What an invoicing app has to do on a phone
Plenty of tools advertise a mobile app, then send you to a stripped down web version where you can barely look at your invoices. For a freelancer who works outdoors, that is not enough. The app has to create a quote, turn it into an invoice, send it and get it paid, without waiting until you are in front of a computer.
It also has to stay simple. On a six inch screen nobody wants endless menus: a client, a few lines, a total, a button to send. Fine settings, numbering series or terms and conditions are set once, preferably from the office.
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Create a complete quote or invoice, with Belgian VAT rates
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Pull up an existing client or item after typing two letters
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Send by email, by link or over Peppol from the same screen
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Photograph a receipt or purchase invoice and let it read itself in
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See unpaid invoices at a glance and trigger a reminder
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Find the identical file on the computer, with no export
The word depends on habit: some people look for an invoicing app, others for invoicing software. At Novadesko it is the same product, on every device, under a single subscription.
A typical day with the app
Take a self employed electrician around Leuven. In the morning he stops at the wholesaler: the purchase invoice is photographed in the car park and sits in the file before he drives off. Late morning, a repair at a private home. Job done, he creates the invoice on his phone, picks the labour and materials lines, and sends it by email with a payment link. Sometimes the client pays before he has left the street.
In the afternoon, a quote for a fuse board at a shop. He writes it on the tablet in the van, the client receives an acceptance link and answers that same evening. Once the job is finished, the accepted quote becomes the invoice in one click and goes out over Peppol, since the client is a business.
In the evening there is no pile of paper to retype. The accountant already has access to everything from their own account, and the quarterly VAT return gets prepared without chasing receipts.
Purchases and receipts, without losing them
Outgoing invoices are only half the work. For the VAT to be right, purchases have to be in the file too, and that is where the phone makes the difference. A receipt photographed on the spot no longer vanishes into the glove box, and there are no more Sunday afternoons spent sorting faded till slips.
In Novadesko the photo is read by Novadesko Intelligence: supplier, VAT number, date, due date, lines and rates are suggested, you check them at a glance and confirm. Invoices received as PDF or as XML over Peppol follow the same path, with no retyping.
Still keep the original for a few years: the photo serves for booking and filing, but the tax administration can ask for the document itself during an audit.
Peppol and legal details, even on the move
An invoice created on a phone is an invoice like any other: it must carry your company number, a unique number in a continuous series, the date, the description, the taxable amount, the VAT rate and the VAT amount. The app adds them for you and simply refuses to issue an incomplete document. No need to check every field on a small screen.
Since 1 January 2026, invoices between Belgian VAT registered businesses travel in structured format over the Peppol network. Novadesko is its own access point: sending happens from the invoice screen, on phone and computer alike, and received invoices land directly in your purchases. For a private client, the PDF by email remains the right choice.
Phone, tablet, computer: a single file
The classic fear with a mobile app is ending up with two files: the one on the phone and the one at the office, which then have to be reconciled. Here there is only one file. What you enter in the van shows up on the office screen when you get back, and your accountant sees the same thing on their side.
Since Novadesko 4.0, an offline mode keeps your accounting data available without a connection, synced and encrypted on your device. In a basement with no signal or a poorly covered industrial estate, you can look up a client, a price or an invoice, and syncing resumes as soon as the signal returns.
Choosing an invoice management app in Belgium
The market is full of invoicing apps, often designed for the United States or the United Kingdom. For a Belgian freelancer a few points sort them out quickly: Belgian VAT with its special cases, the Peppol access point, accountant access, and the real price once modules are added.
The table below lists what we would check in your place. Novadesko publishes this page, so let us say it plainly: the right hand column describes our product, the other two describe what you most often come across.
What to check before installing an invoicing app
| Criterion |
Consumer app |
Web tool without a real app |
Novadesko |
| Belgian VAT and special cases |
Generic rates |
Usually correct |
Rates, co-contractor and exemptions handled |
| Peppol sending |
Absent |
Through a paid intermediary |
Own access point, from the app |
| Creating an invoice on the phone |
Yes |
Viewing only |
Create, send and collect payment |
| Photographing receipts |
Sometimes, no reading |
Rarely |
Read automatically by the assistant |
| Accountant access |
File exports |
Depends on the plan |
Free, no extra seat |
| Same file on the computer |
Not always |
Yes |
Yes, Mac, Windows, Linux and web apps |
| Offline mode |
Rare |
No |
Offline viewing, encrypted data |
| Monthly price |
Free, then extras |
Variable |
19 € excl. VAT, modules included |
Install it and invoice tonight
Install the app on your phone, create your account, then take a quarter of an hour at the computer to set what no longer changes: logo, contact details, VAT number, a numbering series that carries on where your old file stopped, terms and conditions. After that, everything else happens on the move.
The trial lasts fourteen days and needs no bank card. Create a real invoice for a real client from your phone, send it, and see how long it takes to get paid. If the rhythm suits you, you carry on for 19 € excluding VAT per month, modules included.
Frequently asked questions
Is an invoice created from a mobile app valid in Belgium?
Yes, as long as it carries the mandatory details: company number, unique number in a continuous series, date, description, taxable amount, VAT rate and VAT amount. Novadesko adds them automatically, on phone and computer alike, and refuses to issue an incomplete document.
Is the Novadesko invoicing app available on Android and iPhone?
Yes. It is on the App Store for iOS 16 or later and on Google Play for Android 8 or later. The same screens exist on tablet, as a desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux, and in a browser.
Can I send an invoice over Peppol from my phone?
Yes. Novadesko is its own Peppol access point. Sending happens from the invoice screen, on phone or computer, with no extra subscription to an operator. Invoices received over Peppol land directly in your purchases.
What happens without signal, in a basement or a poorly covered area?
Since Novadesko 4.0, your accounting data stays available offline, synced and encrypted on the device. You can look up a client, a price or an invoice, and syncing resumes as soon as the signal returns.
Does my accountant have to install the app too?
No. They have their own free access from their browser and find invoices, purchases and documents in the same place as you. No more folder of PDFs to send over every quarter.
What is the difference between an invoicing app and invoicing software?
In practice, none at Novadesko: it is the same product, installed on a phone, a tablet or a computer, or opened in a browser, under a single subscription. The word app mostly refers to the mobile use this page describes.
Read next
Page updated in November 2026. Minimum system versions and Belgian invoicing rules keep changing, especially around Peppol. For your own situation, your accountant remains the right person to ask.
