Social Media Manager Invoicing App (2026)
Social media retainers only work when they bill in advance and the deliverables sit on the invoice — otherwise every month reopens the same scope conversation. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) bills the monthly retainer automatically against a card on file, states the platforms, post count, and community-management hours the tier covers, and itemizes ad management, extra content, and out-of-scope hours.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the solo social media manager's billing workflow — retainers billed in advance, deliverables stated on the invoice, ad management fees, and out-of-scope hourly lines — not on content scheduling and publishing, social listening, or multi-seat agency reporting, which are a separate category of tool.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Solo social media managers: retainers billed in advance, deliverables on the invoice, ad-management and overage lines |
| FreshBooks | $21/mo+ | Invoicing bundled with small-business accounting |
| Bonsai | $25/mo+ | Contracts and proposals alongside invoices |
| Harvest | Free / $13.75/seat/mo | Time tracking converted into invoices |
| Wave | Free / $16/mo+ | Basic free invoicing with paid payment features |
The retainer is a scope document
A social retainer that doesn’t name its deliverables gets renegotiated every month. Putting platforms, post counts, and community hours on the invoice ends that.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Monthly retainer billed in advance on a card or ACH on file, tier deliverables stated as saved lines, ad-management fee (flat or % with minimum), extra content and out-of-scope hours itemized, stated late fee with automatic chasing.
2. FreshBooks — $21/mo+
Invoicing bundled with small-business accounting features.
3. Bonsai — $25/mo+
Contracts and proposals sitting alongside invoicing.
4. Harvest — Free / $13.75/seat/mo
Time tracking that converts logged hours into invoices.
5. Wave — Free / $16/mo+
Basic free invoicing, with payment features paid.
The lines a social retainer invoice needs
- Monthly retainer — tier, billed in advance
- Platforms covered — named
- Content produced — posts, reels, stories
- Community management — time included
- Ad management fee — flat, or % with a minimum
- Reporting — included or add-on
- Out-of-scope hours — hourly, stated
Creation and scheduling aren’t the same product
Captioning supplied assets is one price. Shooting and editing original video costs you a shoot day — separate lines, or the upgrade happens for free.
Frequently asked questions
Can it bill a monthly social retainer automatically?
Yes — the retainer bills in advance each month against a card or ACH on file, so you're not invoicing and chasing while also producing the month's content. Advance billing is the difference between a retainer and a hopeful arrangement.
Can the invoice state what the tier covers?
The platforms, post count, community-management time, and reporting cadence all sit on the invoice as saved lines. Once '12 posts, 2 platforms, 30 min/day community management' is written down, the thirteenth post is a line item rather than an argument.
How should ad spend be handled?
Keep it off your invoice entirely — client ad spend belongs on the client's own card, and your invoice carries the management fee only, flat or 10–20% of spend with a stated minimum. Fronting spend makes you an unsecured lender to your own client.
Is this a scheduling and publishing tool?
No — publishing, scheduling, and social listening are a separate category, and you'll keep whatever you already post from. This is the billing side: retainers charged in advance, deliverables on the invoice, overage and ad-management fees itemized.