Searching for the appropriate software for your business can be painful, especially with so many new options popping up every year.
Whether you run a growing architectural business with worldwide team members or operate a side business to expand on your creative expertise, having control over billing, project tracking, and invoice services is critical to your company’s success.
This list will provide a range of invoicing and financial management software choices for your architecture and design company, big or small.
Top 6 Invoicing Software for Architects
| Brand | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bonsai | $24/month | Best For Its Automatic Invoicing Features |
| 2. Deltek Vision | $30 – $46/employee | Larger professional service firms |
| 3. Xero | $12 – $65/month | Small business |
| 4. HoneyBook | $39/month | Project tracking |
| 5. Elorus | $39/month | Billing management |
| 6. Wave | Free | Self-employment |
1. Bonsai – Best For Its Automatic Invoicing Features
Pricing: The minimum price of this program is $17 per month on annual plans.
As an architect, you will have to deal with different teams, clients, and finance tracking options. Bonsai can save you time by automating various functions related to invoicing. It will send automatic payment reminders to clients to help you get paid quickly.
The platform also creates and automatically sends invoice receipts to the relevant part. Bonsai also calculates late charges and add them to the invoices that have passed their due dates. This ensures that the client pays you the full amount with all additional charges.
These automatic features will save you time and help you focus on other architecture tasks.
KEY FEATURES:
- Set recurrent invoices that Bonsai will send to clients weekly, monthly, or quarterly
- Connect various bank cards to the software for tracking the incoming payments
- Generate automatic invoices in just a few clicks
- Choose a date till your invoice is valid for accurate late charges
- Make a library of additional packages or services with their fixed pricing to add them to the invoice in no time
- Allow clients to pay via Bonsai in installments
REASONS TO USE:
- It offers high flexibility
- Easy to use
- Great for beginners
- The software has many invoicing options
- Payment features are available on the starting plan too, if you don’t want to pay for higher-paying plans
REASONS TO AVOID:
- The total sum may not be entirely accurate if you keep the setting on rounding off
2. Deltek Vision – Best invoicing software for larger professional service firms
PRICING: Base pricing starts at $30 per employee and rises to $46 per employee at full support.
If you have a growing architectural firm, you may be in need of a full-service invoicing and accounting service to automate your projects. Deltek Vision is a software designed to easily incorporate your team’s projects into one seamless software to help you keep track of billable work and keep cash flow high.
This is an ERP, or enterprise resource planning software that allows you to more easily create accurate invoices for multiple projects at once, and to track company performance and progress in one cloud-based application. This is a great software to incorporate better time vs value management and keep track of company growth and budget forecasts.
KEY FEATURES:
- Project invoicing
- Client management database
- Business performance insights
- Project management tools
REASONS TO USE:
- Options to customize client services
- Budget management and forecasting tools
- Accurately track billable time and expenses
REASONS TO AVOID:
- The software can be challenging to learn without direct guidance
- Limits to software capabilities in certain web browsers
>>MORE: Project Management Software for Architects | Architecture Training Software | Architecture Time Tracking Software | Accounting Software for Architects
3. Xero – Best invoicing software for small business
PRICING: Plans start at $12, up to $65 for a full suite plan.
For those of you with smaller firms, Xero is an invoicing software specifically designed for small and growing service firms looking to gain better control over financial management and expense tracking. The Xero software can be used on many different devices, making it an easy tool for project managers to keep contractors and employees on track from anywhere in the world, in different currencies, and across time zones.
This software is especially useful for self-employed architects as it offers a very inexpensive base plan with plenty of tools for a single user to control finances and manage billable time more effectively. You can easily accept payments, pay bills, and manage payroll according to your company’s needs.
KEY FEATURES:
- Cloud-based control on multiple devices
- Basic inventory management
- Easily reconcile books and bank information
REASONS TO USE:
- Budget-friendly scalable plan options
- Easily add an accountant as a user
- Unlimited users
REASONS TO AVOID:
- No phone support; nearly all customer service is done online
- Base plan critically limits the number of bills and invoices, and may not be enough even for those self-employed.
