Best Free Invoice Generators in 2026: 8 Tools Compared (Including Ours)
CedarBill, Invoice-Generator.com, Invoice Simple, Zoho Invoice, Wave, Square, PayPal and Invoice Ninja compared on price, sign-up, limits and payments. Every fact checked on the official site on November 3, 2026.
Disclosure: CedarBill is our product. It is in this list, and so are the places where it falls short. We don't earn a commission from any tool below.
Key takeaways
- Need a PDF invoice now, with no account? CedarBill and Invoice-Generator.com are both free, with no sign-up and no invoice limit.
- Want clients to pay by card from the invoice? Square, PayPal and Wave charge nothing to send an invoice and take a fee when it's paid.
- Need recurring invoices for $0? Zoho Invoice (up to 500 invoices a year) and Square Free both include them; you'll need an account.
- Invoice Simple is built around its mobile app: the web generator gives you 2 free documents, then plans start at $6.99 a month.
- Invoice Ninja has a free plan for up to 5 clients and a self-hosting option.
How we compared
We read each tool's official pricing or product page on November 3, 2026 and only list what those pages state. Prices are the US-dollar prices shown to a US visitor. We did not buy paid plans. Where a page didn't say something, the table says "not stated" rather than guessing.
The comparison at a glance
| Tool | Free option | Account to start | Paid plans | Card payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CedarBill | Unlimited invoices, receipts, quotes and estimates | No | None | No |
| Invoice-Generator.com | "Unlimited invoices for free" | No (optional free account) | Not stated | "Accept payments online" (details not stated) |
| Invoice Simple | 2 free documents, 14-day trial | Not for the first 2 documents | $6.99–$21.99/mo | Yes, on paid plans |
| Zoho Invoice | $0 plan, up to 500 invoices/year | Yes | Zoho Billing (separate product) | Yes |
| Wave | Starter $0, unlimited invoices | Yes | Pro $19/mo | 2.9% + $0.60 (Starter) |
| Square Invoices | Square Free $0/mo | Yes | Plus $49/mo, Premium $149/mo | 3.3% + 30¢ online (Free plan) |
| PayPal Invoicing | Included with a PayPal account | Yes | — | 2.99% + $0.49 (cards) |
| Invoice Ninja | Free plan, 5 clients | Yes | Pro $14/mo, Enterprise from $18/mo | Not stated on pricing page |
The tools, one by one
1. CedarBill — free PDF, Word and Excel invoices, no account
CedarBill is a browser-based invoice generator: fill in the invoice, download a PDF. The advanced editor switches between invoice, receipt, quote and estimate, offers five layouts with color themes, 17 currencies, tax or VAT, discounts and your logo, and exports Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx) as well as PDF. There's no sign-up, no watermark and no paid plan. It also has free salary, 1099 tax and net-terms calculators.
Where it falls short:
- It can't email an invoice, take a card payment, send reminders or repeat an invoice every month. You send the file yourself.
- It keeps only your current draft, in your own browser. There's no invoice history or client list, and clearing your browser data removes the draft.
- Four document types. Invoice-Generator.com covers twelve.
- No phone app (the site works in a mobile browser), and it's a small independent project without the long track record of the older tools here.
2. Invoice-Generator.com — the long-running free generator
Its homepage calls it "the original free invoice maker" and says it is trusted by over 4 million businesses (the site's own figure). The FAQ answers "Is this invoice generator free?" with: "Yes. Create and download invoice PDFs for free with no signup required." It adds logo, currency, tax, shipping and discount fields, and separate generators for receipts, quotes, estimates, credit notes, purchase orders, sales orders, proforma invoices, timesheets, work orders, account statements and packing slips. A free account is optional ("Gain access to more features").
Good fit: a quick PDF invoice, or an unusual document type such as a packing slip. Less clear from the site: how online payments work and what they cost.
3. Invoice Simple — app-first invoicing with a small free allowance
Invoice Simple's web generator shows "You can create 2 free documents. Subscribe now to create and send more." Its pricing page lists Essentials at $6.99/month (up to 3 invoices a month), Plus at $14.99/month (up to 10) and Premium at $21.99/month (unlimited), with a 14-day free trial. It says invoices are "always 100% unbranded" with or without an account, and it can email invoices and notify you when the client views one.
Good fit: tradespeople who invoice from a phone and want read receipts and online payments. Trade-off: beyond two documents it's a subscription, and the cheaper tiers cap invoices per month.
