Best Invoice App 2026: 12 Compared on Real Yearly Cost

The best invoice app for most Australian sole traders and small service businesses is one that never caps how many invoices you send, handles ABN and GST properly, and costs less per year than the accounting software you don't need. We compared 12 invoice apps on what they actually cost once the introductory promo ends, how many invoices each plan allows, and what a client's card payment costs you on a A$1,000 invoice.

All prices below were checked on each vendor's own pricing page on 9 October 2026. They're regular prices, not three-month promos, in AUD wherever the vendor shows an Australian price. Prices move, so follow the source links before you commit. InvoiceSonic publishes this page and is one of the apps compared; we've stated our own limits as plainly as everyone else's.

Best invoice apps compared: free plans, caps and yearly cost

"Yearly cost" is the regular annual price of the cheapest plan that removes the free limits. Xero, QuickBooks, FreshBooks and MYOB all advertise a lower first-period price; we've used the price you pay once that ends.

How we chose and checked these apps

We started from the apps that rank for "best invoice app" in Australia and the US, plus the ones Australian sole traders mention most when they compare options: 16 apps in total. We dropped four that don't work well for an Australian business (see the end of this guide) and kept 12.

For each app we recorded five things from the vendor's own pricing page or app-store listing: whether there's a genuinely free plan, the invoice or client cap on each plan, the regular price after any promo, the card fee it charges or passes through, and whether quotes, recurring invoices and payment reminders are included. Where a vendor's page blocked us or didn't state something, we say so rather than guess.

We didn't rank on "features" in the abstract. Most invoice apps make a similar-looking PDF. What separates them is cost at your volume, caps you'll hit in a busy month, and whether the invoice meets Australian rules.

1. InvoiceSonic: best for Australian sole traders who want unlimited invoices

InvoiceSonic is an invoice and quote app built for Australian sole traders and small service businesses, and it's the app that publishes this guide. The free plan covers 3 invoices a month with no card required. Pro costs A$19 a month or A$168 a year and removes the cap entirely.

What you get on Pro:

• Unlimited invoices and quotes, with your ABN, GST at 10% and Australian date format set up for you.
• Quotes your clients accept online; an accepted quote becomes an invoice in one click.
• Invoice open tracking, so you can see when a client has viewed it.
• Automatic payment reminders and recurring invoices.
• An accountant-ready CSV export with GST split out, for your BAS or your bookkeeper.

Limits to know: InvoiceSonic isn't accounting software. There's no bank feed, payroll or BAS lodgement; it's for the invoicing side. It doesn't process card payments itself, so you add your own payment link (Stripe, Square or PayPal) or your bank and PayID details, and that provider's fee applies.

Yearly cost: A$168, with no cap. That's A$276 a year less than Xero Ignite, which stops at 20 invoices a month. Start with the invoice generator or see the invoice app and current pricing and plan terms.

2. Square Invoices: best free invoice app if you take card payments

Square's invoicing is free in Australia with unlimited invoices, estimates and recurring invoices, and automatic reminders are included on the free plan. Square makes its money on payments: online card payments cost 2.2%, so a client paying a A$1,000 invoice by card costs you A$22.00.

Square Invoices Plus (A$30 a month) adds extras such as multi-package estimates and automatic estimate-to-invoice conversion. Most sole traders won't need it.

Best for: anyone who wants a genuinely free app and is happy for clients to pay through Square. See the Australian edition, or the US product details if you bill US clients.

3. Zoho Invoice: best free app with quotes and reminders

Zoho Invoice is free forever as a whole product: quotes that convert to invoices, recurring invoices, payment reminders, a customer portal and time tracking, all at A$0. There's no paid tier. If you outgrow it, Zoho moves you to Zoho Billing.

The catch: the free product is capped at 500 invoices a year, 2 users and 3 projects, and the limit resets annually; invoices also carry "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding. That's about 40 invoices a month. You can see your own usage in the app under Settings, then Usage Stats. Check Zoho's official limits.

Best for: sole traders who want quotes, reminders and recurring invoices for free and send fewer than 500 invoices a year.

4. Xero: best if your bookkeeper already lives in Xero

Xero is accounting software, not an invoice app, but it's often the default for Australian small businesses because so many bookkeepers use it. The entry plan, Ignite, costs A$37 a month (A$444 a year once the A$7.40 promo ends) and allows 20 invoices a month. Xero counts both approving and sending, and invoices created by connected apps count towards the cap too.

At the cap, that's A$1.85 per invoice. If you send more than 20 invoices in a month, you need Grow at A$78 a month.