4. HoneyBook – best invoicing software for project tracking
PRICING: $39 monthly unlimited plan, or $390 yearly unlimited plan
In the world of digital sovereignty, it is important for small businesses to harness digital accounting solutions to make it easier to access clients and keep track of company progress all in one place. Honeybooks is a great option for small architectural and design firms to keep all the necessary tools in one place.
This software allows you to create and share proposals with potential clients, track project progress, and efficiently send out accurate invoices. There are options for a client login to keep your patrons involved in the process, and it is easy to create fillable documents to update standard information with each new project. Honeybook also offers a free trial for both their monthly and annual plans, making it easy for you to test how well the Honeybook software fits your business needs.
KEY FEATURES:
- Quickbooks integration
- Client and lead management
- Easy invoicing
- Project progress tracking
REASONS TO USE:
- Offers a client portal
- Easily send client proposals with invoices and contracts
- Online payment options
- Attentive customer service
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Recurring billing is not easily edited
- Often hard to fully sync project management between the project manager and the client.
>>MORE: 3D Architecture Software | Estimating and Invoicing Software | Invoicing Software For The Construction Industry | Cheap Invoicing Software
5 . Elorus – Best invoicing software for billing management
PRICING: Free version available for a very small client list, with plans up to $39 monthly for unlimited clients
If your business is in need of software without all the bells and whistles of planning and team management, look no further than Elorus. This software is made for accounting and financial management, offering tools for more streamlined invoicing and expense tracking.
Elorus is an ideal software for self-employed architects or small firms that want to successfully manage client proposals and track actual billable hours, and keep teams informed about financial status and budgeting.
While this software does not offer the same project management services as other software choices on this list, Elorus makes up for the lack of extra services with state-of-the-art invoicing options that allow you to feel confident that your company is making smart financial choices without too much fuss.
KEY FEATURES:
- Invoice customization, including styling, standard hourly costs, and discounted services.
- Options for ad hoc reports
- Client database
- Ability to track and distribute necessary reimbursements
REASONS TO USE:
- User-friendly interface
- Online payment system
- Clients can track project status and billable time
- Manual time entry option
REASONS TO AVOID:
- No mobile version is available
- The learning curve can be steep
6. Wave – Best invoicing software for self-employment
PRICING: Free to all users
Are you a freelancing architect, side hustler, or self-employed? Wave is a free software that is perfect for very small businesses looking for budget-friendly invoicing and accounting support. This software option offers an unlimited number of users and unlimited financial account connections giving you plenty of freedom to get your company finances organized efficiently.
Wave offers its own advisors to help with bookkeeping and payroll management, however, you can easily add your own accountant via email with editor permissions in the software. The system does offer add-on products for purchase, to give you extra control over payroll and reporting, but other than their extra services this software is not scalable, making it ideal for single users or a side business. This is a great software choice if your business needs basic invoicing and accounting options without a large financial commitment.
KEY FEATURES:
- Income tracking
- Options to customize sales taxes
- Management options for invoice sharing and status
- Automatic payment system and invoice notifications
REASONS TO USE:
- Zero up-front cost
- Options to pay for added services as needed
- Invoices can be customized for every client
- Interface is user-friendly
REASONS TO AVOID:
- No options to scale software
- Customer service is very limited without purchasing add-on services
References and Links:
- https://www.thesmbguide.com/deltek-vision
- https://www.softwareadvice.com/psa/deltek-vision-profile/
- https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/6-business-apps-that-designers-actually-use-for-accounting-invoicing-project-management-and-more
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/xero-review
- https://www.getapp.com/finance-accounting-software/a/honeybook/reviews/
- https://www.softwareadvice.com/accounting/elorus-profile/
- https://monograph.com/blog/best-architecture-software#4
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/wave-accounting-review