Best Billing Software Shortlist
Here are the options I’ve examined and selected to cover in this article.
- HighRadius - Best for large and complex businesses
- Tridens Monetization - Best for complex revenue models
- ChargeBee - Best for fast-growing businesses
- Rossum - Best document processing features
- QT9 ERP - Best ERP with integrated billing features
- QuickBooks - Best for beginners
- BILL - Best for ease of use
- Xero - Best for small businesses
- GetCost - Best for contractors
- Online Check Writer - Best free option
- VatPay - Best for teams with lots of international transactions
- Scoro - Best for service-based businesses
If you’re looking for a better way to create invoices and bill customers, look no further - I’ve rounded up the best billing software available in 2023.
For each one, I’ve included a summary of key features, pros and cons, pricing information, free trial offers, and other details to help you make an informed decision.
What is Billing Software?
Businesses use billing software for creating and managing customer invoices. It enables organizations to create professional-looking invoices, track payment transactions, facilitate financial record-keeping, and manage customer billing information more efficiently.
Businesses of all sizes use billing software, from freelancers and small businesses to large enterprises and across various industries.
Overviews of the 12 Best Billing Software
Here’s my assessment of each billing software that I chose to include on this list and what I think it does best.
1. HighRadius - Best for large and complex businesses
HighRadius uses AI to help your company automate your accounts receivable, treasury, and other finance processes.
Why I picked HighRadius: I chose HighRadius for its ability to manage high-volume billing. Plus, I think it’s a tool that can scale alongside businesses as their operations grow and become more complex.
HighRadius Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include automated, proactive reviews of your customers. I think that'd be especially important for a company dealing with hundreds or thousands of customers. I like that HighRadius allows you to send invoices through web, email, fax, or print and mail them the old-fashioned way.
From my experience in accounting, I know some customers are particular about how they like to receive their bills. HighRadius also claims their AI-based cash application software can post 95% of payments without a human having to touch it, which I think would cut down on a ton of manual work in a large company.
Integrations include all major ERPs like Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, and SAP, plus payment processing partners like Stripe and Chase, credit agencies such as Equifax and Experian, and more than a dozen others.
Pricing: From $65/month for 20 customers
Free Trial: Free demo available
Pros
- Great automation features
- Highly configurable and customizable
- Reporting and analytics features
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Comparatively high cost
2. Tridens Monetization - Best for complex revenue models
Most billing software is only designed to invoice customers for standard line items or one-time charges. Tridens Monetization is unique in that it also allows for usage-based billing.
Why I picked Tridens Monetization: Tridens looks to me like it’s been specifically designed for the telecommunications, energy, and utility industries. I think companies that need to bill customers for usage of electricity or natural gas will find Tridens can make their processes much more convenient. I can see it also being applicable to subscription-based services from media or SaaS companies.
Tridens Monetization Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include flexible pricing and monetization models. Triden’s ability here is what really stands out to me.
Triden’s customer web and mobile apps let your customers view their account balance and usage and pay their bills online. I was also impressed by the amount of analytics and reporting tools Tridens offers, including custom dashboards and customizable reports.
Integrations include Netsuite, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Stripe, Paypal, and SureTax.
Pricing: Custom pricing upon request
Free Trial: Free demo available
Pros
- Supports complex pricing and billing
- Customer mobile app and online portal
- Intuitive interface and dashboards
Cons
- Tridens takes 1% of billed revenue (on top of base fees)
- Initial setup & implementation is complex
3. ChargeBee - Best for fast-growing businesses
Chargebee is a popular billing software with a focus on subscription-based or recurring billing. I think it would probably be a good fit for fast-growing SaaS and eCommerce businesses.
Why I picked Chargebee: I feel like this software will make it easier for businesses to manage and collect subscription-based payments from their customers. It simplifies the process of onboarding customers, as well as upgrading, downgrading, or canceling subscription plans.
Chargebee Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include support for a wide range of billing models. I saw that Chargebee supports everything from one-time charges up to more complex subscription plans with tiered pricing.
Chargebee has tools to assist with invoicing and payment collection through a secure payment gateway. It also supports dunning management, meaning it will automatically retry in the event of a failed payment.
