InvoiceNow-ready invoicing (2026): which tools connect to Peppol vs just email a PDF

The short answer: if you're GST-registered, or about to be, the free invoice app you're probably using is a dead end.

Here's why. Zoho Invoice and the free invoice-generator apps make a PDF and email it. That's exactly what IRAS's InvoiceNow mandate does not accept. The government's own FAQ says a PDF sent by email "is a single-sided operation requiring your recipient to re-enter the details", which isn't e-invoicing. To actually transmit an invoice over the Peppol network, you need a tool that's on IMDA's InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Provider list.

Of the cheap ones with published SGD prices, Financio is the value pick for a small team: S$20/month, unlimited users, InvoiceNow sending and receiving included free. Zoho Books wins if you want a genuine free tier to start on (S$0, then S$18/month), and it pushes B2B invoices straight through InvoiceNow. Xero is InvoiceNow-ready too, and the default for many SG firms, but its price isn't printed here. Read it on Xero's own page.

At a glance (checked 27 Jul 2026)

Prices in SGD, taken from each vendor's own Singapore page today. Promos discount the early months, so compare the month-13 price. Terms change fast, so click through to each page.

The load-bearing fact here isn't a price. It's a government deadline. Invoicing prices drift; the InvoiceNow dates below are the reason this comparison exists, and they come from IRAS's own page and the government FAQ.

What you're actually buying

The test that turns "e-invoicing" from a marketing word into a compliance one

"E-invoicing" on a pricing page almost always means make a nice invoice and email it as a PDF. InvoiceNow is a different thing entirely. It's Singapore's name for the Peppol network: your finance system transmits a structured, machine-readable invoice directly into your customer's system (and, for GST purposes, the data to IRAS) through an IMDA-accredited Access Point, with your business identified by a Peppol ID based on your UEN. IMDA has been the Peppol Authority here since 2018, and it accredits the "InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Providers" (IRSP) that are already connected to the network.

The one-line test, from the government's own FAQ: check that your tool is on IMDA's IRSP list, "meaning that they are already connected to the InvoiceNow network". A PDF in an email inbox fails that test no matter how the vendor markets it. That one distinction sorts every "invoicing tool" into two piles.

Zoho Invoice — free, popular, and a dead end for InvoiceNow

Zoho Invoice is genuinely, unconditionally free: "Zoho Invoice is 100% free for all small business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs". And it's a lovely little app. But read its own page. The ways it sends an invoice are "Email invoices or save them as a PDF" and "Send invoices through WhatsApp". There's no mention of InvoiceNow or Peppol anywhere on it, because it doesn't connect to the network. For a hobby, a side gig, or a business that will never register for GST, that's completely fine. For a GST-registered business, it's a tool with an expiry date. You'll be issuing compliant-looking PDFs that do exactly nothing for the mandate.

Zoho Books — a real free tier that actually reaches the network

Zoho Books is the same company's full accounting product, and unlike Zoho Invoice it connects: "Send business-to-business invoices directly through InvoiceNow, without ever leaving Zoho Books… Just hit 'Push'". It also has the most generous genuine free tier in this comparison. S$0/month, up to 1,000 invoices a year, free while annual revenue stays under US$50K. Then Standard at S$18/month (S$15 billed annually), Professional S$36, Premium S$54. Two caveats from its own pages. The e-invoicing page notes "you still need to file your GST F5 returns with IRAS separately". And it doesn't say which plan level switches the InvoiceNow "Push" on, so confirm that the tier you pick actually includes it, especially if you're hoping the free one qualifies.

Financio — the Singapore-born value pick, with InvoiceNow bundled

Financio is a local product and the most InvoiceNow-forward of the three: "Financio is InvoiceNow ready. Financio Accounting users can now enjoy sending and receiving E-Invoices for FREE," over the network "through IMDA-certified access point". Pricing is flat and small-team-friendly. Accounting Essentials at S$20/month, Premier at S$30/month, both with unlimited users (rare at this price), and "GST invoice submission via InvoiceNow at no extra cost". The one number to watch is Essentials' cap of 20 invoices a month. Cross that regularly and Premier (S$30, unlimited invoices) is your real price. There's a promo too, "SGD5ACCESS for Essentials at S$5/month", but treat promos the way we always do: compare the month-13 price, not month-1.

Xero and QuickBooks — the mainstream options we didn't price today

Xero is InvoiceNow-ready and the reflexive choice for a lot of SG firms. It belongs on any shortlist. Its price isn't printed here, so read it on Xero's own page. Its SGD plans are broken down, and verified on their own date, in our Xero vs QuickBooks piece. QuickBooks deserves a note of caution: in Singapore it may reach InvoiceNow through a third-party Peppol connector rather than natively, so confirm the current setup on IMDA's list and any connector fee before you assume it's handled.

The decision-flips: (1) on the network or not, the binary that outranks every feature. A free PDF-emailer and a S$20 InvoiceNow tool aren't the same category of thing. (2) free-tier reality: only Zoho Books offers a genuine S$0 path that also touches the network; the other "free" option, Zoho Invoice, is the trap. (3) invoice volume vs users: Financio bundles unlimited users but caps Essentials at 20 invoices/month; Zoho Books charges per user but doesn't cap invoices the same way. Count both before you believe either "from" price.

