Invoice Simple vs Wave vs Zoho Invoice in 2026: Best Free Invoicing Software for UK Sole Traders (FreshBooks, Xero, Jobbit)
Invoice Simple vs Wave vs Zoho Invoice vs FreshBooks vs Xero for UK sole traders and small businesses in 2026: free invoice limits, VAT and UK compliance, payment links, reminders, Making Tax Digital, and price, scored on six criteria, plus the free Jobbit invoice generator that writes a numbered PDF and an editable DOCX from one message.
The first invoice most sole traders send is a Word document with the wrong VAT line and no due date. The second is from an app, because the first one was paid late. Then the app's free tier runs out at three invoices a month, and the question becomes which of Invoice Simple, Wave, Zoho Invoice, FreshBooks or Xero to pay for. The answer depends on four things: how many invoices you send, whether you charge VAT, whether you want card payments inside the invoice, and whether the app must also do your bookkeeping and Making Tax Digital returns. This Invoice Simple vs Wave comparison, with Zoho Invoice, FreshBooks and Xero alongside, scores the five on those questions for UK use.
It also covers a sixth route: Jobbit's invoice generator, where you describe the job to an AI agent and get back a numbered PDF invoice with VAT, payment terms and bank details, plus an editable DOCX, with no monthly count, and where the same chat writes the covering email and the reminder. Where a bookkeeping app is still the right buy, this guide says so.
Need to send an invoice today? Open the Jobbit invoice generator, say who it is for and what it covers. Free to try, no card.
How we scored the invoicing apps
- Free limits. Invoices per month, clients, users, and whether the free tier brands your invoice.
- UK compliance. VAT handling, the nine fields HMRC expects on an invoice, GBP and multi-currency.
- Getting paid. Card and bank payment links, automatic reminders, late payment interest wording.
- Bookkeeping and tax. Expenses, bank feeds, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, which starts in April 2026 for sole traders earning over £50,000.
- Price on the vendor's page in September 2026, in the currency it quotes. Prices change and promotions are common.
- Beyond the invoice. Quotes, the covering email, the chase, the summary for your accountant.
Invoice Simple vs Wave vs Zoho Invoice vs FreshBooks vs Xero: the comparison table
| App | Free plan | UK VAT and fields | Payment links | Reminders | Bookkeeping and MTD | Paid price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice Simple | 3 invoices a month | VAT line, basic fields | Yes | Paid plans | No | Essentials $6.99 a month, Plus $13.49 (10 invoices), Premium $19.99 (unlimited) | Trades sending a few invoices from a phone |
| Wave | Unlimited invoices, estimates and bookkeeping on Starter | VAT line, GBP; US-centric tax features | Yes, 2.9% plus a fixed fee per card payment | Pro only | Bookkeeping yes; bank feeds and receipt scanning on Pro; no UK MTD filing | Pro $19 a month | Businesses that want free bookkeeping with invoicing |
| Zoho Invoice | Free, up to 5 clients, 500 invoices a year, 2 users | Strong: VAT, multi-currency, UK templates | Yes, via Stripe and others | Yes, automated, free | Invoicing only; Zoho Books for bookkeeping and MTD | Free (Zoho Books from about £10 a month) | Freelancers with a handful of clients who want reminders free |
| FreshBooks | Trial only | Good: VAT, UK edition, MTD VAT | Yes | Yes | Yes, MTD VAT | Lite £16 a month (5 billable clients), often 50% off for 3 months; Plus higher | Service businesses that want invoicing and accounts together |
| Xero | Trial only | Full UK accounting, MTD | Yes | Yes | Full, MTD VAT and Income Tax | From about £16 a month, cheapest plan caps invoices at 20 a month | Businesses with an accountant |
| Jobbit invoice generator | Free plan credits, no invoice count | VAT, payment terms, bank details, numbering, late payment interest wording | Add your Stripe or PayPal link in the message | The agent schedules and writes the chase | No ledger; monthly summary for your accountant | Free plan; Plus £15 a month for heavier use | Sole traders who want the invoice, the email and the reminder from one message |
Two things stand out. Zoho Invoice is the most generous genuinely free plan for a freelancer with few clients. And the two apps that do UK tax properly, FreshBooks and Xero, are the two with no free tier, because they are accounting products. Everyone else is choosing between a cheap invoice app and a free one.
Invoice Simple: the phone app with a three-invoice ceiling
Invoice Simple is built around the mobile app: pick a client, add lines, tap send, and the customer gets a link with a pay button. The free Essentials tier allows three invoices a month with online payments; Plus at $13.49 raises it to ten and adds reminders and reports; Premium at $19.99 is unlimited with signatures and deposits. The entry price rose from $4.99 to $6.99 in the last year. It is quick and it looks professional, and at Premium it costs more per year than most sole traders spend on accounting software. Best for: a tradesperson sending a few invoices a month from a van.
Wave: free invoicing with free bookkeeping attached
Wave's Starter plan is free without an invoice cap: invoices, estimates, bills and a bookkeeping ledger, with Wave making its money on card payments (2.9% plus a fixed fee) and the Pro plan at $19 a month, which adds bank feeds, receipt scanning and automatic reminders. It is a North American product at heart: VAT works, but the tax and payroll features are aimed at the US and Canada, and it does not file UK Making Tax Digital returns. Best for: a small business that wants a free ledger with its invoices and does not need UK tax filing.
