TL;DR: Wave fits US/Canada sole traders who can use Starter invoicing at $0 and will pay card fees if clients pay in-app (Wave has restricted invoice sending outside US/CA). Zoho Invoice fits global freelancers who want a free/cheap invoice product in the Zoho stack. FreshBooks fits service businesses that will pay a published Lite/Plus client cap. Invoice2go (Bill.com family) fits mobile-first invoicing on its current public plans.
Invoice software creates, sends and (often) collects an invoice. It is not full payroll and not a corporate ERP.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, payment fees, client/invoice caps, geography and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. $0 invoice products first.
Invoice software compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Payments / caps | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | Starter $0. Pro ~$19/mo ($190/yr) on waveapps.com. Payroll is a separate SKU | US card processing commonly 2.9% + $0.60. Geography: invoice sending tightened outside US/CA in 2026 help docs | US/CA owners who want $0 books + invoices | Visit β |
| Zoho Invoice | Free plus paid on zoho.com/invoice/pricing | Invoice/client limits on Free. Payments via Zoho/gateways extra | Global freelancers already near Zoho | Visit β |
| FreshBooks | Lite / Plus / Premium on freshbooks.com/pricing (Lite often starts in the mid-teens monthly on sale/annual) | Billable-client caps on Lite/Plus. Payments extra | Hourly service firms | Visit β |
| Invoice2go | Named plans on invoice2go.com/pricing | Plan-gated sends and features | Mobile invoice-first users | Visit β |
Wave Starter/Pro and geography notes were checked against Wave help + pricing coverage on 16 September 2026. FreshBooks list prices move with promotions β use the live toggle.
Two products can start at $0. Paid tools sell client caps and time-to-invoice workflows.
The invoice is not the processing fee
βFree invoicingβ still takes 2.9% + cents when the client pays by card on the platform. Bank transfer outside the product can be $0 processing and more chasing.
The four providers in detail
1. Wave
STARTER $0 IN US/CA
Best for: US and Canadian sole traders who want invoices and basic books without a monthly SKU.
| Published pricing | Starter $0. Pro ~$19/mo or ~$190/yr. Receipt scanning is an add-on on Starter in 2026 explainers |
| Payments / caps | Card and ACH fees on Wave Payments. No FreshBooks-style client SKU on Starter |
| Geography | Wave help (2026) limited sending invoices/reminders outside US and Canada. Confirm if you invoice from elsewhere |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent Starter (with the geographic caveat) |
| Main limitation | Not the global default anymore. Payroll is another product |
- If you are outside US/CA, start the shortlist with Zoho Invoice.
- Pro buys bank feeds and collaborators β not βthe right to invoice.β
- Model card fees on expected online collections.
2. Zoho Invoice
GLOBAL FREE ROW
Best for: freelancers who need a dedicated invoice app that still works outside North America.
| Published pricing | zoho.com/invoice/pricing β Free plus paid |
| Payments / caps | Free invoice/client limits. Payment gateways extra |
| Geography | Zoho is the global path Wave pointed non-US/CA users toward |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent Free with caps |
| Main limitation | Growing into Zoho Books is a different SKU. Stay honest about which product you priced |
- Count invoices per month on Free before you promise βforever $0.β
- If you already pay Zoho Mail/CRM, Invoice is the least-friction add.
- Multi-currency belongs on the live feature grid.
3. FreshBooks
CLIENT CAPS + TIME
Best for: agencies and freelancers who turn tracked hours into invoices and will pay for a client ceiling.
| Published pricing | freshbooks.com/pricing β Lite, Plus, Premium. Promotional annual rates move |
| Payments / caps | Lite historically caps billable clients (often five). Plus raises the cap. Payments extra |
| Geography | Broad self-serve. Not Waveβs US/CA constraint |
| Free plan / trial | Trial. No Wave-style lasting $0 |
| Main limitation | Lite is cheap until the sixth client |
- Count active billable clients, not contacts in your phone.
- Time tracking is why people leave a $0 invoice tool.
- Do not compare sale-price Lite to Wave $0 without the client cap.
4. Invoice2go
MOBILE INVOICE
Best for: owners who create and send invoices from a phone more than from a desktop ledger.
| Published pricing | invoice2go.com/pricing β named paid plans |
| Payments / caps | Plan-gated. Card fees apply when you collect in-app |
| Geography | Confirm country support on the live page |
| Free plan / trial | Trial / limited row β confirm current Free |
| Main limitation | Not an accounting suite. Books still live elsewhere |
- Pick it for field invoicing, not for tax close.
- Check the Bill.com relationship if procurement cares who the parent is.
- Export path matters before you have two years of PDF history.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
US/CA sole trader, $0 monthly
Wave Starter. Add Pro for bank feeds.
We invoice from outside US/CA
Zoho Invoice Free, then paid if caps bite.
We bill hours to a growing client list
FreshBooks Plus when Liteβs client cap is the blocker.
Most invoices leave a phone
Invoice2go.
Buying tip: write country, monthly invoice count, and how clients pay. Those three fields kill the wrong $0 tool.
How this comparison was put together
Vendor pricing and Waveβs 2026 geographic help note, 16 September 2026. No paid placement. Kurums did not send live client invoices on all four.
Order is $0 first. No badge reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is Wave still free worldwide?
Starter exists, but sending invoices/reminders was restricted outside US/CA. Read Waveβs current help article.
Does QuickBooks belong here?
QuickBooks is accounting-first. Different comparison.
Are payment fees the same as software fees?
No. Card networks and the platformβs payments SKU sit under β0% subscription.β
Did we test late-fee automation?
No. Send one test invoice on a trial.
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