You're a freelancer. You've got clients. You've got pending projects. And you've got bills to pay. In other words, you need to invoice your clients as soon as possible.

So what do you do? You could spend hours looking for the perfect invoicing software, or you could just use one of the 17+ best free invoice generators we've listed for you below. We know what we would do!

What Is an Invoice?

An invoice, simply put, is a bill. It's a document that lists what goods or services have been provided, the prices for those goods or services, and any other pertinent information, like the date of the invoice, the customer's contact information, and so on.

Invoicing software helps you create invoices—duh! But it also can help you track payments, manage invoices and payments history, and more. So if you're a freelancer looking for ways to streamline your business, an invoicing software is definitely something to consider.

How Does Invoicing Help Freelancers?

For freelancers, invoicing is an essential part of their business. It helps them keep track of their income and expenses, as well as keep their clients updated on the status of their projects.

Invoicing also helps freelancers build a good reputation and relationship with their clients. When clients see that you're professional and reliable, they're more likely to continue working with you in the future.

There are many different invoicing software available, each with its own set of features. So how do you decide which one is right for you? Check out our list of the 17 best free invoice generators for freelancers.

FreshBooks Invoicing software

FreshBooks Invoicing software Website

FreshBooks is a great invoicing software choice if you’re looking for user-friendly and intuitive financial and invoicing services that are well-suited for small businesses and freelancers.

This software allows you to create, send, manage, and track both online and paper invoices, as well as get paid online via automated payment methods. You can also set up automatic payments in the form of credit cards or direct debits. 

The software has an integrated payments system so you can track your cash flow in real-time, create reports to see how much money you’ve earned, or subscribe to subscription-based services with ease.

In terms of design, FreshBooks offers dozens of templates for you to choose from when creating invoices—including hourly rate-based project bills and itemized expense tracking reports. 

Additionally, FreshBooks helps make billing easier with built-in time tracking, automated late fees (which are customizable), recurring payment reminders and more.

Zoho Invoice generator

Zoho Invoice generator website

Zoho Invoice is a great choice for freelancers and small businesses who want to create professional invoices quickly and easily. It has a wide range of features, including customized templates and the ability to accept payments online. 

It also allows for multiple users and multiple currencies, which can be useful if you work with international clients.

Zoho Invoice is very customizable and user-friendly, making it a great choice for beginners. It also has integrated billing features, allowing you to create complex invoices with ease.

The free version of Zoho Invoice only lets you generate three invoices per month, so if you’re a busy freelancer, this might not be the best choice for you. Also, it doesn’t offer an inventory management or project management feature like other softwares do.

Invoicely

Invoicely Website

Invoicely is one of the most feature-rich free invoicing tools. It has a wide range of features that make it a great fit for any small business or freelancer. 

The platform allows you to create and send invoices, estimate and track expenses, create and manage contacts, create custom reports and generate financial insights, and more.

The platform also offers time tracking and reporting, a client portal to easily send documents, reminders, and payment links, multi-currency support to bill globally, the ability to add custom branding on documents and emails, various tax settings for different countries, automatic email notifications when payments are received or overdue invoices are sent out and more. 

Another great feature is its integration with PayPal, Stripe and other popular payment gateways.

PayPal Invoice

Paypal Invoice Generator

PayPal Invoice is yet another great free invoicing software. It's user-friendly and easy to use, even for someone who has never used an invoicing system before.

It has an intuitive user interface that allows you to quickly create and send professional-looking invoices, manage payments and track the status of each invoice (sent, overdue, paid). 

As with other free invoicing software options, you can also customize invoices easily.

In addition, PayPal Invoice allows you to accept payment from clients in multiple currencies. And because it's integrated with PayPal, clients can pay immediately using their account or credit card. 

PayPal Invoice also keeps track of all your payments in one place, so you can easily review your financial activity.

Shopify Free Invoice Generator

Shopify Invoice Generator

Shopify's free invoice generator is excellent for freelancers, especially those who are new to invoicing. It's free and simple to use; you just enter your company's details and then create an invoice with the same information. 

The best part? Shopify automates the whole process for you, so there's no need for manual data entry or complicated paperwork.

