Billing and Invoice Software Review

Freelancers, consultants, contract workers, self-employed and other one-man-show operations have different accounting needs than small businesses with large volumes of inventory or employees. Really, self-employed types only need to be able to invoice their clients, track payments and send out statements and manage their customers contact information.

The best billing and invoice software can not only provide a high level of polish and good looking correspondence for your business, but also a high level of organization and efficiently. It can track invoices, late payments, overdue invoices, quotes, estimates, track time and generate reports. And all provide a way to keep track of customer information such as contact persons, shipping/billing addresses and preferred payment methods. Many can also even directly email invoices and statements to your clients right from the program.

Basically, most billing and invoice programs offer:

• Invoicing
• Estimates and Quotes
• Billing
• Payment Acceptance (with a credit card processor or payment gateway)
• Customer Account Management

What is the difference between" billing and invoice" and "accounting" software?
Billing and invoice software is designed to create invoices, bill clients and track client contact information. Accounting software usually does more, such as accept credit card payments, track inventory and manage payroll and employees.

How do I know which type of software is best for my business?
If you are self-employed or a consultant that needs to invoice your services, time or you sell only a small variety of inventory, billing and invoice software will work for you. If you have employees, want automated banking tools or have a large inventory of goods you sell, you will want to look into small business accounting software. Some invoicing programs include inventory management or payroll tools, but generally speaking they are not as comprehensive as more advanced programs. If you think you need accounting software, please check out our accounting software reviews for small businesses.

If my business is growing fast, will invoice and billing software grow with me?
Generally, this small business invoicing software is designed for smaller operations. If you plan on continuing to work by yourself you will be fine. However, if you think you might be adding employees later or might want more advanced accounting tools in the future, you will want to consider an easily upgradeable program. For example, QuickBooks Simple and PeachTree First Accounting are designed to be easily and directly upgraded to their more comprehensive accounting programs such as QuickBooks Pro or PeachTree Complete.

This software is really perfect for the self-employed or freelance types, it can create great looking invoices from templates or from scratch and they can help you put a customized, professional look to your customer communications. No matter how small your business is, coming across as efficient, professional and organized is important and this software can help you do that easily.

Within this site, you'll find articles on billing and invoice software and comprehensive reviews to help you make an informed decision on which software is right for your business. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™

Billing and Invoice Software: What to Look For

When we approached this review we really tried to keep the self-employed, freelancers and consultants in mind. We focused on software that can provide invoicing, billing and customer management in a program that is easy to use and does not require advanced accounting skills. We also looked at additional features such as remote backup, templates/forms and inventory management, which are good extras to have if they are needed.

For our reviews we rated the following criteria:

Invoicing Features
This is the number one ability that everyone needs. Basic small business invoicing software includes the ability to create invoices easily with auto-fill elements and the ability to share invoices via email, PDF or HTML file types. We also looked at time billing elements, which is important for those that bill their services by time.

Billing & Payment Features
This is basically the invoice follow-up section, which includes the ability to track overdue invoices as well as the ability to accept a variety of payment methods including partial payments, credits or down payments.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Good customer relations begin with good customer management. This module of the billing and invoicing software saves client information such as contact information, shipping/billing addresses, contact persons, email address, billing histories and more. Some programs can also send correspondence to customers directly through the software.

Additional Features
Additional features are not features necessarily needed by everyone but are nice bonuses should they be desired. We looked at what kind of extra features a program offers to help business owners to figure out what program would best suit their needs. For example, some offer inventory tools or can process credit cards for an additional fee.

Ease of Use
We looked for programs that do not require advanced accounting skills or consulting to use. The best invoicing and billing software is so easy to use that nearly anyone can create a professional looking invoice within minutes after installing.

Help & Support
As mentioned, we looked for easy to use software; however, should help be needed we feel that it should be easily accessible. We looked at whether they provide free email and telephone support as well as whether they offer paid support should you want more advanced assistance.

We really think that billing and invoice software is perfect for many people. It can create invoices, send out billing and help manage customer relations, all sans any advanced accounting skills. To check out the product that we found to be the best of the best and upgradeable, see QuickBooks Simple Start.