Blog

Xero is still the king if you need invoicing functionality (sending, reminding, statements etc) and also where you may be large or complex enough so need to report on who owes what at any particular time.  If that sounds like your business then you are likely saving sufficient time and stress to make the monthly Xero subscription for a Business Edition worth the investment.

However, where your invoicing is simpler or you always know which invoices are outstanding then you may be just as efficient with another invoicing option.  Two methods spring to mind:-

• Manual – build you own template on either Word or Excel
• Software – such as Wave, Zoho, Stripe etc

We would always advocate the use of some technology to break the back of the work of invoicing and to retain a professional image.  Below we suggest some alternative apps which will allow you to easily manage sales invoices outside of the Xero ecosystem if you are choosing to use a Cashbook version of Xero.

Zoho

The free version of Zoho has some limitations around numbers of invoices available each month.  Be sure to check you are within these limitations otherwise you may find yourself forking out for a subscription you were trying to avoid.

Stripe

We’ve heard good things about Stripe Billing which is essentially payment collection software and works with some of the really big brands around the world, but we haven’t delved too far ourselves yet.  It has the options of recurring billing (plan and subscription necessary) and one-time billing but can look pretty daunting as it has been created primarily for developers.  I would suggest this may be of benefit to those handy with technology or wishing to push forward with an e-commerce business.

Wave

Wave offers some great functionality around invoicing as well as receipts and accounting.  We have set this up for a trust and not-for-profit, both of which are using Xero cashbooks, and found the process to be very straight-forward.

As stated above, we would only recommend Xero for the accounting and receipts side.  But you can still use the sales invoicing side of Wave on its own to drive your income generation and reduce the admin hassles of a manual system.

Wave includes some great functions around invoice templates, recurring invoices, standard products and customer details.  It’s web-based with an app for the phone to allow invoicing on the go and the invoices look professional and cool.

Oh, and it’s free with charges only where you use their payment collection services.  So far I haven’t found any other fishhooks so would recommend you taking a look if you are contemplating a Xero Cashbook.

Other providers of invoicing software are available through the Xero App Marketplace.

If you are using an invoicing app outside of the Xero ecosystem we would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the benefits and costs of doing so.  Please use our contact form to leave feedback.