4. Zoho Invoice — a $0 plan with recurring invoices and apps
Zoho calls its plan a "forever-free invoicing solution" at $0. The pricing page lists up to two users, three projects and up to 500 invoices a year, with recurring invoices, online payment options and iOS and Android apps.
Good fit: a small business that wants recurring invoices, a client list and payment tracking without paying. Trade-off: you need an account, and 500 invoices a year is the ceiling on the free plan.
5. Wave — free invoicing tied to accounting
Wave's Starter plan is $0 with "unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records". Card payments on Starter cost 2.9% + $0.60 (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex). Pro is $19/month or $190/year. Prices are listed in US and Canadian dollars.
Good fit: freelancers who want invoicing and bookkeeping in one place. Trade-off: an account is required, and the per-payment fixed fee is higher on the free plan.
6. Square Invoices — invoices inside the Square payments system
Square's invoice pricing page lists Square Free at $0/month per location, with invoices, recurring invoices, estimates and contracts. Online card payments on that plan cost 3.3% + 30¢; Square Plus ($49/month) lowers that to 2.9% + 30¢ and adds a $10 cap on ACH bank transfers.
Good fit: businesses already taking payments with Square. Trade-off: it's an account-based payments product, not a quick document maker.
7. PayPal Invoicing — fee only when you're paid
PayPal says "Creating and sending invoices is included with your account." When an invoice is paid, cards and Apple Pay cost 2.99% + $0.49, PayPal and Venmo 3.49% + $0.49, and Pay by Bank (ACH) 1% capped at $10.
Good fit: clients who already pay with PayPal. Trade-off: fees on every paid invoice, and you need a PayPal account.
8. Invoice Ninja — free for a few clients, with a self-hosting option
Invoice Ninja's free plan is "Forever free" for 5 clients with unlimited invoicing. Removing the "Created by Invoice Ninja" branding is a Pro feature; Pro is $14/month or $140/year. The pricing page links to a GitHub repository and to self-hosting instructions.
Good fit: people who want to run their own invoicing server, or who bill only a handful of clients. Trade-off: branding on the free plan and an account to sign up for.
Which one should you use?
- One invoice today, no account: CedarBill or Invoice-Generator.com.
- You need an editable Word or Excel file: CedarBill.
- A packing slip, purchase order or timesheet: Invoice-Generator.com.
- Card payments from the invoice: Square, PayPal or Wave — compare the per-payment fees above against your typical invoice size.
- Recurring invoices for $0: Zoho Invoice or Square Free.
- Invoicing from your phone on job sites: Invoice Simple (paid) or the Zoho and Wave apps.
- Self-hosting: Invoice Ninja.
If you only need the document, start with the free invoice generator — there's nothing to sign up for, so you lose nothing by trying it first.
Sources (checked November 3, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free invoice generator?
It depends on what you need after the PDF. For a one-off invoice with no account, CedarBill and Invoice-Generator.com are free with no sign-up and no invoice limit. If clients should pay by card from the invoice, Square, PayPal and Wave let you send invoices free and charge a fee per payment. For recurring invoices on a $0 plan, Zoho Invoice allows up to 500 invoices a year.
Is there a free invoice generator with no sign-up?
Yes. CedarBill and Invoice-Generator.com both let you create and download invoice PDFs without an account and without an invoice limit. Invoice Simple's web generator lets you create 2 free documents before asking you to subscribe.
Which free invoice generator has no watermark?
CedarBill adds no watermark or logo. Invoice Simple says its invoices are 100% unbranded whether or not you have an account. Invoice Ninja's free plan keeps Invoice Ninja branding; removing it is part of the paid Pro plan.
Can I accept card payments with a free invoice generator?
Not with CedarBill or another PDF-only generator — you send the file and get paid separately. Square (3.3% + 30¢ per online card payment on Square Free), PayPal (2.99% + $0.49 for cards) and Wave (2.9% + $0.60 on the free Starter plan) let you send invoices at no monthly cost and charge per payment.
Is CedarBill better than Invoice-Generator.com?
Not across the board. CedarBill adds Word and Excel export, five layouts and free pay and tax calculators. Invoice-Generator.com covers more document types (twelve, including purchase orders and packing slips), offers an optional free account, and mentions online payments. For a quick PDF invoice, both work.
How often is this comparison checked?
Each tool's facts were checked on its official pricing or product page on November 3, 2026. We re-check every quarter and update the date at the top; prices and fees change, so confirm on the linked page before you sign up.