Singapore-specific notes

• The deadline, from the source (IRAS, the government FAQ, and IRAS's newsroom): InvoiceNow soft-launched 1 May 2025; since 1 Nov 2025 newly incorporated companies registering for GST voluntarily must transmit via InvoiceNow; since 1 Apr 2026 all new voluntary GST registrants are in scope; existing GST-registered businesses are then phased in by annual supply value: 1 Apr 2028 (≤ S$200,000 and all new compulsory registrants), 1 Apr 2029 (≤ S$1m), 1 Apr 2030 (≤ S$4m), 1 Apr 2031 (> S$4m). If you're GST-registered or heading there, an invoicing tool that isn't InvoiceNow-ready has a dated expiry in Singapore.
• There's a free government path. The "Free of Charge (FOC) InvoiceNow Package" for GST-registered businesses runs until 31 March 2027, with a further package planned to 2031. For a micro-business, that can mean getting onto InvoiceNow without paying any of the vendors on this page (see the neither section).
• PSG: accounting/invoicing software is grant-supported through pre-approved vendor packages, which are different SKUs from the direct subscriptions priced here. If someone quotes you a five-figure "InvoiceNow readiness" package, run it through the grant-vs-direct calculator and the markup check before signing. A 50% grant on a padded package can cost more than S$20/month direct.
• PDPA / data residency: Zoho and Xero are overseas clouds; Financio is local. None of that rules any of them out for mainstream SG use. But if data residency matters to you, ask each vendor where invoice data is stored and keep access roles tight.
• Get the InvoiceNow answer in writing before subscribing: is the tool on IMDA's IRSP list, which plan turns transmission on, are there per-invoice ("pay-per-use") fees, and who registers your UEN / Peppol ID in the SG Peppol Directory.

Which one for which business

• Not GST-registered, just want to bill clients cleanly: Zoho Invoice, free. Don't pay for InvoiceNow you don't need yet. (Revisit the day you register.)
• Tiny GST-registered business watching every dollar: start on Zoho Books Free and confirm the InvoiceNow push is included at your tier. Or use the government's free FOC package.
• Small team, several people invoicing, wants it bundled and local: Financio. S$20 (or S$30 if you clear 20 invoices/month), unlimited users, InvoiceNow in the box.
• Already on Xero (or your accountant is): stay, confirm InvoiceNow is switched on, and price it against the live page. Our Xero vs QuickBooks piece is the deeper look.

You might need neither if…

…you're not GST-registered and your taxable turnover is nowhere near the S$1 million that forces registration. Then InvoiceNow simply isn't your deadline yet, and a free invoice app (or a tidy template plus the free invoice chaser) bills your handful of clients for S$0. And here's the part the vendors won't lead with: even if you are GST-registered, the government's free InvoiceNow package runs to 31 March 2027. So a very small business may get onto the network without paying Zoho, Financio or Xero a cent. Buy a paid plan when you actually need the accounting around the invoice (reconciliation, GST returns, multiple users), not just to satisfy a mandate that has a free door.

Your first move, step by step

1. Settle your GST status. Registered, registering soon, or comfortably under S$1m and not registering? That one answer decides whether InvoiceNow is your problem this year.
2. Check your current tool against the IRSP list. If you're on a free invoice app, assume it fails the test, and confirm on IMDA's list.
3. If you need to be on the network, shortlist by the table above: Zoho Books Free (confirm the push is in your tier), Financio Essentials/Premier, or the free FOC government package for the very small.
4. Run one real invoice through a trial. Financio offers a 30-day trial, Zoho Books a free plan. Actually hit "Push" to see it transmit, not just render a PDF.
5. Get the four answers in writing (IRSP status, plan required, per-invoice fees, who registers your Peppol ID) before you put a card down.

FAQ

My software makes "e-invoices". Am I already compliant? Only if it transmits over InvoiceNow/Peppol. If it emails or downloads a PDF, no. The government explicitly contrasts that "single-sided" PDF-by-email with true InvoiceNow transmission. Check the tool against IMDA's IRSP list.

Is Zoho Invoice really useless for this? Not useless. It's free and pleasant for making and sending invoices. It just doesn't connect to InvoiceNow, so it can't satisfy the GST mandate. For that you need Zoho Books (its accounting product) or another IRSP tool.

Is there really a free way onto InvoiceNow? Yes. The FOC InvoiceNow package for GST-registered businesses runs until 31 March 2027, with more planned to 2031. Zoho Books also has a genuine S$0 tier, though confirm it includes the InvoiceNow push.

What about the price after the promo? Financio's "S$5/month" is a promo code; the standing price is S$20 (Essentials) or S$30 (Premier). Zoho Books' lower figures are the annual-billing rate; the monthly rate is S$18/S$36/S$54. Always compare the month-13 number.

Why no Xero prices here? We don't print a price we haven't checked on the day. Read Xero's on its own page; its SGD plans, verified on their own date, are in our Xero vs QuickBooks piece.

Next step

Decide the one thing that matters: are you (or will you be) GST-registered? Then check your current invoicing tool against IMDA's IRSP list. If it fails, trial one genuine InvoiceNow tool from the table and hit "Push" on a real invoice before you commit. And if any vendor quotes you a five-figure "e-invoicing readiness" project, bring it to the markup check first. For most SMEs this is a S$0–30/month decision, not a capital one.