Clodou

Alternatives

Zoho Invoice alternatives, and when the free plan is enough

Zoho Invoice is free invoicing software for small businesses and freelancers: quotes, invoices, online payments, payment reminders, expenses and time tracking.[1] Zoho describes it as forever-free, with limits: up to 2 users, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year.[2] Below are 4 alternatives, with facts taken from each vendor’s own website, and an honest list of where Zoho Invoice is the better fit.

Last checked: November 5, 2026. Prices are list prices shown that day; vendors often run temporary discounts.

Zoho Invoice at a glance

  • The price is $0; Zoho says it shows no ads and does not sell your information, and offers free email and phone support 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.[2]
  • The free plan allows up to 2 users, 3 projects, 500 invoices a year and two organizations per account, and includes "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding.[2]
  • Quotes convert into invoices once approved; there are recurring invoices, sales receipts, payment reminders, expenses, time tracking and a customer portal where clients view and pay invoices and respond to quotes.[1]
  • Online payments go through gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, Square, Razorpay and Authorize.net; Zoho adds no fee, the gateway may charge its own. Credit notes and refunds handle overpayments.[3]
  • AI Insights from Zia, Zoho's own AI, flag likely payment delays and draft follow-up emails.[1]
  • Zoho MCP connects Zoho Invoice to ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and VS Code: you create a server in the Zoho MCP console and choose which actions the AI can run.[4]
  • For more than 2 users (Zoho Billing's Premium plan has 10) or more than 500 invoices, and for retainer invoices, subscriptions and custom branding, Zoho points to Zoho Billing.[5]
  • For bank feeds and reconciliation, inventory, journal entries and financial reports, Zoho points to Zoho Books; upgrading keeps your data in the same Zoho account.[6]

Zoho Invoice and Clodou

Zoho InvoiceClodou
PricingFree ($0), described as forever-free[2]Per workspace: Free, Solo $29 (1 seat) or Team $79 (5 seats) a month
Free plan limits2 users, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year[2]20 AI requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month, after a 14-day Team trial
Users2; Zoho Billing's Premium plan allows 10[5]Solo 1 seat; Team 5 seats, then $12 per extra seat a month
Quotes and invoicesQuotes converted to invoices once approved, recurring invoices, sales receipts[1]Quotes and invoices from a chat message, quote to invoice in one step, partial payments, monthly retainer drafts
Payment remindersAutomated payment reminders[2]Prepared for your approval; sent automatically on Team if you switch it on
Client portalClients view and pay invoices and respond to quotes[1]No
Online paymentsStripe, PayPal, Square, Razorpay and other gateways; no Zoho fee[3]No card processing; your own payment link printed on invoices (Team)
Time and projectsTime tracking; up to 3 projects[2]Time tracking, unbilled time to invoice, projects, pipeline and CRM
AccountingNo banking, inventory or journal entries; Zoho points to Zoho Books[6]No ledger or bank feeds; CSV exports, a profit & tax summary, inventory and purchase-order drafts
AIZoho MCP for ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and VS Code, set up in the Zoho MCP console[4]A chat agent in the app, an MCP server and a Claude connector; emails to clients and payments wait for approval
MobileAndroid, iOS, Windows and Mac apps[1]No app; web only

Where Zoho Invoice is a better fit

  • You want invoicing that costs nothing, with up to 500 invoices a year.[2]
  • You want clients to view and pay invoices and respond to quotes in a customer portal.[1]
  • You want clients to pay by card, ACH or e-wallet through a gateway you choose, with credit notes and refunds for overpayments.[3]
  • You already use Zoho: it integrates with Zoho CRM, Analytics and Books.[2]
  • You invoice in India and want to file GSTR-1 from the app, export GSTR-3B, issue delivery challans and take UPI payments.[7]
  • You may need full accounting later: Zoho Invoice moves to Zoho Books inside the same Zoho account.[6]
  • You want apps for your phone and your computer (Android, iOS, Windows and Mac).[1]

Where Clodou is a better fit

  • You would rather type what happened than fill in forms, and want an agent that adds the client, writes the quote or invoice and logs time or an expense, then asks before anything leaves.
  • You work with more than 2 people or run more than 3 projects: Team includes 5 seats in one workspace price, and only an owner or admin approves emails to clients and recorded payments.
  • You bill monthly retainers, follow a sales pipeline, or keep stock and purchase-order drafts next to your quotes and invoices.
  • You want expenses read from a receipt photo you confirm, Undo for 10 minutes on what the agent did, and an activity log of every action.

In India

Zoho Invoice is free for Indian businesses too (₹0), with the same limits of 2 users, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year.[8] It comes with predefined intra- and inter-state GST rates, files GSTR-1 directly through the GST portal's API, exports GSTR-3B, creates delivery challans with e-way bill details and takes UPI payments through Zoho Payments or another gateway.[7] Zoho is an authorised GST Suvidha Provider, and Zoho Invoice can push invoices to the Invoice Registration Portal to get IRNs and QR codes.[9] In Clodou, an Indian workspace prints GST and your GSTIN on quotes and invoices, can put CGST and SGST on one invoice and suggests INR as its currency. Clodou does not generate IRNs, does not e-invoice and does not file GST returns: if you need those, Zoho Invoice is the better fit. Confirm what your invoices need with your accountant.

4 Zoho Invoice alternatives

  1. 1. Clodou

    A chat-first AI back office: you type what happened, and the agent adds the client, writes the quote or invoice, logs time or an expense, and waits for an owner's or admin's approval before it emails a client or records a payment.

