WowInvoice vs Challan: Which WooCommerce PDF Invoice Plugin Should You Choose?

WowInvoice and Challan by WebAppick are two WooCommerce plugins that automate PDF invoices and other order documents.

Both offer invoice customization, automatic email attachments, packing slips, shipping labels and bulk document downloads. They also provide Free and Pro versions with annual and lifetime licensing options.

However, their strengths differ.

WowInvoice focuses on managing invoicing, picking, shipping, delivery and refund documents within one plugin. Challan offers similar document automation, with additional emphasis on multilingual invoices, regional GST/ZATCA features and cloud backups.

This comparison covers their document types, customization, automation, tax-related capabilities and pricing to help you decide which fits your WooCommerce store.

Disclosure: This comparison draws on direct WowInvoice product experience, hands-on exploration of Challan Free’s settings and official Challan documentation for advanced and Pro-only capabilities.

WowInvoice vs Challan: Quick Comparison

Document Types and Order Management

Both plugins generate WooCommerce invoices and related order documents. However, the types of documents available and their intended workflows differ.

What Documents Can You Create with WowInvoice?

WowInvoice supports seven document types for WooCommerce invoicing, fulfillment and refunds:

• PDF Invoices: Generate invoices containing order, payment and tax details.
• Packing Slips: List the products and quantities included in orders.
• Delivery Notes: Provide order and delivery information for shipments.
• UBL/XML Invoices: Generate structured, machine-readable electronic invoices.
• Picklists: Help warehouse staff collect products for order fulfillment.
• Shipping Labels: Create labels with recipient and shipping information.
• Credit Notes: Document refunds and adjustments to previous invoices.

These documents are managed within the WowInvoice plugin. Their availability depends on the Free or Pro version.

For stores handling physical products, the document options cover several fulfillment stages, from collecting ordered items to preparing shipments and recording refunds.

What Documents Can You Create with Challan?

Challan supports multiple WooCommerce documents through its Free and Pro versions:

• PDF Invoices: Generate invoices with customer, order, payment and tax information.
• Packing Slips: List products and quantities for order packing.
• Shipping Labels: Create printable labels containing delivery addresses.
• Delivery Notes: Provide information about goods being delivered.
• Credit Notes: Document refunds and invoice adjustments.
• Proforma Invoices: Create preliminary invoices before a transaction is finalized.

Challan also supports delivery-address printing and different label configurations.

Its Free version includes invoices, packing slips and basic shipping-label functionality. Pro adds credit notes, proforma invoices and other advanced features.

Unlike WowInvoice, a dedicated warehouse picklist isn’t identified among Challan’s documented document types. However, its packing slips can still support basic warehouse fulfillment activities.

Setup, Templates and Document Customization

Both plugins provide premade invoice templates and settings for adjusting document content, layout and business information.

WowInvoice Customization

WowInvoice includes premade document templates and a built-in configuration interface.

Merchants can customize:

• Business logo, contact details and addresses.
• Product information and table columns.
• Custom invoice numbering and financial breakdowns.
• Tax details, customer notes and terms.
• Barcodes, QR codes and payment-related information.
• Document appearance and template-specific settings.

WowInvoice also provides document previews using WooCommerce order data, allowing users to review changes before finalizing them.

Since multiple document types are available within the plugin, merchants can configure invoices, packing slips and other supported documents from the same product environment.

Challan Customization

Challan provides invoice settings for business branding, document content and basic layout adjustments.

During our review of Challan Free, we found options for:

• Store logo, seller information and business addresses.
• Invoice numbering, prefixes and suffixes.
• Paper size, date format and payment information.
• Product details, SKU and metadata fields.
• Header, footer and additional business information.
• Custom CSS and invoice preview.

Challan Pro adds more advanced options, including premium templates, custom backgrounds, product images, stamps, signatures and additional visual elements.

It also supports custom invoice fields and advanced product information for stores requiring more detailed documents.

Invoice Automation and Bulk Management

Automated invoice generation and bulk document processing are important for WooCommerce stores handling frequent orders.

Both plugins provide these capabilities, although certain advanced options differ.

How WowInvoice Handles Automation

WowInvoice lets merchants configure invoice generation and email attachments based on WooCommerce order statuses.

Customers can download their invoices, while store administrators can generate and export documents in bulk.

The plugin also supports multiple operational document types, allowing staff to prepare picking, packing, shipping and refund paperwork within the same product.

Another useful capability is generating invoices for existing WooCommerce orders, including orders created before WowInvoice was installed.

How Challan Handles Automation

Challan Free supports automatic invoice generation, email attachments, customer downloads and bulk processing.

During our setup review, we found options to select order statuses for invoice generation and configure attachments for different WooCommerce emails.

Its bulk download interface also supports filtering documents by:

• Date range.
• Order status.
• Payment method.

The Pro version adds further filtering options, including customer email and user ID.

