The first invoice a studio sends is usually a Word document with the VAT line missing. The second is from an app, because the first one was paid late, and the free tiers of Invoice Simple, Wave and Zoho Invoice each ration the job differently once a studio is sending more than a handful a month. The choice usually comes down to how many clients are being billed and whether a full bookkeeping ledger is wanted alongside the invoice itself.
Three points where a studio outgrows a free plan
- Passing Invoice Simple's three-invoices-a-month limit once membership billing starts.
- Needing more than Zoho Invoice's five clients once corporate accounts are added.
- Wanting reminders sent automatically without moving to a paid bookkeeping app.
The free options compared
| App | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice Simple | 3 invoices a month | A few invoices sent from a phone |
| Wave | Unlimited invoices plus a bookkeeping ledger | A free ledger, though it does not file UK Making Tax Digital returns |
| Zoho Invoice | Free up to 5 clients, 500 invoices a year | Freelancers with a handful of regular clients |
| Jobbit | Free plan credits, no invoice count | The invoice, the covering email and the chase from one message |
A salon example
Orchid Beauty Studio ran through Invoice Simple's three-invoice free cap within the first fortnight of launching a monthly membership scheme, and Zoho Invoice's five-client limit did not stretch far enough once corporate wellness-day accounts were added on top of regular members. Moving billing to a tool with no invoice count and no client cap let the studio keep sending numbered invoices without watching a counter reset each month, and without paying for a bookkeeping package it did not otherwise need.
Our pick and why
Zoho Invoice remains the strongest genuinely free plan for a freelancer with a handful of clients, and Wave suits a studio that also wants a bookkeeping ledger. For a growing client list with no natural ceiling, Jobbit's invoice generator is the pick: numbered PDFs, VAT and payment terms handled, with no monthly count to bump into. Jobbit is not a bookkeeping package, so an accountant using Xero or FreshBooks still has a role, and the full six-point comparison covers all five apps in detail.
