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What is Billed?
Billed is invoicing and billing software aimed at small businesses, freelancers and agencies. It brings the routine money side of running a business into one place: creating and sending invoices and estimates, automating recurring billing and payment reminders, tracking time and expenses, and accepting online card payments through gateways such as Stripe and PayPal.
Who it suits
- Freelancers and self-employed people who want to stop rebuilding invoices by hand and chase fewer late payments.
- Agencies and firms that bill clients for project work and need team members to log time and expenses against those projects.
- Owners who want a spending overview rather than a full accounting suite, using the analytics to see how the business is doing.
What you actually get
| Area | What Billed offers | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | Online invoices, estimates, recurring invoices, scheduled payments, automated reminders | Set a monthly retainer once and let reminders handle follow-up |
| Payments | Online card payments via Stripe or PayPal | Clients pay from the invoice instead of waiting for a bank transfer |
| Expenses | Business and team expense tracking | Keep receipts in one place ahead of tax season |
| Time | Time tracking for tasks and projects, with team invitations | Bill hourly project work directly from logged hours |
| Team | Invite colleagues with controlled permissions | Let contractors log time without seeing everything |
Trade-offs to weigh
Billed is built around getting invoices out and paid, not around double-entry bookkeeping, payroll or tax filing. If you need full accounts, you would likely pair it with accounting software. Card payments also depend on your gateway account, and processor fees apply on top of whatever Billed charges.
A sensible next step: if you send more than a handful of invoices a month, start a free account, recreate your most common invoice as a recurring template, and connect Stripe or PayPal so the payment link works from day one. Check the Billed pricing page before committing, since plan limits decide whether it stays cheap as your client list grows.
How do I accept online payments on invoices with Billed?
Billed connects your invoices to online payment gateways so clients can pay by credit card directly from the invoice. The page names Stripe and PayPal as the gateways it works with, and positions this as a way to "get paid twice as fast." You'll need an account with one of those gateways; Billed's role is to link your invoices to it rather than process card payments itself.
What the setup looks like in practice
- Create your Billed account and connect Stripe or PayPal from the payment settings.
- Build an invoice as usual, with line items, totals and due date.
- Send it online so the client sees a pay option on the invoice itself.
- Combine it with scheduled payments and automated payment reminders, which the page lists alongside recurring invoices, so overdue invoices nudge clients without manual follow-up.
Where this fits, and where it doesn't
The credit-card route suits freelancers and small agencies billing clients who expect a quick card checkout—a one-person consultancy invoicing a handful of clients a month, for example. It is less useful if your clients pay mainly by bank transfer or check, or if you bill large corporate accounts that require purchase orders and ACH; in those cases the gateway connection adds little.
Two practical checks before committing:
- Gateway fees and payout timing. Card processing costs and when funds land depend on Stripe or PayPal, not Billed, so confirm those terms on the gateway side.
- Currency and client location. If you invoice internationally, verify that your chosen gateway supports the currencies you bill in.
As a next step, open the pricing page at Billed to confirm which plan tiers include payment connections, then compare gateway fees at Stripe and PayPal against your typical invoice size before choosing one.
Can Billed automatically send recurring invoices and payment reminders?
Yes. Billed lists recurring invoices, scheduled payments and automated payment reminders among its invoicing features, so a freelancer or small business can set up an invoice once and have it issued on a schedule, with reminders going out without manual follow-up.
What this changes in practice
Recurring invoices and automatic reminders mainly help with predictable, repeat work: monthly retainers, subscription-style services, or clients who consistently pay late. Instead of remembering to reissue an invoice each period and chase it by email, you define the schedule and let the software handle the cadence.
A concrete scenario: a freelance designer on a monthly retainer sets a recurring invoice for the same amount each month, with a reminder timed a few days before and after the due date. The client receives consistent, professional invoices, and the designer avoids the awkward manual nudge.
Trade-offs to weigh
- Automation still needs oversight. Amounts, tax details and client contacts change; recurring invoices should be reviewed periodically so an outdated figure isn't billed repeatedly.
- Reminders can feel impersonal. For long-standing clients, a personal note may land better than an automated message; consider whether reminders should be switched off for key accounts.
- Payment collection is separate. Billed supports online card payments through gateways such as Stripe and PayPal, but you'll need to connect and configure one to benefit from faster settlement.
