Invoicing app comparison

Best Invoicing Apps for UK Freelancers

Last reviewed: October 2026 · Published by CrewSynk

There isn't one best invoicing app for every freelancer. The right choice depends on how you work: whether you want full accounting and tax in the same place, simple free invoicing, billing by the hour, or a workflow built around the jobs you're booked for.

This guide compares five invoicing options available to UK freelancers — CrewSynk, FreeAgent, FreshBooks, Xero and Zoho Invoice — by the kind of freelancer each one suits, so you can shortlist the ones that fit the way you already work.

Quick answer: which invoicing app fits the way you work?

Listed alphabetically, not ranked.

CrewSynk — best for event freelancers and production crew who work booking by booking and juggle jobs, day rates and purchase orders.
FreeAgent — best for uK freelancers and sole traders who want invoicing, accounting and tax in one product.
FreshBooks — best for service freelancers and small businesses who bill clients for time and expenses.
Xero — best for freelancers who want full accounting alongside their invoicing.
Zoho Invoice — best for freelancers who want simple, general-purpose invoicing with a free option.

How we compared the apps

We looked at what matters day to day for a UK freelancer who invoices clients. We don't give star ratings or scores, and we don't list prices: they change too often to keep accurate, and each vendor publishes its own.

Creating invoices: How an invoice gets made — from a blank template, from tracked time, or from work you've already recorded.
Getting paid: Whether the app follows up unpaid invoices for you, and how clients can pay.
Expenses: Whether costs you re-bill to clients can go on the invoice.
UK suitability: VAT invoices, and whether UK tax returns are part of the product.
How work is organised: Around invoices, projects and time, your accounts, or individual booked jobs.
Accounting depth: Invoicing only, or full bookkeeping with bank transactions and reports.

Comparison at a glance

"Check with vendor" means we couldn't confirm it from the vendor's own pages at review time, not that the feature is missing. Scroll sideways to see every column.

Comparison of CrewSynk, FreeAgent, FreshBooks, Xero and Zoho Invoice for UK freelancers
App	Best for	Built around	Accounting	UK tax	Worth noting
CrewSynk	Event freelancers and production crew	The booked job	Not accounting software — use alongside your accounts	VAT on invoices; no tax submission	PO Finder, job calendar, automatic reminders
FreeAgent	UK sole traders wanting accounts and tax together	Your accounts	Full accounting, including bank feeds	MTD-compatible VAT filing and Self Assessment (per FreeAgent)	Recurring invoices, automated reminders, time tracking
FreshBooks	Service freelancers billing time and expenses	Clients, time and expenses	Invoicing plus accounting features	Check with vendor	Automated reminders, recurring invoices, online payments
Xero	Full accounting alongside invoicing	Your accounts	Full accounting software	Check with vendor	Automatic reminders, Pay Now online payments, mobile app
Zoho Invoice	Simple invoicing with a free option	The invoice	Invoicing-focused, not full accounting	VAT invoices	Free for UK businesses (per Zoho), reminders, client portal

The five apps in more detail

CrewSynk

Best for: Event freelancers and production crew who work booking by booking and juggle jobs, day rates and purchase orders.
Why it may suit you: Each job holds the client, dates and agreed rate (per day or per hour) and sits in a work calendar. When the work is done, the invoice is prepared from the job rather than typed from scratch. PO Finder looks in a connected Gmail inbox for purchase orders that match your jobs and reads the PO number and amount from the PDF — you confirm before anything is applied. VAT and billable expenses can go on the invoice, and automatic reminders follow up unpaid invoices according to your settings.
Worth knowing: CrewSynk is not accounting or tax-submission software — it covers the work side, from booking to payment follow-up. It runs in the browser on desktop and phone. It is currently in beta. It has a 30-day free trial with no card required, then costs £11.99/month.
Consider something else if: You want bookkeeping, bank reconciliation and tax returns in one place, or your work isn't organised into individual bookings.

See how CrewSynk works

FreeAgent

Best for: UK freelancers and sole traders who want invoicing, accounting and tax in one product.
Why it may suit you: FreeAgent is UK-focused accounting software. Alongside invoicing it covers expenses, time tracking that can be added to invoices, and bank feeds that import transactions from your bank. FreeAgent says it supports MTD-compatible VAT filing and Self Assessment returns filed directly to HMRC. Invoicing includes recurring invoices and automated reminders for late payers.
Worth knowing: It's full accounting software, so there's more to set up and learn than with an invoicing-only tool. Check current plans and pricing on FreeAgent's website.
Consider something else if: You only need to send invoices, or you want your invoicing organised around booked jobs and purchase orders rather than your accounts.

FreeAgent invoicing (official site)

FreshBooks

Best for: Service freelancers and small businesses who bill clients for time and expenses.
Why it may suit you: FreshBooks combines invoicing with time tracking and expense tracking, and can add tracked time and expenses to invoices. It offers automated payment reminders, recurring invoices and online payments, and describes itself as invoice and accounting software for small businesses.
Worth knowing: FreshBooks is a general small-business product rather than a UK-specific one. Check current plans, features and pricing on the FreshBooks UK website.
Consider something else if: You don't bill by time, or you mainly want UK tax filing in the same product.

