COMPARISON
Zoho Invoice vs Dunlio for payment reminders
Free and generic versus paid and country-specific: which reminder setup fits a European freelancer, and when it makes sense to use both.
Zoho Invoice is free, has a German edition and sends automated payment reminders, which makes it the most common objection to paying for a reminder tool at all. Dunlio costs 9 or 19 euros a month and was built for one job: three reminder stages written for each country's law, sent on schedule, with delivery tracking, on EU hosting. Since October 2026 it also writes simple PDF invoices with VAT. This page sets the two side by side so you can decide which fits. Prices as of October 2026, excl. VAT.
What Zoho Invoice does well.
Zoho Invoice is a complete free invoicing tool: quotes, invoices, recurring billing, expense capture, client portal and online payment links, with a German-language edition. Automated reminders are included at no cost, and if you already run your business on Zoho apps, the reminders live next to the invoices and payments they refer to. For a freelancer starting out who does not yet have an invoicing tool, that is hard to argue with.
Where Zoho Invoice reminders fall short.
Zoho's reminders are generic by design. One set of templates serves every country, so the wording does not reflect the German distinction between a Zahlungserinnerung and a Mahnung, the French mise en demeure, or the statutory interest and fixed compensation rules that follow from the EU Late Payment Directive in each member state. You can edit the templates, but you write the legal content yourself. Reminders also apply only to invoices created in Zoho: if your invoices live in Lexware, sevdesk, DATEV or a spreadsheet, you would have to move invoicing to Zoho first.
- Templates are generic, not written per country.
- Only Zoho-created invoices can be reminded.
- Hosting region not verified in our October 2026 review.
- No statutory late-payment interest calculation.
Feature comparison.
| Feature | Zoho Invoice | Dunlio |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | Free | Free early access; Solo 9 €, Team 19 € |
| Invoicing and accounting | Yes | PDF invoices with VAT; no accounting |
| Automated reminders | Yes | Yes, three stages, weekdays, manual or automatic |
| Reminder wording per country | Generic templates, editable | Written for each country's law, 8 languages |
| Import invoices from another tool | Reminders only for Zoho invoices | CSV import, reminders start from the import |
| Delivery tracking per message | Not verified | Yes |
| Hosting | Not verified | EU |
| Contract | None | None, cancel monthly |
What country-specific stages mean in practice.
Take a German business client whose invoice is 20 days overdue. A generic reminder says the invoice is past due and asks for payment. A stage written for German law says the same, but the second stage uses the word Mahnung, sets a deadline, refers to default under § 286 BGB and announces statutory interest under § 288 BGB; the third names the next step, a court payment order or a collection agency. A French client gets a relance, then a mise en demeure with the fixed 40 € indemnity; a Dutch client gets an aanmaning with the statutory wettelijke rente mentioned. Dunlio ships these stages for eight languages and their jurisdictions. In Zoho you can achieve the same by editing templates, but you have to know what each country expects and keep it current yourself.
Who should pick Zoho Invoice.
Pick Zoho Invoice if your clients are mostly in one country, a polite generic reminder is enough, and you want quotes and online payments next to your invoices. You get invoicing, payments and reminders for free in one place, and you can always add a dedicated reminder tool later if the follow-up turns out to need more structure.
Who should pick Dunlio.
Pick Dunlio if your invoices already live somewhere else and you do not want to move them, if you bill clients in more than one European country, or if you need the three stages to say the right thing legally without writing it yourself. You import open invoices as CSV or write new ones in Dunlio, and the stages run on weekdays, either released by hand or automatically. Each message shows whether it was delivered. Data stays on EU hosting. There is no contract; early access is free, and afterwards Solo is 9 € and Team 19 € a month, excl. VAT. Dunlio and Zoho Invoice can also be used together, with Zoho for invoicing and Dunlio for follow-up, the same way German users combine it with Lexware or sevdesk, as described in the guide Mahnwesen aus Lexware und sevdesk automatisieren.
Frequently asked questions.
Is Zoho Invoice really free?
Yes. As of October 2026 Zoho Invoice is offered free of charge, including automated reminders. Paid Zoho products such as Zoho Books are separate.
Can I use Dunlio without leaving my invoicing tool?
Yes. Dunlio imports open invoices by CSV from any tool, including Zoho Invoice, and runs the reminder stages from there. Writing invoices in Dunlio is optional.
Why pay 9 € when Zoho reminders are free?
Only if the difference matters to you: country-specific legal wording in eight languages, reminders for invoices from any source, delivery tracking and EU hosting. If none of that applies, Zoho's free reminders are a reasonable choice.