Best Invoicing Software for Consultants in 2026 (10 Compared)
The best invoicing software for consultants is the one that bills the way you actually sell: a monthly retainer, a project split into milestones, a deposit before kickoff, or a fixed-price diagnostic followed by an ongoing advisory engagement. A plain invoice generator handles the paperwork. The harder question is whether the same tool can hold the proposal, the signed agreement, the recurring charge and the client's work in one place, so you stop reconciling four systems at month end.
Our pick is Coachful, because it puts offers, contracts, recurring payments through your own Stripe account, scheduling and client delivery under one login, with a 0% platform fee. We make Coachful, so weigh that, and read the other nine entries: if you mainly need double-entry bookkeeping, hourly time tracking or a free tool for a handful of invoices a year, one of them will suit you better, and we say which.
This guide starts with a five-question checklist about your practice, maps your answers to a pick, then reviews ten tools in ranked order. After that come costs at 5, 15 and 40 clients, the red flags and switching costs to watch, a verdict and a FAQ. For the broader view of software for solo practices, see our guide to the best software for independent consultants.
What should a consultant check before choosing invoicing software?
Answer five questions about how your practice earns money. Your answers point to a tool category faster than any feature list, because consulting income comes in shapes that generic invoicing apps were not designed around.
- How do most clients pay you? A monthly retainer, a fixed project fee in milestones, hourly billing against a statement of work, or a packaged offer bought at checkout. Retainers need reliable recurring charges. Milestones need payment plans or scheduled invoices. Hourly work needs a timer that feeds the invoice.
- Do you deliver anything between meetings? Many consultants now sell more than advice: a workshop series, a small cohort, a recorded course for a client's managers, an implementation checklist. If yes, you want billing attached to the delivery, not in a separate tab.
- Who signs, and when? If a signed agreement must exist before the first invoice, look for proposals or contracts with e-signature in the same tool. Chasing a signature in one app and a deposit in another is where engagements stall.
- Do you need full accounting, or does your accountant handle it? Bank feeds, expense categorisation and profit and loss reports belong to accounting software. If your accountant already runs your books, you may only need clean invoices, payment records and an export.
- How many active clients at once, now and in two years? Some tools charge per client, some per user, some by invoice volume. Five retainer clients and forty cohort participants cost very differently depending on which.
Which tool fits your answers?
Use this table as a shortcut. Find the row that sounds most like your practice; the pick in the middle column is where we would start a free trial.
How we ranked: one login for the whole client journey, delivery between meetings, total monthly stack cost, and setup effort (including a free white-glove build).
| If your answers look like this | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Coachful: retainers or packages, a signed agreement first, plus workshops, cohorts or a course | Coachful (from Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients) | Offers, e-signed agreements, subscriptions and payment plans, scheduling and delivery in one account |
| Project work with proposals, a client portal and payment schedules, no course or cohort | HoneyBook | Client-management CRM with proposals, contracts and invoices |
| Detailed onboarding workflows and forms you want automated | Dubsado | Workflow automation across forms, contracts and invoices |
| Hourly or day-rate billing with time tracking and project budgets | Bonsai or FreshBooks | Bonsai turns tracked time into invoices; FreshBooks adds accounting reports |
| A small number of coaching-style engagements with action plans | CoachAccountable | Per-client pricing, action plans, invoicing and agreements |
| Simple packages and one flat price for everything | Paperbell | Single plan with booking, packages, payments and contracts |
| Wellness or nutrition consulting with charting | Practice Better | Practice management with charting and billing |
| Bookkeeping matters more than client delivery | FreshBooks or Wave | Accounting reports, expense tracking and invoicing together |
| Very low volume and a zero budget | Zoho Invoice | Free plan with recurring invoices and a customer portal, capped at 500 invoices a year |
How did we choose these ten tools?
We looked for tools that independent consultants and small practices actually shortlist, then checked each vendor's own pricing and feature pages. Prices for HoneyBook, Dubsado, Bonsai, Paperbell, Practice Better and CoachAccountable are as listed in October 2026. FreshBooks, Wave and Zoho Invoice prices come from their pricing pages as we read them in November 2026. We have not run client engagements through every tool; where we describe limits, they come from vendor documentation or what public reviewers report.
Each entry covers what the tool does for a consulting workflow specifically (retainers, milestones, deposits, late fees, tax), the price as listed, the limits that matter, and when you should pick it over Coachful. If you coach as much as you consult, the companion guides on invoicing software for business coaches and invoicing software for executive coaches go deeper on those buyers.
