Best Invoicing Software for Consultants in 2026
Short answer: FreshBooks is the best invoicing software for consultants in 2026 when the job is the client bill. Lite lists at $23/mo for 5 clients, and Plus is $43/mo when retainers and proposals join that bill. Moxie Starter is $10/mo on annual billing when the invoice, the proposal, and the contract should sit on the entry plan. Bonsai Essentials is $19/user/mo billed yearly, because the cheaper seat does not send invoices. Harvest stays free for one seat and two projects.
Choose the bill a client can pay: a retainer, a deposit, or hours, without buying a second ledger.
FreshBooks is the invoice most independent consultants should send first, because a short client list can stay on Lite until the work becomes a retainer. Proposals and retainers are named on Plus and missing on Lite, so that is the plan the practice buys next. A consultant who also needs the contract in the same subscription should price Moxie before Bonsai, because Bonsai withholds invoices from its cheapest seat.
Toolradar data: Of the 215 invoicing tools we track, 33% publish a free or freemium plan (5 free, 65 freemium). The other 140 are paid only (65%).
A free row can still be the wrong bill, because a project cap, a client cap, or a missing retainer stops a consulting practice before the subscription does. This ranking is for a solo consultant or a small practice that charges time, a day rate, a fixed fee, or a retainer, and needs the client to pay the document. Profit and loss is a different purchase, covered in accounting software for consultants. A multi-person studio that bills utilization belongs in invoicing software for agencies.
How we ranked: these 10 fit a consultant who needs a client bill, chosen from the 215 tools in the invoicing catalog. Every price below was checked on the vendor's site in September 2026, with no paid placement, and the scoring method is on how we rate.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreshBooks | Lite $23/mo; Plus $43/mo | 4.55,507 reviews | Solo consultants billing a short client list, with retainers as a later step. |
| Moxie | Starter $10/mo, billed yearly | 4.7507 reviews | Independent consultants who want the engagement paperwork and the invoice together. |
| Bonsai | Essentials $19/user/mo yearly | 4.3101 reviews | Consultants who bill from a signed contract and can prepay the user. |
| Harvest | Free, or Teams $9/seat/mo | 4.4844 reviews | Consultants whose invoice is a timesheet and whose project list stays short. |
| HoneyBook | Starter $29/mo, billed yearly | 4.6938 reviews | Solo consultants who sell from a proposal and do not need a second login. |
| Zoho Invoice | $0, 500 invoices a year | 4.71,188 reviews | A consultant who can live inside a yearly invoice ceiling and 3 projects. |
| Invoice Ninja | Free, or Pro $14/mo | 4.4193 reviews | Consultants with a handful of clients who still want deposits and recurring bills. |
| Square | Free; invoice cards 3.3% + 30¢ | 4.44,211 reviews | Consultants who want deposits and reminders without a software subscription. |
| Stripe | 0.4%/invoice + cards | 4.43,839 reviews | Consultants whose clients already pay by card or ACH in Stripe. |
| Invoice2go | From $7.99/mo | 4.389 reviews | Service consultants who can live inside a yearly invoice cap. |
Solo consultants billing a short client list, with retainers as a later step.
FreshBooks' pricing is fair for small businesses, though it can become expensive as client numbers grow.
Watch out
Potential for add-on service costs
Independent consultants who want the engagement paperwork and the invoice together.
Moxie's pricing is fair, offering a comprehensive feature set for freelancers.
Consultants who bill from a signed contract and can prepay the user.
Bonsai's pricing is fair, especially for solo professionals or small teams.
Watch out
Elite tier requires 3 users minimum
Consultants whose invoice is a timesheet and whose project list stays short.
It's best for small to medium-sized businesses needing robust time tracking and invoicing without breaking the bank.
Watch out
Free tier limited to 1 seat, 2 projects.
Solo consultants who sell from a proposal and do not need a second login.
A consultant who can live inside a yearly invoice ceiling and 3 projects.
Zoho Invoice offers an incredibly generous pricing model by being completely free for all its features.
Watch out
No overage fees or seat minimums.
Consultants with a handful of clients who still want deposits and recurring bills.
Invoice Ninja offers a very generous Free tier, making it highly accessible for freelancers and small businesses with limited client bases.
Consultants who want deposits and reminders without a software subscription.
