I built ReceiptLog for my wife.
She runs a small reflexology practice and was looking for an easy to use and value for money solution to issue receipts. Something which would allow her to issue a proper professional receipt which clients could use to make claims from their health insurance.
I looked around for a simple app that would let her tap a few buttons and send a clean, branded PDF receipt to a client by email. Everything I found was either an invoicing system bolted onto full accounting software (overkill, paid monthly, and built for businesses chasing payments) or a freemium tool that limited you to three receipts a month before asking for €15. Nothing simple, nothing free, nothing that just did the one job.
So I built it.
She’s been using it for over a year now. Her friends who run small therapy practices started asking for it. Their friends asked next. At some point I realised this is solving a real problem for a lot of sole traders in Ireland and beyond, so I made it a proper SaaS product and put it online for free.
That’s ReceiptLog. This post is the long-form version of what it is, who it’s for, and why it’s free.
What is ReceiptLog?
ReceiptLog is a free receipt app for sole traders and small business owners who get paid by clients on the spot and want to issue a professional receipt without the overhead of full accounting software.
It does one thing well:
- You select a client.
- You select the service (or services) you provided.
- You tap send.
- The client receives a branded PDF receipt by email within seconds.
No invoicing workflow, no chasing payments, no double-entry bookkeeping. You took the money, here’s the receipt. Done.
It runs as a Progressive Web App (PWA), which is a type of mobile app and means it works on any phone, tablet, or computer with a modern browser. You can pin it to your home screen on iPhone or Android and it behaves exactly like a standard mobile app. There are instructions on the website which provide details of how to install it.
Who is ReceiptLog for?
ReceiptLog is built for the kind of small business owner who is paid directly by clients for a service and needs to give them a record of payment. That covers a lot of people:
Therapists and wellness practitioners
Reflexologists, massage therapists, sports therapists, physiotherapists, acupuncturists, holistic therapists, counsellors, and other allied health practitioners. Many of these clients need a receipt to claim back through health insurance (Laya, VHI, Irish Life Health) or for medical expense relief through Revenue, so a clean PDF with your name, qualifications, and date of treatment is exactly what they need.
Hairdressers, beauticians, and personal care
Independent hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, nail technicians, makeup artists, eyelash and brow specialists, lash techs, and personal trainers. Often working from a home studio or a chair-rental setup where there’s no till receipt printer in sight.
Tradespeople
Plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters and decorators, gardeners, landscapers, window cleaners, domestic cleaners, locksmiths, handymen. The classic “did you get a receipt for that?” scenario when a homeowner needs the paperwork for an insurance claim, a tax return, or just for their own records.
Freelancers and consultants
Coaches, photographers, videographers, tutors, music teachers, dog walkers and dog groomers, music tutors, driving instructors, and anyone else who is paid for their time and wants to look professional when documenting it.
If you are paid in person or by bank transfer and just need to give your client a tidy receipt, ReceiptLog is for you.
What ReceiptLog is not
It’s worth being clear about scope, because this is the question I get most often.
ReceiptLog is not an invoicing system. If you need to send a request for payment with a “due in 30 days” date and follow up on overdue invoices, you want something else (Stripe Invoicing, Wave, FreshBooks, Xero).
ReceiptLog is not accounting or bookkeeping software. It doesn’t reconcile bank statements, do VAT returns, or produce a profit and loss. If you’re at the point where you need that, talk to your accountant — they’ll probably suggest Xero, QuickBooks, or Surf Accounts.
ReceiptLog is for the moment after payment, when you need to give the client a record. That’s a much smaller, much simpler problem, and it deserves its own simple tool.
The features, briefly
Branded PDF receipts
Upload your logo, set your business details (name, address, phone, email, website), pick your brand colour, and every receipt goes out looking professional. You can preview a sample receipt here.
Email straight to the client
One tap and the PDF lands in their inbox or in their WhatsApp. The email subject and body are pre-written but you can tweak them. The client gets a tidy, branded PDF attachment they can save or forward to their accountant or insurer.
Saved services and prices
Add your common services once — “60-minute reflexology”, “Indian head massage”, “Boiler service”, “Gel manicure” — with your standard prices, and then it’s two taps to build a receipt. No retyping the same description every time.
