OrderBay vs WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips

Short version: the popular PDF Invoices plugin does documents very well. OrderBay does documents too, then adds the rest of the back office: tracking, returns, SLA aging, and staff digests, in one plugin with no per-order fees.

The short version

WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips (by WP Overnight) is the category workhorse: a large install base, a strong free tier, and pan-EU e-invoicing built in. If all you need is invoices and packing slips, it is an excellent, safe choice and this page will not pretend otherwise. Where OrderBay is different is scope. OrderBay is not a document plugin with fulfilment bolted on; it is a fulfilment desk that happens to include every document. If your bottleneck is the work around the invoice, returns, tracking, aging orders, low stock, this is the comparison that matters.

Feature by feature

Reflects public documentation at the time of writing. Verify against current releases before deciding.

Where OrderBay pulls ahead

• It is the whole desk, not the document. Tracking numbers with carrier URL templates, an item-level RMA workflow, SLA aging, staff attention digests, low-stock alerts, and an ops dashboard, none of which a documents-only plugin ships.
• One plugin, no add-on maze. Proforma, credit notes, and advanced numbering are in OrderBay Pro without stacking separate premium add-ons.
• PDFs that work on any host. Since 1.12.0 a PDF engine is built in, and the invoice PDF is attached to order emails. For CJK or right-to-left text, browser printing with your system fonts is still available.
• Basic invoices stay free. Sequential PDF invoices stay available even after a Pro license lapses. That is invoice generation, not a legal-compliance certificate. Packing slips and the fulfilment desk pause without a license.

Where the PDF Invoices plugin is the better call

Honest trade-offs matter here. If your need is genuinely just documents, WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips has a bigger track record, and, importantly, it does full Peppol network delivery, not just XML export. OrderBay produces the e-invoice XML (UBL 2.1 and Factur-X CII) for you to hand to your accountant or access point, but it does not transmit over the Peppol network itself. If you need the plugin to send the e-invoice, not just generate it, that is a real reason to choose the incumbent.

An honest caveat on e-invoicing

OrderBay’s e-invoicing is export only: it generates UBL 2.1 (Peppol BIS Billing 3.0) and CII (Factur-X EN16931 baseline) invoice XML, and can assemble a Factur-X PDF/A-3 when a PDF engine and the horstoeko/zugferd library are installed. It does not connect to the Peppol network or any PDP/access point. This is a tool, not tax advice: validate a real order’s output through an official EN16931/Peppol validator before relying on it in production, and confirm your obligations with your accountant.

See what OrderBay does.

Related: Best WooCommerce invoice plugins · Packing slips and pick lists