Zoho Invoice: the best free plan for freelancers
Zoho Invoice is free for up to five clients, 500 invoices a year and two users, with automated reminders, time tracking, multi-currency, UK templates and proper VAT handling, all on the free tier. Payments run through Stripe and others. When you need bookkeeping and MTD, Zoho Books starts at about £10 a month and shares the data. The five-client cap is the only real limit, and for many freelancers it is enough. Best for: freelancers with a few regular clients who want reminders without paying.
FreshBooks: invoicing that grew into accounting
FreshBooks Lite is £16 a month excluding VAT, with a near-permanent 50% off for the first three months, and it limits you to five billable clients, counting every past client until you deactivate them. It handles VAT, MTD VAT returns, time tracking and projects well, and it feels like an invoicing app rather than a ledger. Most service businesses outgrow Lite inside a year and move to Plus. Best for: consultants and agencies who bill by project and want the accounts in the same app.
Xero: the accountant's choice
Xero is full UK accounting: bank feeds, VAT and Income Tax under Making Tax Digital, payroll add-ons, and the app your accountant probably already uses. Its cheapest plan, from about £16 a month, caps invoices at 20 a month, which catches busy sole traders. It is the right purchase when you need the books done properly; it is not an invoice tool you sign up to for a single job. Best for: any business that already has, or wants, an accountant working in the same system.
The one-message alternative: invoice, email and chase from one form
The Jobbit invoice generator asks who the invoice is for, the amount and currency, what it covers, whether VAT applies and the due date. The agent returns a numbered PDF with your details, the nine fields a UK invoice needs, payment terms, bank details and, if you ask, the statutory late payment interest wording (8% above the Bank of England base rate plus the fixed fee) that UK businesses are entitled to add. You also get an editable DOCX, and your business details are remembered for next time. There is no invoice count on the free plan.
What an invoice app does not do and this chat does:
- Writes the covering email in your tone, with the invoice attached.
- Schedules the chase. "Remind me the day after the due date and draft the polite follow-up" is one sentence.
- Turns the quote into the invoice. The estimate you sent last month becomes the invoice with one message.
- Produces the summary for your accountant at month end: invoiced, paid, outstanding.
Where the apps still win: card payments inside the invoice with automatic reconciliation (Invoice Simple, Wave, Zoho with Stripe), and a proper ledger with MTD filing (Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books). Jobbit's generator is the invoice and the admin around it, not the bookkeeping. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Manus and Meta's Muse can also draft an invoice as text, but a tool page that returns a numbered PDF and a DOCX and remembers your details is a different thing from a chat reply. The nine fields, the payment terms that get paid fastest and the exact message the tool sends are in how to write an invoice that gets paid; the wider category is ranked in best invoice generators and business tools.
Which invoicing app should you use?
- A few invoices a month, mostly from a phone: Invoice Simple free, or Premium if you need signatures and deposits.
- Free invoicing plus a free ledger: Wave Starter.
- Under five clients, want reminders free: Zoho Invoice.
- Invoices and MTD accounts in one app: FreshBooks Plus or Xero.
- You have an accountant: Xero, and ask them which plan.
- The invoice, the email and the chase from one message, no count: Jobbit's invoice generator.
All four Jobbit tools are compared with their paid rivals in free tools vs paid plans, and the whole set is on the tools page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Wave or Zoho Invoice better for a UK sole trader?
Zoho Invoice for invoicing alone: better VAT handling, UK templates and free automated reminders, capped at five clients. Wave if you also want a free bookkeeping ledger and do not need UK Making Tax Digital filing. Neither files MTD returns; for that you need Xero, FreshBooks or Zoho Books.
What is the best free invoicing software in the UK?
Zoho Invoice for freelancers with up to five clients, Wave for unlimited invoices with bookkeeping, and Jobbit's invoice generator for a numbered PDF and DOCX with VAT from one message and no monthly count. Invoice Simple's free tier stops at three invoices a month.
Does Invoice Simple work for UK VAT invoices?
Yes, it adds a VAT line and GBP, and the invoices carry the basic fields HMRC expects. It does not file VAT returns or handle Making Tax Digital; for that you need an accounting app such as Xero or FreshBooks.
Do I need Making Tax Digital software to send invoices?
No. Invoicing and MTD are separate. From April 2026 sole traders and landlords with income over £50,000 must keep digital records and file quarterly updates through MTD-compatible software such as Xero, FreshBooks or Zoho Books; the invoices themselves can come from any tool, including a free one.
Can I add late payment interest to an invoice in the UK?
Yes. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act, business customers who pay late owe statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus a fixed fee of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the debt. Jobbit's invoice generator can add the wording; most invoice apps leave it to you.
How much does FreshBooks cost in the UK?
FreshBooks Lite is £16 a month excluding VAT for up to five billable clients, usually discounted 50% for the first three months. Plus and Premium raise the client limit and add features. Xero's cheapest plan is similar in price but caps invoices at 20 a month.
Which invoice tool writes the reminder email too?
Zoho Invoice, FreshBooks and Xero send automated reminders; Invoice Simple and Wave reserve them for paid plans. Jobbit's invoice generator goes further: the same chat writes the covering email in your tone and drafts the follow-up on the day you choose.