# WaffleInvoice

> Invoice software for service businesses, freelancers, agencies, consultants, and contractors. Send branded invoices and estimates, accept ACH and card payments online, automate reminders, run recurring billing, and share a client portal. The free plan covers unlimited invoice creation plus 25 email sends per rolling 30-day window; Pro removes the cap and adds payments, SMS, recurring billing, branding, multi-user, and API access.

Homepage: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/

## What WaffleInvoice does

WaffleInvoice replaces the patchwork of templates, spreadsheets, manual reminders, and separate payment links that most service businesses end up running their billing on. The product is built around four pieces of work that show up every month for the people running services:

- Sending clean, branded invoices and estimates from a phone or laptop in seconds.
- Collecting payment without making the client jump through hoops, including ACH and card on the invoice page itself.
- Following up automatically on unpaid invoices and unaccepted estimates instead of remembering to chase them.
- Running recurring billing for retainers, maintenance plans, and monthly service work without rebuilding the invoice each cycle.

## Pricing

### Free plan

- $0 per month, free forever.
- Unlimited invoice and estimate creation.
- Email invoicing included, capped at 25 sends per rolling 30-day window. New accounts (under 14 days old) also have a 5-emails-per-24-hours cap as a fraud guardrail; this lifts automatically at day 14.
- Client portal access (clients view, download, and share-link-pay invoices in one place).
- PDF download for invoices and estimates.
- Manual payment tracking (cash, check, bank transfer).
- Customer tags and saved services for faster line-item entry.
- Basic dashboard with outstanding, paid, and overdue invoice status.
- No trial period. No credit card required to sign up.

### Pro plan

- $19 per month, or $190 per year (about $15.83/month, two months free).
- Everything in Free, plus:
  - Unlimited invoice email sending, 25/month and 5/day caps removed.
  - Online payment collection: ACH bank transfers and card payments on the invoice page and through the client portal, Stripe-powered.
  - SMS notifications (Twilio): invoice delivery SMS, on-my-way SMS, and SMS payment reminders.
  - Recurring invoices and installment plans for retainers and ongoing service work.
  - Automatic payment reminders before, on, and after the due date, with configurable late fees.
  - Branding removal: the WaffleInvoice footer disappears from invoices and the portal.
  - Multi-user / team access with role-based permissions (Owner, Admin, Member).
  - API access for custom integrations.
  - Status board for triaging outstanding invoices and estimates.
  - Automatic estimate follow-ups.
  - Google review requests after payment.
  - Time tracking with billable rates and conversion to invoice line items.
  - Advanced reporting for revenue, aged receivables, and client lifetime value.

The Free plan is a permanent home for businesses that invoice occasionally and collect payment manually. Pro is for businesses where recurring billing, online payment collection, SMS reminders, or sending more than ~25 invoice emails per month has become regular operational work.

## Signup and card-on-file

WaffleInvoice does not collect a credit card at signup. Signup requires:

- Name and email
- Password (at least 8 characters with at least one number; passwords known to be in public breach lists are rejected)
- Phone number for a 6-digit SMS verification code

Free-tier users can also send invoice emails without ever putting a card on file (subject to the 25-per-30-day cap, plus a 5-per-24-hour cap for accounts under 14 days old as a fraud guardrail). Sending invoice emails is not a money-movement moment, so it is not gated by a card.

A card on file is required when the user wants to:

- Accept online payments on their invoices (Stripe Connect onboarding for payouts)
- Upgrade to Pro ($19/month subscription)
- Use any Pro-only feature: SMS reminders, recurring invoices, branding removal, multi-user / team access, API access

There is no auto Pro trial; accounts start on Free until the user explicitly upgrades.