Integrations include Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, Xero, Netsuite, Salesforce, Hubspot, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho CRM, Mailchimp, Slack, and dozens more, plus other 3rd party software integrations through Zapier.
Pricing: From $299/month
Free Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Designed for subscription-based business models
- Lots of integrations
- Developer-friendly APIs
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Limited reporting and analytics
4. Rossum - Best document processing features
Rossum is an AI-powered document processing software. It helps businesses to extract data from documents like purchase orders, invoices, and receipts.
Why I picked Rossum: Rossum uses optical character recognition (OCR) to help quickly extract data from scanned documents. What I think sets Rossum apart is its machine-learning algorithms and AI technology. This means the software continually gets better, faster, and more accurate at processing documents over time as it gets to know the document formatting of your particular vendors and customers.
Although Rossum itself isn’t a billing software, it natively integrates with the most popular choices and pays for itself if you consider the time saved in the billing process.
Rossum Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include the ability to greatly reduce manual data capture. Rossum claims their software can save you 82% of the time on document validation. Rossum seems quite good at reading business documents like a human, and it adapts well to changes in document style, layout, and formatting.
Overall, I think it could help companies save a lot of time spent validating and entering billing data.
I also like how Rossum’s analytics and reporting features can help with troubleshooting.
Integrations include BILL, QuickBooks, Freshbooks, Xero, SAP, NetSuite, Zoho Books, Coupa, and Dropbox.
Pricing: Custom pricing upon request
Free Trial: 14-day free trial
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- OCR data validation
- Adaptable AI improves over time
Cons
- Pricing details aren’t transparent
- Limited application scope (requires separate billing software)
5. QT9 ERP - Best ERP with integrated billing features
QT9 is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. This means it aims to integrate various different processes within an organization into one application. This includes billing features and accounts receivable, as well as things like inventory management, quality control, customer relationship management, and more.
Why I picked QT9 ERP: I think once a company reaches a certain size, it becomes cumbersome to have many different specialized softwares for individual business processes. I feel that larger companies can benefit from consolidating many of these features.
QT9 ERP Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include 18+ pre-installed modules. I like that QT9 allows you to have your purchasing, accounting, AR & AP, general ledger, and other finance modules all centralized into a single software. I think this will help reduce the need for individual spreadsheets that require manual data entry, as well as data import and export.
QT9 allows finance and other processes like inventory control, manufacturing, and shipping to share data directly. The modules are highly scalable, so you can roll out your implementation in phases and upgrade one module at a time as your company grows.
Integrations include QuickBooks and Sage 50.
Pricing: Pricing upon request
Free Trial: 30-day free trial
Pros
- Consolidates many business processes into one software
- Visually intuitive interface
- Highly scalable and customizable
Cons
- Limited integration
- Steep learning curve
6. QuickBooks - Best for beginners
QuickBooks is designed to help simplify financial management tasks for small businesses. In addition to billing, it helps companies to manage finances, track expenses, and generate financial reports.
Why I picked QuickBooks: I like that it provides smaller businesses with a comprehensive accounting tool to track their sales, expenses, and payments. I also love how easy it is to use QuickBooks, even for someone without an accounting background.
QuickBooks Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include the ability to accept credit card payments, bank transfers, and Apple Pay.
I also like how QuickBooks allows you to personalize your invoices, and there’s no limit on the number you can send. Custom dashboards and financial reporting are helpful in tracking income to see exactly how much cash you’re bringing in, which customers have paid, and accounts that are past due.
Integrations include Amazon Business, Square, Etsy, PayPal, Shopify, and SOS Inventory.
Pricing: From $18/month
Free Trial: 30-day free trial
Pros
- Integrations designed for small business
- User-friendly interface
- Scalable and customizable
Cons
- Limited reporting and analytics features
- Software performance may be impacted by large data sets
7. BILL - Best for ease of use
BILL (formerly Bill.com) is a cloud-based software and billing platform. It can help you to digitize your accounts payable, accounts receivable, and other financial processes in your business and to make them run more efficiently.
Why I picked BILL: I like that BILL stores everything in the cloud and reduces paper-based processes. Plus, you don’t need to install software on specific machines or keep it updated. I would normally be concerned about security with cloud-based billing software. However, BILL keeps all payment processing in-house and uses bank-level encryption and secure data center facilities with more than one physical location for full redundancy.
