or take payments in person.
- Stripe Invoicing — Best for payment-first, subscription, or developer-led setups.
How to choose invoicing software
- Speed to send: Can you create estimates and invoices in seconds from your phone?
- Catalogs & clients: Are client and product lists searchable and always in sync?
- Document types: Estimates, credit memos, drafts—do you have the formats you need?
- Payments: Cards/ACH, partial payments, deposits, and reminders.
- Accounting sync: QuickBooks or your system of record—no double entry.
- Team access: Roles and permissions for growing teams.
- Field & warehouse: Mobile UI, barcode scanning, offline-friendly workflows.
Top picks: best invoicing software for small business
1) Cherry — best for small teams & wholesalers
Cherry is built for small businesses, trades, and B2B wholesalers who need to move fast. Create invoices on the spot, keep clients and products organized, capture signatures in person, and search items via barcode scanning. Two-way QuickBooks integration keeps accounting clean.
- Generate invoices in seconds (mobile-first)
- Estimates, credit memos, and draft mode
- Client & product catalogs with instant search
- Barcode scanning for product lookup
- Multi-user access with simple roles
- QuickBooks sync
Best for: wholesalers, tradespeople, field teams, and fast-moving small businesses.
2) QuickBooks Online — accounting-centric invoicing
A leading accounting platform with built-in invoicing. Great if you want a single system for bookkeeping and billing, plus advanced reports and tax support.
- Strong accounting and reporting
- Payment collection and reminders
- Ecosystem of add-ons and accountants
Best for: businesses prioritizing deep accounting workflows.
3) FreshBooks — simple for services & freelancers
Clean invoicing with time tracking and expenses. Good for creative studios, agencies, and solo pros who need a friendly UI and client portal.
- Time & expense tracking
- Client portal and estimates
- Automated reminders
Best for: service-based businesses and solo operators.
4) Zoho Invoice — customizable & budget-friendly
Flexible templates, multi-currency support, and a broader suite if you expand into CRM, email, or inventory. Strong value for small teams.
- Custom templates & automation
- Multi-currency & taxes
- Works within the Zoho ecosystem
Best for: customization on a budget.
5) Square Invoices — great with POS & in-person work
If you already use Square for payments or POS, Square Invoices keeps billing and collections in one place, especially for on-site jobs.
- Card & tap-to-pay ecosystem
- Simple estimates → invoices
- Good for field service & retail
Best for: businesses using Square hardware or POS.
6) Stripe Invoicing — payment-first & developer-friendly
Excellent for online businesses that want to accept card/ACH payments and automate billing, especially paired with subscriptions.
- Fast online checkout & payment links
- Subscriptions & automatic retries
- API-friendly
Best for: SaaS, ecommerce, and dev-led stacks.
Comparison at a glance
| Software | Best for | Standout features | Accounting sync |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry | Small teams, wholesalers | Mobile invoicing, catalogs, barcode scanning, estimates/credit memos/drafts | QuickBooks |
| QuickBooks Online | Accounting-first | Invoicing + full bookkeeping, reporting | N/A (it is the system) |
| FreshBooks | Service & freelance | Time/expense, client portal | Connectors available |
| Zoho Invoice | Customization on budget | Templates, multi-currency | Zoho suite & connectors |
| Square Invoices | POS & field work | Payments & estimates | Exports/connectors |
| Stripe Invoicing | Online payments | Payment links, subscriptions | Exports/connectors |
The bottom line
If you’re a small business that needs to invoice quickly, keep data in sync, and minimize errors, choose software that matches your day-to-day work. Cherry stands out for small teams and wholesalers that need mobile invoicing, catalogs, and QuickBooks sync—without a steep learning curve.