# Zoho Invoice Alternatives When the Free Limits Get in the Way (2026)

Source: https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/zoho-invoice-alternatives
Published: 2026-11-02T00:30:33.319004+00:00

Zoho Invoice is free, and its limits are written on its own pricing page: up to 2 users, up to 3 projects, up to 500 invoices a year, and "Powered by Zoho Invoice" on what you send. If you've hit one of those, the alternatives below each fix a different one. LotsInvoice is $12 a month per business with unlimited invoices and team members. Wave's Starter plan and Invoice Ninja's Free plan are free. Everything below was checked on 31 October 2026 on each vendor's own pages.

I'm not going to tell you Zoho Invoice is a bad tool. It is a generous free product, and if its limits fit you, stay. This page is for the moment they don't: a third person needs to see the invoices, you pass 500 a year, or you'd rather your clients see only your name. Prices are US dollars before tax, list prices only (no promotions). Sources are linked at the end.

## Which Zoho Invoice limit are you hitting?

| Zoho Invoice limit (free plan) | What fixes it |
|---|---|
| 2 users | LotsInvoice (unlimited team members per business), Invoice Ninja Enterprise (priced by account users), Wave Pro (admin, editor and viewer roles), or a per-seat tool: FreshBooks, Bonsai, Harvest |
| 500 invoices a year | LotsInvoice, Wave Starter, Invoice Ninja Free (limited by clients instead), Square Invoices, Bonsai Essentials: none of their pricing pages cap invoices a year |
| "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding | LotsInvoice (no LotsInvoice branding on the invoice), Invoice Ninja Pro, Bonsai Premium |
| 3 projects | Harvest, Bonsai, FreshBooks or Invoice Ninja, if you bill tracked time |
| 2 organizations under one account | LotsInvoice Pro (5 businesses) or Business (20), Invoice Ninja Pro (up to 10 companies under one login) |

## Zoho Invoice alternatives at a glance

| Tool | Price | Free option | Your team | Invoice and client limits | Payments and fees (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Zoho Invoice** (for reference) | $0 | Free, no end date | Up to 2 users | 500 invoices a year, 3 projects, "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding | Gateways you connect (Stripe, PayPal, Square and others); Zoho adds no fee |
| **LotsInvoice** | $12 a month or $120 a year per business | Free credits at sign-up, no card | Unlimited team members | None inside a business | A Pay button through your own Stripe or Razorpay account, plus your own options (bank, ACH, Zelle, check). No LotsInvoice fee |
| **Wave** | Starter $0; Pro $19 a month or $190 a year, per business | Starter | Admin, editor and viewer users on Pro | Unlimited invoices and estimates on Starter | Cards 2.9% + $0.60 on Starter (3.4% + $0.60 Amex) |
| **Invoice Ninja** | Pro $14 a month or $140 a year; Enterprise from $18 a month (1 to 2 users) | Free: 5 clients, unlimited invoicing | Account users on Enterprise only | Free: 5 clients; Pro and up: unlimited | A payment gateway you connect |
| **Square Invoices** | Square Free $0; Plus $49 and Premium $149 a month per location | Square Free | Not stated on the pricing page | Pricing page: "Send unlimited invoices" | Invoice cards 3.3% + 30¢ on Free (2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium); ACH 1%, $1 minimum |
| **FreshBooks** | Lite $23, Plus $43, Premium $70 a month | 30-day trial, no card | $11 a month per team member | Lite 5 billable clients, Plus 50, Premium unlimited | Cards 2.9% + $0.30; ACH 1% |
| **Bonsai** | Per user: Basic $15, Essentials $25, Premium $39, Elite $59 a month ($9, $19, $29, $49 billed annually); invoices from Essentials | 7-day free trial | Every user is a paid seat | Unlimited clients; unlimited invoices (invoices start on Essentials) | Cards 2.9% + $0.30; ACH as low as 1% (its payments page) |
| **Harvest** | Free; Teams from $11 per seat a month ($9 billed annually) | Free: 1 seat, 2 projects | Teams: per seat | Extra invoices, projects, clients and tasks billed by use on paid plans | Not stated on the pricing page |
| **QuickBooks Online** | Simple Start $38, Essentials $85, Plus $140, Advanced $340 a month | Free plan, 1 user | 1, 3, 5 and 25 users by plan | Free plan: 2 invoices a month | Not stated on the pricing page |

Checked on 31 October 2026 on each vendor's own pricing page.

