Stripe Invoicing wins on more features overall (5 vs 4, 10 tied). Below is the full feature-by-feature breakdown.
| Feature | PayPal Invoicing | Stripe Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan |
✓ Yes
Free to create — fees on paid invoices
|
✓ Yes
Free to draft; 0.5% when paid
|
| Entry paid plan |
✓ Yes
No subscription, only per-transaction fees
|
— Paid add-on
|
| Download PDF without signup |
✗ No
PayPal account required
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | PayPal Invoicing | Stripe Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited invoices |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
|
| Custom logo & branding |
— Limited
Logo only — minimal template control
|
✓ Yes
|
| Recurring invoices |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Email invoices to clients |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Multi-currency |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Client management |
— Limited
|
✓ Yes
|
| Feature | PayPal Invoicing | Stripe Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| ATO-compliant GST invoices |
— Limited
Configurable but not auto-formatted
|
— Limited
|
| ABN field built in |
✗ No
Manual workaround via custom fields
|
— Limited
Custom field workaround
|
| Australian-focused support |
— Limited
|
— Limited
|
| Feature | PayPal Invoicing | Stripe Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Bank reconciliation |
✗ No
|
✗ No
|
| Expense tracking |
✗ No
|
— Limited
|
| Payroll |
✗ No
|
✗ No
|
| Inventory tracking |
✗ No
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | PayPal Invoicing | Stripe Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe payments |
✗ No
PayPal locks you to its own processor
|
✓ Yes
Stripe only
|
| Mobile app |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
|
| Feature | PayPal Invoicing | Stripe Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time |
— Limited
PayPal Business account required
|
✗ No
Stripe Dashboard + API knowledge
|
Neither tool fits your invoicing-only workflow? Try InvoiceSonic — free for unlimited ATO-compliant tax invoices, no signup required.
Create a free invoice now →PayPal Invoicing starts at Free (2.6% + AU$0.30 per paid invoice); Stripe Invoicing starts at 0.5% on paid invoices (on top of Stripe fees). PayPal Invoicing offers free invoicing — fees apply to payments. Stripe Invoicing offers free to create; fees when paid.
For ATO-compliant GST: PayPal Invoicing = limited, Stripe Invoicing = limited. For native ABN field: PayPal Invoicing = no, Stripe Invoicing = limited. If you operate in Australia and either tool falls short here, InvoiceSonic handles both natively — and it's free.
Most freelancers want fast invoicing without paying for full accounting. Between these two, Stripe Invoicing wins more categories overall. But if you're a freelancer who just wants ATO-compliant tax invoices for free, InvoiceSonic is purpose-built for that workflow.
Both PayPal Invoicing and Stripe Invoicing let you export client lists and invoice history (usually as CSV). Migration takes an afternoon for most small businesses. If you're considering switching anyway, it might be worth evaluating InvoiceSonic as a free alternative for invoicing while keeping your accountant's tool of choice for bookkeeping.
Both tools are accounting-first platforms; their invoicing modules are a subset of what they do. If invoicing is your only need, a free dedicated invoice generator like InvoiceSonic is usually faster, cheaper, and more focused — without paying for bookkeeping, payroll, or inventory features you won't use.
Yes — InvoiceSonic is free for unlimited Australian-compliant invoices with no signup required for PDF download. You can run it alongside or instead of paid accounting platforms.