1. Coachful: billing, agreements and delivery under one login
Coachful is a coaching platform where the invoice is one step in a longer client journey rather than a standalone document. You build an offer (a monthly advisory retainer, a 90-day implementation program, a fixed-fee diagnostic), attach an agreement the client e-signs before the first call, and take payment through your own Stripe Connect or Razorpay account. Every transaction generates an invoice, and you can raise manual invoices for anything outside a checkout, such as an extra workshop day.
Retainers, milestones and deposits
Retainers run as subscriptions on your Stripe account, so the client is charged each month without you sending anything. Milestone-style engagements fit payment plans: split a fixed project fee into instalments the client agrees to at checkout. For a deposit, a common setup is a smaller paid offer (a scoping session or diagnostic) followed by the main engagement, or a manual invoice for the deposit amount before kickoff. Coupons, refunds, Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported, and Stripe Tax can calculate sales tax or VAT on your charges. Coachful takes a 0% platform fee (since August 2026); you pay only Stripe or Razorpay processing.
Each payment lands on the client record next to their sessions, notes, intake answers, goals and agreement, so when a retainer client asks what they paid for last quarter, the answer sits on one screen. Here is a short walkthrough of the invoices view:
What consultants deliver after the invoice is paid
This is where Coachful separates from invoicing-first tools. The booking page handles availability, buffers, minimum notice and time zones, with two-way Google, Apple and Outlook calendar sync and auto-created Zoom, Meet or Teams links. You can deliver a multi-week program with weekly goals and check-ins, a course with drip modules for a client's managers, or a cohort whose group is created automatically when people enrol. Group calls and webinars run inside the same account. If your practice has two or three consultants, team plans add seats with per-coach availability and staff permissions; see Coachful for teams.
Michelle, the built-in AI assistant, works from your live practice data: it can brief you before a client meeting, summarise recorded sessions and draft follow-up emails. Questions and planning are included in your Coachful membership; confirmed builds and changes use AI credits.
Where Coachful stops
Coachful is not accounting software. Its feature list does not include a time tracker, bank feeds or a general ledger, so hourly consultants who bill from timesheets, and anyone who wants profit and loss reports, will still pair it with an accounting tool or their accountant. It has no PayPal, no permanent free plan, no Salesforce or HubSpot integration, and no multi-stage deal board for large sales teams. It is not HIPAA-certified. Zapier is available if you need to pass payment data elsewhere.
Why Coachful stands out: a free white-glove service. On every plan, you can open Create > We'll build it for you, describe what you need (a sales page for your advisory retainer, an application funnel for a cohort, a set of follow-up emails, a program or a form), attach up to 8 reference links and up to 10 files, and the Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours. Nothing gets invented: no fake credentials, testimonials or prices, and gaps are left for you to fill. A business mentor for beauty professionals, for example, got a 12-week mentorship sales page, a free start-up-guide funnel and rewritten follow-up emails. It does not include recording videos, logo design or ad management. More on how it works in our white-glove service guide.
Price: flat monthly plans; lower plans cap the number of clients, Pro is unlimited (current plans: Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients; Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients; Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients; Studio: $199/month with unlimited clients). There is a free trial, and monthly plans cancel in one click. Public reviewers give Coachful 4.5 on Trustpilot from 21 reviews.
Who it is for: consultants who sell packaged engagements or retainers and deliver structured work between meetings. Who should look elsewhere: pure hourly billers who need timesheets and full bookkeeping in one product. To start, take the free trial and request the free white-glove build for your first offer page.
2. HoneyBook: a client CRM for project-based consultants
HoneyBook is a client-management CRM for service businesses: proposals, contracts, invoices, a scheduler and a client portal. For a consultant who sells defined projects, the appeal is a single proposal that the client reviews, signs and pays from. That suits a fixed-fee engagement where the deposit and later instalments are agreed up front.
As listed in October 2026, Starter is $29 a month billed annually (the monthly figure was not shown on the page), Essentials is $59 a month or $49 annually with up to 2 team members, and Premium is $129 a month or $109 annually with unlimited team members. All plans include unlimited clients and projects. A 30-day free trial needs no credit card.
Two limits matter for consultants. First, payments run through HoneyBook's own processing, and the pricing page conflicts with itself on card rates: the FAQ says 2.7% + 10¢, the plan comparison says 2.9% + 25¢. ACH is 1.5%, and instant deposit costs 1%. Second, the scheduler and automations start on Essentials, so the cheapest plan is mostly proposals and invoices. There is no delivery layer: no programs, courses, check-ins or community. Prices also rose in February 2025 from $19, $39 and $79 monthly. Trustpilot shows 4.1 from 748 reviews.
