Why we built Invoicr as a FreshBooks alternative for UK tradespeople
I was on a call with a plumber in Manchester last spring when he asked me a question that wouldn't leave my head. He'd just paid £12.50 in card processing fees on a £500 job. I asked him what he was using to invoice. FreshBooks, he said. And that's when it hit me: we were building Invoicr partly because of moments exactly like that one.
The fee problem nobody talks about
FreshBooks is a solid product. The interface is clean. It does what it promises. But here's the thing about FreshBooks for UK sole traders: every time a client pays you by card, you're handing over roughly 2.5 per cent of the invoice value to a payment processor. On a £500 invoice, that's £12.50. On a £1,000 invoice, it's £25.
When you're a plumber, electrician, or gardener working from your van, those fees add up fast. Over the course of a year, a busy tradesperson might lose hundreds of pounds to card processing alone.
We started Invoicr because we wanted to offer UK freelancers a different path. Instead of card payments, we use UK open banking. Your client logs into their bank, authorises a one-time payment, and the money goes directly from their account to yours. No middleman. No card processor. On that same £500 invoice, you pay around £4.
The difference isn't theoretical. It's real money in your pocket at the end of the month.
Built for the way British tradespeople actually work
FreshBooks is American software trying to serve a global market. That means it's built around features that matter in the US but add friction for UK users. Invoicr was built the other way: we started with what UK sole traders actually need.
That means VAT. It means CIS deductions for construction workers. It means WhatsApp delivery on invoices because most of your clients won't check email but they'll see a WhatsApp message instantly. It means a mobile app that works properly from a phone, because you're not always at a desk.
When we launched, we made sure the Free tier wasn't just a teaser. Five invoices a month and three customers is enough for someone to see if the tool fits their workflow before paying anything. We've had sole traders stay on the Free plan for months because it genuinely covers their needs. That felt right to us.
The Pro plan adds unlimited invoices, automated payment reminders, quotes, and WhatsApp delivery for £9.99 a month. The Business tier brings team seats, accountant export, and full VAT/CIS compliance for £19.99 a month. We're not trying to force you up a pricing ladder.
The client portal question we got wrong at first
Early on, we built the client portal to be simple. Maybe too simple. Clients got a unique link, they could see their invoice, they could click to pay. We thought that was enough.
Then a decorator in Birmingham sent us a message. He was handing the portal link to a site manager on a big job, and the manager wanted to send the link to the site office without giving away the payment details. We'd made it all one link.
We fixed it. Now the portal uses portalSecret authentication. Your client gets a secure link. You control who sees what. It's a small thing, but it's the kind of detail that matters when you're running a real business from your phone.
That's the difference between software built for freelancers and software built to capture market share. We're still small. We listen. When someone finds a problem, we fix it.
Why card payments aren't the whole story
Some people ask: couldn't FreshBooks just add bank transfer payments and solve this? Technically, yes. But FreshBooks makes money from their payment processing partnership. Bank transfers don't fit their business model. For us, it's the opposite. We make money from subscriptions. Cheaper payments for you mean you're more likely to use us and stay.
That's not virtue. That's just alignment. Our incentives point toward saving you money.
We're also UK-only, which some people see as a limitation. We see it as focus. We don't have to build for US tax codes or Australian GST or Canadian payroll. We can make VAT and CIS perfect instead of making everything mediocre.
The other thing: we're built for speed. The app is native iOS. It's not a web wrapper. It loads fast. It doesn't drain your battery. You're invoicing from your phone between jobs, not syncing data in the background for five minutes.
What we're not trying to be
We're not trying to be QuickBooks. We're not trying to replace your accountant. We're not trying to chase debts or set up payment plans or build complicated approval workflows for enterprise teams. That's not who we are.
We're trying to be the invoicing tool that gets out of your way. You create an invoice in two minutes. Your client pays within a week. You move on. The money lands in your account with minimal friction.
If you need serious accounting software, use Invoicr for invoicing and export your data to your accountant. The Business plan includes accountant export specifically for that reason. We're part of your workflow, not the whole thing.
Some people will choose FreshBooks and be happy. It's a mature product with solid integrations. But if you're a UK sole trader tired of handing over £12.50 every time you invoice, or if you want software built around the way you actually work rather than how a US company imagines you work, Invoicr was built for you.
How much are you currently losing to payment processing fees? If you've never added it up, it might surprise you.