Sprout Apps Launches Free WordPress Invoicing Plugin

Last month, Sprout Apps announced that it would soon be launching a suite of business apps targeted at WordPress freelancers and small businesses. While the company is still in pre-launch operations, Sprout Invoices was just released on WordPress.org as part of the launch plan.

Dan Cameron, the founder of Sprout Apps, believes there are some distinct advantages to managing common business-related tasks in the admin. The Sprout Apps product suite aims to streamline and brand all client communications, making your WordPress site the center of activity for your business. Cameron hopes that users will opt for a homegrown WordPress solution that fits right into their websites, instead of relegating business tasks to third-party applications with narrow customization options.

The Sprout Invoices plugin unifies the workflow of estimate creation and invoice management. It allows you to receive estimate requests via a default form, or you can integrate it with Gravity Forms or Ninja Forms. The plugin automatically creates estimates based on the requests you receive and you can easily manage their status in the admin:

Once an estimate is accepted, the plugin automatically generates the invoice to speed up the process of being paid. Sprout Invoicing has built-in support for deposit payments.

Sprout Invoicing allows for custom estimate and invoice templates, which you can brand for your business via a standards WordPress theme template. Notification editing allows for plain-text or HTML, so you can also match the branding in your email communications.

The plugin’s dashboard lets you know how your business is doing at a glance, with charts and summaries:

Sprout Invoicing also includes dynamic reports, which allow for date filtering, sorting, search, and exporting – all of the features you would normally expect from your standard invoicing app.

The free Sprout Invoicing plugin allows you to accept payment via Paypal Pro or send customers to Paypal to pay invoices. The Sprout App marketplace includes additional upgrades and payment add-ons.

Sprout Invoicing features at a glance include:

Advanced Estimate and Invoice Admin

200+ filters and actions for hooking into the plugin and altering anything

Customizable invoice and estimate templates

Discounts

Deposit Payments

Taxes

Client records with multiple points of contact

Nested line items

Pre-defined tasks/line items

AJAX throughout to speed up workflow

In the future, Cameron plans to add importing from WP-Invoice, Harvest, and Freshbooks. Other major features on the roadmap include time tracking, recurring payments, and payment terms.

If you are currently using commercial invoicing software and want to save your small business a little bit of cash, Sprout Invoices looks like a promising WordPress-based alternative. You can download it for free from WordPress.org.