Next step
Before committing, confirm on the Pricing page which plan includes automation, then test the feature with one recurring client and one reminder rule to see how it behaves with your actual billing cycle.
How does Billed's time tracking help me bill clients for project hours?
Billed's time tracking is built to feed directly into invoicing: you track time against tasks and projects, then turn those recorded hours into client invoices rather than re-entering them by hand. The page also describes inviting your team to log time on shared projects, with control over what each member can do, so hours from several people can be gathered in one place before billing.
Where it fits in practice
- Freelancers and self-employed users: log hours per project as you work, then invoice the client for the recorded time instead of reconstructing it from memory at month end.
- Agencies and firms: have team members track time on client projects, then bill those hours with professional invoices and estimates.
- Recurring arrangements: the page pairs time-based billing with recurring invoices, scheduled payments and automated payment reminders, which suits retainers where hours are billed on a regular cycle.
Trade-offs to weigh
Time tracking only pays off if the habit is consistent. If you or your team forget to start timers, the invoice will understate the work. Decide up front whether you will bill strictly by recorded hours or use them as a reference for fixed-fee quotes. For team use, set permissions deliberately so members can log time without editing rates or invoice details.
As a next step, list one active project, estimate its hours, and check whether Billed's project and time views match how you actually work before moving your billing over. If you want to compare approaches, Stripe covers online payment acceptance, and PayPal is another payment option referenced on the page.
Is Billed suitable for a self-employed freelancer or an agency with a team?
Billed is positioned for both, but it fits them differently. The same platform covers solo freelancers and agencies with staff, with the split showing up in which features you actually lean on.
Where each audience gets value
- Self-employed freelancer: The core loop is invoicing, estimates, expense tracking and time tracking. The page explicitly addresses the self-employed, framing the benefit as replacing manual admin so you can focus on billable work. Online card payments through connected gateways (Stripe, PayPal) and automated reminders are the features most likely to shorten your wait for cash.
- Agency or firm: The agency section emphasizes professional invoices and estimates for client-facing polish, while team features let you invite collaborators to projects, track their time and expenses, and control what each person can do. That permission control matters once more than one person touches a client's billing.
The practical distinction
| Need | Freelancer | Agency with a team |
|---|---|---|
| Simple invoice and estimate creation | Core need | Core need, plus consistent branding |
| Recurring invoices and payment reminders | Useful for retainer clients | Useful across many clients |
| Time tracking | For your own hours | Per team member, per project |
| Expense tracking | Business and tax prep | Business and team expenses |
| Roles and permissions | Not needed | Important for control |
| Analytics | Light oversight | Growth and margin decisions |
The trade-off is complexity: an agency gains collaboration and permissions but takes on setup and admin that a solo freelancer never needs. A freelancer who only sends a handful of invoices a month may find the project and team layers more than necessary, while an agency billing multiple clients through several people would feel the absence of them.
How to decide
Ask whether anyone besides you will log time or expenses against a client project. If yes, evaluate the team and permission features first; if no, judge it on how quickly you can send an invoice and get paid. The free start with no credit card required lets you test the invoicing flow before committing. For pricing specifics, check Billed directly, since plan details aren't confirmed here.
How much does Billed cost and is there a free plan?
Billed's public page does not state a specific price, so the honest answer is that you need to check its pricing page for current numbers: Billed's pricing page. What the page does confirm is that you can start without paying upfront — it promotes a free start, says "No credit card required" and "Cancel anytime," and describes a "Get Started For Free" path. That points to a free entry tier or trial, but the page evidence doesn't spell out which, or what limits apply.
How to judge whether the free option fits you
- If you send a handful of invoices a month: start on the free route and see whether invoicing, estimates and expense tracking cover your workflow before paying anything.
- If you rely on online card payments: the page says payments run through gateways such as Stripe and PayPal. Those providers typically charge their own transaction fees, which sit outside Billed's subscription — confirm this on the pricing page rather than assuming it's included.
- If you run an agency with a team: features like inviting team members, time tracking and per-person permissions are the ones most likely to sit behind a paid tier, so check those specifically.
- If recurring billing matters: recurring invoices and scheduled payments are advertised, but verify they're available on the free plan before you build your process around them.
A practical next step: open the pricing page, note the plan names and the limits on invoices, clients and team seats, then compare that against your typical monthly invoice count. That single comparison usually decides whether the free plan is enough or you'll outgrow it within a few months.
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