Square's pricing is generally fair, especially for small businesses.
Consultants whose clients already pay by card or ACH in Stripe.
Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction is the standard every payment processor is compared against.
Watch out
International card surcharge: +1.5% on top of the 2.9% base rate for cards issued outside your country. A US business charging a UK customer pays 4.4% + 30¢, not 2.9%
Service consultants who can live inside a yearly invoice cap.
Invoice2go's pricing is currently unclear as all tiers are listed as 'Try it free' without actual monthly costs, making a direct fairness assessment impossible.
Watch out
Card payment fees (3.5% to 2.9%)
What consultant invoicing software is
Consultant invoicing software creates the document that asks a client for money, then tracks what is still open. A general ledger records the close, while this category records the ask, which is the file a client actually pays.
Consulting fees arrive in shapes a checkout page does not cover. An hourly week needs a rate on the time, a fixed fee often needs a deposit before kickoff, and a retainer needs the same bill again next month. If the product cannot hold the pattern you sell, you rebuild that bill in a document every cycle.
The ten products below split into three jobs. FreshBooks, Zoho Invoice, and Invoice Ninja are the invoice file for a practice that already keeps the contract elsewhere. Moxie, Bonsai, and HoneyBook wrap that file in a proposal and a contract, which fits an engagement that starts as a signed scope, while Harvest turns hours into the bill. Square, Stripe, and Invoice2go are a payment rail that can also send the document, so the fee on the payment can outweigh the subscription.
None of them is the file a preparer signs at year end. If the open question is double-entry reports, start from the consultant accounting guide. If the open question is only the timer, use time tracking for freelancers.
Why the cheap seat often cannot bill a retainer
The expensive miss is paying for a cheaper seat and discovering the invoice lives one plan up. Bonsai's Basic card is time, tasks, and a CRM, so invoices, proposals, and contracts still sit on Essentials, and the cheaper seat cannot send the bill. FreshBooks names retainers and proposals on Plus, not on Lite, and archived names on Lite still count until you delete them.
A solo price is a bad quote for a two-person practice. Moxie puts someone who can send invoices on Teams, HoneyBook waits until Essentials or Premium, Harvest's free plan is one seat, and Invoice Ninja's extra users start on Enterprise.
Card and bank fees sit on top of every subscription, and they are not one rate, so a large retainer can make processing bigger than the software. HoneyBook's pricing page lists card fees from 2.7% + 10¢ and bank transfer at 1.5%, while the plan comparison on the same page and its teams page show 2.9% + 25¢. A practice that already closes in QuickBooks or Xero should read QuickBooks vs Xero before it treats any of these bills as the ledger.
Key Features to Look For
A bill that matches the fee you actually sell (Essential)
Harvest turns tracked hours into an invoice on the free plan, so a solo consultant can bill a timesheet before buying a seat. FreshBooks names client retainers on Plus, so a retainer practice on Lite will not see that bill. Moxie, Bonsai, and HoneyBook can start from a proposal, and Square and Invoice Ninja both list deposits.
The client, project, or invoice cap on that plan (Essential)
FreshBooks Lite stops at a short billable roster and Plus at a larger one, and archived names still count until you delete them, so a finished project can still block the next client. Zoho Invoice stops a practice at a project cap and a yearly invoice ceiling, with no paid tier after either one. Invoice Ninja's free plan stops at a small client list and does not cap invoices.
A way for the client to pay on the document (Essential)
A retainer or a deposit that can repeat (Essential)
FreshBooks puts retainers on Plus, along with recurring invoices, late fees, and deposits, so a monthly engagement should not buy Lite. Moxie documents deposit invoices and recurring invoices, including applying a paid deposit to a later bill. Invoice2go holds recurring invoices on Premium only, so a retainer does not fit the two cheaper caps.
A named path into the books you already keep (Important)
Harvest lists QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Stripe on Teams, not on the free plan, so the sync is a reason to leave the free row. HoneyBook puts QuickBooks Online on Essentials, and Moxie puts QuickBooks on Pro, so the entry plan is the wrong quote if the books already live there. Invoice2go puts QuickBooks and Xero on Professional and Premium.
