Getting paid is fantastic, but paying to get paid is not. This is especially true following the hassles of preparing and managing the invoices needed to get paid.
If you are a freelancer or a small business owner who wants to spend as little time and money on invoicing as possible, this post is for you. In this article, we’ll take a look at the invoice Ninja free plan.
Invoice Ninja is the most popular open-source platform for creating and sending invoices, tracking payments and expenses, and time billing jobs and projects for clients.
It is trusted by over 100,000 freelancers and small businesses. They provide the tools you need to run your business and get paid quickly.
The best thing about Invoice Ninja is that it provides a free plan for life. But is it deserving? If you’re just starting, you might be dubious of this free plan. Let’s look at some of the features that come with this free plan to learn more about it.
Features of the Free Plan
The free plan provides you with a plethora of features without cost.
1). It allows you to have up to 20 clients and unlimited invoices and quotes.
The 20-customer limit is appropriate for small business operations, and the invoices are unrestricted, so you can create as many invoices and quotes as you need because there are no limits.
2) 4 Professional Invoice Templates
The free plan comes with four free invoice designs. You may produce professional invoices for your business by selecting one of these four invoice designs.
3). Brand invoice with your company’s logo
Even when utilizing the free plan, you can upload your logo to the invoices.
4). Recurring invoices and auto-billing
If you have clients who need to be billed regularly, Invoice Ninja has you covered. The recurring Invoice feature in Invoice Ninja automatically prepares invoices for ongoing jobs and sends the current Invoice to the client on a regular and predefined basis.
5). Real-time invoice PDF creation: It can quickly generate professional-looking PDF invoices.
6). Bulk invoicing: Bulk invoicing is supported by Invoice Ninja. This function allows you to send a large number of invoices at once if necessary.
7). Accept partial payments and deposits. Clients may occasionally pay you in installments. This function assists you in keeping track of who owes you money. It also sends notifications when bills are received, read, and paid.
8). Allow for the use of multiple currencies and languages. If you have clients from all walks of life, Invoice Ninja can help you exchange money and communicate in their language. This includes the free plan as well. It also supports automatic currency conversion.
9). Accept Online Payments with a Single Click Invoice Ninja integrates with over 40 payment gateways, making it simple to receive payment.
Pros And Cons Of Using The Free Plan Of Invoice Ninja
PROS
1. Intuitive Dashboard and charts. You can view collections and receivables through its simple dashboard.
2. Contains the most features a freelancer would require as it Integrates with a huge variety of payment gateways, allowing you to be paid with a single click.
3. Because the software is open source, it is highly customizable. This free plan provides you with four professional invoice designs to utilize to customize your invoices.
Invoice Ninja is secure. It safeguards sensitive information because bills contain client information.
5. The Forever Free plan. The first major advantage is that the Invoice Ninja Free plan is completely free.
6. Unlimited Invoicing and Quotes. You can create as many invoices and estimates as you need with this subscription.
7. Automatic Billing and Recurring Invoices. You can have your invoices delivered automatically, saving you time. In addition, you can construct invoices that reoccur regularly, such as monthly bills.
8. Invoice PDFs in Real Time. When you create an invoice, you can instantly produce a PDF version. It’s quite useful for sharing with clients.
9. It allows Bulk Invoicing. If you have a large number of invoices to submit all at once, this tool makes it simple.
CONS
1). Limit of 20 Clients: The Free plan allows you to handle a maximum of 20 clients. You may need to upgrade if you have more clients.
2). Limited Reporting features: You won’t receive as in-depth of an understanding of your organization using the Free plan because it lacks all the glitzy reporting features available in the pricier editions.
3). There are just four invoice templates. You do not have many alternatives for designing invoice templates.
4). There will be no payment reminder emails sent to clients. Clients who pay in installments are common. Your clients may require a pleasant reminder about their outstanding payments from time to time. If you want to follow up, this free plan does not allow you to send email reminders.
5). No Advanced capabilities: Some cool capabilities, such as creating your invoice design, tracking time and projects, tracking spending, and receiving thorough reports, are not available under the Free plan.
