Can invoicing software really be free?
If you're looking for invoicing software for your business, you'll come across dozens of sites promoting free invoicing software, the top 10 free invoicing programs, advertisements for free invoicing software, influencers on YouTube explaining in sponsored tutorials how to use lifetime free invoicing software...
But don't fall for it - nothing is truly free in life, and the security and confidentiality of your invoicing data is worth much more than a few euros per month.
First, is it possible to offer invoicing software for free?
No, and the reason is simple: a company must make money to survive. If invoicing software is offered for free, it means this company has found another much more lucrative way than license sales to monetize its invoicing tool.
Don't trust the marketing of these companies that don't hesitate to spend tens of thousands of euros on advertising: why would they do this if the service is free and doesn't bring in a single penny?
We will explain how these companies operate to give you the illusion of offering free invoicing software, as well as the dangers of using a quote and invoice program that claims to be free.
Scam #1: Free invoicing software that becomes paid
Choosing this type of free invoicing program is very risky for your business because one day you no longer have access to your invoicing data without paying.
S...sy was free to recruit thousands of users and now costs 75 EUR per user per month => do the math for a small business with 3 users: 2,700 EUR per year!
Scam #2: Free invoicing software but limited in functionality
A very well-known free online invoicing software in France, H..ri, is presented as free for life, but if you want to remove advertising from your invoices or if you need to follow up on unpaid invoices, customize your invoices, get sales statistics, fast support... from free for life, it goes to 59 EUR per month.
Scam #3: Free invoicing software whose publisher has another main activity
Invoice financing companies that also offer an invoicing solution can obtain for free and in real time the list of bad payers thanks to their users' data.
Online payment services that offer invoicing will force you to send a payment link on all your invoices and will take a commission on your entire turnover!
Scam #4: Free invoicing software in exchange for targeted advertising
One might think that getting invoicing software for free in exchange for receiving advertisements is not dangerous in itself, but unfortunately this is not the case.
These software programs are real gold mines for advertising advertisers because your invoicing data allows them to determine what products or services you sell, to whom you sell them, in which region or period of the year you sell the most...! Your competitors will be delighted to use the paid ads from these software programs to obtain this information.
Scam #5: Free Open Source invoicing software
Open Source invoicing software doesn't mean free invoicing software - the source code is open but an invoicing application is not just code: it must be installed on a server, maintain the database, ensure security, manage backups, updates...
Ask for a quote from O...oo for example and you'll quickly understand that the bill is steep!
Conclusion about free invoicing software
As you have seen in this article, it's an illusion to believe that you can get an invoicing service completely free, and there are probably other scams, but one sentence summarizes this article well: "when a product is free, you are the product!"
Flexina Invoicing is a quality online invoicing service that includes all the features you need to create your quotes and invoices, track invoice payments, follow up with clients, calculate your turnover... plus our support is always available to answer your questions.
We offer our online invoicing service for only 20 EUR per month and our price hasn't changed in 15 years! At this price, why choose free invoicing software when it only costs a few euros to use a quality solution!