Client database with archive and restore
Repeat clients are saved automatically. Search by name, email, or phone. Archive clients you no longer see and restore them if they come back. No clutter, no duplicates.
VAT-ready (or not)
If you’re not VAT registered, just leave VAT off and your receipts won’t mention it. If you are VAT registered, configure your VAT number and default rate, and ReceiptLog will calculate the VAT element on every receipt automatically. Switch the rate per-line if you sell goods at one rate and services at another.
Receipt numbering, your way
Choose from four numbering formats: yearly prefix (2026-001), yearly suffix (001-2026), yearly with reset, or plain continuous. Set your starting number so you can pick up where your old paper book left off.
Multiple currencies
EUR, GBP, USD out of the box, with the ability to add custom currencies. Useful if you have international clients or you’re a small business outside Ireland.
Export everything
Download individual receipts as PDFs, export a date range to CSV or Excel for your accountant, or download every receipt you’ve ever issued as a single ZIP archive. Your data is yours, in formats anyone can read.
Why is ReceiptLog free?
This is the question I get most often, usually in a tone that suggests there must be a catch.
There isn’t.
ReceiptLog started as a tool for one person – my wife. Putting it online and letting other people use it costs me very little: the hosting bill rounds to a few euro a month because the app is built efficiently on Firebase and Google Cloud, with everything stored in the EU for GDPR compliance. There’s no support team to pay because the app is simple enough that almost nobody needs support. There are no marketing costs because, well, you’re reading the marketing right now.
ReceiptLog is a small side project of GBA Solutions, my software development business in Naas. The day job is building bespoke business software, SaaS platforms, and mobile and web apps for Irish SMEs. ReceiptLog is what happens when a small problem in our family kitchen turns into a tool that other people might find useful.
If you find it useful and you ever have a software project of your own (something more complex, something bespoke), then I’d love a chat. That’s the deal. Free tool, hopefully useful, and if your business needs custom software built in Ireland, you’ll know who to call.
How ReceiptLog compares to the alternatives
I’ll be honest here, because pretending there are no alternatives is a bit silly. Here’s how ReceiptLog stacks up against what most sole traders are doing today:
| Approach | Cost | Speed | Looks professional? | Records for tax time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handwritten duplicate book | Cheap | Slow | Not really | Hard to search |
| Photo of handwritten receipt | Free | Slow | No | Easy to lose |
| Word or Pages template | Free | Slow per receipt | Yes if you fiddle | Files everywhere |
| Full accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks, Surf) | €20–€40/month | Fast once set up | Yes | Excellent — but overkill |
| Freemium receipt apps (limited free tier) | Free up to ~3/month, then paid | Fast | Yes | Good, but you’ll hit the paywall |
| ReceiptLog | Free, unlimited | Fast | Yes | Excellent — full export to PDF/CSV/Excel |
The honest reason most people end up on accounting software they don’t really need is that the simple receipt-only tools either don’t exist, cost money, or hide the good features behind a paywall. ReceiptLog is the alternative that didn’t really exist before.
A note on data and privacy
This matters and it shouldn’t be a footnote.
- All your data is stored on Google Firebase in Brussels, Belgium. It does not leave the EU.
- Authentication is handled by Firebase Auth — a Google product used by millions of businesses worldwide. Sign in with Google, or email and password.
- Your client data is yours, full stop. We do not sell it, share it, or look at it.
- You can export everything at any time, in standard formats.
- You can delete your account and all associated data at any time.
- The website doesn’t use tracking cookies. The app uses only the cookies needed to keep you signed in.
Full details in the ReceiptLog privacy policy.
How to get started in three steps
- Open app.receiptlog.app in any modern browser. Sign in with Google or with email and password.
- Walk through the setup wizard. It takes about two minutes. Add your business details, your logo if you have one, your common services and prices, and your VAT settings.
- Create your first receipt. Pick the client (add a new one if it’s a first-time client), pick the services, tap send.
If you want a longer walkthrough, the user guide has step-by-step instructions with screenshots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ReceiptLog really free? What’s the catch?
