Why choose Openn Invoice: 7 questions to ask any invoicing app

An invoicing app sits between you and your customers' money. It writes the document they pay from, it decides what tax they see, and it is where you look to find out who still owes you. So it is worth asking a few plain questions before you choose one, whichever app you end up with. Here are the seven we would ask, and how Openn Invoice answers each.

If you are moving from another tool or a spreadsheet, our post on why businesses switch starts from the problems instead. This one starts from the choice.

1. Does it get the tax right where I am?

Many invoicing apps are built for one country and stretched to the rest. Ask whether the app knows your tax by name, your rates and your financial year, and what it does when you sell across a border.

Openn Invoice: you pick your country, one of 44, and VAT, GST or sales tax follows, with its rates, its wording and its financial year for invoice numbers. EU business-to-business sales get the reverse charge, and exports are zero-rated with a line that says why. In India, CGST and SGST or IGST follow the place of supply, with HSN or SAC codes and GSTR-1 ready reports. Your accountant still has the last word on your case.

2. Can my customers pay in one tap?

The easiest way to get paid sooner is to remove the hunt for your bank details. Ask whether every invoice carries a way to pay, and whether you can use the payment service you already have.

Openn Invoice: every invoice link has a pay button and a QR code for the amount still due. It uses your own payment link from Stripe, PayPal, Wise or another service, so the money goes straight to you. In India, rupee invoices get a UPI QR code with the invoice number already in the payment note.

3. Will I know who has paid?

Sending invoices is the easy half. The hard half is reading your bank statement and working out which payment belongs to which invoice. Ask what the app does with a part payment, or one payment that covers three invoices.

Openn Invoice: upload your bank statement as Excel, CSV or PDF, and each payment in is paired with its likely invoice by invoice number, amount and payer name. You see how sure the guess is and press “Yes, match”. Part payments and one payment for several invoices are handled. See how matching works.

4. Do I pay more to unlock features?

Many apps put the useful parts, like reminders, more customers or a second currency, on a bigger plan. Ask what is missing from the plan you would actually buy.

Openn Invoice: nothing is missing. Every feature is on every plan. Plans only change how many people use the app: Starter for one person on one device, Team for up to 3, Business for up to 10, Enterprise for more. Prices are shown in your own currency on the pricing page, with the first month at an intro price.

5. Who talks to my customers?

Some apps email your customers on their own schedule, from an address they do not know. That can land in spam, or go out the day after a customer told you they were paying. Ask who sends the messages, and from where.

Openn Invoice: you do. Invoices and reminders are shared from your own WhatsApp or your own email app, with the message already written, in one click. Customers see your name, not ours, and nothing is sent without you. The app also shows when a customer first opened the invoice link, so you know before you chase.

6. Is my data safe, and mine?

Your invoices hold your customers' names, addresses and what they paid you. Ask how the app protects the account, and whether you can take everything with you if you leave.

Openn Invoice: 2-step sign-in is on by default, data is encrypted in transit and backed up every night, and it is never sold or shared for ads. You can download all your data as CSV at any time, even after your plan ends, and nothing is deleted when a plan ends. More on our security page.

7. Can my team and my phone use it?

Invoices get made on the move, and more than one person usually touches them. Ask whether it works properly on a phone, and whether each person gets their own login instead of sharing one password.

Openn Invoice: it runs in the browser on any computer or phone, with nothing to install, and is made for the phone first. On Team, Business and Enterprise, each person has their own login and a role: Owner, Admin, Staff or Accountant, so your accountant can read reports without being able to change invoices.

When to choose something else

An honest answer is part of the choice. Openn Invoice is not the right pick, or not yet, if you need:

• full accounting, with ledgers, payroll, or stock and inventory. Use accounting software for that, and keep Openn Invoice for invoicing and getting paid if you like, with CSV files for your accountant.
• government e-invoicing, such as India's IRN and e-way bills, Peppol or ZATCA. These are not connected yet.
• the app in a language other than English. Other languages are planned, not ready yet.

If none of those is you, the quickest way to answer the seven questions is to try them on your own invoices. You can start your first month and make your first invoice in a few minutes.

The short version

• Tax: VAT, GST or sales tax for 44 countries, with India's GST done in full.
• Paying: a pay link and QR code on every invoice, using your own payment service, and UPI in India.
• Knowing who paid: bank statements matched to invoices, with you confirming each one.
• Price: every feature on every plan. Plans only change how many people use it.
• Your customers hear from you, from your own WhatsApp or email, never automatically.
• Your data: 2-step sign-in by default, nightly backups, never sold, always yours to download.
• Choose something else for full accounting, government e-invoicing or a language other than English.