5 Free Invoice Generators Compared (2026): Simple PDF or Full Software?

You finished the work. Now you need to send a bill. You search for a free invoice generator and find many tools. They look alike, but they are built for different jobs. Some make one PDF and forget it. Others are full invoicing programs that keep your clients, track who has paid and send reminders.

This article looks at five well-known free options: our own tool at FreeToolPoint, Wave, Invoice Simple, Zoho Invoice and Canva. We made FreeToolPoint, so we are not neutral. To be fair, we describe exactly what our tool does and what it does not do, and we say plainly when another tool is the better choice.

Free plans, prices and features change often. We do not list prices or plan limits for other services here. Check the current terms on each service's own website before you rely on them.

First: Two Kinds of Invoice Tools

This matters more than the name of the tool.

• A one-off PDF maker. You fill in a form, download a PDF and send it yourself. Nothing is kept. You do not need an account. You keep your own records. FreeToolPoint is this kind of tool.
• Invoicing or accounting software. You create an account. The service saves your clients, items and past invoices. It can usually email the invoice for you, record payments and show who still owes you money. Many offer online card payments for a fee. Wave, Invoice Simple and Zoho Invoice are this kind of tool.

Canva sits in between. It is a design tool with invoice templates. It saves your designs in your account, but it does not track invoices or payments.

How to Choose: Five Questions

Answer these before you pick a tool:

1. How many invoices do you send? Two a month is easy to track in a simple list. Twenty a month is easier in software that tracks them for you.
2. Do you bill the same clients again and again? Software that saves clients and items saves you typing. A one-off tool makes you type everything each time.
3. Do you need to track payments and send reminders? If yes, choose invoicing software. A PDF maker cannot know whether a client has paid.
4. What must be printed on the invoice? Some clients and some tax rules need your address, a tax or business number, or a purchase order number. Check that the tool has a field for each one.
5. Where do you want your data kept? Software keeps it on the company's servers. That gives you a backup and a history. A browser tool keeps nothing, so nothing is stored elsewhere, but you must keep your own copies.

Quick Comparison Table

The Tools One by One

1. FreeToolPoint Invoice Generator

Our tool is a single form that runs in your browser. The page loads the open-source jsPDF library, and the PDF is made on your device. What you type is not sent to FreeToolPoint or anyone else.

Here is exactly what the form has:

• Your details: Company Name and Your Email.
• Client details: Client Name and Client Email.
• Invoice number: filled in for you, such as INV-202609-4821. It is the year and month plus four random digits. You cannot edit it.
• Dates: Invoice Date starts at today. Due Date starts 30 days later. You can change both.
• Currency: USD, EUR, GBP, INR or NPR. Changing it only changes the symbol. It does not convert amounts.
• Line items: Description, Qty and Unit Price. The Amount is worked out for you.
• Tax: one tax rate, as a percentage of the subtotal.

What this means for you:

• Good at: a quick, clean invoice for a simple job, with no account and no upload.
• No field for: your address or phone, a tax or business number, payment details such as a bank account, notes, a purchase order number, or a logo. Put payment details in the email you send with the PDF.
• No discount field: add a line with a negative price, such as -90.00, instead.
• One tax rate: it applies to the whole subtotal. You cannot tax some lines and not others.
• In the PDF: INR and NPR amounts show the currency code, such as NPR 1500.00, because the PDF font has no ₹ or रू symbol. Long descriptions do not wrap, so keep each one short. The PDF usually has a small grey line at the bottom that says "Generated with FreeToolPoint.com".
• Nothing is saved: no client list, no history and no drafts. If you reload or close the page, the form is empty and a new invoice number appears. Keep the PDF you download.
• No sending, tracking or reminders: you email the PDF yourself and check payments yourself.

There is no signup and no payment. The trade-off is that the tool does one small job. It is a good fit for a few simple invoices. It is the wrong tool if you need a full record of your billing in one place.

2. Wave

Wave offers online invoicing together with simple bookkeeping for small businesses. You create an account. Your clients, invoices and records are saved in it. You can send invoices from Wave, record payments and see what is still unpaid.

Wave has offered its core invoicing for free for years. It makes money from fees on online payments and from paid options. Which features are free has changed over time, and some features, such as online payments, are only offered in some countries. Check Wave's website for what is free where you live.

Wave is worth a look if you want invoicing and basic bookkeeping in one place and you are fine with an online account.

3. Invoice Simple

Invoice Simple is built mainly around its phone app, with a website too. Many people like it because they can make and send an invoice from their phone right after a job. The app guides you through each step.

It is mainly a paid subscription service. What you can do for free, and for how long, may change. Check their website or app store page for the current plans before you start.

Invoice Simple is a good fit if you work on the move, such as trades or mobile services, and are happy to pay for a tool you use every week.

4. Zoho Invoice

Zoho Invoice is part of Zoho's large family of business software. Zoho has offered it as a free product. Check its site for the current terms and any limits.