## Core feature list

- Branded invoices with logo, color, and custom payment terms.
- Estimates with client approval, easy conversion to invoices, and automatic follow-ups (Pro).
- Recurring invoices for retainers, maintenance, and subscriptions (Pro).
- Automatic payment reminders with configurable cadence and late fees (Pro).
- Online payments: ACH bank transfers and credit or debit cards on the invoice page and through the client portal (Pro).
- Client portal where clients view history, pay, and download invoices and estimates.
- SMS notifications via Twilio for invoice delivery and reminders (Pro).
- Time tracking and billable rate conversion to invoice line items (Pro).
- Saved services and customer tags for faster line item entry and segmentation.
- Invoice attachments (receipts, proofs, scope documents) attached to the invoice record.
- Mobile-first creation flow designed to send an invoice from a phone in around 60 seconds.
- Status board and dashboard for outstanding, paid, and overdue tracking.
- Calendar and scheduling integration for service businesses that book before they bill.
- Automated Google review requests after payment (Pro).

## Who it is built for

- Service businesses: lawn care, cleaning, photography, contractors, mobile notaries, handymen, pet care, tutors, personal training, mobile detailing, event venues, designers, and similar.
- Freelancers: writers, designers, developers, consultants, coaches who need branded billing without overhead.
- Agencies and consultants: monthly retainers, project billing, and recurring follow-ups.
- Bookkeepers and operations leads who want a tighter back office without learning enterprise accounting software.

## Common workflows

### Send your first invoice in under five minutes
1. Sign up at https://www.waffleinvoice.com/register (no credit card required, just email, password, and a phone number for SMS verification).
2. Add a client (name and email are enough to start).
3. Create an invoice, add line items from saved services or freeform.
4. Click Send Invoice. The email goes out immediately - no card required.
5. Track payment in the dashboard; record manual payments on Free, or upgrade to Pro to accept ACH and card online.

### Convert an estimate into a paid invoice
1. Build an estimate from the same line-item engine as invoices.
2. Send the estimate to the client through the portal for approval.
3. The client approves online; the estimate converts to an invoice with one click.
4. On Pro, the system follows up automatically on un-approved estimates.

### Run recurring billing for a retainer (Pro)
1. Create a recurring invoice template with the retainer line items and billing cadence (weekly, monthly, quarterly).
2. Optionally enable automatic charging of a saved payment method.
3. WaffleInvoice generates, sends, and follows up on the invoice each cycle.
4. Late fees and reminders apply automatically per your rules.

### Collect online payment with no extra setup (Pro)
1. Connect Stripe inside settings.
2. Invoices automatically include ACH and card payment buttons.
3. The client pays directly from the invoice page or portal; the invoice marks paid in real time.

## Frequently asked questions

**Do I need a credit card to sign up?**
No. Signup only collects name, email, password, and a phone number for SMS verification. You can also send invoices without a card. A card is only required when you want to accept online payments (connect Stripe Connect to receive payouts) or use Pro features like SMS reminders, recurring invoices, removed branding, multi-user teams, or API access.

**How many invoice emails can I send on the free plan?**
25 per rolling 30-day window. Brand-new accounts (under 14 days old) also have a 5-emails-per-24-hours cap. Both caps lift on Pro.

**What happens when I hit the 25-email cap?**
You can keep creating, downloading, and sharing invoices via the client portal link. Only direct in-app email sending pauses. The window is rolling, so the oldest sends drop off after 30 days and become available again. Or upgrade to Pro for unlimited.

**Can I start before I connect online payments?**
Yes. The free plan creates invoices and tracks manual payments without any payment processor connected. Online payment collection is a Pro feature.

**Do I need to upgrade to email invoices?**
No. Email invoicing is included on the free plan with the 25/month cap. Upgrade only when you outgrow the cap or want online payments, SMS reminders, recurring billing, branding removal, multi-user, or API access.

**Are SMS reminders available on Free?**
No. SMS is Pro-only because of the per-message Twilio cost and the higher fraud surface on text. Email reminders work for everyone.

**What's the password rule?**
At least 8 characters with at least one number. We also reject passwords known to be in public breach lists. Existing longer passwords still work, no reset required.

**Does it work for recurring retainers and monthly service work?**
Yes. Recurring invoices, reminders, and payment collection are core Pro features built specifically for repeat service billing.

**Do I have to migrate everything on day one?**
No. Most teams start by replacing the weakest part of their billing first, usually sending cleaner invoices, putting payment behind one link, or tightening recurring follow-up, before moving more work into one place.