Pick it over Coachful if your engagements are purely project work, you never run workshops, cohorts or courses for clients, and a polished proposal-to-payment flow matters more than anything that happens after the contract is signed.
3. Dubsado: when your onboarding is a multi-step workflow
Dubsado is a workflow CRM built around forms, contracts, invoices and automations. Consultants who run a fixed sequence (questionnaire, proposal, contract, deposit invoice, kickoff scheduling, reminder emails) can map it once and let Dubsado move each client through it. Optional surcharging can pass card costs on to the client.
Pricing as listed in October 2026: Starter $35 a month ($27.92 annually) with unlimited clients and one active lead-capture form, and Premier $55 a month ($43.75 annually) with unlimited lead forms. A 21-day trial gives full Premier access with no card. Dubsado states no platform fee of its own; your processor's rates apply.
The limits are clear in Dubsado's own words: it does not include website building and is not an email marketing platform. Starter has no scheduler or automations, which removes most of the reason to choose it. The mobile app is a companion; full functionality needs the desktop web app. There are no courses, client community, habits or check-ins, so any delivery work lives elsewhere.
Pick it over Coachful if you want to design detailed conditional onboarding workflows yourself, you already have a website and email tool you are happy with, and your consulting deliverables are documents and meetings rather than programs.
4. Bonsai: time tracking and proposals for hourly consultants
Bonsai is business management software for freelancers and agencies: proposals, contracts, invoices, time tracking and projects. It is the most natural fit in this list for consultants who bill by the hour or by the day, because tracked time can become invoice lines.
Every plan is priced per user. As listed in October 2026: Basic $15 a month ($9 annually), Essentials $25 ($19 annually), Premium $39 ($29 annually) and Elite $59 ($49 annually) with a minimum of 3 users. Watch the first tier: Basic has no invoicing or payments, so the real starting point for invoicing is Essentials. The trial is 7 days, and you can start without a card.
On fees, the pricing page links out to the help centre. Bonsai's older help documentation lists Bonsai Payments cards at 2.9% + $0.30 and ACH at 1%, plus a 1% platform fee if you use your own Stripe or PayPal where Bonsai Payments is available; we could not re-read that article this month. There are no courses, community, client habits or check-ins, and a custom domain is marked as expected in 2026. Trustpilot shows 4.3 from 641 reviews.
Pick it over Coachful if most of your revenue is hourly or day-rate work against a statement of work, you need timesheets to drive invoices, and you deliver no structured programs between meetings.
5. CoachAccountable: per-client billing with action plans
CoachAccountable is a coaching back office: sessions, action plans, metrics, worksheets, courses, invoicing and agreements. Consultants who run advisory engagements that look like coaching (a leader, a weekly call, actions to report on) can invoice and track progress in one place.
Pricing is per active client, as listed in October 2026: Starter $20 a month for 2 clients, Level 1 $40 for 5, Level 2 $70 for 10, Level 3 $120 for 20, Level 4 $250 for 50 and Level 5 $400 for 100. The 30-day trial has no card requirement and no limits. Transaction fees are not on the pricing page; processor fees apply.
The per-client model is the main constraint. It is fair for a practice of six senior retainer clients, but costs climb quickly if you run a workshop series or a cohort where every participant counts as a client. CoachAccountable has no website, landing pages or marketing automation, and no native mobile app, according to its older public profile. It states it is not HIPAA compliant. Public reviewers rate it highly: 4.8 on Trustpilot from 47 reviews. See our CoachAccountable alternatives for a fuller comparison.
Pick it over Coachful if you keep a small, stable client list, action-plan tracking is the core of your service, and you have a separate website you have no wish to replace.
6. Paperbell: one flat price for packages and contracts
Paperbell is an all-in-one admin tool for solo coaches that some consultants use for packaged advisory work: booking, packages, payments, contracts, a client portal and a simple website. Its pitch is simplicity. You set up a package, a client buys it, signs and books.
There is one plan: $97 a month, or $80.83 a month billed annually, as listed in October 2026, with unlimited clients, sessions, files and packages. Paperbell says there are no additional transaction fees; Stripe or PayPal processor fees apply. A free trial exists (its help centre in July 2026 described 7 days with the public site offline), and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For consultants, the gaps are delivery and scale. According to its older profile, Paperbell has no courses or LMS, no community, no goal or habit tracking and no native mobile app. The price is per coach, so a two-person practice pays twice. Trustpilot shows 3.5 from 14 reviews. Our Paperbell alternatives page covers the options in more detail.