Yes, it’s really free. There’s no trial, no feature limit, no credit card. ReceiptLog is a side project from GBA Solutions, an Irish software development company. The hope is that small business owners who use ReceiptLog and like it will think of GBA Solutions when they need bespoke software built. That’s the whole pitch.
What is the difference between a receipt and an invoice?
An invoice is a request for payment, usually issued before payment is made. A receipt is proof that payment has been received. ReceiptLog is only for receipts, the document you give a client after they have paid you.
Do sole traders in Ireland legally have to issue receipts?
If you are VAT registered, you are legally required to issue a VAT invoice or receipt for any taxable supply. If you are not VAT registered, there is no general legal requirement to issue a receipt for every transaction, but you must keep records of your income for at least six years under Irish tax law. In practice, clients often need a receipt to claim against health insurance, medical expense relief, or business expenses, so issuing one is good practice regardless.
Can my clients use a ReceiptLog receipt for medical expense relief through Revenue?
Yes. Revenue (and the major Irish health insurers including Laya, VHI, and Irish Life Health) require that a receipt for medical expenses includes the practitioner’s name and address, the date of service, a description of the service, and the amount paid. ReceiptLog includes all of these as standard.
Is ReceiptLog suitable for tradesmen as well as therapists?
Yes. ReceiptLog is used by plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters, gardeners, cleaners, and other tradespeople in Ireland. The features that matter to tradesmen such as saved services, multiple line items per receipt, VAT support, and email or WhatsApp delivery are all standard.
Does ReceiptLog work without an internet connection?
ReceiptLog requires an internet connection to send receipts and sync data, but the Progressive Web App can be opened offline once installed. If you create a receipt while offline, it will sync as soon as you reconnect.
Can I install ReceiptLog as an app on my phone?
Yes. On iPhone, open app.receiptlog.app in Safari, tap the Share button, and choose “Add to Home Screen”. On Android, open the app in Chrome and choose “Install app” or “Add to Home Screen” from the menu. It will then behave exactly like a native app.
Is ReceiptLog GDPR compliant?
Yes. All data is stored on Google Firebase in the EU (Belgium region). ReceiptLog does not share or sell user data, uses encrypted connections, and lets you export and delete your data at any time. The full privacy policy is available on the website.
What if I’m not VAT registered?
No problem. In your settings, leave the VAT option turned off. Your receipts will not show any VAT information at all and will simply show the total amount charged.
Can I customise the look of my receipts?
Yes. Upload your logo, set your business details, choose from eight preset brand colours or set a custom colour, add a custom footer (for payment terms, thank-you messages, registration numbers, qualifications), and choose your receipt numbering format.
Can I export my receipts for my accountant?
Yes. You can export individual receipts as PDFs, export your full receipt history to CSV or Excel for spreadsheet use, or download a ZIP archive containing every receipt you’ve ever issued. Most accountants are happy with a CSV export and a folder of PDFs.
How is ReceiptLog different from Stripe, Square, or SumUp?
Stripe, Square, and SumUp are payment processors. They take payment from your client and put the money in your bank account, and most of them generate a receipt as a side effect of taking the payment. ReceiptLog is for situations where the payment has already happened (cash, bank transfer, Revolut request, or a card terminal that doesn’t email receipts) and you just need to issue the receipt separately.
Who built ReceiptLog?
ReceiptLog was built by Warren Harding at GBA Solutions, a software development company based in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. The same team builds bespoke software, SaaS products, and mobile apps for Irish SMEs.
A small ask
If ReceiptLog is useful to you, the single most helpful thing you can do is mention it to one other small business owner who is still hand-writing receipts or apologising for not having one. That’s how it has spread so far, and it’s how a free tool reaches the people who need it.
Open ReceiptLog and create your first receipt →
And if you’re an Irish business with a process that’s still on paper or in a spreadsheet, and you suspect there might be a smarter way, maybe a custom app, a bit of automation, an internal tool, then that’s what GBA Solutions does for a living. Have a look at our other SaaS projects like LeadLog for trade-show lead capture and SmartChef for digital HACCP in Irish kitchens, or drop us a line and we’ll have a chat.