Challan also offers automatic Dropbox backups, allowing merchants to maintain copies of their invoices outside WordPress.

VAT, UBL/XML, GST and Regional Invoicing

Tax-related invoice requirements vary by country, transaction type and business model.

This is an area where WowInvoice and Challan provide different specialized capabilities.

WowInvoice: UBL/XML and VAT Support

WowInvoice supports generating UBL/XML electronic invoices in its Free version.

It also provides settings for including supplier information, customer VAT or tax identification numbers and applicable tax details.

For example, a WooCommerce B2B store can collect a customer’s VAT number during checkout and display it on the invoice.

Supported configuration options include:

• Customer VAT/tax identification fields.
• Integration with compatible VAT plugins.
• UBL/XML format selection.
• Supplier identification details.
• PDF and XML email attachments.

These features are relevant to businesses needing structured electronic invoices or detailed VAT information.

Challan: GST, ZATCA and Multilingual Invoices

Challan Pro advertises additional functionality for particular regional invoicing requirements.

These include:

• Indian GST invoices: Invoice formatting and tax information for GST-related workflows.
• Saudi ZATCA features: Electronic invoicing-related functionality, including ZATCA QR codes.
• Multilingual invoices: Generate documents in the customer’s order language using supported translation plugins such as WPML and Polylang.
• Multiple currencies: Compatibility with supported WooCommerce currency-switching plugins.
• RTL language support: Support for languages using right-to-left scripts.

These features are especially relevant to stores operating in specific regional markets or serving customers in multiple languages.

What About Tax Compliance?

Neither generating a PDF nor enabling tax-related settings automatically guarantees legal compliance.

For example, UBL/XML generation is different from successfully transmitting an electronic invoice through an approved network. 

Similarly, ZATCA-related document features should not be assumed to fulfill every Saudi electronic invoicing requirement without checking the applicable phase and technical specifications.

Merchants should verify the invoice format, tax fields, validation rules and reporting or transmission requirements for their jurisdiction.

WowInvoice vs Challan Pricing and Licensing

Both plugins offer Free and Pro versions, along with annual and lifetime purchasing options.

However, their multi-site licensing structures differ.

Pricing Comparison

The table below uses published regular annual prices in USD, excluding temporary promotional discounts.

Discounts, taxes, renewal terms and checkout prices may change.

Which Offers Better Long-Term Value?

The total cost depends on the number of stores, required features and licensing period.

• For one store: Both advertise a $69 regular annual price.
• For five stores: Challan’s $129 annual plan costs less than WowInvoice’s $149 unlimited-site plan, although the site limits differ.
• For ten stores: WowInvoice’s $149 unlimited-site plan costs less than Challan’s $179 ten-site plan.
• For lifetime licensing: Both offer one-time payment options. WowInvoice additionally advertises an unlimited-site lifetime license.

Challan includes its premium feature set across paid tiers, with licensing primarily determined by the number of sites.

WowInvoice also provides its supported Pro documents and features under its paid licenses, including its unlimited-site options.

Lifetime value cannot be determined from the initial purchase price alone. Store owners should compare the relevant lifetime prices and license terms against the number of years they expect to use the product.

Who Should Choose WowInvoice or Challan?

Both plugins can manage WooCommerce invoices and order documents. The better choice depends on the workflows and regional requirements of your store.

Choose WowInvoice If…

You want WooCommerce invoicing integrated with picking, packing, shipping, delivery and refund documentation.

WowInvoice is particularly relevant for stores that need dedicated picklists alongside invoices, packing slips, shipping labels and credit notes.

Its UBL/XML invoicing capabilities also deserve consideration when structured electronic invoices are important to your workflow.

For agencies and merchants managing many WooCommerce stores, its unlimited-site annual and lifetime licensing options may provide additional value.

Choose Challan If…

Your primary requirements involve PDF invoices, packing slips, shipping labels and specialized regional invoicing capabilities.

Challan Pro is especially relevant if you need GST-related invoice formatting, ZATCA-related features, multilingual order-language documents, or automated Dropbox backups.

Final Verdict

WowInvoice and Challan are both capable WooCommerce PDF invoice plugins, with considerable overlap in document generation, customization and automation.

WowInvoice stands out for its combination of invoicing and fulfillment documents, particularly dedicated picklists and UBL/XML invoices. Its unlimited-site licensing is also relevant for agencies and multi-store merchants.

Challan stands out for specialized regional invoicing and multilingual capabilities, alongside features such as Dropbox backups and basic shipping-label functionality in its Free version.

If your store needs invoice-to-fulfillment document management, WowInvoice is worth evaluating. If your priorities involve specialized GST/ZATCA workflows, multilingual invoices, or cloud backup, Challan may be the better fit.

Explore WowInvoice’s features and pricing to assess whether its document workflow matches your store’s requirements.