Square Invoices: Invoice Maker

Billing is the part of self-employment nobody enjoys, and Square Invoices exists to shorten it. Contractors, caterers, photographers and consultants can build an estimate or invoice, send it, see when it's opened and collect the money, on phone, tablet or computer, with no monthly charge.

An invoice needs only an email address and an amount, attachments optional. Delivery is by email, text, shareable link, any messaging app or paper. Customers can pay with a card, with Apple Pay or Google Pay, in cash, by check or through an ACH bank transfer. Reminders chase late payers automatically, and recurring invoices and deposit requests handle repeat work.

A plumber finishes a job, types the customer's email and the amount while still in the van, attaches a photo of the finished work and sends. The notification that it's been viewed arrives before the drive home; payment by card or Apple Pay sometimes follows within the hour. A photographer sends an estimate, converts it to an invoice with a deposit request once the client agrees, and sets the balance to recur monthly for a retainer. Late payers get automated nudges without the awkward phone call.

Freelancers and tradespeople who already take card payments with Square look for the matching invoice tool, and newcomers search for invoicing with no monthly fee, which Square states outright. The breadth of payment methods, particularly ACH and Apple Pay, matters to people whose clients each prefer a different way to pay. Seeing when an invoice is opened settles arguments.

Five screenshots are provided, likely the invoice composer, a sent-invoice status view, the payment screen a customer sees, the estimates list and a dashboard of paid versus outstanding. A Business-category tool of this kind generally uses a clean layout with clear paid and unpaid status labels, though the listing itself doesn't describe colours or type.

Version 7.31 indicates a seventh major release with ongoing minor updates. Block, Inc., the parent of Square, is a major payments company, and the 4.8 rating from more than ten thousand reviews is reassuring for a tool that handles money. Support continuity is about as safe as it gets in this batch. Only an App Store link is present on this page.

Rated 12+ on the App Store, which the listing doesn't explain. The app is free with no monthly fee; the listing doesn't say what, if anything, is charged per payment, so look into that before relying on it. A Square account is required; the listing says setting one up is quick. Sending invoices and receiving payments need a connection. Payment methods such as ACH imply a US focus, though regions aren't specified. Ads and storage aren't mentioned.