How to Set Up Bitcoin Invoicing with Zaprite for Your Freelance Business

Getting paid in Bitcoin as a freelancer used to mean explaining xPubs to confused clients or awkwardly pasting wallet addresses into email threads. Zaprite exists specifically to solve this problem, offering a professional invoicing system where payments settle directly to your wallet while clients just see a clean checkout page.

The platform costs $25 per month (or $240 annually for a 20% discount) and includes a 30-day free trial. Here's how to get it running for your freelance business.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Head to zaprite.com and sign up with your email address. The process is straightforward; there's no KYC requirement since Zaprite never holds your funds. You're essentially setting up a professional invoicing layer that routes payments directly to wallets you control.

Once you're in, you'll land on a dashboard that handles contacts, invoices, and payment settings. Before creating your first invoice, you need to connect at least one payment method.

Step 2: Connect Your Bitcoin Wallet

Navigate to Settings > Payments to link your Bitcoin wallet. Zaprite supports both on-chain Bitcoin and Lightning Network payments, giving clients flexibility in how they pay.

For on-chain payments, you can connect via an xPub (extended public key) from your wallet. This allows Zaprite to generate fresh addresses for each invoice, which is better for your privacy and makes accounting cleaner. If you prefer simplicity, you can also add a single static address, though this means all payments go to the same address.

For Lightning payments, you can connect an LND node for self-custodial receiving. This requires more technical setup but keeps you in full control of incoming funds.

The key point: Zaprite is non-custodial. Unlike payment processors that hold your money before settling, payments here go straight to your connected wallet. You're not trusting anyone with your Bitcoin.

Step 3: Optionally Add Fiat Payment Methods

Here's where Zaprite becomes particularly useful for freelancers whose clients aren't all Bitcoin-ready. You can connect traditional payment processors like Stripe or Square alongside your Bitcoin options.

This hybrid approach lets you send a single invoice that offers clients a choice: pay in Bitcoin (on-chain or Lightning) or use a credit card. It reduces friction during the transition period when some clients want to pay in Bitcoin and others aren't there yet.

From the same Settings > Payments section, link your Stripe or Square account. Once connected, these options appear alongside Bitcoin when you create invoices.

Step 4: Add Your Contacts

Before creating invoices, add your clients as contacts. This saves time on repeat invoices and keeps your records organized. You can add basic information like name, email, and company details.

The contact system also powers Zaprite's email notifications. When you send an invoice, clients receive a professional email with a link to view and pay, rather than a raw Bitcoin address in a plain-text message.

Step 5: Create Your First Invoice

Click to create a new invoice and select your client from contacts. Add line items with descriptions and amounts in your preferred fiat currency (typically USD). This is important: you price in fiat, and Zaprite handles the Bitcoin conversion at payment time using current exchange rates.

This approach solves the volatility problem that makes Bitcoin invoicing awkward. If you quote a client $500 for a project, they pay $500 worth of Bitcoin at the moment they pay, not whatever $500 of Bitcoin was worth when you sent the invoice two weeks ago.

Select which payment methods to enable on this invoice. You might offer all options (on-chain, Lightning, credit card) or restrict it based on the client's preferences.

Add a due date, any notes, and send. The client receives an email with a professional invoice they can view in their browser. When they click to pay with Bitcoin, they see a QR code and address. For Lightning, they get a payment request they can scan with any Lightning wallet.

What Clients Actually See

This is where Zaprite earns its value for freelancers. Your client doesn't need to understand Bitcoin's technical details. They see a clean checkout page with a QR code and clear instructions. They scan with their wallet app, confirm the payment, and you're both done.

Compare this to emailing a Bitcoin address and hoping they copy it correctly, or trying to explain over a call why the address looks different each time. The professional presentation also helps Bitcoin payments feel legitimate to clients who might otherwise be skeptical.

Pricing Considerations

Zaprite's $25 monthly subscription includes $25 worth of transaction fees per month. If you're invoicing a few clients for larger amounts, this effectively covers your processing. The annual plan at $240 includes $300 in transaction fees for the year.

For event tickets and WooCommerce transactions, there's a 1% + $3 fee capped at $15 per transaction. Standard invoicing to clients falls under the included transaction allowance.

Whether this pricing makes sense depends on your volume. If you're invoicing $5,000 or more monthly, the professional features and time savings likely justify the cost. For occasional freelance work, you might start with the free trial to see if the workflow fits before committing.

Additional Features Worth Knowing

Zaprite supports recurring invoices for retainer clients, a virtual POS for in-person payments, and API access for custom integrations. If you sell products alongside services, there's a WooCommerce plugin that brings the same Bitcoin checkout to your online store.

For freelancers with multiple payment accounts or wallets, you can connect several and choose which to use on each invoice. This helps if you want to keep client payments separated or route certain invoices to specific wallets.

The Practical Upside

The real benefit of setting up proper Bitcoin invoicing isn't technical; it's professional. Clients who want to pay you in Bitcoin can do so without a learning curve. Clients who aren't ready can use the fiat options through the same system. Your accounting stays organized with all invoices in one place, regardless of how they were paid.

For freelancers building a business around Bitcoin services (or just preferring to get paid in sound money), having infrastructure that makes this easy for clients removes a significant barrier. Zaprite won't convince skeptical clients to adopt Bitcoin, but it eliminates the friction that might otherwise prevent willing ones from paying you the way you'd prefer.