Best for: businesses that need bank feeds, BAS and a bookkeeper working in the same file. If you only need to invoice, it's expensive for what you use.

5. MYOB Solo: cheapest accounting-backed option

MYOB Solo costs A$99 a year (MYOB is advertising A$12 for the first year at the time of writing), with unlimited quotes and invoices for one user. The catch is that Solo is mobile-only; there's no desktop web version on this plan.

Best for: sole traders who invoice from their phone and want MYOB's accounting underneath for tax time.

6. QuickBooks Online: unlimited invoices with full bookkeeping

QuickBooks Online Simple Start costs A$33 a month (A$396 a year after the A$9.90 promo) with unlimited invoices and quotes for one user. Simple Start doesn't include recurring transactions; you need Essentials at A$60 a month for those. The old EasyStart plan is no longer on the Australian pricing page.

Best for: businesses that want accounting and invoicing in one place and don't need recurring invoices. Review QuickBooks' current plans.

7. Invoice2go: best for quoting on the phone (watch the yearly cap)

Invoice2go is a long-standing mobile app with unlimited quotes on every plan. The cap is on invoices, and it's per year, not per month: Starter (A$129.99 a year) allows 30 invoices a year, Professional (A$199.99) allows 100, and only Premium (A$699.99) is unlimited. Recurring invoices are Premium-only.

At the Starter cap that's A$4.33 per invoice, the highest per-invoice cost in this comparison. Card payments on Starter are listed at 3.5% (A$35.00 on a A$1,000 invoice).

Best for: tradies who quote far more often than they invoice.

8. Invoice Simple: simple mobile invoicing for low volumes

Invoice Simple has no free plan, only a trial. On the Australian App Store, Essentials costs A$9.99 a month for 3 invoices a month, Plus A$22.99 for 10, and Premium A$34.99 for unlimited. That works out to A$3.33 per invoice at the Essentials cap. The app rates 4.8 from about 16,000 ratings on the Australian App Store.

Prices on the web differ from the app and have moved twice since July 2026. See the plan comparison.

Best for: someone sending a handful of invoices a month who values a polished mobile app over price.

9. Bookipi: occasional invoices, priced in US dollars

Bookipi's free plan allows 3 invoices a month, and quotes, estimates and credit notes count towards that limit. The paid Starter plan is US$9.99 a month (US$91.20 a year), charged in US dollars even to Australian customers, plus 10% GST. Read Bookipi's limit explanation.

Best for: occasional invoicing where a USD subscription isn't a problem.

10. FreshBooks: service businesses that track time and expenses

FreshBooks has no free plan. Lite costs A$29 a month (A$348 a year after the half-price promo) and lets you bill only 5 clients. The next plan up removes that limit. FreshBooks includes automated reminders, recurring invoices and estimates on every plan. See FreshBooks plans.

Best for: consultants and agencies with a small client list who also want time tracking and expenses.

11. Rounded: freelancers who want tax set-aside built in

Rounded is an Australian app for freelancers and sole traders. Starter costs A$23.95 a month (A$264.95 a year) with unlimited invoices, custom reminder schedules and recurring invoices; the GST-registered features sit on Pro at A$29.95 a month. There's a 14-day trial and no free plan.

Best for: freelancers who want their app to estimate tax and set money aside, not just invoice.

12. Hnry: when you want your tax return done too

Hnry isn't priced like the others. There's no subscription; you pay 1% + GST of your self-employed income, capped at A$1,500 + GST a year. That includes invoicing, quotes, chasing late payers, and Hnry's accountants doing your tax.

How that compares with a flat-price app:

Hnry costs more than a A$168 app once you earn above about A$15,300. Against Xero Ignite, the break-even is about A$40,000. Whether that's worth it depends on what you'd otherwise pay an accountant.

What a client's card payment really costs on a A$1,000 invoice

The subscription is only half the cost. If clients pay by card, the payment provider takes a cut of every invoice:

On A$60,000 of card-paid invoices a year, the gap between Stripe and Invoice2go's Starter rate is about A$1,100. Bank transfer and PayID cost nothing. Use the payment fee calculator to run your own numbers.

Invoice caps: the limit that costs you money in a busy month

Most "free" or cheap plans cap something. These are the limits you'll hit first:

If you invoice weekly for even five clients, that's about 22 invoices a month: enough to push you off Xero Ignite, and through Invoice2go Starter's whole yearly allowance in about six weeks.