The contract in the same subscription (Important)
Moxie Starter includes proposals, quotes, and contracts with invoicing, so the entry plan can hold the signed scope and the bill. HoneyBook Starter includes proposals and contracts, while Bonsai holds those on Essentials rather than Basic. Square includes contracts and e-signature alongside estimates, which avoids a second signature tool.
A trial long enough to send one real bill (Nice to have)
FreshBooks and Harvest offer 30 days with no card, long enough to send one real bill before you pay. HoneyBook offers 30 days and a 60-day money-back guarantee. Moxie offers a 14-day trial, Bonsai's trial is 7 days of the full product, and Invoice2go requires a card, then refunds the subscription if you cancel inside 30 days.
What to decide before the trial
If the roster is short and you do not sell retainers, budget FreshBooks Lite at the list rate and ignore the first-year intro, because that intro is not the renewal.
If the bill is hours and you have one login and two live projects, try Harvest free before you buy a seat. A third project, or a QuickBooks sync, is Teams.
If the sale is a proposal and you work alone, HoneyBook Starter is the yearly membership. A second person, or QuickBooks, moves you to Essentials.
Evaluation Checklist
On FreshBooks, count active and archived clients against the Lite cap or the Plus cap, because deleting a client frees the slot and archiving does not. Confirm retainers are on the plan you are about to buy.
On Moxie, confirm whether a helper only comments or must send invoices. Sending invoices is a team member on Teams, so a comment-only helper is not the same seat as a biller.
On Bonsai, confirm the plan is Essentials or higher before you count it as invoicing software. Elite has a three-user minimum, and processing fees are unpublished on the pricing cards.
On Harvest, confirm the free plan still covers one seat, two projects, and invoicing. A third project leaves that plan, and extra usage on Teams is billed beyond the seat.
On HoneyBook, confirm Starter versus Essentials before you invite anyone. Teammates and QuickBooks start on Essentials, capped at two people, and the pricing page and the teams page do not list the same card rate.
On Zoho Invoice, check the last 12 months of bills against the yearly ceiling and live engagements against the project cap. A fourth project has no upgrade, and 180 days of inactivity puts the file at risk.
On Invoice Ninja, confirm the free client cap is enough, because branding removal, the API, and auto reminders are Pro. A second login is Enterprise, so Pro is not a team file.
On Square, confirm Free, Plus, or Premium, because the invoice card rate and the location fee change with that column. ACH on an invoice has a minimum fee, so a bank payment is not free.
On Stripe, budget the domestic card rate from the comparison table. Billing's pay-as-you-go line excludes the one-off invoices most consultants send.
On Invoice2go, match your yearly invoice count to the Starter cap, the Professional cap, or unlimited before you trust the starting price in the description.
Pricing Overview
The client invoice
FreshBooks Lite while the roster is short, Plus when retainers start, and Premium when the client list should be open.
Per account, monthly list
Contract, then invoice
Per user or per account, yearly
Hours become the bill
Harvest free for one person and two projects, then Teams when you need another project or an accounting sync.
Free, then per seat
Free file, hard cap
Zoho Invoice inside its yearly invoice ceiling, or Invoice Ninja free inside a small client list with unlimited invoices.
No subscription
Pay on the rail you already use
Square Free when the invoice card rate is acceptable, Stripe when the client already pays you there, and Invoice2go when a yearly invoice cap is enough.