## 1. LotsInvoice: no cap on invoices or people, one price per business

An invoice is your name on a request for money. It should be right. I built LotsInvoice for business owners, freelancers and consultants who invoice their own clients and want that one job done well, without paying for every extra person who touches it.

- **Nothing inside a business is limited.** Starter is $12 a month or $120 a year for one business. Invoices, estimates, credit notes, customers, items, templates, reminders and team members are unlimited, so the second and third person who need access cost nothing extra. [See pricing](https://lotsinvoice.com/pricing).
- **Your invoice, not ours.** The invoice document carries your logo, colours and details, with nine designs (US Letter or A4) or your own template. The email that delivers it ends with a small "Sent with LotsInvoice" line.
- **Nothing goes out unchecked.** Every invoice starts as a draft next to a preview of the real PDF. Totals, discounts and several named taxes per line are calculated to the cent. Sent invoices are numbered and locked; changes are revisions with a reason, or credit notes.
- **Clients pay you directly.** Connect your own Stripe or Razorpay account in Settings, Payment. Each sent invoice gets a Pay button for its exact balance, with a deposit or part payments if you allow them, and the payment is recorded on the invoice by itself. LotsInvoice never holds or moves your money and adds no fee; your provider's usual fees apply. Bank transfer, ACH, Zelle, a pay link or a check address can be shown too, and you record those payments when they arrive. A single invoice can carry different payment details, such as euro bank details for a client abroad.
- **Followed up until you're paid.** A private client portal link, a note when the invoice is opened, and reminders before and after the due date, in your words, that stop when it's paid.
- **Several businesses.** Pro covers 5 businesses and Business covers 20, each with its own logo, numbering, customers and team, for people who run several brands or sister companies.
- **If you stop paying,** your documents, PDFs and client portal links keep working and you can export everything. Creating and sending new documents needs a funded business.

New accounts get free credits when they sign up, no card, enough to run one business for about a month.

**Where Zoho Invoice fits better:** LotsInvoice has no free plan, no time tracking, projects or expenses, no saved-card auto-charge on recurring invoices, and no phone or desktop apps. If you need those, Zoho Invoice or one of the tools below fits better. I compared the two in [LotsInvoice vs Zoho Invoice](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/lotsinvoice-vs-zoho-invoice). [Start at lotsinvoice.com](https://lotsinvoice.com).

## 2. Wave: free invoicing with bookkeeping

Wave's Starter plan is $0 and includes unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, plus the mobile app. Online payments are an option: cards cost 2.9% + $0.60 on Starter (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex). Pro is $19 a month or $190 a year per business and adds automatic bank-transaction import, receipt capture, automated late-payment reminders and users with admin, editor or viewer roles. On Starter, Wave's page lists adding a payroll manager or a Block Advisors tax pro as users, not admins, editors or viewers.

Choose Wave if the 500-invoice cap is your only problem and you'd like simple bookkeeping next to your invoices. More in [LotsInvoice vs Wave](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/lotsinvoice-vs-wave) and [Wave alternatives](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/wave-alternatives-for-agencies-and-freelancers).

## 3. Invoice Ninja: a free plan limited by clients, not invoices

The Free plan covers up to 5 clients with unlimited invoicing, 11 templates, online payments through a gateway you connect, recurring invoices with auto-billing, deposits and partial payments, a client portal, projects with billable time and expenses. Ninja Pro is $14 a month ($140 billed annually) and adds unlimited clients, removal of the "Created by Invoice Ninja" line, custom designs, automatic late-payment reminders, the API and up to 10 companies under one login. Account users and per-user permissions are on Enterprise, from $18 a month for 1 to 2 users up to $300 a month for 51 to 100. Paid plans have a 30-day money-back promise.

Choose Invoice Ninja if you have fewer than 5 clients, or you want a free plan with time tracking and recurring auto-billing. More in [Invoice Ninja alternatives](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/invoice-ninja-alternatives).

