Client Billing Solutions

The details of client billing is one of those things that tends to be an after thought. Sure, you know you want to bill your clients, and you know when, but after overlooked is how. This leads to tacky email invoices and simple PayPal money requests (ugh) for those working purely online.

Invoicing your client in a very professional and simple manner is an effective way to instill confidence and build loyalty. Here are a few apps that can help you bill more effectively.

FreshBooks.com

FreshBooks offers six plans ranging from gratis to $149 per month. All plans above the free (trial) plan offer the same features, but as the cost goes up so does the usefulness of each features.

For $14 per month you can send an unlimited amount of invoices, manage 25 active clients, and allow one person staff access. Emails are unbranded and can be slightly customized by adding your logo. Time sheets, document sharing and support ticketing is also included. One unique option with FreshBooks is the ability to send an invoice via snail mail, very handy for those bigger accounts.

simplybill.com

Simply bill has just three plans, free, enhanced ($15), and premium ($25). Again, the features are the same, but less limited as the price increases.

The $15 plan includes unlimited quotes, unlimited clients, and 100 invoices per month. Some of the spiffier features are RSS subscription and a time tracking widget for project management. You can also setup recurring invoices, and customize your invoice template colors and layout.

BlinkSale

Blinksale also has a free plan along side three others starting at $12 and ending at $49.

With the $12 plan you may send 50 invoices every month. Clients are unlimited as are the number of staff who can manage your billing. Invoices are customizable via css. The only thing lacking from the $12 plan that the higher ups include is the ability to generate a PDF from your invoice. You can also import data from BaseCamp.

The Winner?

FreshBooks is feature packed and in many areas more well rounded than the other two… it;s much more useful than simplybill, and features time advanced time tracking and management lacking in BlinkSale. That being said though, it’s a little too much. I think an app should do what it’s best at, and not try to be everything to everyone which is FreshBooks only real short coming.

simplybill is ok, but it’s week on features. Create an invoice, send it, and payment via paypal. With such a lackluster feature set you may as well just send a PayPal request. RSS and time tracking are nice but it just doesn’t cut it.

For my money BlinkSale is the real winner. It is fully featured without being overwlehming, it’s a simple matter to send an invoice, and did I mention BaseCamp data-fetching? While I really would like to see activeCollab supported along side BaseCamp, this is a killer feature that makes it the clear winer.