BillingEngine vs PayPal Invoicing

BillingEngine is cloud invoicing and accounting software for freelancers and small businesses. It creates electronic invoices in ZUGFeRD and XRechnung formats compliant with EN 16931, and every plan includes an unlimited email inbox for incoming e-invoices. Accepted quotes can become invoices, and reminders can be sent at several dunning levels. Receipt recognition extracts amount, date, tax rate and supplier, then matches receipts to expenses. Users can export data in DATEV, CSV, XLS, XML or PDF formats; listed integrations include DATEV export and a REST API for customers, invoices and payments. The free plan allows three invoices, three quotes and three receipts per month for one user. Basic costs €6 a month plus VAT and allows 30 of each document type monthly for two users. Premium costs €12 a month plus VAT and provides unlimited invoices, quotes and receipts for five users. BillingEngine says data is encrypted in transit, stored on servers in Germany and archived in a GoBD-compliant manner.

PayPal Invoicing lets freelancers, service professionals, consultants, and small businesses bill clients directly. Users can customize invoices with a company name, brand colors, logo, taxes, discounts, shipping details, and notes, then send them by email, SMS, messaging apps, social media, or QR code. A dashboard tracks whether invoices have been sent, opened, or paid. Templates support recurring billing; automatic reminders and QuickBooks and Xero sync can reduce manual work. Invoices can be created and managed on the web, iOS, and Android, including through the PayPal app. A PayPal account is required to create and send invoices, but clients do not need one to pay. Creating and sending invoices costs nothing; transaction charges apply when customers pay. The listed PayPal and Venmo rate is 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction, and Pay Later is 4.99% + $0.49 per transaction. Fixed fees vary by currency received, and international transactions may add a percentage-based fee. Availability is listed in over 200 markets and 24 currencies.