How to Develop Custom Billing Software: Step-by-Step Guide for Businesses

The e-commerce industry that is growing by leaps and bounds, a wide range of advanced IT solution adoptions across industries, and various technological advancements give a tremendous push to the development of billing and invoicing software.

According to a survey conducted by the IMARC Group, the global e-invoicing market reached $13.5 billion in 2023. Moving forward, they forecast that by 2032, it will reach $60.9 billion, growing at a CAGR of 17.7% between 2024 and 2032. How can such growth be explained?

In reality, a well-organized billing system significantly supports the growth of any business. Custom billing software can clarify operations, systematize cash flow, and spot the gaps in finances.

This tutorial will take you through all that you need to know in developing customized billing software, including its benefits, features, and development process.

What Is Billing Software?

In brief, billing software as a part of broader fintech software solutions is a tool that helps businesses administer invoices and payments.

Rather than doing everything manually, this software automates the process and allows businesses to generate professional invoices; collect payments via various means, such as credit cards, bank transfers, or online wallets; calculate taxes and deductions; and autonomously apply discounts.

The software also stores all customer billing information in one place to watch the payment history and make up summaries that could demonstrate to businesses the important details, such as how much they have earned or what is still outstanding in payments.

Types of billing software solutions.

• Standalone billing software for purely invoicing and payment processing.
• Integrated billing systems that merge with either an ERP or CRM system.
• Cloud-based billing software is accessible from anywhere.
• Industry-specific billing solutions narrowed to healthcare, telecom, or SaaS, for example.
• Custom software development overpacked solutions.

Why Your Business Should Invest in Custom Billing and Invoicing Software

All in all, customized billing software pays off in investment through the speed, safety, and regulation it brings to your operations.

By and large, custom software development services suit your business, not vice versa, which means that you’re not stuck paying for features you don’t need or trying to force some generic tool to work for you.

Plus, the software will grow with your business, enabling it to direct more transactions and add features here and there as the need arises.

A customized billing system also brushes up the process on the customer’s end. You may grant them exclusive features of customized invoices or customer portals and make paying even more pleasant.

It also protects your data through custom invoicing software. You can insert strong security measures regarding sensitive information or follow GDPR or PCI DSS rules.

It may also easily integrate with tools you might already use, such as accounting or CRM systems so that everything works together evenly.

When it comes to money, custom financial software development will always save over time. There are no subscription fees involved and it’s designed to grow with you; therefore, there won’t be the urge to replace it when needs change.

Custom Billing Software vs. Off-the-Shelf Solutions: Pros and Cons

You will most probably have to make one of the major decisions when selecting the billing software for your business: custom-built or off-the-shelf.

Custom Billing Software

Custom billing software is designed and developed particularly for your business, made to coincide with the way you work and exactly with what you need.

Pros:

• Made to Your Demands: Because custom software usually represents a 100% match, you only pay for the features that matter to you.
• Scalability: As your business extends, so can the software, changing with its new conditions.
• Trouble-free Integration: The software merges with the rest of your tools, such as CRM or accounting systems.
• Better Protection: You can amend and fortify security mechanisms to protect data and please regulatory bodies.

Cons:

• Higher Upfront Cost: Development can be expensive compared to ready-made solutions.
• Longer Development Time: Creating from nothing takes time and investments.
• Ongoing Maintenance: You’ll need a team for updates and support, which adds to the cost.

Off-the-Shelf Billing Software

Off-the-shelf solutions refer to those that are already ready to use immediately. This, of course, comes with a lot of features intended for all kinds of businesses.

Pros:

• Quick Setup: These tools are ready to proceed, so you can start using them right away with little effort.
• Lower Starting Tariff: They are usually cheaper at the moment, no matter if it’s a subscription fee or one-time pay.
• Regular Upgrades: Most providers release systematic updates to polish the software.
• Around-the-clock Support: Customer service is usually available at any moment when you need help.

