Attaching a PDF works, but it means your client is stuck with whatever version you sent, even after you fix a typo or record a payment. When you send an invoice as a link, they always see the current version, and they can act on it directly instead of just reading it.
The link is not a public web page anyone can stumble onto. It uses its own private address, kept out of search engines, so it is meant to be shared directly with the one client it is for, the same way you would hand someone a document rather than post it publicly.
How it works
- Save the invoice. Saving an invoice or estimate creates its own private link.
- Copy the link. Find it on the invoice screen and copy it to your clipboard.
- Send it your way. Paste it into a text, a chat message or your own email. The Invoice Generator does not send email for you.
- Your client opens it. They are not asked to sign in, and the status updates to Viewed the moment they open it.
- The link stays live. It keeps working for as long as the invoice or estimate exists, so a client can return to it later without asking you to resend anything.
Why a link instead of a file
- Always current. If you fix a line item or mark it paid, the same link shows the update, unlike a PDF already sent.
- Nothing for your client to set up. They open it in any browser and act on it right away.
- More than a read. A client can pay, sign, comment or approve directly from the page, not just look at a total.
- Private by design. Each link is its own token, not a guessable invoice number. See how to send an invoice for the full range of ways to deliver it.
Beyond viewing
Because the link is a page and not a static file, your client can act on it instead of only reading it. That means a question in the comment thread, a signature drawn on screen, or an estimate approved or declined, all from the exact page you sent, with nothing to forward or reattach along the way.
Compare that to a PDF attachment: once it leaves your outbox, it is a snapshot. If the client asks a question, it goes to a different inbox entirely, disconnected from the document itself. A link keeps the conversation and the document in the same place.
Who uses it
A shareable link suits anyone who sends invoices over text or chat rather than email: contractors on a job site, cleaning businesses billing after a visit, freelancers who message clients directly, and small businesses that want a quick way to follow up without an email thread. Prefer a file, download the PDF instead and attach it to your own email.
- Freelance invoice template
- Cleaning services invoice template
- Invoicing for cleaning businesses
- Invoicing for contractors
Works with the rest of the Invoice Generator
The same link carries your logo and accent color, shows a Pay now button if you have added a payment link, and lets your client sign or comment. It works for estimates too, where the link also carries the approve and decline buttons.
