A Practical Software Directory for Solo Builders
Agreeing your fees, billing customers and collecting payments
Clear quotes and invoices help customers understand what they are paying for, how much is due and how to pay.
Prepare estimates, send invoices, track outstanding balances and collect payments. Some connect proposals with recurring billing, while others focus on straightforward invoices, online payments or receiving money from overseas customers. Compare subscription costs, invoice allowances and payment processing fees, along with any connections to your existing accounting software.
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Ignition connects client proposals, agreed fees and payment collection for service businesses. Set out the work and billing schedule in a proposal, then automate invoicing once the client accepts. Collect authorised payments for one-off projects or ongoing services, and send payment links when automatic collection has not been arranged. Integrations with accounting software, including Xero and QuickBooks, help keep invoices and payment records aligned. This may suit businesses managing retainers or several stages of client work. A 14-day free trial requires no card details. Continued use requires a paid subscription, with payment processing fees charged separately.
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Square Invoices lets you prepare estimates, send invoices and track payments from a browser or mobile app. Share invoices by email, text message or link, schedule recurring invoices and send automatic payment reminders. Customers can pay online, while you can also record payments received by cash or cheque. Its ongoing free plan includes unlimited invoices, estimates, users and customers, with no monthly subscription charge. Card payment processing fees still apply. The paid Plus plan adds features such as milestone payment schedules, reusable invoice templates and automatically converting accepted estimates into invoices, with a 30-day trial available.
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Stripe Invoicing lets you create and send invoices from an online dashboard without writing code. Add your branding, set payment terms and give customers a hosted page where they can pay using supported payment methods. Automatic reminders and payment-status tracking help you follow up outstanding invoices. Standard one-off invoicing has no setup charge or fixed subscription fee, but Stripe charges a percentage of each paid invoice in addition to payment processing fees. The higher-priced Invoicing Plus tier adds quotes. Recurring subscription billing uses Stripe Billing, with separate pricing to check when comparing the total cost.
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Wise Business supports invoicing and receiving payments from customers in different countries. Create an invoice within your account, choose a supported currency and include the relevant account details for payment by bank transfer. Save customer information, reuse previous invoices and track whether payments are due, overdue or paid. UK businesses pay a one-off £50 setup fee to unlock account details, with transfer, currency conversion and some receiving fees depending on the transaction. Card-payment acceptance is currently unavailable to new business customers. This makes Wise an option to explore for international bank-transfer payments rather than a general card checkout.
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Xero brings quotes, invoices and payment tracking into the same system as your business accounts. Create branded quotes, turn accepted quotes into invoices and set up repeating invoices for regular work. Automated reminders help you follow up unpaid balances, while connections with providers such as Stripe and GoCardless let customers pay online. You can also create and manage invoices through its mobile app. These features form part of a paid Xero subscription, with invoice allowances varying by UK plan. Connected payment providers charge their own processing fees, so include those when comparing the overall cost.
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