Best Invoicing Software for Australian Businesses in 2024

Five things to look out for when finding the best invoice software for your business. 

1. Item libraries, customisation, & time-saving features. 

A good place to start when comparing invoice solutions is to look at the features that are going to help you build your online invoices. This is where you’ll be spending most of your time interacting with the software, so it’s important that it has all the features you need. 

At the very minimum, the software should allow you to upload or create a library of items that you can select and add to your invoices. Not only does this make invoice creation a breeze, but having pre-saved items means spelling, formatting, pricing and GST are kept consistent: keeping your invoices tidy and professional, and avoiding potentially costly errors for your business. Plus, having a ‘recently used items’ list makes invoicing for frequently sold products or services even quicker.

Being able to customise your invoices with different colours and layouts is another key consideration. Having a recognisable logo, colour scheme, and font on your invoice will help your customers associate your company with a professional image, improving brand perception and trust. Zeller Invoice’s smart invoice creator even gives you a live preview as you work, so you can easily play around with the design to find something that suits your business. 

Other important time-saving features to consider are the ability to duplicate invoices – (particularly helpful if you have recurring jobs), the ability to add discounts (great if you regularly run promotions or offer payment incentives to clients), and the ability to automatically set due dates by setting the payment terms on your invoice. Small-but-mighty features, that, when used together will ensure you generate accurate invoices, at speed. 

2. Custom messages, scheduling, SMS sends & reminders. 

Next, you need to consider the features that will help you share your invoice with your customers. How easily and quickly you can get your invoice in front of your clients will have an impact on how fast they pay you, so to ensure a healthy cash flow, there is some basic functionality that your invoicing software should provide. 

Firstly, you should be able to add multiple email addresses in CC or BCC when sending your invoice, and you should be able to include a custom message. These may sound like minor details, but they’re deal breakers when it comes to managing relationships with your customers. 

The very best invoicing software will also allow you to schedule an invoice to send in the future. This nifty feature – currently only offered by Zeller Invoices and Square – will revolutionise how you manage your workflow. Rather than waiting until the end of the month to send out all your invoices, you can prepare them as jobs come in, and have them sent out automatically at a date of your choosing. 

Being able to send invoices as an SMS is an additional feature that will help you get paid faster. It ensures your invoices don’t get lost in your customer’s email inbox, instead putting them where they can easily access them: in a text message. Note that Zeller Invoices is one of the few invoicing providers to currently offer this unique functionality. 

Another valuable feature to look out for is the ability to send reminders out to your customers. Some platforms will offer either manual or automated reminders, but the best invoicing software will support both. Zeller Invoices lets you choose how many, and when you want automated reminders to be sent. You can choose to send reminders several days before the due date, on the due date, and once a payment is overdue. This is another time-saving tool that ensures unpaid invoices don’t get forgotten, and saves you the hassle of personally having to follow up each outstanding payment. 

3. Card payment options & fast invoice settlements.

One of the biggest advantages offered by the best online invoicing platforms is the ability for your customers to pay your invoices with their credit or debit card via a secure online payment link. As opposed to bank transfers, this payment option is typically processed in real-time (or with minimal delay), ensuring a faster and more convenient payment experience for your customer. Giving your clients more ways to pay therefore not only speeds up the payment process, but it also positions your business as one that is flexible and easy to work with. Plus, when coupled with the SMS function mentioned above, your customers can pay from the convenience of their smartphone in just a few clicks. And convenience for them, means faster payments for you. 

Another important factor to consider is settlement time. This is the time it takes for payments made online using a credit or debit card to be settled into your nominated account. The best online invoice providers such as Zeller, will settle funds into your account the following business day, whereas others may take up to 5 business days. The beauty with Zeller is that when you sign up, you automatically receive a free Transaction Account and Debit Card. If you settle your funds into your Zeller Transaction Account, you can receive your money at the end of the very same business day, and start spending it the next day with your Zeller Debit Card – a game changer for cash flow management. 

4. Reporting & admin features.

The functionality of an online invoicing system doesn’t stop once the invoice has been sent; the best solutions will also give you the ability to track and report on the payment status of your invoices. All good providers will let you mark payments as paid manually or automatically if they have been processed through the platform. For example, when an invoice is paid via Zeller Invoices’ secure online payment link, it is automatically marked as paid, and appears in your transaction list on your dashboard. 

The best invoice software for small businesses – including Zeller Invoices, Stripe, and Paypal – will also let you add notes to your dashboard for you to reference later. Whether you’re sending one of a multi-part invoice or need to add specific details about a discount or an extended payment window, annexing notes to your invoices can help you stay organised and prevent internal confusion. 

For even more visibility, Zeller Invoices, Square, PayPal and MYOB also have a timeline feature that lets you view all the activity that has happened with any given invoice, including updates, when and how it was sent and resent, any sent or scheduled reminders, and the due date. Having a clear and concise overview of what was sent when can help prevent potential disputes or misunderstandings, while also helping you stay on top of your business cash flow. 

5. Transaction & subscription fees.

Once you’ve weighed up what features are important to you and your business, your decision will come down to cost. The pricing structure for most invoicing providers will be made up of three different costs, and different providers may charge some or all of these to you:

1. An invoice send fee: taken as percentage of the invoice total.
2. An online card payment processing fee: taken as a percentage of the invoice total, when a customer pays the invoice with their credit or debit card.
3. A monthly subscription fee to use the invoicing software.

There isn’t any entirely free online invoicing software that supports all of the above capabilities, however, there are a few great options, including Zeller Invoices, that don’t have any monthly subscription or invoice send fees — and also allow you to send an unlimited number of invoices per month. 

The great thing about Zeller? When you sign up, you don’t just get powerful invoicing – you also get an integrated suite of financial tools (including EFTPOS, Business Accounts, Debit Cards and more) to help you grow your business. 

How easy is it to switch to Zeller Invoices?

If you are switching from another invoicing provider or using a basic free to use online invoice generator, starting with Zeller couldn’t be easier. Export your items list and import it directly into Zeller’s Item Management system. It will save you from manually entering the data and ensuring nothing gets missed!