6). No Access to API: If you’re interested in technology, you won’t be able to use Invoice Ninja’s API, which functions as a sort of secret code that enables various programs to communicate with one another.
READ ALSO: Comparing the invoice Ninja free plan with the premium versions
After considering the benefits and cons of the invoice Ninja free plan, you can decide whether to use it or upgrade to gain access to more features.
It should come as no surprise that small business owners frequently consider service or software pricing to be the most essential consideration in their decisions. Free invoicing software is appealing, and some are worth exploring, but a premium plan for an invoicing tool will provide you with far more value.
Invoice Ninja Premium Plan
Invoice Ninja has two premium plans:
a). Pro plan
This plan costs $100 per year
Included in the plan:
✔️Unlimited Clients & Invoices
✔️Remove “Created by Invoice Ninja”
✔️Email Invoices via Gmail & MSN
✔️Branded URL: ‘YourSite”.Invoicing.co’
✔️11 Professional Invoice Templates
✔️Customize Invoice Designs
✔️API Integration with 3rd Party Apps
✔️Password Protect Client-Side Portal
✔️Set Up Auto-Reminder Emails
✔️Auto-Attached Invoice PDF to Emails
✔️Display client e-signature on Invoices
✔️Enable an ‘Approve Terms’ Checkbox
✔️Reports: Invoices, Expenses, P&L, more
✔️Bulk Email Invoices, Quotes, Credits
✔️Interlink 10 Companies with 1 Login
✔️Create Unique “Client Group” Settings
b). Enterprise plan
For this plan, you pay $140 annually
Included in the plan;
ALL PRO FEATURES+
✔️Create Additional Account Users (up to 20!) and set Access Permissions per User
✔️Attach Files to Emails & Client-Portal (pdf, jpg, ppt, xls, doc & more)
✔️Fully Branded Client Portal: “Billing.YourCompany.com”
✔️Integrate Financial Accounts, Sync Bank Transactions via Yodlee
Alternatives of the Invoice Ninja free plan
If you’re seeking invoice Ninja free plan alternatives, you have various choices. Some have free trials so you can try them and settle on one suitable for your business.
01). Wave
Wave not only provides a free invoicing solution but also free accounting and banking systems. In addition, if you join up with Wave Banking, you can enjoy free quick payouts instead of the regular 1% cost.
PROS
a). Offers Wave Accounting and Wave Banking for free
b). You don’t need a separate payment gateway
c). Free instant payout if you bank with Wave
d). Protects sensitive information by using 256-bit encryption
CONS
a). Payment processing fees on credit card transactions aren’t that low
b). No personal support for free products
02). Zoho invoice
Zoho Invoice includes all of the features that a small business could want in a free invoicing software, including a sophisticated, user-friendly dashboard, customizable invoices, and a time tracking system.
PROS
a). Easy-to-read dashboard reports on payments and overdue invoices
b). If your yearly income is less than $50,000, you can upgrade to Zoho Books for free.
c). Features include regular invoices, payment reminders, and client portals.
d). Integration with additional software that you can use when your company expands
e). 256-bit encryption safeguards critical information.
CONS
a). There is a yearly limit of 1,000 invoices.
b). Not as easy to use as other platforms
03). PayPal
This is straightforward and familiar, and it may be the perfect option for you if you only require a simple platform to send professional invoices to your clients.
PROS
a). There is no need to connect to a separate payment gateway.
b). Simple invoicing from your PayPal for Business account
c). There are no restrictions on the number of invoices or clients.
d). 256-bit encryption safeguards critical information.
CONS
a). For new customers, monies may be held for a set amount of days.
b). Payment processing fees are quite expensive.
c). Other systems’ more complex features are lacking.
Conclusion
To save money, new firms and small business owners on a tight budget may wish to consider free invoicing software.
When it comes to invoicing and billing features, Invoice Ninja can compete with any other free invoicing and billing software, with the possible exception of payment reminder emails and a few other features that are only accessible in Invoice Ninja’s subscription plans.
However, as functional as it is, its free version’s client restriction of 20 makes it ideal for small freelance businesses.
