Online invoicing service FreshBooks has launched an open API.

Freshbooks sees the new API allowing application designers, businesses, services companies, and users to integrate FreshBooks’ billing platform into a new category of products, features, and solutions for enhancing and streamlining productivity, workflow, sales, CRM, project management, and invoicing.

Possible uses of the API including adding to existing products to extend functionality, including timers, project planners, and desktop widgets. Sites with an existing sales infrastructure can use the API to add a billing component.

There are a lot of possibilities here and Freshbooks really has nothing to lose by offering an open API service. The API is an open invitation to innovation and should keep Freshbooks in could stead against competition including BillMyClients and Blinksale.

Previous Freshbooks coverage on TechCrunch coverage here.

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Online invoicing service FreshBooks released a new version of its software yesterday and included an interesting new component that I think is a sign of things to come. Users are now asked if they would like to identify what industry they work in and contribute to aggregate data collection by sector. Participants will be able to see how much other web designers, for example, are charging per job, how much they make per month and are how quickly invoices are being paid. Those who participate will be able to access their individual averages over time and be notified whether or not their performance is improving relative to others. FreshBooks will find the top users in various fields and interview them for tips on their success.

From gambling site PicksPal to the talent hunt that viral video is becoming - leveraging the value offered by top users of any system is becoming an important trend.

Toronto based FreshBooks is approaching 100,000 registered users and will allow users to identify themselves as belonging to 86 specific sectors across 12 different industries ranging from web professionals to financial services, non profit and health care.

There are a lot of data mining possibilities here and the company is exploring options beyond invoice size, monthly income and turnaround time. I really like this idea and by making it opt-in I think the company is really doing it right. You can imagine a larger service provider making industry identification mandatory, selling that information to outside parties and generally making a mess of privacy and other concerns.

This new feature joins other interesting value adds to Freshbooks, including an API and integration with pay-as-you go CRM service PipelineDeals. We first wrote about Freshbooks here. See also competitors BillMyClients and Blinksale.

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There’s a number of lightweight online invoicing services available, but one Toronto’s FreshBooks is seeking to differentiate itself with some interesting integration with other services.

FreshBooks, formed in 2004 and formerly called 2ndSite, today began allowing users to automatically send invoices to customers by US Postal Mail. Customers who have said they prefer not to use online billing will receive their invoices by first class mail with a window envelope inside for easy payment. The service has in introductory price of $1.09 per US invoice with bulk discounts. Customers receiving invoices by snail mail will be encouraged to go online for dispute resolution and to switch to online billing. BillMyClients is another online service that offers a postal mail delivery, but currently charges a higher per piece rate.

FreshBooks has also released an API for integration with other software and web services. Using the API, new client relationships and invoices can be created inside FreshBooks directly through other sites. Unfortunately the current API doesn’t allow for recurring billing to be set up, but FreshBooks says that’s on its way in the next API release. Competitor Blinksale (our coverage) is also working on releasing an API soon.

Finally, FreshBooks will soon offer integration with PipelineDeals, a pay-as-you go Salesforce competitor.

FreshBooks doesn’t compete with Blinksale by price, but integrating with other services including the good old physical world may be the new area of competition for this and other sectors of small business online.

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