Invoicely vs ZipBooks (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Invoicely grades higher than ZipBooks: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Invoicely grades higher on value for money. ZipBooks grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Invoicely
Invoicing, estimates and expense tracking with a free plan
ZipBooks
Browser-based invoicing and bookkeeping with a free starter plan
Which one is for you
Pick Invoicely if
- Fits if you invoice a few clients a month and only need PayPal
- Works for small teams, as Basic has 2 seats and Professional 10
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're on Free: 5 invoices, 3 saved clients and PayPal only
- Not for you if you want bank feeds or double-entry bookkeeping, as neither is shown
- Watch out: team seats are none on Free, 2 on Basic, 10 on Professional and 25 on Enterprise
- Pricey if you pay monthly: Basic is $9.99, Professional $19.99 and Enterprise $29.99
Pick ZipBooks if
- Fits if you're a freelancer who wants free invoicing with basic books behind it
- Works for people who bill for time and want the hours pulled onto invoices, on Smarter at $15 a month
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as ZipBooks dropped it and points you to the browser
- Pricey if you need to reconcile your accounts or lock finished books, which wait for Sophisticated at $35 a month
- Not for you if you bank outside the US, since some of those connections may not sync, and it's in English only
- Tight if you stay free: 1 bank account, no team members, and no recurring invoices or reminders
- Watch out: the Accountant plan for bookkeeping firms shows no price on its page
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAInvoicelyGood | 2.4GPAZipBooksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$7.99 a month on yearly billing for Basic with 100 invoices a month, under 60% of the $15 that starts this category's cheaper quarter. Enterprise is $23.99. | CSmarter is $15 a month, right at the cheaper quarter of accounting tools, with recurring billing, several bank accounts and time tracking. But reconciling accounts and locking finished books need Sophisticated at $35, above the dearer quarter at $31.10. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan of 5 invoices a month, 3 saved clients, PayPal only and 100 emails a month. A freelancer with three clients can get by, but you'll hit it. | BStarter is free for good: unlimited invoices, customers and vendors, card payments through Square or PayPal, basic reports and 1 connected bank account. One person could live on that. Recurring invoices, reminders and time tracking need Smarter. |
| Features | CInvoices, estimates, time, expense and mileage tracking, bills and reports. No bank feeds or double-entry books are shown, so it's an invoicing tool. | CInvoices and quotes in 100+ currencies, bank transactions sorted by learned rules, cash or accrual reports, 1099 tracking, time tracking and payroll through Gusto. The listing names the gaps: the phone app is gone, and some bank connections outside the US may not sync. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You'll build your client list and invoice template before it saves time. | CNo store rating on record, as there's no app. Rules that learn how you sort transactions save some clicking, but there's still a bank to connect and bookkeeping to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net and Mollie. No desktop app. | BWeb only, since ZipBooks discontinued its phone app and points you to the browser. What lifts it is the connections: Square, PayPal, Stripe, Gusto and Slack. |
| Best for | cheap invoicing with a small free plan | free invoicing and simple books in a browser |
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: Invoicely and ZipBooks. How we grade
Price against what you get
Invoicely starts at $7.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ZipBooks starts at $15 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Invoicely starts $7.01 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Invoicely for less, and 6 score higher than ZipBooks 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
- Invoicely also covers quotes and estimates.
- ZipBooks also covers bookkeeping.
At a glance
| Invoicely | ZipBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7.99 per month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly) | $15 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | 5 invoices a month, 3 saved clients, payments through PayPal only and 100 emails a month. | Starter plan: unlimited invoices, customers and vendors, card payments through Square or PayPal, basic reports and 1 connected bank account. Free with no time limit. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial of the paid features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Stack Holdings GmbH | ZipBooks |
| Price read from | invoicely.com | zipbooks.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Invoicely
- The free plan stops at 5 invoices a month and 3 saved clients, and accepts PayPal only.
- Team seats are capped by plan: none on Free, 2 on Basic, 10 on Professional and 25 on Enterprise.
- The pricing page frames it as invoicing; it shows no bank feeds or full double-entry bookkeeping.
ZipBooks
- There is no mobile app: ZipBooks discontinued it and its help center points phone users to the browser.
- The free plan connects 1 bank account; team members need Smarter, which allows 5, and unlimited users need Sophisticated.
- The Accountant plan for bookkeeping firms is priced by number of clients on a separate page, with no figure in its page text.
- ZipBooks is in English only, and its help center says some bank connections outside the US may not sync.
Key features
Invoicely
- Invoices and estimates
- Create invoices and estimates in any currency, track when they are opened, and convert an accepted estimate into an invoice.
- Online payments
- Clients pay from the invoice. The pricing page lists PayPal, Authorize.net, Stripe and Mollie as gateways, with PayPal only on the free plan.
- Time, expense and mileage tracking
- Log hours, expenses and trips, then turn them into invoices or bills. These tracking tools are not part of the free plan.
- Bills and reports
- Record bills, and view dashboard charts, income and expense summaries, and payables and receivables.
- Team roles and multiple businesses
- Paid plans add team members with permissions and roles, and the account can hold more than one business.
ZipBooks
- Invoices and quotes
- Custom invoices and quotes with taxes, discounts and over 100 currencies. Recurring invoices, auto-billing and payment reminders start on Smarter.
- Online payments
- Customers pay invoices by card through a connected Square, PayPal or Stripe account.
- Bookkeeping with auto-categorizing
- Bank transactions land in one list and are categorized by learned rules, with custom categories and 1099 tracking for vendors.
- Tags and reports
- Income statement and balance sheet on cash or accrual basis. Sophisticated adds tags by location or project and reports built on them.
- Time tracking and projects
- Track time live or by hand at fixed or hourly rates and pull the entries onto invoices, from the Smarter plan.
- Payroll through Gusto
- Payroll is handled by Gusto, which connects to ZipBooks as an integration.
Plans
Invoicely
Free$0
5 invoices a month and 3 saved clients. Online payments through PayPal only, and 100 emails a month.
Basic$7.99
per month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly)
100 invoices a month, 25 saved clients and up to 2 team members.
Professional$15.99
per month, billed yearly ($19.99 billed monthly)
250 invoices a month, 100 saved clients and up to 10 team members.
Enterprise$23.99
per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited invoices and saved clients, up to 25 team members.
ZipBooks
Starter$0
Unlimited invoices, customers and vendors, Square or PayPal payments, basic reports and 1 bank account.
Smarter$15
per month, billed monthly
Adds recurring invoices with auto-bill, automatic reminders, saved line items, several bank accounts, time tracking and 5 team members.
Sophisticated$35
per month, billed monthly
Adds tagging by location, project or custom field, reconciliation, locked books, document sharing, tag-based reports and unlimited users.
Ways to pay less
Invoicely
- Annual discount
Lower monthly rate with yearly billing
The pricing page has a Yearly Billing toggle that shows $7.99, $15.99 and $23.99 a month in place of $9.99, $19.99 and $29.99.
ZipBooks
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Invoicely or ZipBooks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Invoicely is cheaper to start with: $7.99 a month, against $15 a month for ZipBooks. Invoicely starts at $7.99 per month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly), and ZipBooks starts at $15 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Invoicely or ZipBooks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Invoicely and ZipBooks have a free plan.
Which platforms do Invoicely and ZipBooks run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Invoicely lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. 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.