BILL Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include support for multiple payment options, including ACH (automated clearing house), virtual cards, and online payment reminders.
I like that BILL provides flexibility for billing customers and accepting payments, even internationally. BILL also has approval workflows for managing bills and payments more efficiently. Plus, it leaves behind a clean audit trail of all transactions.
BILL’s real-time reporting on cash inflows and outflows help companies monitor their financial health. The forecasting tools seem like they'd be helpful for strategic planning, too.
Integrations include Netsuite, Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, SAP, Freshbooks, and Hubdoc.
Pricing: From $45/user/month
Free Trial: 30-day free trial
Pros
- Customizable invoices
- Integrates with most accounting software
- Supports 130+ countries and currencies
Cons
- Limited features for businesses with complex needs
- Learning curve for new users
8. Xero - Best for small businesses
Xero is a cloud-based accounting software designed for small and medium-sized businesses.
Why I picked Xero: I like that it provides a comprehensive suite, with tools for bookkeeping, billing and invoicing, bank reconciliation, expense tracking, and financial reporting, for under $15/month.
Xero Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include a very user-friendly interface. I think where Xero really excels is in making accounting tasks more approachable to small business owners who don’t have an accounting or finance background.
I think Xero comes with native Stripe integration and gives you the ability to safely accept credit card payments or direct debits.
Integrations include Shopify, Stripe, Hubspot, and Mailchimp.
Pricing: From $13/month
Free Trial: 30-day free trial
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Affordable price
- Great real-time reporting features
Cons
- Limited integrations
- Limited customization
9. GetCost - Best for contractors
GetCost is a billing and estimating app designed primarily for contractors and small businesses. It’s available on multiple platforms, including web, Android, and iOS devices.
Why I picked GetCost: Contractors have unique needs compared to businesses in other industries. They need billing software made for their specific way of doing business. GetCost puts more emphasis on estimates, scheduling, timesheets, and project management compared to other billing software on this list.
GetCost Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include all the ability to send estimates and invoices within the software, then track their status from receipt to full payment.
GetCost also lets contractors manage teams with tools for scheduling and job assignments.
GetCost gives you the ability to create and use pre-designed invoice templates.
Integrations include QuickBooks, PayPal, and Stripe.
Pricing: From $9.99/month
Free Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Made for mobile
- Great value for the price
- Invoice templates
Cons
- Limited accounting features
- Limited customization options
10. Online Check Writer - Best free option
Online Check Writer is a simple and secure way for businesses to pay and get paid. The software supports ACH payments, direct deposits, checks, and debit and credit card payments as well.
Why I picked Online Check Writer: I like that it offers a free way to send and receive payments, with reasonable transaction fees.
Online Check Writer Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include a mobile app that allows you to accept payments and print checks.
In my opinion, Online Check Writer’s transaction fees are reasonable at 1% on their free plan, up to a maximum of $5, which is lower than other services like PayPal. This has all of the basic AP and AR features businesses need to send and receive payments.
Integrations include QuickBooks, Xero, Gusto, Zoho Payroll, BILL, and Zapier.
Pricing: From $49.99/month
Free Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Accepts multiple payment methods
- Easy to learn and use
- Mobile app
Cons
- Limited customizations
- Minimum spend amount per month on paid plans
11. VatPay - Best for international transactions
VatPay is a billing software that allows you to generate invoices in any language or currency. The company also has a strong focus on project management and time-tracking features.
Why I picked VatPay: I liked that VatPay supports multiple currencies. If your company’s doing business with clients and customers in other countries,
VatPay lets you specify the currency you wish to receive your payment in. Customers can pay directly from your invoice or through a client portal using VISA, Mastercard, AMEX, or Apple Pay.
VatPay Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include being compatible with mobile, tablet, or desktop. Its time-tracking and project management tools allow you to invite your employees, contractors, or even clients to collaborate on projects.
I like how your customer invoices, account statements, and credit memos can be customized with your business logo and theme.
VatPay can also generate insightful reports to help you understand where your money is coming from and where it’s going.
Integrations include Stripe, PayPal, Chase, Google Suite, Authorize.net, and Office 365.
