Billdu vs Zoho Invoice (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Zoho Invoice: it is third in our ranking of accounting and invoicing tools, and it grades higher too, 3.6 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zoho Invoice grades higher on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Billdu
Invoice maker for freelancers and small businesses
Zoho Invoice
Free invoicing app from Zoho for freelancers and small businesses
Which one is for you
Pick Billdu if
- Fits if you invoice a few clients and want expenses in the same app
- Works for people who want to try it free for a week with no card
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 10 clients on Lite, or more than 50 on Standard
- Skip it if you need estimates or payment reminders on the cheapest plan: both start on Standard
- Watch out: the Xero connection and the API are Premium only
- Watch out: the prices on the page are the average monthly price of a yearly plan, and monthly billing costs $7.99 and up
Pick Zoho Invoice if
- Fits if you're a freelancer sending fewer than 500 invoices a year
- Works for teams already on Zoho CRM or Zoho Books
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for keeping the books, as it's invoicing only and hands that job to Zoho Books or QuickBooks
- Tight if you track time on more than 3 projects or need more than 2 users, since those are the caps
- Not for you if you only invoice now and then, as an account idle for 180 days gets deleted
- Tight if you send more than 500 invoices a year, as there's no paid plan to move up to
- Watch out: every invoice carries Powered by Zoho Invoice, and Zoho points larger needs to Zoho Billing
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABillduFair | 3.6GPAZoho InvoiceExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$4.99 a month on yearly billing is inside the category's cheapest quarter, but Lite is capped at 10 clients. Estimates and reminders need Standard at $9.99. | AIt's free, and it covers quotes, recurring invoices, reminders, a customer portal, expenses and time tracking. There's no paid plan at all, where paid plans in this category start around $15 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day free trial with all features and no card. There is no free plan. | AEverything is free, with nothing held back for a paid tier. The caps are 2 users, 2 organizations, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year, and every invoice says Powered by Zoho Invoice. |
| Features | CInvoices, estimates, reminders, expenses and recurring invoices. A smaller job than accounting: invoicing and expense tracking, with the Xero link and API on the dearest plan. | CQuotes, one-off and recurring invoices, reminders, online payments through several gateways, expenses, time on projects and reports. It does invoicing fully, but that's a smaller job than accounting: it hands off to Zoho Books or QuickBooks for the books. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you build your templates and client list first. | A4.86 from 14,879 App Store ratings, the top band. Making and sending an invoice is the whole job here, so there isn't much to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iPhone, iPad and Android apps, with Xero and an API on Premium. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, with Zoho Payments, PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, Zoho CRM, HubSpot, Slack and QuickBooks. That's every device type plus a list of connections. |
| Best for | freelancers who need invoices and basic expense tracking | free invoicing on every device |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Billdu and Zoho Invoice. How we grade
Price against what you get
Billdu starts at $4.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoho Invoice has no paid plan and scores 3.3.
Zoho Invoice scores higher and starts $4.99 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 7 score higher than Billdu for less, and none scores higher than Zoho Invoice for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Billdu also covers quotes and estimates.
- Zoho Invoice also covers time tracking.
At a glance
| Billdu | Zoho Invoice | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month, billed annually ($7.99 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | None | Free for every business: up to 2 users, 2 organizations, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year, with Powered by Zoho Invoice branding. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with all features, no card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Billdu Ltd | Zoho |
| Price read from | billdu.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Billdu
- Lite is capped at 10 clients and Standard at 50; only Premium has unlimited clients.
- Estimates, quotes and payment reminders need Standard or higher.
- The Xero connection is listed only on Premium, and the API is Premium-only.
- Displayed prices are the average monthly price of an annual plan; the page says USD and EUR prices are the same.
Zoho Invoice
- The free account allows 2 users, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year, and invoices carry Powered by Zoho Invoice branding.
- It is invoicing, not full accounting: it connects to Zoho Books or QuickBooks for the books, and Zoho points larger needs to Zoho Billing.
- Data of an account left inactive for more than 180 days is deleted within the following 20 days, after a warning.
Key features
Billdu
- Invoices and estimates
- Create invoices on every plan; estimates, quotes and delivery notes start on Standard.
- Payment reminders and receipts
- Standard and Premium send payment reminders and receipts so unpaid invoices are chased from the app.
- Expense tracking
- Unlimited expenses on every plan, with a barcode scanner; recurring expenses are on Premium.
- Recurring invoices
- Premium can bill the same client on a schedule without recreating the invoice.
- Accountant and team access
- Team members, accountants included, count toward the plan's limit of 1, 2 or 10.
- E-invoicing by country
- The site lists e-invoicing pages for Spain (VeriFactu), Belgium (Peppol) and Slovakia (eFaktúra).
Zoho Invoice
- Quotes and invoices
- Create quotes, turn them into invoices, and send invoices by email or as PDFs from customizable templates.
- Recurring invoices and reminders
- Schedule invoices that repeat and send automatic payment reminders to customers who have not paid.
- Online payments
- Connect Zoho Payments, PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net and other gateways so customers can pay invoices online.
- Expenses, time and projects
- Record and categorize expenses, log time and bill it to projects, up to three projects on the free account.
- Customer portal and reports
- Customers view and pay their invoices in a self-service portal, and reports cover sales, receivables and expenses.
Plans
Billdu
Lite$4.99
per month, billed annually ($7.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited invoices and expenses for 10 clients and 1 user, with invoice status tracking and client signatures.
Standard$9.99
per month, billed annually ($14.99 billed monthly)
Adds estimates and quotes, delivery notes, payment reminders and receipts; 50 clients and up to 2 team members.
Premium$19.99
per month, billed annually ($27.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited clients, up to 10 team members, recurring invoices and expenses, API access and priority support.
Zoho Invoice
Free$0
Quotes, invoices, recurring invoices, reminders, expenses, time tracking, a customer portal and reports, within the caps on users, projects and invoices.
Ways to pay less
Billdu
- Annual discount
Save up to 30% with an annual plan
Billdu says annual billing saves up to 30% against paying month to month.
Zoho Invoice
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Billdu or Zoho Invoice?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zoho Invoice is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4.99 a month for Billdu. Billdu starts at $4.99 per month, billed annually ($7.99 billed monthly), and Zoho Invoice is free.
Which has a free plan, Billdu or Zoho Invoice?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Zoho Invoice has a free plan. Billdu does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Billdu and Zoho Invoice run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Zoho Invoice lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.