    Price: Free plan (20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month), then $29 (Solo, 1 seat) or $79 (Team, 5 seats included, $12 per extra seat) a month per workspace, or $290 and $790 a year; every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team.

    • Quotes and invoices with your country's tax words (sales tax, VAT, GST, GST/HST), several taxes on one invoice (GST and QST, for example) or a different rate per line, branded PDFs and ten currencies.
    • Time, expenses from receipt photos, projects, pipeline, monthly retainer drafts, inventory and purchase-order drafts.
    • An MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, with the same approvals and undo as the chat.
    • Not included: e-signature, client portal, scheduling, card processing, bookkeeping, bank feeds, payroll and tax filing. Web app, in English.

  2. 2. Wave

    Small business software for accounting, invoicing, online payments and payroll.[10]

    Price: Starter is free; Pro is $19 a month or $190 a year in the US ($25 or $250 CAD in Canada), per business.[11]

    • Only for businesses located in the US and Canada.[12]
    • Card payments cost 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction; Pro waives the $0.60 on the first 10 each month.[11]
    • Pro adds automatic bank imports, unlimited receipt capture and automated late payment reminders.[11]
    • Payroll is an add-on, from $40 a month plus $6 per employee in the US.[13]

  3. 3. FreshBooks

    Cloud accounting and invoicing software for small businesses: invoices, expenses, time, online payments, projects and reports.[14]

    Price: Lite $23, Plus $43 or Premium $70 a month in the US (list prices), for 5, 50 or unlimited billable clients; team members cost $11 per user per month extra.[15]

    • 30-day free trial without a card.[15]
    • Double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access from the Plus plan.[15]
    • FreshBooks Payments is for businesses in the US and Canada; international businesses use Stripe Standard instead.[16]
    • An MCP connector for Claude, announced on September 25, 2026.[17]

  4. 4. Bonsai

    One platform for client management, project delivery and billing for service businesses.[18]

    Price: $9 to $49 per user per month billed annually, or $15 to $59 billed monthly (shown in dollars); the Elite plan needs at least 3 users.[19]

    • 7-day free trial; no free plan is described.[19]
    • Contracts, proposals and a client portal from the Essentials plan.[19]
    • Its own payment service, Bonsai Payments, is available in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.[20]
    • Bonsai MCP connects AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor to look up and create records, left for your review.[21]

Questions

Is Zoho Invoice really free?
Yes. On November 5, 2026, Zoho's pricing page showed Zoho Invoice at $0 (₹0 in India), described as forever-free, with up to 2 users, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year, and "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding. Zoho adds no fee on online payments; the payment gateway you connect may charge its own.
Why switch from Zoho Invoice if it is free?
Usually because a limit is reached (a third user, a fourth project or more than 500 invoices a year) or because you want to work differently. Zoho's own next steps are Zoho Billing and Zoho Books. Clodou is a different kind of tool: you type what happened and an AI agent does the admin, asking an owner or admin before it emails a client or records a payment. If you send a few invoices a month and are happy with forms, Zoho Invoice's free plan does more for free than Clodou's free plan (3 quotes or invoices a month).
What is the difference between Zoho Invoice and Zoho Books?
On Zoho's site, Zoho Invoice covers quotes, invoices, payments, expenses and time, while Zoho Books adds bank feeds and reconciliation, purchase orders, inventory, journal entries and financial reports such as profit and loss and balance sheets. When you upgrade, your data stays in the same Zoho account, you can try Books' Premium plan for 14 days, and you can go back to Zoho Invoice.
Does Clodou handle GST in India like Zoho Invoice?
Partly. Clodou prints GST and your GSTIN, can put CGST and SGST on one invoice and bills in INR. It has no IRN e-invoicing, no GSTR filing, no payment processing and no mobile app. For GST compliance work, Zoho Invoice does more.
Which of these tools work with Claude?
Zoho Invoice connects to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code through Zoho MCP, a server you set up in the Zoho MCP console. FreshBooks and Bonsai also describe MCP connectors on their own sites. Clodou has an AI agent in the app and its own MCP server and Claude connector, with approvals for sensitive actions.

Your whole back office, in one chat

Every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team, no card required. Then stay on Free: 20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month.

Start free See pricing

Sources (accessed November 5, 2026)

  1. [1] Zoho Invoice home page (US)
  2. [2] Zoho Invoice pricing (US)
  3. [3] Zoho Invoice: accept online payments
  4. [4] Zoho Invoice help: connect with AI models using Zoho MCP
  5. [5] Zoho Invoice FAQ: upgrading from Zoho Invoice to Zoho Billing
  6. [6] Zoho Invoice to Zoho Books
  7. [7] Zoho Invoice home page (India)
  8. [8] Zoho Invoice pricing (India)
  9. [9] Zoho Invoice GST e-invoicing (India)
  10. [10] Wave home page
  11. [11] Wave pricing
  12. [12] Wave help: create a Wave account
  13. [13] Wave payroll
  14. [14] FreshBooks home page
  15. [15] FreshBooks pricing (US)
  16. [16] FreshBooks support: FreshBooks Payments
  17. [17] FreshBooks press release: MCP connector
  18. [18] Bonsai home page
  19. [19] Bonsai pricing
  20. [20] Bonsai help: integrated payment methods
  21. [21] Bonsai MCP

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