## 4. Square Invoices: invoicing inside a payments account

Square's pricing page lists "Send unlimited invoices" and recurring invoices on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly schedule. Square Free is $0; Plus is $49 and Premium $149 a month per location. The cost is in processing: invoice card payments are 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium, and ACH is 1% with a $1 minimum (a $10 fee cap on Plus and Premium).

Choose Square Invoices if you already take payments with Square.

## 5. FreshBooks: invoicing with accounting

Lite is $23 a month for 5 billable clients, Plus is $43 for 50 and Premium is $70 for unlimited. Each team member is $11 a month. Its pricing page lists unlimited time tracking and expenses, and cards at 2.9% + $0.30 and ACH at 1%. There's a 30-day free trial, no card. Choose FreshBooks if you want bookkeeping and time tracking in one place. More in [FreshBooks alternatives](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/freshbooks-alternatives-for-agencies).

## 6. Bonsai: a client and project workspace

Bonsai is priced per user. Basic ($15 a month, $9 billed annually) covers time tracking, tasks, projects, a CRM and unlimited clients, but invoices and payments start on Essentials ($25 a month, $19 billed annually), which adds proposals, contracts, scheduling, a client portal and expense tracking. Bonsai branding comes off on Premium ($39, $29 annually). There's a 7-day free trial. Choose Bonsai if you want proposals, contracts, time and invoices in one workspace. More in [Bonsai alternatives](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/bonsai-alternatives-for-freelancers-and-small-agencies).

## 7. Harvest: time tracking first, then the invoice

The Free plan is 1 seat and 2 projects. Teams starts at $11 per seat a month ($9 billed annually) with unlimited seats, and its page says additional invoices, projects, clients and tasks are billed by use as your team grows. There's a 30-day free trial, no card. Choose Harvest if you bill tracked hours.

## 8. QuickBooks Online: full accounting

Simple Start is $38 a month for 1 user, Essentials $85 for 3, Plus $140 for 5 and Advanced $340 for 25. The pricing page also shows a Free plan for 1 user that sends 2 invoices a month, and says unlimited invoices if you qualify for and enable QuickBooks Payments. Choose QuickBooks if your accountant works in it or you need full books.

## One more thing the free plan asks of you

Zoho's pricing FAQ says that if a user is inactive for over 180 days, their data is deleted in the following 20 days, and that users are told first and can log back in or back up their data. If you invoice a few times a year, that is worth knowing. Whichever tool you use, export your invoices and customers once in a while.

## For small studios and agencies

If several people touch your invoices, the 2-user limit is usually the first wall. In LotsInvoice the account manager, project lead, partner and bookkeeper all join the business as editors or viewers, at no per-person charge. Your client's finance team can ask for a PO number, a project code on every line, a tax ID or a declaration: those are settings you make once, as columns you rename, reorder, hide or add, item and accounting codes, custom fields and a template of your own. See [where to put a PO number on an invoice](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/where-to-put-a-po-number-on-an-invoice) and [invoicing several businesses from one account](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/invoicing-several-businesses-or-brands-from-one-account). Pro and Business plans include LotsNotes Pro while the plan is active.

## Which Zoho Invoice alternative should you pick?

- **You need more than 2 people on your invoices, and you want exact, on-brand invoices:** LotsInvoice, $12 a month or $120 a year per business.
- **You passed 500 invoices a year and want to stay at $0:** Wave Starter, or Invoice Ninja Free if you have 5 clients or fewer.
- **You want bookkeeping too:** Wave, FreshBooks or QuickBooks Online.
- **You already take payments with Square:** Square Invoices.
- **You bill tracked hours:** Harvest, FreshBooks or Bonsai.
- **You want proposals and contracts next to invoices:** Bonsai.
- **You're a founder billing business customers by invoice:** LotsInvoice if a teammate or bookkeeper needs access, otherwise Zoho Invoice may be all you need.

For the wider picture, see [the best invoicing software for agencies and freelancers](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/best-invoicing-software-for-agencies-and-freelancers) and [invoice software for freelancers](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/invoice-software-for-freelancers).

