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5 Best Invoice Apps for Small Businesses

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The GoCardless content team comprises a group of subject-matter experts in multiple fields from across GoCardless. The authors and reviewers work in the sales, marketing, legal, and finance departments. All have in-depth knowledge and experience in various aspects of payment scheme technology and the operating rules applicable to each. The team holds expertise in the well-established payment schemes such as UK Direct Debit, the European SEPA scheme, and the US ACH scheme, as well as in schemes operating in Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand. See full bio

Last editedApr 20232 min read

Small business owners must wear many hats, from marketing to product development. While focusing on generating new sales leads and providing high quality services, it’s all too easy to forget about getting paid. Yet staying on top of your invoices is a vital component of running a business – and for sole traders and entrepreneurs, it’s extra important to maintain a healthy cash flow for growth. Fortunately, there are a number of small business invoice apps on the market to help you take control. Here are our five picks for the best invoice app in the UK.

What are the most popular invoice apps?

1. Xero

We’ll start off the list with a great all-rounder for those seeking a self-employed invoice app or something more comprehensive. Xero’s all-in-one accounting software is available for both Android and iOS devices, allowing you to create multiple layouts, inserting your brand logo, payment terms, and any legal fine print. It integrates with over 800 third-party apps, including GoCardless, allowing you to insert a Pay Now button directly on your invoices for ease of payment. In addition to these invoicing and payment features, Xero tracks payments and generates customisable reports. This keeps all business finances in one handy place.

2. Invoiced

As its name suggests, the Invoiced software and accompanying app specialise in creating custom invoices. However, it’s more than one of the best invoice apps – it also provides a full suite of accounting features to take advantage of. The cloud-based software is suitable for both small businesses as well as mid-range and enterprise-level businesses, leaving room to grow. It offers four modules, including recurring billing, customer portals, payment plans, and invoice-to-cash capabilities.

3. FreeAgent

FreeAgent is specifically designed to suit the needs of small businesses, offering the ability to scale up your invoicing capabilities as your business grows. It can support unlimited clients, users, and invoices at the highest level of service. Features of this small business invoice app include payment reminders and automated bank feeds. It’s also beginner-friendly: when it comes to creating invoices, pick and choose from an array of templates.

4. Kashflow

This UK accounting software makes it easy to generate automatic invoices and get paid. One of the key features that sets Kashflow apart from other self-employed invoice apps is the fact that you can link directly to HMRC. This feature is particularly useful for anyone required to submit a Self-Assessment tax return each year. However, unlike some others on the list, Kashflow isn’t free. Its starter plan begins at £8 per month.

5. Zoho Invoice

Zoho is known for its extensive accounting services, but the company has also designed smaller apps designed specifically for small business. Zoho Invoice’s most basic plan allows you to submit invoices for up to 50 customers, while its higher-level plans can handle unlimited customers. Paid plans include recurring invoices, expense tracking, multi-currency features, and automated reports. If you’re on the hunt for the best free invoice app, there’s also an option to use its invoice generator tool free of charge.

Integrating your invoicing app with your payment method for maximum efficiency

Whether you’re seeking the best free invoice app for one-off payments or a more comprehensive solution, there are plentiful options. GoCardless not only integrates with all the invoice apps mentioned above, but it also serves as a standalone invoicing platform. Collect and manage your recurring and one-off payments using the GoCardless dashboard. Submit and process invoices using Direct Debit, a pull-based payment method allowing small businesses to get paid automatically on the date of your choosing.

You’ll spend less effort getting paid on time because payments are taken as scheduled. GoCardless also integrates with major accounting partners, so you can raise and reconcile invoices with a seamless system.

We can help

GoCardless helps you automate payment collection, cutting down on the amount of admin your team needs to deal with when chasing invoices. Find out how GoCardless can help you with ad hoc payments or recurring payments.