This\r\ngallery is also available as a TechRepublic article.
If you and your business are always on the go, you probably\r\ncould benefit from an app that enables you to immediately invoice your clients.\r\nToo many mobile businesses rely on paper, email, or other non-task-specific\r\napps or tools to invoice clients. Not only is that unprofessional, it’s\r\ninefficient and a good way to forget or lose client billing information. If you\r\nhave an Android tablet or smartphone, you could easily install an app designed\r\nspecifically for this task and get your invoicing up to modern-day standards.
\r\n\r\nIf you\r\ndo a search for “invoice” on the Google Play\r\nStore, you’ll come up with quite a number of hits. Out of those hits\r\nI have weeded out which of those I believe are best suited to help small\r\nbusiness users take work on the go without missing a single bill. Let’s examine\r\nthese top five apps.
Invoice2Go is probably my top choice is this particular list because it’s not only a full featured invoice tool, it also has one of the better interfaces to help make the process of billing highly intuitive (Figure A).
Credit: Image by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
The feature list includes: Create invoices (Figure B), estimates, credit, memos, and purchase orders; over twenty invoice templates; supports products and services; include PayPal buttons for quick payment; keep track of outstanding bills; invoice preview; email as PDF, create estimates and quotes; convert estimates/quotes into invoices; inventory; auto tax calculations and configurations; twelve drill-down reports; and more.
Within the product you can also add on apps for Calendaring, barcode scanning, maps, document signing, and account statements. Invoice2Go does require an account and you can sign up for the unlimited free trial. However, once you’ve created your first three documents, you will have to upgrade from the free trial. The Starter plan is $49.00 per year and allows you to create 100 documents. The app is $9.99 or you can try the free version which limits you to the number of documents and items you can create.
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Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
Zoho Invoice and Time Tracking requires you have a Zoho account \u2013 but if you’re already using the powerhouse groupware tool, Zoho Invoice makes for a perfect extension. With this app you can use ready to use templates, categorize expenses, accept online payments, track time, print and download invoices, track payment status, and much more. The Zoho Invoice tool is integrated with Google Apps for more power and flexibility. The interface for Zoho Invoice is clean (almost minimal \u2013 Figure C) and gives you quick access to creating a new invoice/contact/estimate, record expense, and add time entry.
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Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
You can also set payment terms, auto-generate invoice\r\nnumbers, add notes and terms/conditions to invoices (Figure D).
\r\n\r\nThe\r\napp is free, but you will have to subscribe to Zoho with paid plans starting at\r\n$15/month.
Credit: Image by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
\r\n\r\nInvoice\r\nControl is a much more basic app, but for those needing the bare minimum\r\n(at no cost), Invoice Control is for you. It is a free, ad-based app (Figure\r\nE) that can function for anyone needing simple, on the go invoicing.
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Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
One nice feature of Invoice Control is that it is a\r\nmulti-user environment \u2013 so you can have more than one employee use the tool.\r\nThe app also features: Invoice creation (Figure F) customer management,\r\nproduct/inventory control, quote generation in PDF format, generation partial\r\ninvoices, include company logo, choose color of invoice header, import data\r\nfrom spreadsheets, backup data, send invoices through Whatsapp\r\nor Line,\r\nsave invoices into Dropbox account, scan barcodes, mark invoices as sent or\r\npaid.
\r\n\r\nYou\r\ncan also integrate Invoice Control with Control\r\nExpenses (by the same company) to help track spending.
Credit: Image by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic
\r\n\r\nInvoice\r\nMaker Pro is another bare-bones, but effective invoicing tool. With an easy\r\nto use interface (Figure G)that offers little to no learning\r\ncurve, you can have Invoice Maker Pro up and running with little time and zero\r\ncost.
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Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
You do not have to sign up for any plans and the\r\napp is free. The feature list of Invoice Maker Pro includes: Preview invoices\r\ndirectly from device, email invoices as attachments, auto-calculate sales tax,\r\ntrack invoice payments, view clients unpaid balance, customize PDF with company\r\nlogo, assign unique codes to each client (Figure H), auto backup of\r\ninvoices, generate invoices as estimates, support for over one hundred\r\ncurrencies, and more.
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Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
\r\n\r\nStreet Invoice\r\nBeta is, as the name implies, currently in beta. Even so, the application\r\nis solid and powerful. During the beta testing period, the app is free to use,\r\nwhich allows you to see just how much invoicing power you can have in your\r\nhands. Street Invoice Beta features: Invoice/bill on the spot, include PayPal\r\nlink with invoice, create preview estimates, pull customer contact information\r\nfrom phone or tablet, email printed invoices/statements/receipts, print\r\ninvoices on the go, wireless sync across all mobile and desktop devices, live\r\nback office reporting, and much more. With a clean interface (Figure I),\r\nyou can quickly navigate through all the functions of the app.
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Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
One of best features of Street Invoice Beta is the ability\r\nto use it for multiple companies. Simply create as many companies as you need\r\nand then select which company to apply an invoice to in the Invoice Options (Figure\r\nJ).
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\r\n\r\nIf you’re\r\nlooking to take your small business on the go, fear not, there are plenty of\r\napps to help you easily meet this challenge. To ensure invoicing and billing is\r\nefficient and accountable, give one of these Android apps a go \u2013 your clients and\r\nyour company will thank you for it.
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Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic, The New Stack, and Linux New Media. He's covered a variety of topics for over twenty years and is an avid promoter of open source. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.com.