FreshBooks invoicing (official UK site)

Xero

Best for: Freelancers who want full accounting alongside their invoicing.
Why it may suit you: Xero's invoicing lets you customise online invoices, set automatic reminders for due and overdue invoices, and add a Pay Now button so customers can pay online. The Xero Accounting app lets you create, send and track invoices from iOS or Android. Because Xero watches your bank for payments, it knows which invoices are still outstanding.
Worth knowing: Xero is broad accounting software built for small businesses in general, not just freelancers. That breadth is useful if you want everything in one system, but it's more than you need if all you want is to send invoices. Check current plans and pricing on Xero's UK website.
Consider something else if: You want a simple invoicing-only tool, or software built around a particular kind of freelance work.

Xero invoicing for freelancers (official UK site)

Zoho Invoice

Best for: Freelancers who want simple, general-purpose invoicing with a free option.
Why it may suit you: At the time of review, Zoho describes Zoho Invoice as free for UK businesses. It creates VAT invoices, sends payment reminders, supports recurring invoices and time tracking, and has a customer portal where clients can view and pay invoices. There are mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Worth knowing: Zoho positions Zoho Invoice as invoicing without the complexity of accounting software, so you may still need separate accounting software or an accountant. Confirm what the free offering currently includes on Zoho's UK website.
Consider something else if: You want bookkeeping and tax returns in the same product, or a workflow built around a specific industry.

Zoho Invoice (official UK site)

Invoicing app or accounting software: which do you need?

These two get mixed up, but they do different jobs. An invoicing app helps you create invoices, send them and follow up payment. Accounting software keeps your books: bank transactions, reconciliation, reports and — in some products — your tax returns.

FreeAgent and Xero are accounting software with invoicing built in. FreshBooks combines invoicing with accounting features. Zoho Invoice and CrewSynk focus on invoicing and the work around it, and leave bookkeeping to something else.

Neither approach is better in general. One accounting product for everything means fewer tools. A focused invoicing tool can fit your working day more closely, with your accounting software or accountant handling the books. Plenty of freelancers use both — for example, CrewSynk for jobs and invoices, alongside FreeAgent, Xero or an accountant for the accounts.

When CrewSynk makes sense

Most invoicing apps start with the invoice. CrewSynk starts with the job. That suits event and production work, where one booking can include several days, a day rate, expenses and a purchase order that arrives in a separate email.

1
Add the job when it's booked
Client, dates and agreed rate — per day or per hour — go on the job, and the job appears in your calendar.
2
Match the purchase order
PO Finder searches a connected Gmail inbox for POs matching your jobs and reads the PO number and amount from the PDF. You confirm before it's applied.
3
Prepare the invoice from the job
The job details carry across, so you review rather than retype. Add VAT and billable expenses as line items.
4
Send it and track it
See which work is booked, invoiced or paid without keeping a separate spreadsheet.
5
Let reminders do the chasing
Automatic reminders follow up unpaid invoices according to your settings.

CrewSynk was built by someone who works in events. Read more about invoicing for event freelancers or invoice software for AV, sound, lighting and other production crew. Not in events but paid per booking or project? See how CrewSynk works for other UK freelancers.

When CrewSynk probably isn't the best choice

You want bookkeeping, bank reconciliation and tax returns in one system. CrewSynk doesn't do accounting or submit tax. Accounting software such as FreeAgent or Xero is the better fit, and you can still use CrewSynk alongside it.
Your work isn't organised into bookings. If you mostly bill by the hour across ongoing projects, a time-based tool such as FreshBooks may suit you better.
You need invoicing to be free. CrewSynk has a 30-day free trial, then costs £11.99/month. Zoho describes Zoho Invoice as free for UK businesses.
You want a long-established product. CrewSynk is currently in beta and still evolving with feedback from the freelancers using it.

CrewSynk focuses on the work side of freelancing — jobs, purchase orders, invoices and payment follow-up — and is designed to sit alongside your accounting rather than replace it.

FAQ

Choosing an invoicing app

What is the best invoicing app for freelancers?+

There isn't one best invoicing app for every freelancer — it depends on how you work. If you want accounting and UK tax in the same place, look at FreeAgent or Xero. If you want simple, free general-purpose invoicing, Zoho Invoice is worth a look. If you bill clients for time and expenses, FreshBooks is built around that. If you work in events or production and invoice booking by booking, CrewSynk is designed for that workflow. Check current features and pricing on each vendor's own website before you decide.

Do I need invoicing software or accounting software?+

Invoicing software helps you create invoices, send them and follow up payment. Accounting software also keeps your books: bank transactions, reconciliation, reports and, in some products, tax returns. Some freelancers use one accounting product for everything; others use a focused invoicing tool alongside accounting software or an accountant.

What should UK freelancers look for in an invoicing app?+

Make sure it can add VAT if you are VAT-registered, follow up unpaid invoices for you, and handle the costs you re-bill to clients. Check how it organises your work — by invoice, project, time or job — and how easily your records reach your accountant or accounting software. If you invoice on the go, check it works well on your phone.

Can I use CrewSynk alongside Xero or FreeAgent?+

Yes. CrewSynk handles the work from booked job to invoice and payment follow-up. It is not accounting or tax-submission software, so many freelancers will still use accounting software or an accountant — CrewSynk works alongside FreeAgent, Xero, QuickBooks or whatever you use, and you can export your data.

Work in events or production?

Try CrewSynk with your next booking. 30-day free trial, no card required. £11.99/month after the trial, cancel anytime.

Start your free trial See how it works