Pick it over Coachful if you sell a few fixed packages, want PayPal as a payment option, and prefer one predictable price with no client cap over a broader toolset.
7. Practice Better: for wellness and nutrition consultants
Practice Better is practice management for wellness and nutrition practitioners: scheduling, telehealth, charting, billing, programs and a client portal. It earns a place here for consultants in that field, such as a nutrition consultant working with corporate wellness programs, who need clinical-style notes alongside invoicing.
As listed in October 2026: Sprout is free for 3 clients, Starter $35 a month ($25 annually) for 10 clients, Professional $69 ($59 annually) for 300 clients, Plus $99 ($89 annually) for unlimited clients, and Team $155 ($145 annually) for 2 practitioners, with more at $50 each. Trials run 14 days on most paid plans and 30 days on Team. Payments are powered by Stripe; rates are not listed.
Several features that matter to a client-facing consultant start on Plus: evergreen programs, portal branding, a custom URL and SMS. There is no website builder or funnel pages, according to its older profile, and below Team each account has one practitioner. Trustpilot shows 3.8 from 87 reviews.
Pick it over Coachful if you need charting and telehealth for wellness consulting, and those clinical-style records matter more to you than a website, funnels or a client community.
8. FreshBooks: accounting first, with retainers and late fees
FreshBooks is accounting software with strong invoicing, and the most complete pick here for the money side of consulting. Its plan comparison lists automated recurring invoices, scheduled late fees, automated late payment reminders, deposits, project budgets, proposals with e-signatures, and client retainers. For a consultant whose accountant wants clean books, that list covers most needs.
When we read the pricing page in November 2026, list prices were Lite $23 a month (invoices to 5 clients), Plus $43 (50 clients, plus proposals, client retainers and accounting reports) and Premium $70 (unlimited clients and project profitability), with a Select plan priced on request. An introductory offer showed 80% off for the first 4 months. Add-ons include team members at $11 a month per user and Advanced Payments at $20 a month. There is a 30-day free trial and a 30-day refund promise.
Note the client caps: retainers start on Plus, and Lite's 5-client limit is tight even for a solo consultant. FreshBooks does not deliver anything to clients beyond invoices, estimates and a payment portal, so workshops, courses and session booking need other tools.
Pick it over Coachful if you want accounting and invoicing in one product, your work is hourly or project-based with no structured delivery, and late-fee automation is a must.
9. Wave: free invoicing with paid bookkeeping
Wave offers invoicing and bookkeeping for small businesses. Its Starter plan is $0 with unlimited estimates, invoices and bookkeeping records, as listed when we checked in November 2026. Online card payments on Starter cost 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex).
The Pro plan is $19 a month or $190 a year (an introductory promo halved the first 3 months). Pro lowers card payments to 2.9% + $0 per transaction, auto-imports and categorises bank transactions, captures unlimited receipts and automates late payment reminders. Wave also sells optional bookkeeping and advisory packages starting at $149 a month.
For a consultant, Wave covers recurring billing needs and the books behind them. It does not handle proposals with e-signature, scheduling or client delivery, so you would still need a contract tool and a booking page. The $0.60 fixed fee on Starter also adds up on small monthly retainers.
Pick it over Coachful if your only requirement is invoices plus basic bookkeeping at the lowest possible cost, and you already handle contracts and scheduling elsewhere.
10. Zoho Invoice: the free option with a hard ceiling
Zoho Invoice is a free invoicing tool. As listed in November 2026, it covers tax-compliant invoices, quotes, recurring invoices, automated payment reminders, time logging with projects, expense recording and a self-service customer portal. That is a lot for $0, and it includes time tracking, which several paid tools here lack.
The ceilings are written on the pricing page: up to two users, a maximum of three projects and up to 500 invoices a year, with "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding on documents. Accounts inactive for more than 180 days have their data deleted after a further 20 days, so do not leave it idle. Zoho points growing businesses to its paid Zoho Billing product.
Do the maths for retainers: 40 monthly clients produce 480 invoices a year, right at the limit before any one-off or deposit invoice. The three-project cap also limits time tracking across engagements.
Pick it over Coachful if you invoice a handful of clients, need nothing beyond invoices and a payment portal, and the budget is zero for now.
Which features does each tool actually include?