Cons:

• Inflexible Customization: You may have to touch your business processes to match the software, and that may result in failures.
• Unwanted Features: You may end up paying for constituents you don’t need or use.
• Poor Scalability: The pre-built tool may struggle with growing and expanding your business.
• Data Security Risks: You become dependent on the vendor’s security measures, which might get along with your necessities.

Examples of the Best Market Billing Software for Businesses

If you have ever been interested in billing applications, you might have heard of some excellent billing management systems available. Though some of them lack much customization, you may take them as a reference for your own app.

For example, BM4A Billing Software Solutions allows you to assemble an app as you see fit and in a fairly short time frame, as the core of the program is made of pre-built components, making it one of the best invoicing software for small businesses.

Zoho Invoice contains all the basic features every company needs that will get the job of invoicing done painlessly. QuickBooks is a far more feature-rich solution because it offers billing along with accounting tools.

FreshBooks has scored very highly for being chock-full of valuable features, so the software is recommended for freelancers. Xero, in its turn, has cloud support to easily administer invoices and finances.

Must-Have Features for Custom Billing Software

If you’ve decided to plunge into designing your own program to make invoices, it is important to include features that would make billing more comfortable and less time-consuming. A few key features to include are:

• Invoicing: This software will enable you to make, modify, and govern your invoices, as well as send them out to customers.
• Payment Processing: The system must span varied payment means to allow customers to pay using their preferred means.
• Recurring Billing: If your business provides subscriptions, this software alone should be able to create and send invoices on a recurring basis.
• Tax Calculations: The system should provide tax calculations based on the location of a customer or what he or she is purchasing.
• Reporting and Analytics: Reporting in regard to revenue, unpaid invoices, and payment trends greatly helps in tracking the business’s financial strength.
• Customer Management: The program must keep customer information in a single location in order to rationalize the management of your relationships and billing.

How to Develop Custom Billing Software: Key Steps and Best Practices

At first glance, it may seem that the development process is not as important as the final result, although it is the process that determines how the final product will work and look:

1. Describe What You Need: First, portray what your business actually seeks from the software and what components and parts are a must-have.
2. Get Experts In: Get a team of professional developers who have experience in developing billing tools to convert your vision into a workable reality.
3. Start Small with an MVP: Create a basic version of the software with just the essential features (we’ve listed them above). This way, you can probe it and see what lacks before going big.
4. Test and Add: Make certain the software works well with your other systems, and run lots of tests to detect any defects and gaps.
5. Launch and Keep It Going: When it’s ready, roll it out to your workflow, and make alterations as your business develops.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop Custom Billing Software?

Normally, the cost of custom billing tools development depends on multiple circumstances.

The complexness of the software and the quantity of elements is going to be a central factor in your quote. The price will depend as well on the rates of the development team you choose: onshore, nearshore, or offshore.

Other influencing factors include the development timeline and scalability requirements of your software.

The overall cost of individual billing software can range from approximately $25,000 to $200,000 on average, depending on size and necessities, not to mention maintenance or updates.

Billing Software Trends: What to Expect in 2024

In 2024, billing tools will be smarter and more pliable. Among the major directors orchestrating the future is AI with its reporting and forecasting capabilities; blockchain, too, with payment security and transparency; cloud-based and web solutions; and mobile app optimization to take care of billing anywhere and at any time.

SCAND’s Billing Software Development Services: What We Offer

Above, we said that when bespoke software is being planned, it is important to find the right team to cooperate with. Without false modesty, at SCAND, we are professionals in developing custom billing and invoicing software made purely for your business requirements.

Having more than 20 years of experience in software development, we provide:

• End-to-end development services.
• Scalable and secure solutions.
• Free MVP development to test your idea.
• Experience with multidomain expertise such as SaaS, eCommerce, and finance.

If you’re interested in new software, reach out to our team to get a quote and discuss your wants with regard to software appearance, quality, or functionality.