An Alternative to WooCommerce Invoice Generator

Invoicing isn’t just about sending a bill; it’s about maintaining professionalism, ensuring accuracy, and staying compliant with tax regulations. For WooCommerce store owners, this process becomes even more critical as orders grow and operations scale.

While the built-in invoice generator may seem like a quick solution, its limitations soon surface. There’s no branding flexibility, limited formatting control, and no support for automated documentation or legal compliance.

That’s where WebToffee’s WooCommerce PDF Invoices Plugin offers a better way forward. Designed for WooCommerce users, this plugin automates invoice creation, aligns with tax standards, and integrates into your store’s workflow, all while saving time and reducing errors.

Here, we’ll compare the advantages of using the built-in free invoice generator with WebToffee’s plugin and explore why the switch could bring lasting benefits to your store.

The default invoice generator is a usable tool for early-stage store owners. They offer a quick fix for generating and downloading invoices without any setup or ongoing commitment. However, while even the built-in free invoice generator may suffice for basic needs, its simplicity comes at a cost, especially for WooCommerce store owners who need consistency and compliance.

Advantages of using the default invoice generator:

• It’s FREE. No installation required!
• They allow users to generate invoices automatically without dealing with setup processes or plugin configurations.
• There’s no need for third-party plugins or tools, keeping the store lightweight.

Disadvantages of using WooCommerce’s ​​free invoice generator:

• No support for PDF Invoice generation
• There’s minimal support for branding, so invoices often look generic and lack consistency with the store’s visual identity.
• Does not meet tax compliance standards and typically don’t support sequential numbering or regional tax formats.
• No advanced features like UBL invoices, embedded payment links, invoice logs, or multilingual support
• No additional document support, such as packing slips, shipping labels, or delivery notes, which are often essential for fulfillment workflows.
• Provides minimal options for bookkeeping or bulk exporting, which limits efficiency for accounting or reporting tasks

While the default invoice option might get you started, a dedicated WooCommerce invoice plugin brings long-term efficiency and reliability. The WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices Plugin goes beyond generating a single invoice; it transforms the invoicing process into an integrated and automated part of your store’s operation.

Auto-Generates PDF Invoices

Automatically generates PDF Invoices for every new order, removing the need for manual entry. The plugin also integrates with email workflows, attaching invoice PDFs to order confirmation emails so customers receive them instantly.

Additional Document Support

Beyond invoices, the invoice generator plugin lets you generate essential order documents like packing slips, shipping labels, dispatch labels, and delivery notes. This helps streamline your fulfillment process, reduce errors, and keep shipping operations organized.

Branding & Customization

The plugin supports logo placement, custom footers, business information, and other elements that reflect your store’s identity. Whether you want to include refund policies or contact details, your invoices stay consistent with your brand.

Legal Compliance

Built-in support for sequential invoice numbering, regional tax formats (such as VAT and GST), and compliance-ready formatting helps keep your store legally aligned. It also creates a clean audit trail in case of tax reviews or business reporting.

It also supports UBL/XML invoice formats, enabling your store to comply with e-invoicing mandates in markets where digital standardization is required.

The free invoice plugin covers essentials, but the premium WooCommerce invoice plugin extends functionality for WooCommerce stores that demand greater control, flexibility, and scalability.

Advanced Features in the WooCommerce PDF Pro Plugin

• Issue compliant credit notes for returns or partial refunds, keeping your records clean and accurate.
• Bulk invoice generation to process multiple orders at once
• Include payment links in invoices to make it easier for customers to complete or retry payments.
• Create and print invoices in multiple languages, including RTL formats, enhancing accessibility for international customers.
• Custom invoice templates with support for code-based modifications
• Set sequential invoice numbering formats to align with internal accounting or legal standards.
• Support for additional document types, like packing slips, shipping labels, and delivery notes.
• Filter invoices and packing slips PDF by date, customer, payment status, or order status.

These added features help growing stores maintain professionalism, stay organized, and minimize time spent on repetitive invoicing tasks.

WebToffee enhances its core plugin with optional add-ons that expand the capabilities, providing store owners with a reliable invoicing system.

• Customizer for PDF Invoices Add-On: Offers visual, code-level, and block-based editing capabilities, allowing you to fine-tune invoice layout, structure, and design blocks without altering the core plugin.
• QR Code Add-On: Automatically generates QR codes from invoice data, which can link to order tracking pages, payment confirmation, or any custom destination.
• mPDF Add-On: An alternative PDF rendering engine for better compatibility with certain languages, character sets, or layout requirements. Especially helpful for multilingual and RTL (Right-to-Left) invoice formats.

These add-ons cater to growing business needs, helping you expand functionality without bloating the base plugin.

If you’re deciding between using the default WooCommerce invoice generator and installing a plugin like WebToffee’s WooCommerce PDF Invoices, this comparison lays it out clearly:

Feature	WooCommerce Built-in Invoice	WebToffee PDF Invoices Plugin
Free	✅	✅
PDF Invoice Generation	❌	✅
Attach invoice PDF to emails	❌	✅
Branding and Customization	❌	✅
Tax Compliance Support	❌	✅
UBL/XML Invoice Format	❌	✅
Additional Document Types	❌	✅
Credit Notes and Refund Handling	❌	✅
Filtering and Exporting	❌	✅
Multilingual and RTL Support	❌	✅

While the built-in invoice generator might be enough for one-off transactions, WebToffee’s PDF invoice generator plugin (free and pro) is built to grow with your store, streamline processes, and reduce the risk of errors.

Invoicing isn’t just another task; it directly affects how professional your store appears and how smoothly it operates. While utilizing the built-in WooCommerce invoice generator can help handle the basics, it lacks the automation, branding, and compliance features needed for long-term reliability.

More importantly, invoices are also a subtle marketing opportunity. Branded layouts, payment links, and personalized offers can turn every invoice into a customer touchpoint that drives repeat business.

The WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices Plugin bridges that gap by offering:

• Automatic PDF invoice generation and email delivery
• Branding and layout control to match your store
• Tax-compliant formats and sequential numbering
• Add-ons for custom layouts, QR codes, and multilingual support

Whether you start with the free invoice PDF plugin or opt for the Pro version, the upgrade brings structure and efficiency to your invoicing process. For WooCommerce stores looking to reduce manual work and present invoices professionally, WebToffee’s plugin offers a more complete solution than any free online invoice generator.

That’s it, folks! Hope this helped you compare your options and see how a WooCommerce-ready plugin can take over where free invoice tools fall short. Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!