Shopify also allows you to customize your invoices, so you can add your logo or even use a template from their extensive library of designs. You can also set up automatic payment reminders that will be sent out if an invoice isn't paid in time, which is especially helpful when dealing with difficult clients.

Finally, Shopify even has a set of robust analytics tools that enable you to keep track of customer payments and organized inventory numbers.

Microsoft Excel/Word Invoicing Templates

Microsoft Office Invoicing Templates

If you are familiar with Microsoft Office and want to create a more professional-looking invoice, then you can use their templates to do so. Word and Excel have some basic invoice templates, where you just need to enter your information, such as logo, invoice number, customer information, etc.

The advantage of using these templates is that they look professional and they are easy to customize as well. And since they are made by Microsoft Office, you know that they can be used across multiple platforms.

The downside is that these templates are not as detailed as the online invoicing tools we discussed earlier. For example, they don’t calculate taxes for you or let you accept payments electronically. So if you’re looking for something more detailed and advanced, then this might not be the best option for you.

Adobe Invoice Generator

Adobe Invoice Templates

Adobe Express offers a free invoice generator with online templates to help you take the hassle out of billing. Adobe Express provides an easy-to-use platform that takes the guesswork out of creating invoices; you can customize your invoices quickly and effectively, leaving you with more time to focus on your clients.

Adobe’s invoice generator allows you to select from a variety of templates, so you can be sure it will match your existing branding. Furthermore, you can add a logo, customize invoice numbers and dates, and select different currencies.

Adobe Express also provides seamless integration with popular accounting software like Xero and QuickBooks, so that all of your information is synced and up-to-date.

Refrens Invoice Generator

Refrens Invoice Generator

Refrens Invoice Generator might just be the perfect fit for you. It offers free invoice templates, invoice tracking, reports, online payments, and client management.

Refrens also offers an automated invoice generator that takes the hassle out of having to manually generate every invoice.

This makes it very efficient and easy to use. Refrens also allows its users to track the status of invoices sent, which is a helpful feature that can help ensure timely payments from clients.

It's also integrated with most major accounting systems, so it will play nicely with any current systems you already use.

Whether you're new to invoicing software or an experienced user looking for more features, Refrens Invoice Generator has you covered.

Canva Invoice generator

Canva Free Invoice Templates

Coming in at number 11, we have the Canva Invoice Generator. Canva is an easy-to-use drag-and-drop graphic design tool. It also has a feature to create invoices.

The great thing about Canva is that it’s free to use if you don’t mind their logo or other branding in the corner of the invoice.

Whether you need a one-off invoice or you have multiple clients with recurring invoices, Canva makes creating them fast and simple. With its user-friendly interface, you can customize your invoice however you like with the help of their intuitive design tools and custom templates.

It also has integrated payment options so that you can easily receive payments from your clients without ever leaving the platform.

Plus, all your invoices are stored in one place for easy access whenever you need them.

WaveApps Invoice Generator

WaveApps Invoice Generator

If you are looking for free invoicing software, WaveApps is a perfect choice. It is a great tool for freelancers and small businesses that need an efficient, easy-to-use invoicing system. It allows users to easily create custom invoices and keep track of payments, track expenses, and manage taxes. The following are some of the benefits of using WaveApps:

• Easy to Use – WaveApps has an intuitive user interface that makes creating and managing invoices quick and easy.
• Customizable – Users can customize their invoices to match their businesses’ branding or style.
• Integration options – The application can be integrated with other popular accounting tools like QuickBooks Online and Xero, allowing users to keep track of their finances in one place.
• Stop Payment – WaveApps is the only free invoice generator that allows users to send out stop payment requests for any invoice received late or not as expected.
• Free - Of course, one of the best features of Wave Apps is that it’s completely free! Although there are some paid features available if you want more advanced features.

Conclusion

Overall, invoice generators are handy tools that can save freelancers time and money. With the right generator, you can create invoices, track payments, and manage your finances with ease. 

So, if you're looking for a way to streamline your billing process, be sure to check out the best invoice generators listed above.

Special thanks to Rahul for creating this well-researched article, he is a Developer Advocate himself, and he loves to code, write blogs and build side projects

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