Issuing and accounting for invoices is a common task for large companies, SMEs, and freelancers. This task is often thankless for the person performing it and takes time away from other responsibilities. Therefore, invoicing software can be a great help to all of them.
Furthermore, like anyone, you might make a mistake on an invoice. This means you have to cross things out, constantly keep track of invoice numbers, monitor whether or not they've been paid, and so on. All of this can be automated or simplified by invoicing software. And it's as simple as downloading a program or app to your PC or mobile device to help you with this tedious task…
What is a billing program?
Billing software is essentially a computer program for managing and controlling the issuance and receipt of invoices for goods and/or services. It can be a great tool for both freelancers and businesses.
The features that all billing software should have are:
- Capacity for correlative numbering of the invoices issued and management of dates.
- Invoice templates available ready to complement.
- Inclusion of logos and data company or self-employed.
- Possibility of selecting different payment methods.
- Ability to file management of customers and suppliers. With data such as name, company name, NIF / CIF, address, contact, etc.
- Editor in case you want to modify any data of a blotter of an invoice before it is approved.
- Selection of types of taxes (Personal income tax, VAT, ...) and ability to calculate the total amount.
- Dashboard with graphs in which the balance of expenses and income.
- Pumping and notifications in some cases.
- Function to generate invoices proforma and budgets.
- In some cases it also has a database / agenda with clients and their tax data to make the creation of the invoice easier.
Types of billing software
Within inventory or service billing software, you can find different types . You should familiarize yourself with them to choose the option that best suits your needs.
- Online- These are web-based billing programs that don't need to install anything. They can simply be used from any device with a compatible web browser. The advantage of these systems is that they will always be available from anywhere (as long as your server is operational) and you will not depend on a specific device for it. In addition, being in the cloud, the data will be stored permanently, without worrying about backup copies, etc.
- Local News: a local billing software is one that is installed on your own PC or mobile device. Although online services have good security and are encrypted, some security freaks may want to have all customer data locally for greater confidentiality. It really is the only advantage these programs have. The rest are disadvantages compared to online, since if something happens to your device, your hard drive crashes, you are affected by ransomware, etc., and you do not have backup copies, you could lose all your fiscal data.
In addition to these categories, billing software could be further divided based on other aspects . For example, there are open-source and free billing software options, as well as proprietary software. We could even distinguish between paid services and those that are completely free. Generally, none of these factors makes a billing program better or worse.
In other words, there is free, open-source billing software that is just as good as paid, closed-source software, and vice versa. Therefore, don't use these factors as a measure of quality, as some do who claim that open source is worse than proprietary software… That's a huge mistake!
The best billing programs
If you'd like some recommendations on the best billing software available, here's a list of some of the top options:
- InvoiceScripts: it offers a lot of flexibility, since it allows to install locally on the PC, use a web hosting to host this tool, and also under a SaaS model in the cloud from its own servers as a service. In this case it is a free software solution. It is powerful and does not stop growing thanks to the community and plugins that are adding new functions. In addition to managing invoices, functions can also be added to have a complete CRM or ERP.
- factusol: DelSol Software has developed this ideal billing software to take control of all the commercial management of the company, both sales and purchases made. You can even take control beyond that thanks to its functions to control inventory and product stock. Also, it does not matter the size of the company or if you are self-employed. On the other hand, it has another great advantage, and that is its integration with the MS Office suite. It is completely free, but it is only available for Windows for local installation, although it can also be used online from any system thanks to its cloud platform.
- Quipu: a very simple and intuitive billing software specially designed for freelancers and SMEs. It allows the creation of personalized invoices and budgets, reconcile secure bank transactions, generate remittances, automate the presentation of taxes, etc. It integrates OCR function to recognize text with the camera of your mobile. You also have it available for mobile devices on Google Play for Android or to use in the cloud.
- Debitor: it is one of the most popular cloud services. It is simple and allows efficient work. With customizable invoice templates, OCR technology to recognize text by the camera, reports and balances, etc. In this case, it is paid, with a basic payment plan for up to 100 annual documents of € 4 / month, an average plan of up to 800 invoices a year for € 12 / month and an unlimited plan for € 24 / month. It also has an app for mobile devices.
- simple account: web-based service to issue and manage your invoices quickly and simply. It has templates, functions to record hours, generation of graphics with records, allows integration with e-commerce managers such as Prestashop, Shopify, Woocommerce, etc. It has several online subscription plans (although it has a free limited basic plan) and an app for mobile devices.
- Anfix: another alternative to the previous ones to use in the management of your invoices for greater comfort. It has invoice templates, automation functions, generation of files to present taxes, accounting management, budgets, etc. Their pricing plans range from € 10 to € 50 approx, with an advisory service if you prefer. It has a mobile app and online service.
- sage one: Sage is one of the best known developers of business management software. In this case, they have created a good billing software tool specially designed for freelancers and SMEs. You will have everything you need to manage your invoices and to generate graphs to check the status and get an idea of ​​how the business is doing. It has an automatic banking connection for accounting of charges and expenses, as well as the possibility of managing inventories, multi-user capacity, etc. Indeed, it is not a free service. It has plans of € 7.5 and € 15 per month with its current offer (before € 10 and € 20 respectively). By the way, Sage also has mobile apps.