Recurring billing software - Top free and paid options

Recurring billing platforms allow companies to regularly invoice a customer for an ongoing subscription or delivery of goods.

Automated billing software is most popular with software agencies offering subscription-based services, though it has other uses too.

In this article, you’ll find all the information you need to decide which automatic billing software is best for your business.

📝 This article will cover:
The top recurring billing software options Benefits of using recurring billing software An easy way to receive international recurring payments

Recurring billing software - Top 8

The best recurring payment system will depend on your business.

Some offer a simple subscription-based pricing model. Others are free to use but charge a small fee per recurring payment.

Aside from pricing, you’ll find that each software solution offers a different way to organize your recurring invoices.

If you value flexibility, then you can find software that lets you create and send customizable recurring invoices. You also might appreciate the ability to alter the frequency of your billing.

The number of customers you have and the countries they’re based in will likely influence your final decision.

Quick comparison

Software	Great choice for…	Subscription price
QuickBooks Online	Businesses that prefer cloud-based billing	Simple Start - $25/month Essentials - $50/month Plus - $80/month Advanced - $180/month
Stripe billing	Businesses of all sizes searching for a flexible billing solution	Starter - 0.5% on recurring charges Scale - 0.8% on recurring charges
Xero	Small businesses who need assistance with billing	Early - $14/month Growing - $34/month Established - $65/month
Zoho subscriptions	Freelancers and small business owners	Free - $0 Basic - $49/month paid annually or $59/month paid monthly Standard - $99/month paid annually or $119/month paid monthly Professional - $249/month paid annually or $299/month paid monthly
FreshBooks	Businesses that need tailored billing and invoicing	Lite - $108/year or $6/month Plus - $180/year or $10/month Premium - $360/year or $20/month Select - custom pricing
Chargebee	Businesses trading overseas	Launch - $0 Rise - $249/month paid annually or $299/month paid monthly Scale - $549/month paid annually or $599/month paid monthly Enterprise - custom pricing
Wave Accounting	Startups looking for a free billing solution	Free
Square	Smartphone users	Free - $0 Plus - $20/month

Best recurring billing software options

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online has long been considered a staple of the accounting software industry. With plenty of integrations available and a feature-packed recurring billing system, it’s a competitive option.

Top features

• Recurring billing templates
• Recurring transactions dashboard
• Reminders
• Defer billing by a specified amount of time
• Specify billing intervals

Price¹

• Simple Start - $25/month
• Essentials - $50/month
• Plus - $80/month
• Advanced - $180/month

Pros	Cons
You can use templates for recurring billing or turn an existing invoice into a recurring one It’s easy to check in on all of your recurring billing with the ‘Recurring Transactions’ screen	Recurring transactions aren’t separated from other transactions

💡 Another advantage of QuickBooks is that you can add international account details from Wise to your recurring invoices. Customers can then pay you in their local currency, without worrying about exchange rates and fees.

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Stripe billing

Stripe Billing is a cloud-based subscription billing software solution that offers various ways to accept payments and supports many integration options. While users pay a fee for recurring charges, the software is free to use.

Top features

• Automatic payment collection
• Various accepted payment methods
• Various billing methods
• Customer quotes
• Syncing with apps and workflows

Price²

• Starter - 0.5% on recurring charges
• Scale - 0.8% on recurring charges

Pros	Cons
Accept recurring payments via card, ACH, and other methods Supports various billing methods Sync billing with other workflows Wise integration with Stripe payment gateway allows easy incoming international payments	Users pay between 0.5-0.8% on recurring charges

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Xero

Xero is a web-based solution that provides users with recurring invoice templates and the ability to turn existing invoices into recurring payments. It also has advisors on board to deal with any queries you may have.

Top features

• Invoice reference descriptions
• Branded billing
• Email reminder templates
• Repeating invoice dashboard
• Advice from advisors

Price³

• Early - $12/month
• Growing - $34/month
• Established - $65/month

Pros	Cons
Create recurring invoice templates or make an existing invoice recurring Various payment methods accepted Choose a currency with the ‘Business Edition’ plan	No daily repeating invoices

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Zoho subscriptions

Zoho subscriptions offers a comprehensive free plan to help small business owners handle recurring billing, along with several useful features. Prorated billing is one feature that sets the software apart, as it lets you charge different prices in a single month.