Card rate, software often free
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Published price | What that price buys | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
Lite $23/mo | 5 clients. Plus is $43/mo for 50 clients and retainers. Premium is $70/mo, unlimited clients; team seats start on Select. | Monthly list, USD | |
Moxie | Starter $10/mo yearly | Invoices, proposals, and contracts. Month to month is $12/mo. Pro is $20/mo yearly or $25/mo. Teams is $32/mo yearly or $40/mo. | USD, annual charge $120 |
Bonsai | Essentials $19/user/mo | Invoices start here, yearly. Month to month is $25/user. Basic is $15/user monthly and has no invoices. Premium monthly is $39/user. | Per user |
Harvest | Teams $9/seat/mo yearly | Invoicing plus QuickBooks, Xero, and Stripe. Month to month is $11/seat. Free is 1 seat and 2 projects. Enterprise yearly is $168/seat. | Per seat |
Starter $29/mo yearly | Invoices, proposals, contracts, unlimited clients, no teammates. Essentials is $49/mo yearly. Premium is $109/mo yearly or $129/mo monthly. | US pages, billed yearly | |
Free | 2 users, 3 projects, 500 invoices a year, 2 organizations. Recurring invoices and a customer portal are included. No paid tier is listed. | No subscription | |
Pro $14/mo | Unlimited clients. Yearly is $140 ($11.67/mo). Free is 5 clients and unlimited invoices. Enterprise starts at $18/mo for 1 to 2 users. | Monthly or annual | |
Square | Free, then $49/mo | Free invoice cards are 3.3% + 30¢. Plus lowers that card rate for a location fee. Premium is $149/mo per location. | Per location on paid plans |
Stripe | Cards 2.9% + 30¢ | Stripe Invoicing has no subscription and takes 0.4% per paid invoice (0.5% on Plus). One-off invoices sit outside Billing pay-as-you-go. | Per successful charge |
From $7.99/mo | Starter is $79.99/yr for 30 invoices at 3.5% cards. Professional is $119.99/yr for 100 at 3%. Premium is $449.99/yr, unlimited, at 2.9%. | USD selected on the page |
Prices read on vendor sites on September 24, 2026. Yearly figures are the per-month equivalent of annual billing, and FreshBooks intro prices are not the list rates above. Harvest Enterprise month to month is $17.50/seat. Bonsai Elite is $59/user month to month with a 3-user minimum. Square ACH on an invoice is 1% with a $1 minimum, and Plus and Premium cap that fee. HoneyBook's pricing page shows both 2.7% + 10¢ and 2.9% + 25¢ card rates, and its teams page lists 2.9% + 25¢.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Buying FreshBooks Lite or Bonsai Basic because the price is lower, then finding retainers or invoices on the next plan, so the cheap seat never sends the bill.
- ×
- ×
Counting a FreshBooks client as gone after you archive them. The slot frees when you delete the client, so an archived name can still block the next engagement.
- ×
Budgeting a FreshBooks intro, or Invoice2go's starting line, as the renewal. The list rate and the cap are what year two costs, and the banner price expires.
- ×
Calling Zoho Invoice unlimited because the subscription is free. The caps are users, projects, and invoices per year, and passing them means leaving.
- ×
Adding a teammate on HoneyBook Starter or Invoice Ninja Pro. Those plans do not include the extra login, so the second person is a higher plan.
Expert Tips
- →
Send the trial invoice to yourself on the plan you would buy, and time the path from a signed scope or a timesheet to a pay link, because a demo that never bills hides the cap.
- →
Write the card rate next to the subscription before you compare seats. On a large retainer, processing can dwarf the software and make the cheaper seat the more expensive bill.
- →
If anyone besides you will send the bill, price that person before the demo. Moxie Teams, HoneyBook Essentials, and Invoice Ninja Enterprise add them, and the entry plans do not.
- →
Keep the accounting file you already pay for. Compare those ledgers in QuickBooks vs Xero, and leaving FreshBooks can start at FreshBooks alternatives.
- →
Ask Harvest what the next invoice costs after included usage, before you treat the seat price as the whole quote.
- →
For a proposal-led practice, run the same scope through Moxie Starter and HoneyBook Starter. One includes the invoice on the entry plan, and the other adds people only on Essentials.
- →
If you might pass the yearly invoice ceiling or the project cap, do not park history in Zoho Invoice. The wider free set is the free invoicing software guide.
Red Flags to Watch For
- !
FreshBooks Lite is a short-roster invoice, and retainers and proposals are named on Plus. A first-year intro is not the list rate you renew on, so budget the renewal rather than the banner.
- !
Bonsai Basic does not include invoices, so paying the lower seat and expecting a client bill still leaves you buying Essentials.
- !
Zoho Invoice caps users, projects, and invoices per year, and it keeps a Powered by Zoho Invoice line on the document. Inactivity of 180 days can lead to deletion in the following 20 days.
- !
Harvest's free plan is one seat and two projects. Accounting and payment integrations sit on Teams, and extra invoices on paid plans are usage-billed.
- !
HoneyBook Starter cannot add team members, so a second person is an Essentials purchase. The teams page lists a different card rate and a 7-day trial than the pricing page.
- !
Invoice2go's starting line is not the Professional or Premium renewal, and a repeating retainer sits on Premium only.
