Hiveage

Overview

Hiveage is an online billing platform for freelancers and small businesses that need invoicing, payment collection, subscriptions, estimates, and expense tracking in one account. It is particularly suitable for firms serving clients in different countries or operating several business entities. The main trade-off is scale: the free tier stops at five clients, while useful collaboration features begin on higher paid plans.

Hiveage traces its invoicing service to 2006, when it operated as CurdBee, and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company says more than 75,000 small businesses in over 150 countries have used it since 2014.

Key features

• Complete billing workflow: Invoices, estimates and quotes sit alongside recurring subscriptions, time tracking, expense tracking and financial reports. That makes Hiveage a plausible central billing record for a service business rather than merely an invoice sender.
• Online collection: Customers can pay through more than a dozen gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Square and Braintree. Payment reminders help chase overdue balances without leaving the billing system.
• International invoicing: Multi-currency support formats invoices for a client's preferred currency and locale, a practical advantage for cross-border freelancers and agencies.
• Multiple entities and access: One account can cover several teams and business entities, with delegated permissions. This is more useful to an owner managing related operations than to a solo user with one business.
• Portability and automation: CSV import and export, API access and connected software tools support migration and reporting. The JSON REST API is enabled for every account, although hourly request limits apply. Zapier can trigger workflows from events such as a new invoice.
• Infrastructure: Accounts use 256-bit SSL connections and Rackspace hosting. Hiveage states 99.9% average uptime, redundant servers and storage, daily backups in multiple locations, and 180-day backup retention. Support is offered by in-app chat and email, with a Help Center covering gateways, customization, reports and data transfer.

Pricing

Hiveage has a free plan, paid plans from $16/mo when billed annually, and a 14-day trial. The published monthly plan prices below are the clearest fit for month-to-month budgeting.

The free tier's five-client ceiling is restrictive for an established consultancy, despite unlimited documents and tracking. Basic adds capacity and recurring billing but still does not include team seats or the Pro branding features. Pro and Plus are the practical choices when several people need access; Plus is justified mainly by its 1,000-client and 10-member limits. Check annual billing terms against your cash-flow preference before choosing the advertised $16/mo entry price.

Platforms

Hiveage supports Android, iOS, macOS, Windows and web access. An API is also available, so it can fit a business that needs to connect billing data to other software.

Who it's for

Choose Hiveage if you are a freelancer, small business or agency combining project time and expenses with invoices, recurring charges and online payment collection. It is especially well matched to international client work, multiple currencies, multiple entities or permissioned teams. It is less compelling for a very small client list that only needs occasional invoices, where the five-client free cap may suffice but the paid tiers add unnecessary cost.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad billing coverage: Recurring invoices, reminders, estimates, payments, time and expenses reduce the need to stitch together separate tools.
• International and multi-entity support: Localized currencies and delegated access address common complications for cross-border businesses.
• Strong connectivity: CSV transfer, an account-wide REST API and Zapier triggers make data export and automation practical.
• Clear capacity steps: Client and team limits show when moving from Free to Basic, Pro or Plus is necessary.

Cons

• Free plan is narrow on clients: Five clients can be exhausted quickly, even though invoices and tracking are unlimited.
• Team access costs more: Included seats appear only on Pro and Plus, so collaborative users must move beyond Basic.
• Annual entry pricing needs scrutiny: The $16/mo figure is tied to annual billing, while monthly prices start at $19.

Alternatives

For a broader shortlist, see Invoicing software.

• Zoho Invoice is a free option with Android, iOS, macOS and Windows apps; pick it when its free limits of two users, three projects and 500 invoices per year fit your operation.
• PayPal Invoicing suits users who want free invoice creation without a subscription and are comfortable with transaction fees on paid invoices.
• SumUp Invoices is worth considering for unlimited invoices and quotes on its free plan across web, iOS and Android.
• InvoiceOcean fits a very small operation willing to stay within three invoices per month and one user on its free tier.
• Express Invoice offers a non-expiring free version for home users or one-user businesses across desktop, web and mobile platforms.
• Invoice Home is an alternative for users whose free usage stays within $1,000 invoiced over the past 30 days.
• Inkvoice offers a free cloud tier with one user, five customers and unlimited invoices, plus API and self-hosted options.
• SolidInvoice is a web, Linux and macOS choice with a $9 monthly Solo plan covering 10 active clients, one seat, online payments, recurring invoices and multi-currency support.

Verdict

Hiveage is a strong fit for freelancers and small, internationally oriented businesses that want invoicing, recurring billing, payment gateways, tracking and reporting under one roof. Its main reason to choose it is the combination of multi-currency, multi-entity access and integration options. Look elsewhere if five free clients is too restrictive or if you need team seats without moving to a higher paid tier.