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Thread: Free or low cost invoice program

  1. #1

    Free or low cost invoice program

    Anyone use one? Know of one?

    For decades I've been using Intuit Quickbooks. I just plop in the CD into the new computer and then re-import the old files. Used to take 10 min. I bought a new PC and tried to install the program but apparently the company no longer supports it and the verification code can't "call home". They now want me to RENT a program for a "small monthly fee". F that! I'll track down a typewriter and do it that way before I rent. I do not like how everything is being pushed to renting and forever monthly fees.

    Anyway, right now I'm just switching the monitor between my new and old computers every time I need to do an invoice.The invoices aren't complicated. It's just Product, Date, From, To, Price. So I don't need anything crazy. But I'm constantly digging behind the computers to swap monitor and printer. I'm looking for something cheap, or free and would be an added bonus if it could incorporate the old QuickBooks invoices as well although it not necessary



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  2. #2
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    I use QB a lot.... both desktop and online versions... There are lots of features other than invoices.... but... are you using QB exclusively for invoices and no other feature? Are you keeping a list of items in QB that get easily populated into your invoices?

    If all you want is a simple form to fill out, but are OK with typing in all the details every time, then, it would be very easy to make an invoice in MS Word and convert that into a PDF "Form". You could even start with a blank QB invoice that you already like, save that to PDF and convert that PDF from a typical PDF "document" to a PDF "form".

    If you are using QB to populate your invoices with descriptions, pricing, customer addresses, etc, that's a completely different story....

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    "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by RoyGBiv View Post
    I use QB a lot.... both desktop and online versions... There are lots of features other than invoices.... but... are you using QB exclusively for invoices and no other feature? Are you keeping a list of items in QB that get easily populated into your invoices?

    If all you want is a simple form to fill out, but are OK with typing in all the details every time, then, it would be very easy to make an invoice in MS Word and convert that into a PDF "Form". You could even start with a blank QB invoice that you already like, save that to PDF and convert that PDF from a typical PDF "document" to a PDF "form".

    If you are using QB to populate your invoices with descriptions, pricing, customer addresses, etc, that's a completely different story....

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    I don't know what any of that means. I kinda do but

    The only thing I have populate automatic is my name and address, the date an invoice#. QB remembers a new customer and saves it to a list. Everything else is always different but there's isn't much to actually write. So aside from my name a typical invoice looks something like this

    Product
    5.16.22
    FROM: Name, city, state.
    TO: Name, city, state. PRICE


    That's it. There's no description. The price is always different and locations are often different even if it's a repeat customer. But even on the rare occasion if the info is all the same it's not hard to type that out. For instance,

    FROM Warehouse. Boston MA. TO: RoyGBiv, Ft Worth TX.

    So even if it's occasionally repetitive it's not much to actually type
    Last edited by 4RNR; 05-16-2022 at 07:56 AM.

  4. #4
    A few years back, I used this: https://invoice-generator.com/#/1

    I think it has a line on the bottom that lists the website or something. I cut that off, rescanned it, so I didn't look like a cheap bastard.
    "It was the fuck aroundest of times, it was the find outest of times."- 45dotACP

  5. #5
    Site Supporter
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    I did this simple invoice for a friend that owns a small landscape business... The original is a PDF. When you open the PDF, all of the blank information is a "form"..... Tab from blank to blank and type what you want in each space.... What you don't get with this is any automatic population of customer information. You could save a different version for each customer after you populate their info the first time .... "Blank-Invoice-For-ACME-Co.PDF"...

    If that's all you really need, I could knock that out for you in a half hour...

    Easiest place to start would be a PDF of your current invoice.... If you want something more custom, create it in Word or PowerPoint and I can convert it to a PDF form...

    PM would likely be best ...

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    ETA: If you want the finished form to do things like sum up prices and give a total.... It could also be done in Excel.
    "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by RoyGBiv View Post
    I use QB a lot.... both desktop and online versions... There are lots of features other than invoices.... but... are you using QB exclusively for invoices and no other feature? Are you keeping a list of items in QB that get easily populated into your invoices?

    If all you want is a simple form to fill out, but are OK with typing in all the details every time, then, it would be very easy to make an invoice in MS Word and convert that into a PDF "Form". You could even start with a blank QB invoice that you already like, save that to PDF and convert that PDF from a typical PDF "document" to a PDF "form".

    If you are using QB to populate your invoices with descriptions, pricing, customer addresses, etc, that's a completely different story....

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    That's what we do, we just have an old Excel form we use. Then you can save it as a pdf and email it (or even print and mail), and even copy it into Square if you use that for any billing.

    Problem is, if you do use QB for billing, it's not integrated into QB at all. So when someone mails a check or pays with Square, I just put the invoice number in the memo when I enter the deposit. What is that invoice actually for? Well you'd have to pull it up to see, QB doesn't know.

    That's probably not the most efficient way to do it, but we don't really send a ton of invoices.

  7. #7
    I use an app called "invoices". I can't remember what I pay but it isn't much. Best feature is that it allows me to text invoices. Recipient opens up a link to a pdf of the invoice and they can pay right then via Pay Pal.

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  8. #8
    What about a full fledged accounting program like Gnucash?

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by beenalongtime View Post
    What about a full fledged accounting program like Gnucash?
    Don't need one. I don't need it to keep track of anything, just to send an invoice to certain customers. Like a receipt and a reminder rolled into one. It's a glorified receipt. Now, if its like the old QB where it has a bunch of stuff and you just use what you need then that's cool

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  10. #10
    Zoho Invoice.

    Free
    Web-based
    Smartphone App
    Reasonably decent reports

    I use it to generate invoices and estimates as well as track sales tax liability. It is free (I think) because they want you to pay for their other products (inventory management, CRM, accounting, etc).

    I am only five months into using it and I am coming from using a series of Excel workbooks that I created. That stuff all worked, but the lack of customer and item databases cost me a lot of time.

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