Hiveage

Overview

Hiveage is billing software for small businesses and freelancers who need more than invoice creation. Its strongest case is the combination of payment collection, recurring billing, time and expense tracking, and financial reporting; the five-client free-plan ceiling is the first constraint many growing businesses will hit.

Recurring invoices, payment reminders, and support for multiple currencies make it suited to ongoing client work across regions. More than a dozen payment gateways are supported, including PayPal, Stripe, Square, and Braintree, so businesses can connect payment options they may already use.

Key features

Billing and tracking: Invoices, estimates and quotes sit alongside recurring billing, time tracking, and expense tracking. That breadth is useful to freelancers and service firms that want billing tied to work and costs, rather than a standalone invoice tool.

Payments and currencies: Online payments and payment reminders support collection, while invoices can be formatted for clients’ preferred currencies and locales. The gateway range is a practical strength for businesses with varied payment preferences.

Multiple businesses and teams: One account can manage multiple business entities and teams with delegated access levels and permissions. This suits operators handling several ventures, though team seats are capped on the plans that specify them.

Portability and integrations: Data and reports can be imported or exported as CSV, accessed through a JSON REST API, or moved through connected software tools. The API is enabled by default on all accounts and has per-hour request limits; Zapier can trigger workflows from events such as a new invoice.

Security and support: Hiveage uses 256-bit SSL-encrypted connections and Rackspace hosting. It states 99.9% average uptime, redundant storage and servers, daily backups across multiple geographic locations, and 180-day backup retention. Support is offered by in-app chat and email, with a Help Center covering gateways, customization, reports, and data import/export.

Pricing

Hiveage offers a free plan and a 14-day trial. The plans make the client ceiling the central pricing distinction: the free tier supports five clients, while even Basic raises that to 50. All four plans include unlimited invoices, estimates, time tracking, expense tracking, and payment gateways.

Free — free: Five clients and unlimited invoices, estimates, time tracking, and expense tracking. It includes payment gateways, but omits recurring billing and financial reports listed on paid plans. It is a reasonable starting point for a freelancer with a small client roster, not a durable fit once that roster grows.

Basic — $19 a month: Monthly billing, 50 clients, unlimited recurring billing, and financial reports, in addition to the shared unlimited features. It is the entry paid tier for solo operators who have outgrown five clients; it includes one team user.

Pro — $29 a month: Monthly billing, 250 clients, and five team members, plus custom domain and domain email alongside recurring billing and reports. This is a better fit for a small team that needs more client capacity and branded communications.

Plus — $49 a month: Monthly billing, 1,000 clients, and 10 team members, along with custom domain and domain email. It suits larger client books and teams that would exceed Pro’s stated caps.

Although the pricing summary also gives an annual-billing starting price of $16/mo, the plan prices above are monthly-billing rates. Readers should compare the stated terms rather than assume the lower starting figure applies to monthly payment.

Platforms

Hiveage supports Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, web, and API access. That breadth accommodates desktop and mobile use as well as custom connections through the API.

Who it's for

Hiveage is best suited to freelancers and small businesses that need invoicing tied to recurring work, payments, time, expenses, and reports. Its multiple-entity controls and gateway range add value for businesses serving clients in different currencies or managing more than one operation. It is less compelling for a business that only needs basic invoicing, or for a team whose required seats or client volume exceed the relevant plan caps.

Pros and cons

Pros: One service covers billing, time and expenses, recurring invoices, payment collection, and financial reporting, reducing the need to piece together those functions.

Pros: Multiple gateways, localized multi-currency invoices, and CSV/API portability give businesses practical flexibility in payments and data handling.

Cons: The free tier stops at five clients and does not include the recurring billing and financial reports named on paid tiers, making it restrictive for established client work.

Cons: Basic has just one team user, while Pro and Plus cap teams at five and 10 respectively; expanding teams may need a higher tier.

Alternatives

Invoicing software is a useful starting point for comparing the wider category. Choose Zoho Invoice if a free plan with up to two users, three projects, and 500 annual invoices better fits your needs, particularly if you use Android, iOS, macOS, or Windows. PayPal Invoicing is worth considering when creating and sending invoices without setup or subscription fees is the priority; transaction fees apply when customers pay.

InvoiceOcean offers a free tier capped at three monthly invoices and one user, so it may fit a very low-volume operation. Express Invoice has a non-expiring free version for home users or one-user businesses, including most professional-version features. Billbooks is another option to consider, with a 30-day trial requiring no credit card and a five-client trial cap.

Inkvoice offers a cloud free tier for one user and five customers with unlimited invoices, and supports Linux and self-hosting as well as web and API access. Fakturka.bg is an alternative to compare. Invoice Home may suit users whose activity fits its free plan’s limit of invoicing up to $1,000 in the past 30 days.

Verdict

Choose Hiveage if you are a freelancer or small business that wants recurring billing, payment options, time and expense tracking, and reporting in one service, with room to manage multiple businesses and export data. The free tier is a useful entry point, but its five-client cap and the paid plans’ seat limits make capacity the key trade-off. Look elsewhere if your operation needs a more generous free allowance or will outgrow Hiveage’s stated client and team caps.