Hiveage invoicing review

Hiveage is a billing and invoicing platform that is tailor made for small businesses, although it’s also got potential for larger companies too. Alongside its billing features Hiveage comes with a raft of other small business productivity tools, including the option for accepting payments online, tracking time and also subscription management. 

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The web-based software solution has been developed to improve small business efficiency within one workflow, while the reporting tools that feature inside Hiveage can also be used to monitor performance and help hone performance. Based in Boston, the company has been around for over 16 years now and currently has a selection of Hiveage products all of which are aimed at different users in the small business arena.

Pricing

There are currently four different options in the Hiveage portfolio to choose from, starting with a free edition for those just starting up. Next, a Basic package comes in at $16 per month, followed by a Pro edition that is $25 per month. This is a recommended option by Hiveage, especially if you’re running a small business and need to look for great value given the current economic climate. Anyone requiring a beefier selection of features should explore the Plus package, which costs $42 per month. If you purchase any of the plans on a yearly basis then you’ll stand to save up to 17% according to the Hiveage pricing page.

Features

While Hiveage is mainly regarded as an invoicing software package it does offer a stack of other workflow options too. Even in its most basic free edition Hiveage lets you handle 5 clients, issue unlimited invoices and estimates, manage time tracking, keep track of expenses and work with payment gateways. 

Get the Basic package and you enjoy a 50 client allowance, plus financial reports and unlimited recurring billing. The Pro edition, meanwhile, boasts 250 clients, 5 team member allowances, plus the other options already mentioned. You also get the provision to send emails from your domain, create customized email notifications and set up automatic payment reminders. 

For businesses with major requirements the Plus package bags you a 1000 client allowance and the ability to add 10 team members. There’s personalized support if you need to migrate data from other services too. For users in the US only Hiveage has the potential to process credit and debit card payments in a collaboration with Worldpay.

Performance

Hiveage has been designed to work entirely via the web, so there’s no software to download as such and you can make use of it via the internet and a web browser. It’s as simple as that. However, Hiveage is also available as an app edition, which can be downloaded for iOS and Android. 

You’ll therefore be able to produce all sorts of documents even if you’re on the go, which can often be very useful if you need to produce an invoice at short notice and aren’t back at the office. Hiveage is also great at performing up-to-the-minute overviews of any full or partial payments that have been received. Similarly, Hiveage performs great if you need to use multiple currencies, which is a real boon if you deal with clients in other countries.

Ease of use

If you’re looking for a straightforward way of tackling billing and invoicing duties then Hiveage is certainly a great platform to consider. The layout of the interface is excellent, with a plain and simple design that lets you get straight into the core areas. Aside from the dashboard space, which acts as home for your workflow, there are menu options for accessing invoices, bills and estimates plus track, network, files and trash located down the left side of the interface. 

From there you simply pick a task and then work your way through the various stages. Creating an online invoice, for example, couldn't be easier, with the core layout already constructed and you just fill in the details that need to be changed. That’s the overall theme for using Hiveage.

Support

If you need answers to a query then it’s quite a good idea to head along to the Hiveage Help Hub, which is an online portal that contains answers to all sorts of questions via a knowledge database. If you’re a signed up subscriber and still have questions or technical issues there’s a support email address available on the Hiveage website. 

There’s also a pretty good line of contact available with the team via Twitter if that’s your preferred method of communication.

Final verdict

Hiveage does a great job of streamlining lots of everyday small business tasks into one straightforward workflow. Even if you’re a freelancer who only issues the occasional invoice to clients it's still worth a look and there are versions that suit all sorts, from the lone sole trader through to companies with multiple employees. Considering its set of features Hiveage looks to be good value, even in its most basic incarnation. 

The great thing about the online software service is that you can pick a package size that suits your needs. The other big bonus is that it cuts down on workload, with the option of customizing things like invoice templates proving much more efficient than having to start from scratch. Dig a bit deeper inside that easy to use interface and you’ll find lots of other practical tools too, which means that Hiveage leaves a very positive overall impression with us.

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