## How to move from Zoho Invoice to LotsInvoice

Keep Zoho Invoice open while your last invoices there get paid, and start new invoices in LotsInvoice:

1. **Export your customers and items** from Zoho Invoice as CSV files.
2. **Create your business** and confirm your email.
3. **Set it up once:** logo, design, numbering, columns, taxes, and your payment options in Settings, Payment.
4. **Import customers and items** from the CSV files. Columns are matched by name (name, email, phone, address, city, state, zip, country, currency, tax ID), and you can run a dry run first.
5. **Continue your numbering** so your next invoice follows your last Zoho Invoice number.
6. **Invite your team** as editors or viewers.
7. **Move retainers** to recurring invoices, as drafts to check each month or sent on schedule.
8. **Send your first invoice** from a draft, after checking the PDF preview.

LotsInvoice also works with the AI agent you already use, when you want it. If you work in Claude or ChatGPT, connect it at [lotsinvoice.com/mcp](https://lotsinvoice.com/mcp) and hand it the import:

> Read https://lotsinvoice.com/skill.md. Then import the customers in customers.csv and the items in items.csv into my LotsInvoice business, running a dry run first, and set the next invoice number to follow on from INV-000214. Show me what you'll create before you create it.

You choose what the agent may do when you connect it, and sending and payments stay off until you turn them on. The dashboard is where you check everything.

## FAQ

### What is a free alternative to Zoho Invoice?

Wave's Starter plan is $0 with unlimited invoices and estimates. Invoice Ninja's Free plan is $0 for up to 5 clients with unlimited invoicing, and Harvest's free plan covers 1 seat and 2 projects. LotsInvoice has no free plan; new accounts get free credits when they sign up, no card, enough to run one business for about a month. Checked on 31 October 2026.

### What are Zoho Invoice's free limits?

Up to 2 users, up to 3 projects, up to 500 invoices a year, up to two organizations under one account, and "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding on what you send. Checked on Zoho's pricing page on 31 October 2026.

### What happens when I pass 500 invoices a year on Zoho Invoice?

Zoho's pricing page states the limit and says to contact its product experts if your business is scaling. Its page also points to Zoho Billing as the advanced option. Wave Starter, LotsInvoice, Square and Bonsai Essentials list no yearly invoice cap on their pricing pages.

### Does LotsInvoice charge per user?

No. Team members are unlimited in every business, as editors or viewers. You pay per business: $12 a month for 1, $29 for 5 and $79 for 20, or $120, $290 and $790 a year.

### Can clients pay online with LotsInvoice?

Yes. Connect your own Stripe or Razorpay account in Settings, Payment, and each sent invoice gets a Pay button for its balance, with a deposit or part payments if you allow them. The money goes straight to your account; LotsInvoice adds no fee and never holds it, and your provider's fees apply. Payments by bank transfer, Zelle or check are recorded by hand.

### Can I bring my customers from Zoho Invoice to LotsInvoice?

Yes. Export customers and items as CSV from Zoho Invoice, then import them into LotsInvoice. Columns are matched by name, and you can try a dry run first.

## Sources

All checked on 31 October 2026:

- Zoho Invoice: [pricing and FAQ](https://www.zoho.com/us/invoice/pricing/), [features](https://www.zoho.com/us/invoice/features/), [online payments](https://www.zoho.com/us/invoice/accept-online-payments/)
- LotsInvoice: [lotsinvoice.com](https://lotsinvoice.com), [pricing](https://lotsinvoice.com/pricing), [Stripe help](https://lotsinvoice.com/help/connect-stripe), [changelog](https://support.lotsinvoice.com/changelog), [skill.md](https://lotsinvoice.com/skill.md)
- Wave: [pricing](https://www.waveapps.com/pricing)
- Invoice Ninja: [pricing](https://invoiceninja.com/pricing-plans/)
- Square: [invoices](https://squareup.com/us/en/invoices), [pricing](https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing)
- FreshBooks: [pricing](https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing)
- Bonsai: [pricing](https://www.hellobonsai.com/pricing)
- Harvest: [pricing](https://www.getharvest.com/pricing)
- QuickBooks Online: [pricing](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/)