Incusia vs PayPal Invoicing
PayPal takes a percentage when an invoice is paid. Incusia charges a flat monthly price for the software. At a few invoices a year the percentage wins. At a regular month of billing, the percentage becomes a line of its own.
Stay if you invoice rarely
Two or three invoices a year are usually cheaper on a percentage than on any subscription. PayPal is built for that, and for clients who already pay inside PayPal.
Switch if you invoice every month
A regular month of paid invoices turns 2.99% or 3.49% into the most expensive line in a one person business. The software fee does not grow when the month does.
The crossover is a few hundred dollars
On a US card payment, 2.99% reaches $9 at $301, before the $0.49 fixed fee. On PayPal checkout, 3.49% reaches $9 at $258. Above that, the percentage costs more than Starter.
PayPal does not charge a monthly fee to create and send an invoice. A PayPal account is enough, and the customer does not need one to pay. The invoice can be paid with PayPal or Venmo, a card, Apple Pay, Pay Later, or a US bank payment. A client who already trusts that screen is not learning a new portal.
The bank path is the part a percentage rarely gets credit for. The US fees page, last updated 1 October 2026 and checked again on 23 October 2026, prices domestic Pay by Bank at 1%, capped at $10 per transaction. One bank payment of $5,000, $20,000, or $50,000 is $10. Ten smaller bank payments can cost up to $10 each. If clients pay by bank in one transfer, PayPal is a cheap way to collect.
An optional Invoice Subscription Service is $14.99 a month on the same page. International invoicing adds 1.50% to the domestic rate. The US dollar fixed fee is $0.49. This is a payments company pricing the payment. It is the right trade when the invoice is occasional and the client already pays in PayPal.
US domestic rates checked 23 October 2026. Cards and Apple Pay are 2.99% plus $0.49 per paid invoice. PayPal Checkout, Venmo, and guest checkout are 3.49% plus $0.49. Pay Later is 4.99% plus $0.49. The table shows the percentage only. Add $0.49 per paid invoice. The bank column is one payment, so the $10 cap applies once.
Incusia's column is the software price from our pricing page: Starter at $9 a month, $108 a year. If the client pays that invoice by card, Stripe charges its own processing fee. That percentage is not printed on the Incusia pricing page, so the cell is blank. Do not read the $9 as a promise that card processing is free.
A year of three $400 invoices is $1,200. Card fees would be about $35.88 plus $1.47 in fixed fees. Checkout would be about $41.88 plus $1.47. Both are under $108. That is the stay case. The table is the switch case.
| Paid in the month | Card 2.99% | PayPal checkout 3.49% | Bank, one payment | Incusia software | Incusia card fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $149.50 | $174.50 | $10 | $9 | |
| $20,000 | $598 | $698 | $10 | $9 | |
| $50,000 | $1,495 | $1,745 | $10 | $9 |
The annoying part is the client, not the export. People who have paid you through PayPal will look for the PayPal button. The first Incusia invoice needs a plain line that this bill replaces the PayPal one, and you should void or cancel the old request so a helpful client cannot pay both. Open PayPal invoices should finish where they started.
If you subscribed to the $14.99 Invoice Subscription Service, cancel that too, or you will pay a monthly fee and a percentage in the same month. PayPal's fees page says rates can change. There is no lock. Incusia's lock covers the software price, not a processor's cut.
A quiet month still costs $9 on Starter. PayPal costs nothing in a month when nobody pays an invoice. If your year is lumpy, two paid months and ten quiet ones, run the percentage on the real total before you switch. The table is for people who bill $5,000 or more in a normal month. It is the wrong guide for someone who sends one invoice in March and nothing until October.
PayPal is a wallet, and the fee is how that wallet gets paid. The table is the size of the fee once a month is full. Incusia is a flat software bill. A card fee on an Incusia invoice, if the client pays by card, sits beside the $9 and is not printed on our pricing page. Pick the bill you can explain in December.
Key differences
Shared capabilities are left out. This is where the two platforms diverge.