Pricing: From $249/month
Free Trial: 14-day free trial
Pros
- Customized invoices
- Integrates with popular payment gateways
- Mobile app
Cons
- Expensive compared to similar options
- Not designed for large companies (100+ users)
12. Scoro - Best for service-based businesses
Scoro is a business management software with a particular focus on service businesses.
Why I picked Scoro: Scoro can help service businesses stay organized and keep everything in one place. In addition to billing, it also has solutions for project management, customer relationship management, and financial reporting
Scoro Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include the ability to control your billing and expense lifecycle, from providing quotes to collecting payment on invoices. By having sales, delivery, and financial information in one platform, you can get a better idea of how a business is performing.
I think Scoro’s drag-and-drop planner and Kanban task board help plan and prioritize work and manage time more efficiently.
Integrations include Google Calendar and Google Drive, Microsoft Exchange, Dropbox, Jira, QuickBooks, Xero, Stripe, Hubspot, Asana, Expensify, Trello, and dozens of other applications.
Pricing: From $30/user/month
Free Trial: 14-day free trial
Pros
- Integrates with many popular tools
- Visually intuitive interface
- Data sharing between different teams
Cons
- No single-user plan (Minimum five users)
- Many features locked behind higher-level plans
Other Options
Here are some more billing tools that I shortlisted during my research. They didn’t make it into my top 12, but they’re still worth checking out.
- Zoho Invoice - Best for freelancers
- Good Sign - Best automation features
- Square Invoices - Best for teams already using Square’s payment processing
- Invoicera - Best for medium to large enterprises
- Wave Invoicing - Best for startups
- Sunrise App - Best for creative professionals
- NetSuite - Best comprehensive ERP solution
Selection Criteria For Billing Software
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best billing software for this article:
Core Functionality
It’s not worth calling it billing software if it can’t handle invoicing, billing automation, payment tracking, cash flow and customer management, and reporting and analytics.
Key Features
With those minimums handled, here are some features considered in picking out the best:
- Invoice templates: Allows you to create professional-looking invoices tailored to your business's branding and style with help from customizable templates.
- Automated invoicing: Enables you to set up recurring invoices for subscriptions, memberships, or regular services, automating those invoices at specified intervals.
- Payment gateway integration: Facilitates secure and convenient online payment processing, allowing customers to pay invoices easily via Paypal, Stripe, or other popular gateways.
- Customer portal: Provides customers with a dedicated platform to view and manage their invoices, payment history, and account details, enhancing transparency and self-service capabilities.
- Multi-currency support: Allows you to create invoices and process payments in different currencies, accommodating international customers and simplifying global transactions.
- Payment reminders: Reduces late or missed payments with automated payment reminders and notifications to customers.
- Financial reports: Provides insights into revenue, outstanding balances, payment history, and other financial metrics.
- Tax calculation and compliance: Incorporates tax calculation functions to apply appropriate taxes based on jurisdiction, ensuring compliance with tax regulations.
- Data security: Prioritizes data security by employing encryption protocols, secure server infrastructure, and compliance with industry standards to protect sensitive customer information.
- Mobile accessibility: Offers mobile applications or responsive web interfaces, enabling you to access and manage billing functions on the go through smartphones or tablets.
Usability
I prioritized billing software with modern and visually-intuitive interfaces and features, as well as easy-to-navigate menus. I understand every software will have a learning curve, but it shouldn’t take weeks before your staff is comfortable billing customers with new software.
Integrations
Billing software should integrate with accounting systems like QuickBooks, Xero, or NetSuite. If the software can’t take payments by itself, it should work with payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal. Billing software should allow for automatic synchronization of billing data, streamlining financial management, and reducing manual data entry.
People Also Ask
Here are some answers to common questions that I may not have covered above.
How much does billing software cost?
Is there any free billing software?
Is there a difference between billing and accounts receivable software?
Conclusion
Ultimately, the billing software that’s right for you will depend on the specifics of your company. The industry you’re in and the size of your business will have a large impact on which option makes the most sense for you. But I hope after reading my analysis above, you have a good idea of which one likely makes the most sense for your context.
To get the latest tech news and insights from top financial leaders, be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter.