The best invoicing software for your business is the one that can produce the invoices your customers need, handle your actual tax situations and fit how you get paid. A freelancer sending monthly retainers may value recurring invoices; a contractor taking deposits may prioritize payment options. Test the output and the plan you would actually use before choosing.
The comparison below covers invoicing, rather than the whole accounting or income-tax filing workflow. Vendor documentation was checked on October 16, 2026. Features, eligibility, limits and fees can change; the descriptions are starting points, not a guarantee that a particular account can handle every transaction.
Five tools to compare
| Tool | Documented invoice workflow | What to check before choosing |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho Invoice | Configure tax rates and registration information; create recurring invoices with a schedule, tax and payment options. Zoho documents PDF templates and export of recurring profiles in CSV or XLS. Tax setup; recurring invoices; PDF templates. | Useful to test for repeat billing and portable profile data. Check whether the invoice PDF displays both your registration numbers when required, and whether the export contains the historical invoices and payment details you need. The vendor also describes an inactive-account data policy. |
| Square Invoices | Create one-time or recurring invoices, select payment options and request a deposit. Square’s tax settings allow you to create named tax rates. Invoice steps; tax settings. | Worth testing if deposits and a payment workflow matter. Square lists custom invoice fields and milestone payment schedules on its Plus plan; verify that the plan and invoice output show the fields you need. Plan comparison. |
| Wave | Create an invoice with customer, items and sales taxes; its recurring-invoice guide describes scheduled sending and online payments. Invoice and payment information connects to Wave’s accounting feature. Recurring setup; invoicing overview. | Consider it if you want invoices connected with bookkeeping. Wave says recurring sending through Wave requires its Pro plan or accepting online payments through Wave; check current eligibility, payment conditions and your export needs. |
| QuickBooks Online | Create an invoice with customer, line items and payment terms; configure sales tax and check the location of sale. Intuit documents recurring transaction templates for Essentials, Plus and Advanced. Invoice creation; tax on invoices; recurring templates. | Consider it if you also want invoicing within a bookkeeping system. Check the plan: Intuit’s recurring-template instructions are for the named plans, and confirm whether your template creates a draft, a reminder or an automatically sent invoice before enabling the schedule. |
| FreshBooks | Its Canadian invoicing page describes recurring invoices, payment reminders and sales tax on applicable invoices. FreshBooks also documents pre-authorized debit for eligible Canadian businesses and customers using a Canadian bank account. Invoicing; Canadian debit requirements. | Useful to test for regular client billing. Confirm your client limit, chosen plan, processor setup and payment eligibility; test the Canadian tax and document fields for your own invoices. |
A feature in a vendor’s documentation may require a particular subscription, payment processor or configuration. Check current terms and transaction fees directly with the vendor. For example, Zoho describes its Invoice product as free and Square lists a free invoicing plan; a no-subscription plan does not mean online payment processing is free.
Test an invoice before choosing
Create a draft for a typical sale and preview the version your customer would receive. Try a recurring version as well if you bill the same customer regularly.
- Set up the supplier. Enter the business name and contact details, and your actual GST/HST and, if applicable, QST registration numbers. Confirm those details appear on the output where needed. A business number alone is not the complete GST/HST account number.
- Set the tax for the transaction. Identify the type and place of supply first, then choose the applicable tax code or rate. Do not assume the customer’s address alone settles every place-of-supply question, or that an unregistered buyer makes the sale exempt. For example, an ordinary taxable Ontario supply at 13% HST produces $13 HST on a $100 price before tax; the total is $113. Check a Quebec example separately if you charge both GST and QST. CRA: place of supply.
- Preview the actual document. Check the line descriptions, dates, amount, applicable tax details and buyer information described below. If you use a tax-inclusive price, check that the output identifies the tax treatment, rate and amount to which the rate applies where needed for the buyer’s records.
- Test payment and export. Check whether you can record an outside payment, offer your preferred online method and see outstanding balances. Save a sample invoice and export the records you would need if you moved to another system. A recurring-profile export alone is not an archive of all invoices and payment records.
- Review costs and retention. Check plan limits, processor fees, cancellation and inactive-account rules, and keep a usable copy of your records. In particular, Zoho’s Canadian pricing FAQ describes possible deletion after an extended period of inactivity; review the current policy and maintain backups.
Tax setup in an app is not tax registration with the CRA or a provincial authority. You remain responsible for choosing the correct treatment and reviewing the result.
Fields to check for GST/HST and QST records
Seller disclosure rules and the supporting information a business buyer needs to claim an input tax credit (ITC) are related but different. Federal ITC documentation requirements depend on the total paid or payable, including tax; information can be supplied across supporting documents rather than on one invoice alone. The federal rules generally require:
| Total | Supporting information to check |
|---|---|
| Under $100 | Supplier or intermediary name, relevant date and total paid or payable. |
| $100 to less than $500 | The above, plus the supplier’s or intermediary’s GST/HST registration number and prescribed tax information. For a tax-included amount, the rules require an indication that tax is included, the applicable rate and the amount to which that rate applies. |
| $500 or more | The above, plus the buyer’s name or eligible representative’s name, payment terms and a description sufficient to identify the supply. |
See the federal ITC information regulations for the detailed alternatives. A correctly presented invoice does not by itself make an expense eligible for an ITC.
Quebec: Revenu Québec’s supporting-document table requires a description and the applicable QST amount even below $100. From $100, it requires GST and QST registration numbers and tax information; it permits a combined amount for each taxable sale if identified as including both taxes. At $500 or more it also requires the purchaser’s name, payment terms and description for GST. Special invoicing rules can apply in some sectors. Revenu Québec: preparing invoices.
For a field-by-field illustration, see how to show GST/HST on an invoice.
Do you need a full application or a one-off invoice?
If you only need an occasional invoice, a document template or one-off generator may be enough provided you can show the correct tax information and save your own records. Repeated billing, online payments and payment follow-up make a reusable account more useful. A generator does not automatically register your business or determine whether a sale is taxable, zero-rated or exempt.
Before committing to an application, compare the actual client-facing invoice and the records you can take with you. Then choose the product and plan that support your own volume, payment methods and tax situations.
Sources checked October 16, 2026: the CRA, Department of Justice Canada, Revenu Québec and the vendor documentation linked above.