Swipe the table to compare
| Capability | Incusia | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & cost model | ||
| Free plan | 7 day trial, then Starter at $9 | No monthly fee to send invoices |
| Pricing model | Simple flat pricing | Percentage when the invoice is paid |
| Price locked at signup | Yes | No lock. Fees page updated 1 October 2026 |
| Starting price for unlimited invoices | $9/month | $0 to send. 2.99% + $0.49 or 3.49% + $0.49 when paid |
| No invoice caps on paid plans | Yes | No invoice cap published |
| One-time lifetime option | $99 | Not offered |
| Invoice creation | ||
| Unlimited invoices on paid plans | Unlimited on every plan, including Free | Included with the account |
| Client limit | 5 on Free, unlimited on paid plans | Not published |
| Recurring invoices | Pro and Lifetime | Invoice Subscription Service, $14.99/month |
| Multiple currencies | All plans, 30+ | Fixed fee depends on the currency received |
| Custom logo | Starter and above | Not published |
| Payment collection | ||
| Payment button on invoices | Starter and above | The invoice is the payment request |
| Stripe integration | Yes | Not the invoicing rate |
| PayPal integration | No | PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49 |
| Apple Pay / Google Pay | Via Stripe | Cards and Apple Pay 2.99% + $0.49 |
| Get paid directly to your bank | Stripe Connect | Pay by Bank 1%, cap $10 |
| Business platform | ||
| Time Tracking | Pro and Lifetime | Not published |
| Expense Tracking | Pro and Lifetime | Not published |
| Estimates/Proposals | Starter, Pro, and Lifetime | Not published |
| Client CRM | Pro and Lifetime | Not published |
| Analytics | Pro and Lifetime | Not published |
| Client Portal | Pro and Lifetime | Not published |
| Automation | ||
| Auto-reminders for late payments | Starter, Pro, and Lifetime | Not published |
| Automatic late fee calculation | Pro and Lifetime | Not published |
| Recurring billing | Pro and Lifetime | $14.99/month subscription invoicing |
| Email delivery tracking | Yes | Not published |
| Support & experience | ||
| Real human support | Yes | Phone listed on the invoicing page |
| Response time | 24 hours, 12 on Pro | Not published |
| Cancel with one click | Yes | No software subscription to cancel unless you added the $14.99 service |
| No account traps | Yes | Not published |
| Deployment | ||
| Where your data lives | Hosted cloud | PayPal account |
| Export your data anytime | PDF on every plan, CSV on Lifetime | Not published |
| No lock-in | Yes | Open invoices should be finished before you leave |
Pricing checked 23 October 2026 against the company's own pricing page.
PayPal is strong when the client already pays that way, when you send few invoices, and when a bank payment can use the $10 cap. There is no software seat to buy before the first invoice. The customer can pay from the invoice without creating an account. That is a real product, priced as a payment, and it is the cheaper one for a short year.
Starter is $9 a month, locked at the rate you sign up at, whether the month is $5,000 or $50,000. The price does not take a cut of the invoice. Card processing, if a client pays by card, is Stripe's fee and is not listed on our pricing page. Pro is $29 a month when you want recurring invoices and reminders in the software, not as a separate $14.99 PayPal add-on.
Not ready to pick a plan? You can try our free invoice generator first. See pricing, read about one-click cancellation, or learn about Incusia. Related guides: how to ask for payment politely and how to write an invoice.
FAQ
A percentage of the invoice is a different bill from a flat monthly price.
$9/month
Send invoices and estimates, get paid
Price locked forever
$29/month
Run the whole business from one place
Everything in Starter, plus
Price locked forever
$99once
Pro, forever. One payment, nothing after that.
I have watched a percentage fee take more than a monthly plan would have, on one large invoice. That is the comparison I can do from my own payments. I recheck PayPal's fees when the rate on their page changes.
More about IncusiaAll trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Incusia is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any company named on this page. Pricing checked 23 October 2026 against the company's own pricing page. Contact me@abassinvoice.com if you spot an error.