A BlinkBid alternative
BlinkBid is built for bidding productions. If you mostly bill a day rate, Onigiri is the simpler tool: send an invoice, get paid by card to your own Stripe account, and start on a free plan.
- Free plan, no trial clock
- Days × rate, sent in minutes
- Clients pay from a link, no account
Is Onigiri right for you?
Onigiri does one job: the invoice after the shoot, paid by card from a link.
See Onigiri for photographers →Great fit if
- ✓You’re a photo or video assistant, digital tech or solo shooter who bills a day rate
- ✓You send a handful of invoices a month
- ✓You want clients to pay by card from a link, with no account
- ✓You’d rather start free than on a trial
Stay with BlinkBid if you need
- ✕Estimates and bids for full productions, with AICP, AICE or photography catalogs
- ✕Usage and licensing pricing
- ✕Bid revisions and advance invoices
- ✕Production budgets, receipts and wrap reports
- ✕QuickBooks Online, or seats for your team and freelancers
Why freelancers look for a BlinkBid alternative
BlinkBid is a well-loved bidding tool for commercial photographers and producers. If you mostly bill a day rate, this is what tends to come up, and what Onigiri does instead.
Bidding software for a day-rate invoice
Estimating tools are built for bidding whole productions. If you bill a day rate, Onigiri is just the invoice: days, rate, client, send.
A subscription for a few invoices a month
Start free with 3 invoices a month and unlimited clients. When you need more, PRO is one flat $108 a year.
Clients pay from a link
Send the invoice by email, as a link or as a PDF. Your client pays by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, with no account.
Your terms on the invoice
Add your terms in the invoice notes, and your bank details if a client prefers to pay by transfer.
Onigiri vs. BlinkBid
BlinkBid is built for bidding and producing commercial shoots, with licensing, bid revisions, production budgets and accounting reports. Onigiri does one job: invoices and getting paid, with a free plan and one flat price.
| What you get | Onigiri | BlinkBid |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, or PRO for $9/mo$108 billed yearly | From $28/moSolo, $336 billed yearly |
| Free plan | ||
| Estimates and bids with usage licensing | ||
| Bid revisions, advance invoices and wrap reports | ||
| QuickBooks Online and team seats | ||
| Invoice line items (days × rate), tax and discount | ||
| Clients pay by card online, via Stripe | ||
| No extra platform fee on card payments |
How to switch
There’s no import from BlinkBid, but setting up Onigiri takes minutes.
Create a free account
Sign up with your email. No password and no credit card required.
Add a client
Save the clients you bill, so each new invoice takes seconds.
Connect Stripe
Link your own Stripe account so clients can pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Send your first invoice
Add your days and rate, then email it, share the link or download a PDF.
Pricing
BlinkBid has no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Solo is $38 a month, or $336 a year billed annually, for one user. Neither tool adds its own fee on Stripe payments, so the difference is the subscription.
- 3 invoices per month
- Unlimited clients
- Your logo, colours and fonts
- Shareable invoice links
- Payment status tracking
- Income tracking
- Everything in Free plus
- Unlimited invoices
- Item & service templates
- Emails sent in your name
- Online card payments
- 0% Onigiri fee on Stripe payments
Start on the Free plan. It’s free forever, and you can upgrade to PRO in the app whenever you need more.
Is Onigiri a full replacement for BlinkBid?
Can Onigiri make estimates or bids?
I’m an assistant who bills a day rate. How do I invoice in Onigiri?
How much does Onigiri cost compared to BlinkBid?
Do my clients need an account to pay?
What fees do I pay on card payments?
Can I add usage terms to an invoice?
Can I import my data from BlinkBid?
Can I send recurring invoices?
Who answers when I need help?
Bill your next shoot day in minutes
Start on the free plan, connect Stripe and send your first invoice. No credit card required.