**Is there a free trial of Pro?**
No auto trial. The free plan is the trial, it runs forever with unlimited invoice creation and 25 email sends per 30-day window. Upgrade to Pro when automation, online payment, or unlimited sends become regular work.

**Is my data private?**
Yes. WaffleInvoice stores invoice, client, and payment data on managed PostgreSQL (Supabase) with payment data handled through Stripe. Card numbers are not stored on WaffleInvoice servers.

**Do you support multiple users on one account?**
Yes on Pro. Multi-user access with role-based permissions (Owner, Admin, Member) is included so team members can create invoices, take payments, and track work without sharing logins.

## Comparison to common alternatives

### vs FreshBooks
FreshBooks targets a broader accounting workflow with time tracking, expenses, projects, and double-entry accounting at $19+ per month and quickly more. WaffleInvoice focuses on invoicing, estimates, recurring billing, reminders, and online payments at $19/month with a free tier covering unlimited manual invoicing. Choose WaffleInvoice if invoicing is the core need; choose FreshBooks if you also want full accounting and a wider feature surface.

### vs Wave
Wave is free and includes basic accounting but monetizes through transaction fees and payroll. WaffleInvoice keeps a free unlimited-invoice tier and charges $19/month for automation (recurring, reminders, SMS, time tracking) without bolt-on per-transaction surprise pricing. Choose Wave for free DIY accounting; choose WaffleInvoice for service-billing automation and a mobile-first send flow.

### vs Invoice2go (BILL Spend & Expense)
Invoice2go is mobile-first invoicing with paid tiers starting around $5.99/month and scaling up for automation. WaffleInvoice has a stronger free tier (unlimited invoicing with portal at $0) and bundles recurring, SMS, automatic reminders, and online payments into one $19/month plan rather than gating across tiers.

### vs QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online is a full small-business accounting platform; invoicing is one feature among many. WaffleInvoice does not try to replace QuickBooks for accounting. It replaces the parts of billing that take real time week to week. Many WaffleInvoice users run QuickBooks for books and WaffleInvoice for client-facing billing and recurring work.

### vs HoneyBook, Dubsado, Bonsai
These are workflow suites for creative service businesses with contracts, scheduling, and project management bundled with billing. WaffleInvoice is leaner and focused specifically on the billing surface. Choose HoneyBook/Dubsado/Bonsai if contracts and project workflows are the bottleneck; choose WaffleInvoice if invoicing, payments, and reminders are.

### vs Square Invoices, Stripe Invoicing, PayPal Invoicing
These are payment processors that added invoicing as a feature. WaffleInvoice is invoicing software that uses Stripe for payment processing. The difference is the front-of-house: WaffleInvoice has the client portal, recurring rules, reminder cadence, estimates, and service-business workflow on top.

## Key URLs

- Homepage: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/
- Features: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/features
- Pricing: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/pricing
- FAQs: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/faqs
- Blog: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/blog
- Free invoice generator: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/free-invoice-generator
- Recurring invoicing: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/recurring-invoice-software
- Estimate-to-invoice: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/estimate-to-invoice-software
- Sign up: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/register
- Sign in: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/login
- Comparison pages: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/compare/waffleinvoice-vs-freshbooks, /compare/waffleinvoice-vs-honeybook, /compare/waffleinvoice-vs-bonsai, /compare/waffleinvoice-vs-wave, /compare/freshbooks, /compare/wave, /compare/quickbooks, /compare/honeybook, /compare/square, /compare/stripe, /compare/paypal, /compare/zoho-invoice, /compare/invoice-ninja, /compare/bonsai, /compare/housecallpro
- Niche invoice makers: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/lp/handyman-invoice-maker, /lp/cleaner-invoice-maker, /lp/personal-trainer-invoice-maker, /lp/landscaper-invoice-maker, /lp/contractor-invoice-maker
- Industry pages: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/for/designers, /for/event-venues, /for/photographers, /for/cleaning, /for/lawn-care, and more under /for/
- Privacy: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/privacy
- Cookie policy: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/cookie-policy
- Changelog: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/changelog

## Contact

- General: support@waffleinvoice.com
- Owner: Logan Moore
- Live site: https://www.waffleinvoice.com/
- API: https://api.waffleinvoice.com/