Consultants juggle billable hours, client contracts, and professional invoices. We compared the top invoicing tools — FreshBooks, Harvest, QuickBooks Online, Bonsai, and Wave — across time tracking, contract management, tax tools, and price to find the best fit for service pros.
If you're a consultant, your time is your product. But too many consultants spend almost as much time tracking, invoicing, and chasing payments as they do delivering work. The right invoicing software can turn that around — automating the tedious parts while making you look professional.
We looked at the top options for consultants and professional services, focusing on tools that handle both time tracking and professional invoicing well.1
| Product | Best For | Time Tracking | Contracts | Tax Tools | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreshBooks | Best Overall for Service Pros | ✅ Built-in timer & auto-billing | ✅ Proposals & estimates | ✅ Sales tax & expense categorization | From $19/mo |
| Harvest | Best for Hourly Billing | ✅ One-click timer → invoice | ❌ No contracts | ❌ Basic reporting only | From $12/mo |
| QuickBooks Online | Best for Full Accounting | ✅ Basic time tracking | ❌ No contracts | ✅ Full tax prep & 1099s | From $35/mo |
| Bonsai | Best All-in-One for Freelancers | ✅ Time tracking included | ✅ Full contract management | ✅ Tax expense tracking | From $25/mo |
| Wave | Best Free Option | ✅ Basic time tracking | ❌ No contracts | ✅ Auto sales tax | Free |
FreshBooks is built from the ground up for service-based businesses. Its time tracking is seamless — start a timer from your phone or desktop, and that time flows directly into an invoice. The professional invoice templates are clean and customizable, and clients can pay online with a single click.
Why it works for consultants: You get proposals, estimates, expense tracking, and sales tax tools all in one place. The dashboard shows you which invoices are overdue and which clients owe the most, so you're never guessing about cash flow.
Specs:
Harvest is the specialist's choice for consultants who bill strictly by the hour. Its timer is fast and unobtrusive, and when you're done, turning tracked time into an invoice takes one click. The reporting is excellent — you can see exactly how much time each client consumed and how profitable each project was.
Why it works for consultants: If your billing is purely hourly, Harvest is the most efficient pipeline from "stopwatch" to "paid." It integrates with project management tools like Asana, Trello, and Basecamp so your workflow stays intact.
Specs:
QuickBooks Online is the heavyweight for consultants who need more than invoicing — they need a full accounting system. It handles time tracking, expense categorization, tax preparation, 1099 contractor management, and bank reconciliation all in one platform.
Why it works for consultants: If your consulting practice has grown to the point where you need proper financial reporting, inventory (for physical products), or payroll, QuickBooks is the standard. The learning curve is steeper, but the depth is unmatched.
Specs:
Bonsai is the all-in-one suite that goes beyond invoicing. It includes contract management (templates for service agreements, NDAs, and SOWs), proposals, project management, and time tracking. For consultants who work with multiple clients on different terms, Bonsai's contract workflow is a standout.
Why it works for consultants: You can send a proposal, get it signed, track time against the project, and invoice from the same system. It's designed for the solo consultant who wants everything under one roof without paying for enterprise features they won't use.
Specs:
Wave is genuinely free — no trial, no hidden tiers. It offers invoicing, receipt scanning, and basic accounting at zero cost. For a solo consultant just starting out, that's hard to beat.
Why it works for consultants: The invoicing is solid: professional templates, recurring invoices, and online payment processing (fees apply on payments, but the software itself is free). It also includes automatic sales tax tracking, which is a nice bonus for a free tool.
Specs:
Not all invoicing tools are created equal for professional services. Here's what matters most:
Time tracking that doesn't get in the way. The best tools let you start a timer from anywhere — phone, desktop, browser — and log time against specific clients or projects. If time tracking is frictionless, you'll actually do it.1
Professional invoice templates. Your invoice is often the last thing a client sees after a project. It should look as polished as your work. Look for customizable templates with your logo, clear line items, and online payment options.
Payment speed. The faster a client can pay, the faster you get paid. Tools that offer credit card, ACH, and PayPal payments directly in the invoice cut days (or weeks) off your receivables cycle.
Tax and expense tools. Come tax season, you'll thank yourself for choosing software that categorizes expenses, tracks mileage, and generates reports your accountant can actually use.
Disclosure: As an affiliate, AskBuy may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page — at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we've vetted and believe deliver real value for consultants.
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