Top features

• Billing cycles
• Prorated billing
• Customizable invoices
• Global billing

Price⁴

• Free - $0
• Basic - $49/month paid annually or $59/month paid monthly
• Standard - $99/month paid annually or $119/month paid monthly
• Professional - $249/month paid annually or $299/month paid monthly

Pros	Cons
Offers various billing methods, including prorated billing Supports multiple currencies Low-cost option Customizable billing cycles	Can be hard to set up one-time payments

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FreshBooks

FreshBooks is a premium option well-suited for businesses of all sizes. The software lets users send out reminders, charge late fees, and even proactively charge their customers.

Top features

• Retainers and invoice templates
• Proactive charging
• Late fees
• Reminders

Price⁵

• Lite - $108/year or $6/month
• Plus - $180/year or $10/month
• Premium - $360/year or $20/month
• Select - custom pricing

Pros	Cons
Accepts several payment methods Create retainers or use existing invoice templates Proactively charge customers with ‘Advanced Payments’ for quick payment Charge invoice late fees and send reminders	Changes can’t be made wholesale, they must be made to every recurring invoice

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Chargebee

A popular option for businesses that have clients around the world, Chargebee supports different currencies and payment gateways(see Chargebee alternatives). While this does come at a steep price, the software includes several features that can help you grow your business.

Top features

• Branded invoices
• Support for many currencies
• Works with many payment gateways
• Charge various ways

Price⁶

• Launch - $0
• Rise - $249/month paid annually or $299/month paid monthly
• Scale - $549/month paid annually or $599/month paid monthly
• Enterprise - custom pricing

Pros	Cons
Supports 100+ currencies Offers integration with 23 payment gateways Charge according to usage or fixed rate Supports up to 12 retries for failed payments	The paid plans are more expensive than other options reviewed here

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Wave Accounting

Wave is the only completely free-to-use software solution in this guide, which makes it an excellent pick for startups and freelancers. With it, you can send out recurring invoices at any frequency, issue reminders, and more.

Top features

• Manual and automatic billing
• Bill with desired frequency
• Customizable invoices

Price⁷

• Free, though the following fees apply to credit card and bank payments:
• Visa, Mastercard, and Discover credit cards - 2.9% + 30¢
• American Express credit cards - 3.4% + 30¢
• ACH bank payments - 1% per transaction ($1 minimum fee)

Pros	Cons
Completely free to use Send recurring invoices with any frequency Automatic payment reminders	Users will be charged 2.9% plus a $0.30 fee for most credit cards and 1% for bank payments

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Square

Does Square support recurring payments?

Yes. You can schedule recurring payments with Square by the day, week, month, or year.

Top features

• Bill with various frequency options
• Schedule payment reminders
• Custom invoice messages
• Manage recurring invoices in one place

Price⁸

• Free - $0
• Plus - $20/month

Pros	Cons
Supports recurring invoices with Card on File (CoF) payments and stand-alone invoices Invoice daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly	Users are charged 3.5% + 15¢ per payment, which is steep compared to other options reviewed in this guide

Benefits of using recurring billing software for your business

Recurring billing can be essential for staying on top of incoming payments for your business. Automating the process saves you time and money, and eliminates the costly risk of human error.

It’s increasingly common these days to see businesses adopting subscription-based pricing models. The upside for the business is regular, recurring income, but the main issue is staying on top of all the client recurring payments.

Recurring billing software can be a worthwhile solution to consider if you have a growing customer base and recurring payments are one of your primary sources of income.

Here are some of the main reasons to consider using recurring billing software:

• It eliminates human error
• Saves time
• Reduces risk of past due invoices

Receive international recurring payments with Wise

If you run an international business, you’ll know that receiving payments from overseas can be a pain.

With a Wise Business account, you can get local account details in multiple currencies. Receiving money from abroad is a breeze.

Your customer simply pays you like a local. You can then check your account, move money, and manage transactions. All in one place - one easy-to-manage account, for over 50 currencies.

Don’t just dream it, live it.

Join Wise Business today

🔍 Read more about software that can help your business:
Top 10 best paid and free invoice apps for business What is invoice processing? Steps and software to help your business What is Quickbooks, and how does it work? QuickBooks Simple Start review 2022

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Sources:

1. QuickBooks® Online Pricing & Free Trial | Official Site
2. manage subscriptions, recurring payments and billing
3. Pricing Plans | Xero US
4. Pricing | Zoho Subscriptions
5. FreshBooks Pricing, Lite, Plus and Premium Packages
6. Plans and Pricing - Chargebee
7. Wave Pricing
8. Recurring Payments: How to Set Up Automatic Credit Card

All sources checked February 10, 2022.