Hiveage 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 2.2.
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.
Hiveage
Online invoicing with estimates, time tracking and payments
Zoho Invoice
Free invoicing app from Zoho for freelancers and small businesses
Which one is for you
Pick Hiveage if
- Fits if you bill fewer than 5 clients and want invoices without a subscription
- Works for freelancers who want an invoice, a timer and a payment link
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 5 clients, as the free plan stops there
- Not for you if you need bookkeeping, since there is no general ledger
- Watch out: financial reports start on Basic, team members on Pro and the API on Plus
- Pricey if you bill monthly, at $19 on Basic against $16 annually
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
| 2.2GPAHiveageFair | 3.6GPAZoho InvoiceExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $16 a month billed annually, inside the typical range for accounting tools, and Pro is $25. | 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 free plan with unlimited invoices, but only 5 clients, which a growing freelancer would hit. | 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, payments, recurring billing and time tracking do the invoicing job, but the site says there is no general ledger. That is a smaller job. | 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 | CA web and phone app where you set up clients and payment gateways, and no store rating on record. | 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, iOS and Android with PayPal, Stripe, Square and Braintree, and an API on Plus. | 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 | simple invoicing with a small free plan | 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: Hiveage and Zoho Invoice. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hiveage starts at $16 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 $16 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 16 score higher than Hiveage 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
- Hiveage also covers quotes and estimates.
At a glance
| Hiveage | Zoho Invoice | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $16 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | Up to 5 clients with unlimited invoices, estimates, time tracking, expense tracking and payment gateways. | 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 | 14-day free trial of the Pro plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hiveage, Inc. | Zoho |
| Price read from | hiveage.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hiveage
- The free plan stops at 5 clients, and financial reports are listed only from Basic upward.
- Team members start on Pro (5) and Plus (10); Basic has none listed.
- API access is limited to the Plus plan.
- The site says it has no accounting features; it covers invoicing, not a general ledger.
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
Hiveage
- Invoices and estimates
- Branded invoices and estimates with taxes, discounts and shipping, and estimates that clients accept online and convert to invoices.
- Online payments
- Clients can pay through more than a dozen gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Square and Braintree, with partial payments supported.
- Recurring billing
- Invoices can be scheduled daily, weekly, monthly or annually and sent automatically or after manual approval.
- Time, expense and mileage tracking
- Billable hours, expenses and trip mileage are logged and can be turned into invoices.
- Financial reports
- Reports cover income and expenses, invoice details and accounts aging, with CSV import and export of data.
- Teams and multiple businesses
- Pro and Plus allow team members with access levels, and the site says they can manage several businesses in one account.
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
Hiveage
Free$0
5 clients with unlimited invoices, estimates, time and expense tracking and payment gateways.
Basic$16
per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
50 clients, plus recurring billing and financial reports.
Pro$25
per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
250 clients and 5 team members, with your own domain, email from your domain and automatic payment reminders.
Plus$42
per month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
1,000 clients and 10 team members, with API access and personalized help migrating data from other services.
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
Hiveage
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with yearly billing
The pricing page offers yearly billing at a lower monthly rate, for example Pro at $25 a month against $29 billed monthly.
Zoho Invoice
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hiveage or Zoho Invoice?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zoho Invoice is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $16 a month for Hiveage. Hiveage starts at $16 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly), and Zoho Invoice is free.
Which has a free plan, Hiveage or Zoho Invoice?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Hiveage and Zoho Invoice have a free plan.
Which platforms do Hiveage 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.