Quote vs invoice: what's the difference and when to send each

A quote is a promise. An invoice is a bill. Get the order right and your clients never wonder what they owe — or what you've agreed to do.

The short version

• Quote — sent before work begins. It's an offer with a price and scope.
• Invoice — sent after work is done (or at agreed milestones). It's a request to be paid.

When to send a quote

1. The job is new or custom and the price isn't a published rate.
2. The client is comparing options and wants a fixed number.
3. The work needs sign-off from someone who isn't your day-to-day contact.
4. You want a paper trail of agreed scope before you start.

When to send an invoice

• The work is complete (or a milestone is complete).
• You're billing on a recurring schedule.
• You're collecting a deposit before starting.

What both documents share

Both should include your business details, the client's details, line items, taxes, and totals. The difference is the label, the status, and the due date. A quote has an "expires on" date; an invoice has a "due on" date.

Converting a quote to an invoice

When a client accepts a quote, you don't want to retype anything. In FoxIn, an accepted quote becomes an invoice in a single tap — line items, client, taxes, and notes are carried over and a fresh invoice number is assigned. See more on the features page.