The Bottom Line
FreshBooks Lite is the consultant invoice while the roster still fits, and Plus is the step when retainers start. Moxie Starter is the better entry plan when the contract has to live with the bill. Bonsai does that job on Essentials, not on Basic. Harvest stays free until the third project. HoneyBook fits a solo practice that sells from a proposal. Zoho Invoice and Invoice Ninja are the capped free files. Square, Stripe, and Invoice2go make the payment fee easier to see than a software seat.
Cite this: Toolradar, "Best invoicing software for consultants 2026", September 2026. Prices were read on vendor pages that month. No paid placement. The broader catalog is the invoicing software guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best invoicing software for consultants in 2026?
FreshBooks is the best fit for most consultants in 2026 when the deliverable is a client invoice: Lite for a short roster, and Plus when retainers and proposals join that bill. Moxie Starter, billed yearly, is the entry plan when the proposal and the invoice should share it. Bonsai Essentials is the per-user seat when each person needs contracts, because the cheaper Bonsai seat does not send invoices. Harvest's free plan fits one seat and two projects.
How much does FreshBooks cost for a consultant?
The list rates are Lite at $23/mo for 5 clients, Plus at $43/mo for 50 clients, and Premium at $70/mo for unlimited clients. Retainers and proposals are named on Plus and Premium, not on Lite, so the cheap seat will not show the retainer bill. A current intro shows Lite at $1/mo for the first year, and the renewal after that window is the list rate. Each extra person is $11/mo, and the trial runs 30 days with no card.
Is there a free invoicing tool a consultant can actually use?
Yes, inside a cap a busy practice will hit. Zoho Invoice is free for 2 users, 3 projects, and 500 invoices a year, and a fourth project has no upgrade. Invoice Ninja is free for 5 clients with unlimited invoices, and automatic reminders start on Pro at $14/mo. Harvest is free for 1 seat and 2 projects, with invoicing included. Square Free has no monthly fee and charges its invoice card rate when a card pays. A busier practice should read the free invoicing software guide.
Moxie or Bonsai for a solo consultant?
Moxie Starter includes invoices, proposals, and contracts at $10/mo on annual billing, or $12/mo month to month, so the entry plan already sends the bill. Bonsai Basic, at $15/user month to month, does not include invoices. Those start on Essentials at $19/user/mo billed yearly, or $25/user month to month. Pick Moxie when the cheapest plan has to bill. Pick Bonsai when you want QuickBooks on Premium and will skip Basic.
Do these tools replace QuickBooks or Xero?
No. FreshBooks can produce accounting reports from Plus upward, and a paid invoice syncs toward QuickBooks or Xero only on a named plan: Harvest Teams, HoneyBook Essentials, Moxie Pro, Bonsai Premium, and Invoice2go Professional. The ledger a preparer signs is a separate decision, covered in accounting software for consultants. Use this page for the bill the client pays.
What does a client pay in fees when they pay the invoice?
Card payments through FreshBooks cost 2.9% + $0.30, and a US bank transfer costs 1%, so a large retainer can make processing bigger than the software. HoneyBook's pricing page lists card fees from 2.7% plus 10¢ and bank transfer at 1.5%, while its plan comparison shows 2.9% + 25¢. Square Free lists 3.3% on invoice cards, Plus lowers that rate, and ACH on an invoice has a $1 minimum. Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice on top of 2.9% + 30¢ cards. Bonsai's help center lists cards at 2.9% + $0.30 and ACH at 1%.
Can a one-person consulting practice stay on Harvest's free plan?
Yes, while you have one seat and two projects, because that free plan includes invoicing, time, and expenses. A third project or a second login means Teams at $9/seat/mo on annual billing, or $11/seat month to month, which is $108 per seat for the year. QuickBooks, Xero, and Stripe syncs are on Teams, not on the free plan. Extra invoices on paid plans are usage-priced, and Harvest publishes no per-invoice rate.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Invoicing Software for Consultants in 2026", updated September 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-invoicing-software-for-consultants
Sources
Prices and plan details on this page come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker:
- FreshBooks pricing, checked
- Moxie pricing, checked
- Bonsai pricing, checked
- Harvest pricing, checked
- Zoho Invoice pricing, checked
- Invoice Ninja pricing, checked
- Square pricing, checked
- Stripe pricing, checked
- Invoice2go pricing, checked