Your niece runs a small dog-walking round and has been sending invoices from an app that suddenly asked her to pay after her third one that month. She wonders whether Wave or Zoho Invoice, which a friend mentioned, might suit her better, and whether there is a free option that will not stop her partway through.
What do these invoicing apps do, in plain words?
Each of these turns a job into a proper, numbered request for payment, rather than a text message asking for money. Invoice Simple is built around a phone app and is quick to use, but its free plan allows only three invoices a month before asking you to pay six dollars ninety nine a month for more. Wave gives unlimited invoices free and throws in simple bookkeeping too, though it takes a small fee from card payments. Zoho Invoice is free for up to five regular clients, with automatic reminders included at no cost.
Which free tool is easiest?
| Tool | Free limit | What it costs to go further |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice Simple | 3 invoices a month | Essentials, $6.99 a month |
| Wave | Unlimited invoices, with bookkeeping | Pro, $19 a month |
| Zoho Invoice | Free up to 5 clients | Zoho Books from around £10 a month |
| Jobbit invoice tool | No monthly invoice count | Free plan; paid plans for heavier use |
How to do it together in one afternoon
Sit down together and open Jobbit's invoice tool. Type who the invoice is for, a short line about the job, such as "four dog walks, one week", and the amount owed. Sign up once with an email address, no bank card needed, and a proper, numbered invoice appears in the chat as a PDF a minute later, with an editable copy alongside it.
What it costs (nothing) and what to watch out for
Jobbit's invoice tool is free, with no cap on how many invoices you send each month. If a business later needs full bookkeeping, bank feeds or a tax return handled properly, that is where Wave's bookkeeping or Zoho Books, from around ten pounds a month, still earn their keep, since Jobbit writes the invoice itself rather than the whole ledger. The full comparison of five invoicing apps is here: Invoice Simple versus Wave versus Zoho Invoice, from Jobbit.
