What Stripe Invoicing actually is
Stripe Invoicing combines hosted invoices with Stripe payment methods, payment-status reconciliation, reminders and developer APIs. It is a strong fit when online payment collection or programmatic billing is central to the workflow.
On Stripe's public standard pricing reviewed on 27 August 2026, Invoicing Starter costs 0.4% per paid one-time invoice and Plus costs 0.5%; payment-processing fees are additional. Prices and available methods vary by country, contract and product, so confirm the current Stripe pricing page before choosing a plan.
What FreeBillGen is, and is not
FreeBillGen is a hosted invoice generator, not a payment processor. The free core includes unlimited invoices, quotes, credit notes and clients, no watermark, no card to start, and multiple options for invoice labels. Lifetime Pro - €49 once, tax included, with no monthly or annual renewal - adds multiple companies, the write API and outbound webhooks, Xero/QuickBooks export formats, and auto-send on recurring schedules. Optional metered third-party services are not included; when offered, they use separate one-time credits that do not renew.
Clients can pay by bank transfer using an IBAN and, for eligible EUR invoices, a SEPA QR code, or follow an issuer-supplied Pay now URL such as a Stripe Payment Link. FreeBillGen does not create, process, verify or settle that payment. It is not an accounting ledger. A named EU company operates the service, its Privacy Policy discloses external providers and roles, and there is no advertising or behavioural analytics. It provides configurable VAT, supported reverse-charge notes, reviewed jurisdiction guidance, OSS fields, an Invoice Passport and generic UBL/CII mappings for review. Those mappings are not Peppol, Factur-X, EN 16931 or national-profile validation.
FreeBillGen vs. Stripe Invoicing at a glance
The two tools overlap on one feature, sending an invoice, but they are built for different jobs. The list below summarises what each one focuses on. Neither is "better" in the abstract: the right choice depends on whether getting paid by card and programmatic billing are the point, or whether you simply need clean, VAT-aware invoices without a processor wired in.
- Primary focus
- FreeBillGen: a focused invoice, quote and credit-note generator. Stripe Invoicing: a way to send invoices and collect payment, usually by card, inside the Stripe platform.
- Getting paid
- FreeBillGen: bank details and a SEPA scan-to-pay QR code, plus an optional hosted Pay now URL supplied by you; FreeBillGen does not process or settle the payment. Stripe: integrated card and other online payments, with a percentage fee on each paid invoice on top of card fees.
- Audience
- FreeBillGen: focused invoicing with multiple options for invoice labels and no payment-processor setup. Stripe: integrated online payments and deep developer tooling.
- Tax and e-invoicing
- FreeBillGen: jurisdiction-aware tax guidance, OSS support, an evidence-based Invoice Passport and generic UBL/CII mappings for review. Stripe: tax handling is a separate, paid Stripe product area; e-invoice format coverage varies. FreeBillGen does not claim profile validation or network delivery.
- Developer access
- FreeBillGen: free read-only REST API; Lifetime Pro includes the write API and outbound webhooks. Stripe: a mature, full read and write API at the core of the product.
- Cost
- FreeBillGen: current free core with no invoice or client cap; Lifetime Pro is €49 once, tax included, with no monthly or annual renewal. Stripe: per-paid-invoice percentage fee plus card-processing fees.
Who should choose which
Choose FreeBillGen if you mainly need to prepare invoices and arrange payment separately, such as by bank transfer. It offers configurable VAT, supported reverse-charge notes, multiple options for invoice labels and generic UBL/CII mappings for review, without charging its own per-invoice fee.
Choose Stripe Invoicing if integrated online payments, reconciliation, subscriptions, usage-based billing or a mature billing API are central. FreeBillGen's optional Pay now field is only an issuer-supplied external URL, and its free API is read-only with write access in Lifetime Pro. Stripe provides the broader payment and developer workflow for its published fees.
Trying FreeBillGen alongside Stripe
FreeBillGen needs no card or payment-processor setup. Add your business details, choose the tax treatment, add a client and download a PDF. Eligible EUR invoices can include a SEPA QR code when an IBAN is present. For supported foreign-currency cases, the app can record the ECB reference rate available for the invoice date.
You can keep Stripe for integrated payments and use FreeBillGen for selected invoices. PDFs download individually, eligible invoices can produce generic UBL/CII mappings for review, and Lifetime Pro adds Xero- and QuickBooks-formatted CSV exports, the write API and webhooks. The mappings are not certified Peppol, Factur-X or national-profile files.
Stripe Invoicing alternative questions
Is FreeBillGen a free alternative to Stripe Invoicing?
Yes, for the invoicing job specifically. FreeBillGen is a free invoice generator with unlimited invoices, quotes and credit notes, no watermark, no card required and invoice labels in multiple languages. It is a good alternative if you mainly want to create and send invoices and collect payment by bank transfer. Its optional Pay now field only opens a hosted payment URL supplied by the issuer; FreeBillGen does not process or settle payments and does not replace Stripe-grade online card acceptance.
What is the main difference between FreeBillGen and Stripe Invoicing?
FreeBillGen is a focused invoice generator with configurable VAT, an Invoice Passport and generic UBL/CII mappings for review. Its Pay now field opens an issuer-supplied URL; FreeBillGen does not process the payment. Stripe Invoicing combines invoices, online payment collection, reconciliation and developer tooling, with an invoicing fee on paid invoices plus payment-processing fees.
Does FreeBillGen charge a fee per invoice like Stripe does?
No. FreeBillGen does not charge per invoice. It can display an IBAN, an eligible SEPA QR code and an issuer-supplied Pay now URL, but does not process that payment. Stripe's public standard pricing reviewed on 27 August 2026 lists 0.4% per paid one-time invoice for Starter and 0.5% for Plus, with payment-processing fees additional. Confirm current regional pricing with Stripe.
Does FreeBillGen handle EU VAT and e-invoicing better than Stripe?
FreeBillGen provides jurisdiction-aware tax guidance, reverse-charge wording, OSS support, an Invoice Passport and generic UBL/CII mappings for review. It does not certify those mappings as Peppol, Factur-X, EN 16931 or a national profile, and it does not deliver them through a provider network. Stripe handles tax through a separate, paid product area and its e-invoice coverage varies.
When is Stripe Invoicing the better choice over FreeBillGen?
Stripe is the better choice when getting paid by card is the point, or when you need programmatic, subscription or usage-based billing driven by an API. Its developer tooling and integrated card acceptance are genuine strengths that a focused invoice generator does not replace. If those features are central to how you bill, Stripe does more and its per-invoice fee buys real value.
Does FreeBillGen have an API like Stripe?
FreeBillGen offers a free read-only developer REST API. Lifetime Pro is €49 once, tax included, with no monthly or annual renewal, and includes the write API plus outbound webhooks alongside multiple companies, Xero/QuickBooks export formats and auto-send on recurring schedules. Metered third-party services stay separate and, when offered, use one-time credits that do not renew. This API is narrower than Stripe, whose full read and write API sits at the core of the product; if deep programmatic billing is essential, Stripe is the stronger fit.