This matrix covers the consulting workflows from the checklist. "Not listed" means the vendor's pages we read did not mention it, not that it is impossible.
| Tool | Recurring retainers | Instalments or milestones | E-signed contracts | Time tracking | Client delivery (programs, courses, cohorts) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachful | Yes, subscriptions | Yes, payment plans | Yes | Not listed | Yes |
| HoneyBook | Not listed | Via proposals and invoices | Yes | Not listed | No |
| Dubsado | Not listed | Via invoices and workflows | Yes | Not listed | No |
| Bonsai | Not listed | Via invoices | Yes | Yes | No |
| CoachAccountable | Not listed | Via invoicing | Agreements | Not listed | Courses and action plans |
| Paperbell | Not listed | Via packages | Yes | Not listed | No |
| Practice Better | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Programs (evergreen on Plus) |
| FreshBooks | Yes, plus client retainers | Deposits and project budgets | Proposals with e-signatures | Not listed on pricing page | No |
| Wave | Not listed on pricing page | Not listed | No | No | No |
| Zoho Invoice | Yes, recurring invoices | Not listed | Not listed | Yes (3 projects) | No |
What will each tool cost at 5, 15 and 40 clients?
Monthly prices below use each vendor's list price on monthly billing where shown, as listed in October 2026 (FreshBooks, Wave and Zoho Invoice as read in November 2026). Payment processing is extra in every case. These are examples for comparison; your bill depends on users, add-ons and billing period.
| Tool | 5 clients | 15 clients | 40 clients | Pricing basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachful | Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients | Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients | Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients | Flat plan by client count; 0% platform fee |
| HoneyBook | $29 (Starter, annual) | $29 (Starter, annual) | $29 (Starter, annual) | Unlimited clients; scheduler from $59 Essentials |
| Dubsado | $35 (Starter) or $55 (Premier) | $35 or $55 | $35 or $55 | Unlimited clients; automations on Premier |
| Bonsai | $25 (Essentials) | $25 | $25 | Per user; Basic has no invoicing |
| CoachAccountable | $40 (Level 1) | $120 (Level 3) | $250 (Level 4) | Per active client |
| Paperbell | $97 | $97 | $97 | One plan per coach |
| Practice Better | $35 (Starter) | $69 (Professional) | $69 (Professional) | Client tiers; branding on Plus at $99 |
| FreshBooks | $23 (Lite) | $43 (Plus) | $43 (Plus) | Client caps; intro discount for 4 months |
| Wave | $0 (Starter) or $19 (Pro) | $0 or $19 | $0 or $19 | Higher fixed card fee on Starter |
| Zoho Invoice | $0 | $0 | $0 (near the 500-invoice yearly cap) | Free; 2 users, 3 projects |
The cheapest line is not the whole cost. An invoicing-only tool at $25 still leaves you paying for a scheduler, an e-signature app, a course host and an email tool. Add those up before comparing against an all-in-one plan. Our guide to coaching billing and invoicing software walks through that stack maths in more detail.
How would a consultant set up retainer billing in Coachful?
Here is an example setup for an independent operations consultant who sells a fixed-fee diagnostic followed by a monthly advisory retainer. The figures you choose are your own; the steps are what Coachful documents.
- Connect Stripe. Link your own Stripe Connect account and turn on Stripe Tax if you need sales tax or VAT calculated on charges.
- Create the diagnostic offer. A one-time payment for a scoping engagement, with intake questions on the booking so you arrive at the first call prepared.
- Create the retainer offer. A subscription offer for monthly advisory, with the sessions per month described in the offer. For a fixed project instead, use a payment plan to split the fee into milestone instalments.
- Attach your agreement. Add your consulting agreement so the client e-signs before the first call; the signed copy is stored on the client record. Our coaching contracts page shows how agreements work.
- Set up booking. Availability, buffers and minimum notice, two-way calendar sync, and auto-created video links.
- Add delivery. If the retainer includes a workshop series or a short course for the client's team, build it as a program or course so participants work between meetings.
- Raise manual invoices for extras. An extra on-site day or a deposit outside checkout gets a manual invoice from the Payments tab.
- Review monthly. The client record shows payments, sessions and notes together, which makes retainer renewal conversations easier.
If you would rather not build the offer pages yourself, request them through the free white-glove build. For more on taking payments, see Coachful's payment software and our page for business coaches.
What red flags and switching costs should consultants watch?
Most invoicing regret comes from a pricing model that did not match how the practice grew, or from data that is hard to move. Check these before you commit.
