Invoicing vs Payment Link
Use the following table to compare PayPal’s Invoicing and Payment Links, and choose the option that best matches your needs.| Invoicing | Payment Links | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Use Invoicing to collect one-time or recurring payments from a specific customer | Use Payment Links to sell a product, service, or accept a donation or tip |
| Customer | Specific individual or business | Anyone with the link |
| Reusability | One invoice per transaction | Reuse the same link multiple times |
| Integration options | Business Dashboard or API | Business Dashboard or API |
| Sharing options | Email invoice, share hosted invoice link, or provide a QR code that opens the invoice | Share link through email, SMS, or social channels |
| Customization | Invoice branding and business details. | Limited checkout customization |
| Payment methods | PayPal, Pay Later, Venmo, Debit or Credit Cards, Apple Pay, and Pay by Bank (ACH) | PayPal, cards, and eligible local methods |
| Recurring payments | One-time invoices | One-time payments only |
| Collection tools | Invoice reminders and status tracking | Not supported |
| Customers can choose what to pay | ❌ | ✅ |
| Hosted payment page | ✅ | ✅ |
| Partial payments | ✅ | ❌ |
| Discounts | ✅ | ✅ |
| Taxes | ✅ | ✅ |
| PCI compliance handling | ✅ | ✅ |
How Invoicing works
Learn what happens after you create and send an invoice, including how customers pay, what you can change along the way, and how to track the final outcome.
Choose Invoicing solution
Decide between using the PayPal dashboard or the Invoicing API by comparing setup effort, automation needs, invoice volume, and how invoices are created and managed.
Quick start
Create and send an invoice from your Dashboard using just the essential fields—no code required.
Integrate Invoicing API
The Invoicing REST API lets you to create, update, send, and manage invoices programmatically from your backend systems.