What an invoice app needs to get right in Australia

An app built for the US can produce a tidy invoice that still isn't a valid Australian tax invoice. If you're registered for GST, your invoice needs to:

• Say it's a tax invoice, and show your ABN.
• Show the date, a description of what you supplied, and the GST amount (or that the total includes GST).
• For sales of A$1,000 or more, also show the buyer's identity or ABN.

You must provide a tax invoice within 28 days when a customer asks for one on a taxable sale over A$82.50 including GST. If you're not registered for GST, you still put your ABN on the invoice, but you must not call it a tax invoice or charge GST. If a business pays you and you haven't quoted an ABN, it may have to withhold 47% of the payment. The ATO's tax invoice rules have the full list.

Our ABN invoice template and invoice generator for Australia are set up for both cases.

Invoice apps that don't suit Australian businesses

• Wave: a popular free app in the US and Canada, and it still ranks in Australian search results, but Wave narrowed its service to those two countries and users elsewhere can no longer send invoices or reminders through it. See Wave's pricing and our Wave invoicing review.
• Invoicely: the free plan allows 5 invoices a month and 3 saved clients, with online payment through PayPal only, priced in USD.
• Invoice Ninja: a capable open-source option, but priced in USD (Pro about US$14 a month) and not set up for ABN and GST out of the box.
• Stripe Invoicing on its own: there's no subscription, but it adds 0.4% to every paid invoice on top of card fees, and quotes need the Plus tier.

Which invoice app should you choose?

• You want free and take card payments: Square Invoices.
• You want free with quotes and reminders, and send under 500 invoices a year: Zoho Invoice.
• You're an Australian sole trader who invoices every week and doesn't need accounting software: InvoiceSonic Pro at A$168 a year, with no cap.
• Your bookkeeper works in Xero or MYOB: use that, and pick the plan above your monthly invoice count.
• You want your tax return handled too: Hnry, if you earn under about A$40,000 or value the accounting.
• You mostly quote from the ute: Invoice2go, if the yearly invoice cap fits.

Before you move your business, send one real invoice in your top two choices. Check how the PDF looks on a phone, how the client pays, and what the app does when the invoice is overdue.

For more on mobile options, see our guides to the mobile invoice app features that matter, the best invoice app for iPhone, choosing an invoice app for small business, and the best invoicing software if you need full accounting. If you send quotes as well as invoices, our guide to the best quote and invoice software compares quoting features side by side. Comparing free options only? See the free invoice app page, our free generator comparison and the Australian free invoice app comparison. Still deciding? Our best invoice app summary and contractor invoicing workflows show how InvoiceSonic fits a typical week.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best invoice app?
For Australian sole traders who invoice regularly, the best invoice app is one with no invoice cap and proper ABN and GST handling. InvoiceSonic Pro (A$168 a year) and Square Invoices (free, 2.2% card fee) are the strongest value. If you also need accounting, QuickBooks Simple Start or Xero are better fits.

What is the best free invoice app in Australia?
Square Invoices is the most generous free invoice app in Australia, with unlimited invoices, estimates and recurring invoices; it makes money on the 2.2% card fee. Zoho Invoice is also free with quotes and reminders, capped at 500 invoices a year.

Is there a completely free invoice app?
Yes. Square Invoices and Zoho Invoice are free with no paid tier required, and InvoiceSonic and Bookipi offer free plans of 3 invoices a month. Free apps make money elsewhere, usually on card processing fees or by moving you to a paid plan as you grow.

What is the best invoice app for a sole trader?
For a sole trader who just needs to invoice, choose an app without an invoice cap that handles ABN and GST: InvoiceSonic Pro (A$168 a year) or Square (free). If you want tax set-aside or your tax return done, consider Rounded or Hnry.

How much does an invoice app cost in Australia?
From A$0 (Square, Zoho) to about A$444 a year for Xero Ignite. Most paid invoice apps cost A$100 to A$400 a year after introductory promos end. Hnry charges 1% + GST of income instead, capped at A$1,650 a year including GST.

Do I need an ABN to send an invoice?
You can send an invoice without an ABN, but a business that pays you may have to withhold 47% of the payment if you don't quote one and no exception applies. Getting an ABN is free through the Australian Business Register.

Can invoice apps calculate GST?
Most can add 10% GST, but check the app also labels the document a tax invoice and shows your ABN when you're GST-registered. Apps built for the US often call GST "sales tax" or can't show the details an Australian tax invoice needs.

What's the difference between an invoice app and accounting software?
An invoice app creates, sends and chases invoices and quotes. Accounting software such as Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks also handles bank feeds, expenses, payroll and BAS. If your accountant does your books, an invoice app plus a CSV export is usually cheaper than paying for accounting software you won't use.