It has the features you expect from real invoicing software, such as saved clients and items, recurring invoices, payment reminders, a portal where clients can see their invoices, and support for several currencies. The trade-off is that there are many settings. It takes more time to set up than a simple form.

Zoho Invoice is a good fit if you bill many clients, send the same invoice every month, or expect your business to grow.

5. Canva

Canva is a design tool, not invoicing software. It has many invoice templates that you can change to match your brand. If the look of your invoice matters to you, for example if you are a designer or photographer, this is its main strength.

You need an account, and your designs are saved in Canva. In a normal Canva design, the numbers are plain text. So you add up the totals yourself and choose your own invoice numbers. There is no payment tracking. Some templates and design elements are only for paid users.

Canva is a good fit for a small number of branded invoices. Check the maths twice before you send.

Also worth knowing: a spreadsheet template

A spreadsheet program, such as Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc, can work well for invoices. Most offer ready-made invoice templates. A template can hold every field you need, including your address, tax number and bank details. Formulas add up the totals. You choose your own invoice numbers, and each invoice stays as a file you can open later.

The risk is that you type over a formula by mistake and the total goes wrong. Protect the formula cells, or check the total by hand.

When Accounting Software Is the Better Choice

A simple PDF maker like ours is not enough in many cases. Choose invoicing or accounting software if you need any of these:

• Recurring invoices. The same bill every month, sent for you.
• Payment tracking. One list of what is paid, what is due and what is late.
• Automatic reminders. Polite emails to clients who have not paid.
• Online payments. A "Pay now" button for cards or bank transfer, usually for a fee.
• Tax reports. Totals of income and tax for a period, ready for your tax return or your accountant.
• Strict numbering. Some countries expect invoice numbers in an unbroken order. Our tool uses random digits, so it cannot give you that.
• Many clients. Saved client details save a lot of typing.

The Privacy Question

Invoices hold real business data: your clients' names, what you charge them and how much you earn. With invoicing software, this data is stored on the company's servers. Well-known services explain how they protect and use your data in their privacy policies. Read them, the same way you would for any service that holds your money data.

Storing data online also has a real benefit. You get a backup and a full history in one place, even if your laptop breaks.

A tool that keeps nothing cannot leak your data. But it also cannot back it up.

Our tool keeps nothing. The invoice exists only in your browser tab and in the PDF you download. That is private, but it puts the record keeping on you. Save every PDF, and keep a simple list of invoice numbers, clients, amounts and paid dates.

What to Put on Every Invoice

Clients and tax offices look for the same basic items. Check your tool has a field for each one you need:

• Invoice number: unique, so both sides can refer to one bill without mix-ups.
• Issue date and due date: when you sent it and when payment is expected.
• Your details: your name or business name and contact details. In many countries, also your address and tax or business number.
• Client details: the client's name or company, and often their address.
• Line items: each product or service with quantity, price and line total.
• Subtotal, tax and total: so the client can see how you reached the final amount.
• How to pay: bank details, a payment link, or other methods you accept.
• Notes: a purchase order number, a thank-you, or special terms.

Not every tool here has a field for every item. FreeToolPoint's tool has no field for your address, a tax number, payment details or notes. If you need those printed on the invoice, use software or a template that has them.

Practical Invoicing Tips

• Agree the terms before you start. Settle the price, the due date and how you will be paid before the work begins, not when you send the bill.
• Send the invoice soon. Send it when the work is delivered or the milestone is done.
• Keep one list. A spreadsheet with number, client, amount, due date and paid date shows at a glance who owes you money.
• Make paying easy. Give clear payment details, on the invoice or in the email with it.
• Check the currency. Enter prices in the currency you want to be paid in.
• Follow up politely. A friendly reminder a few days after the due date solves most late payments.
• Keep copies. Save every invoice in one folder per year, so they are easy to find at tax time.

Which One Should You Use?

There is no single best free invoice generator. It depends on how you work.

• A few simple invoices, no account wanted: FreeToolPoint is a good fit. Put your payment details in the email.
• Your invoice must show your address, tax number or bank details: use a spreadsheet template or invoicing software. Our tool has no fields for these.
• Regular clients, recurring bills or many invoices a month: use invoicing software such as Zoho Invoice or Wave. Saved clients, payment tracking and reminders will save you time.
• You invoice from your phone: look at a mobile-first app such as Invoice Simple, and check its plans first.
• The look of the invoice matters most: Canva gives you design control. Check the numbers yourself.

Conclusion

The right invoice tool depends on two things. How many invoices do you send? And do you need the tool to keep records and track payments for you?

We built FreeToolPoint's invoice generator for the simple case: a quick invoice, made in your browser, with nothing stored. It does that with a small form and a few clear limits. When you need saved clients, payment tracking, reminders or tax reports, invoicing or accounting software is the better choice.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Invoice and tax rules differ by country, so check your local rules or ask an accountant.