- Per-client pricing with group work. A per-active-client model like CoachAccountable's is fine for six retainers and expensive for a 30-person workshop cohort.
- Locked payment processing. HoneyBook processes payments itself. Moving to another tool later means moving active recurring charges too, and clients may have to re-enter card details. Tools that use your own Stripe account keep customers and subscriptions in Stripe when you switch.
- Entry tiers missing the feature you need. Bonsai Basic has no invoicing, HoneyBook Starter and Dubsado Starter have no scheduler or automations, and FreshBooks retainers begin on Plus.
- Volume caps on free plans. Zoho Invoice's 500 invoices a year and 3 projects, and its deletion of inactive accounts after 180 days plus 20.
- Introductory discounts. FreshBooks and Wave both showed first-months promotions; budget for the list price.
- Export before you need it. Coachful exports full client data as a ZIP (roster, notes, check-ins, goals, habits, sessions, form responses). Whatever you choose, run one export in the first week.
- Tax handling. Sales tax and VAT rules on consulting services vary by country and state. The IRS Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center covers US basics; check with an accountant on what to charge and record.
Retainer terms also deserve a written agreement. A retainer agreement usually defines what the monthly fee buys and how unused hours are treated; your invoicing tool should mirror those terms, and an attorney should review the agreement itself.
Which invoicing software should a consultant choose?
Choose Coachful if you sell retainers or packaged engagements and deliver anything structured between meetings: one login holds the offer, the e-signed agreement, recurring charges on your own Stripe account, scheduling and the client's work, with a 0% platform fee and a free white-glove build to get set up. Choose FreshBooks or Bonsai if you bill hourly from timesheets and want accounting or time tracking above all. HoneyBook and Dubsado suit project consultants who live in proposals and workflows. Wave and Zoho Invoice are the low-cost options when you only need invoices. For a wider look at tools by consulting specialism, see our guides for strategic planning consultants and leadership consultants.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best invoicing software for consultants who charge retainers?
For retainers combined with delivery work, Coachful runs the monthly charge as a subscription on your own Stripe account and keeps the agreement and sessions on the same client record. If you only need recurring invoices plus accounting, FreshBooks lists client retainers on its Plus plan.
Can I bill milestones and take a deposit?
In Coachful, split a project fee into a payment plan at checkout, or raise a manual invoice for a deposit before kickoff. FreshBooks lists deposits and project budgets in its plan comparison. HoneyBook and Dubsado handle staged payments through their proposals and invoices.
Which tools automate late fees?
FreshBooks lists scheduled late fees and automated late payment reminders. Wave Pro automates late payment reminders, and Zoho Invoice automates payment reminders. Dubsado allows optional surcharging of card costs. Check the exact tier before relying on it.
Do I need accounting software as well as invoicing software?
If your accountant keeps your books, clean invoices and a payment export may be enough. If you do your own bookkeeping, a tool with bank feeds and reports, such as FreshBooks or Wave Pro, saves time. Coachful handles invoicing and payments, not bookkeeping.
Does Coachful charge a transaction fee?
No. Coachful has a 0% platform fee since August 2026; you pay only Stripe or Razorpay processing on your own account. HoneyBook, by contrast, is the processor and sets its own card rates.
What is Coachful's free white-glove service?
On every plan, you can ask the Coachful team to build a website, funnel, offer page, program, email sequence or form inside your account, usually within about 24 hours. You describe it, attach up to 8 links and 10 files, and gaps are left for you rather than invented. It does not cover video recording, logo design or ads.
Is there a free invoicing tool good enough for consultants?
Zoho Invoice is free with recurring invoices, time logging and a customer portal, capped at 500 invoices a year, 3 projects and 2 users. Wave Starter is also free, with a higher per-transaction card fee than Pro. Both work for low volume; neither handles contracts or scheduling.
Can a two- or three-person consulting firm use these tools?
Yes. Coachful's team plans add seats with per-coach availability and staff permissions. HoneyBook Essentials allows 2 team members, Bonsai prices per user, and FreshBooks adds team members at $11 a month each. Paperbell is priced per coach.
How do I handle sales tax or VAT on consulting invoices?
Rules depend on where you and your client are based. Coachful supports Stripe Tax for calculating tax on charges, and Zoho Invoice describes tax-compliant invoices. Confirm what applies to you with an accountant.
Can I accept PayPal?
Not in Coachful, which uses Stripe or Razorpay, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Paperbell and CoachAccountable list PayPal as a processor option in their older profiles.
