There are so many apps out there that allow you to manage and create invoices, but the hard part is finding the right one for you. Some lean towards creating great looking invoices whereas others focus on the actual backend and the ease of use for both you and the client.
In this review, I’ll be taking a look at an affordable, yet functional, solution to online billing in the form of an app called CurdBee.
Overview
CurdBee is an invoicing app that provides a simple and fast experience for those who want to create and manage invoices on the fly, without having to worry about chasing down payments. It supports multiple currencies to make it even more useful for those freelancers who possibly regularly engage in business relations with clients overseas. Offering a free branding-supported option, it can be a great way of managing your invoices without shelling out phenomenal fees.
Overview
Pricing
The app is an affordable solution and though operating the “freemium” model of business, it is extremely well-priced at $5/month for the premium options, though the free account is sufficient for small businesses or freelancers with minimal requirements. Some of the advantages of upgrading are PDF invoices, more secure encryption of the backend, multiple contacts per client and no branding whatsoever.
Feature Comparison
User-Interface
CurdBee has a really simple to use interface that reflects the simplified nature of the actual app. The consistent orange and black colour schemes works overall with the site and also leads to a more visually pleasing experience. The app makes well use of JavaScript to ensure that the interface is easy to use and does not require extra pageloads to complete more tasks which is a great asset.
Interface
Getting Started
To get started using CurdBee, you must first create an account. To do this, you are required to choose an ID which will then comprise your URL from which you will be able to log in. In addition to this, you are asked to enter some mandatory contact details as well as personal settings that will later correspond to your account. Once you’ve completed this, you will be sent an email with details of your account and you will be able to log in – no activation required.
Registration
Once the account is created, you will be then taken to a dashboard from which you can see and manage your CurdBee items. Obviously, this will be empty at first because you need to actually add the things first, but this is where everything will inevitably show up.
Dashboard
Clients
The CurdBee system allows clear mapping to clients when it comes to invoices so that when invoices are created, it’s possible to add a client to make tracking the invoices easier. It also greatly decreases the time fiddling around with copying details and in the event of a change of contact details, this can be reflected immediately by editing the client’s profile on CurdBee.
Managing Clients
The actual process of adding clients is really quick and easy, meaning that once you’ve entered the personal information of the client, it’s then added to the system and available for use. A great feature of this that is sometimes not present in other invoicing apps is the option of currency for that client, which is very useful for when dealing with international clients.
Adding Clients
Invoices
Invoices are what CurdBee is all about and is a really great app for handling them. Once a client is assigned to an invoice, you can then continue to edit various parts of it and it really is a breeze to populate the invoice with information and change the settings. It gives the option of setting a due date for the invoice with various set presets, as well as the main option for requesting the payment upon receipt.
Creating Invoices
One of the great advantages of CurdBee is that it makes receiving the payment really simple, too. Once you’ve added some payment gateways within the Settings section, payment can then be requested when sending the invoice. It’s also possible to save each item on the invoice for a future reuse in the event of multiple recurring invoices for the same services. Overall, it’s a quick and easy process to create nice-looking invoices with CurdBee.
Editing Saved Invoices
Items
Another little feature in CurdBee that can sometimes, though not always, be useful is the tracking of items and outgoing finances for your business. Though it’s quite a simple feature and not really a long-term solution, it can be an easy way to quickly add prices for items that you’d perhaps like to refer to at a later date.
If you’ve created many items that do not have the time filter through, the app allows for the easily automatic filter based on a search term that you specify. This section of the app also provides the option of exporting the data as a CSV file.
Customization
CurdBee gives the option of customizing the look and feel of the invoices created within the app and does so by offering a few options to change the colours and logo on the invoices. To access this section, it can be found inside the Settings panel and once a logo has been uploaded, it’s then possible to change the colours of the invoice. Though it’s not very detailed and it is limited only to a couple of options, it can still be useful to retain some control over the design of the invoice to retain the corporate image of your organisation.
Cuztomizing the Design of Invoices
Final Thoughts
Overall, I thought that CurdBee was another great solution for those looking for a great invoicing app. They don’t aim towards big businesses using the app religiously but they also don’t make any compromises on the quality of the app. It looks great, it works great and it’s really simple to use – essentially forming everything needed to efficiently manage finances when it comes to freelance work.
I believe that the app could be improved by offering free PDF invoice support but otherwise, I think it’s perfect for managing invoices and other finances efficiently.