The best invoicing software for contractors depends on crew size. Solo contractors can start free with Square Invoices, Invoice Ninja or InvoiceSonic, or pay $17 a month for Joist Pro. Crews that need scheduling and dispatch pay $49–$199 a month for Jobber or $79–$329 for Housecall Pro. QuickBooks Online ($38 a month for Simple Start) wins when you need full accounting. We checked every price on the vendor's pricing page in October 2026.
8 tools · US prices checked October 2026 · Disclosure: we make InvoiceSonic
The short answer — Solo and quoting from your phone: Joist or InvoiceSonic. Dispatching a crew: Jobber or Housecall Pro. Payroll and job costing: QuickBooks Online. Taking cards on site: Square. Lowest cost with a technical bent: Invoice Ninja.
Regular US prices from each vendor's pricing page, before introductory discounts. 'Watch out for' is the limit that most often changes the real cost.
| Tool | Price (checked October 2026) | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joist | Basics about $10/mo (5 documents a month); Pro $17/mo; Elite $32/mo; 14-day trial, no card | Residential contractors who live in estimates and want a phone-first app | Basics caps you at 5 documents a month; card payments carry processing fees |
| Invoice2go | Starter $7.99/mo; Professional $11.99/mo; Premium $44.99/mo; 30-day trial | Sole contractors who want a long-established mobile invoicing app | Starter and Professional cap invoices (30 and 100 a year on annual plans); card fees 2.9–3.5% + 30¢ |
| QuickBooks Online | Simple Start $38/mo; Essentials $85/mo; Plus $140/mo (regular prices; new customers are often offered 50% off for 3 months) | Contractors with a bookkeeper, payroll or project profitability to track | The most expensive way to buy invoicing alone, and the price rises after the promo |
| Jobber | Core $49/mo, or $29/mo billed annually (1 user); Connect $139/mo; Grow $199/mo | Service contractors who schedule and dispatch a crew | Extra users $29/mo each; card fees 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Housecall Pro | Basic $79/mo, or $59/mo billed annually; Essentials $189/mo ($149 annual); MAX $329/mo ($299 annual); 14-day trial | Home-service companies that want booking, dispatch and marketing in one | Basic is 1 user; card fees from 2.59% |
| Square Invoices | Free plan $0; Square Plus $49/mo per location | Contractors who take card payments on site or online | Card payments on invoices cost 3.3% + 30¢ on the free plan (2.9% + 30¢ on Plus) |
| Invoice Ninja | Free (up to 5 clients); Pro $14/mo or $140/yr; Enterprise from $18/mo | Budget-minded contractors comfortable with a more technical, open-source tool | The free plan stops at 5 clients |
| InvoiceSonic (ours) | Free invoice generator, no sign-up; free account saves 3 invoices a month; Pro A$19/mo billed in AUD, or annual at 25% off | Solo contractors who quote, invoice and chase payment from an iPhone or browser without paying a payment percentage | No dispatch, GPS, payroll or AIA/retainage billing. No Android app (Android users use the web app) |
Price: Basics about $10/mo (5 documents a month); Pro $17/mo; Elite $32/mo; 14-day trial, no card
Joist is built around the estimate-to-invoice flow for remodelers and residential trades. Pro removes the document cap, which is the plan most working contractors need.
Price: Starter $7.99/mo; Professional $11.99/mo; Premium $44.99/mo; 30-day trial
A mature mobile app with estimates, invoices and card payments. The lower tiers are cheap but capped, so price the plan for your yearly invoice count.
Price: Simple Start $38/mo; Essentials $85/mo; Plus $140/mo (regular prices; new customers are often offered 50% off for 3 months)
If your accountant works in QuickBooks, invoicing inside it saves a lot of reconciliation. Plus adds project tracking. For invoicing only, it is overkill.
Price: Core $49/mo, or $29/mo billed annually (1 user); Connect $139/mo; Grow $199/mo
Jobber is a full field-service suite: requests, quotes, scheduling, dispatch, invoicing and online payments. Strong for crews; more software than a solo contractor uses.
Price: Basic $79/mo, or $59/mo billed annually; Essentials $189/mo ($149 annual); MAX $329/mo ($299 annual); 14-day trial
Similar territory to Jobber, with more emphasis on online booking and marketing tools. The jump from Basic to Essentials is where most growing teams land.
Price: Free plan $0; Square Plus $49/mo per location
Free to send invoices and estimates, with excellent card handling. Square earns from processing, so the cost grows with what you invoice by card.
Price: Free (up to 5 clients); Pro $14/mo or $140/yr; Enterprise from $18/mo
Invoice Ninja has quotes, invoices, recurring billing and a client portal at a low price, and can be self-hosted. Less contractor-specific than Joist or Jobber.
Price: Free invoice generator, no sign-up; free account saves 3 invoices a month; Pro A$19/mo billed in AUD, or annual at 25% off
Quotes clients accept online, converted to invoices with deposits and balances, automatic reminders at 7, 14 and 30 days overdue, and open tracking. InvoiceSonic takes 0% of payments: your customer pays through your own Stripe, PayPal or Venmo link, or by bank transfer or Zelle. Choose Jobber or Housecall Pro instead if you dispatch staff.
Disclosure: we make InvoiceSonic. Competitor facts come from each vendor's own pricing page; where a competitor is the better fit, we say so.
US prices checked October 2026 on joist.com, invoice.2go.com, quickbooks.intuit.com, squareup.com and the other vendors' pricing pages. Jobber, Housecall Pro and Invoice Ninja blocked automated access, so their prices come from their pricing pages as archived 15–23 October 2026. Check each vendor before you buy.
Card fees matter more than the subscription for most contractors. On a $6,000 kitchen job paid by card, the processing fee alone is $155–$210, more than a year of most of these plans.
| How the customer pays | Fee on $6,000 |
|---|---|
| Square free plan, card on invoice (3.3% + 30¢) | $198.30 |
| Invoice2go Starter, card (3.5% + 30¢) | $210.30 |
| Jobber, Square Plus or Invoice2go Premium, card (2.9% + 30¢) | $174.30 |
| PayPal invoice, card (2.99% + 49¢) | $179.89 |
| Housecall Pro, card (from 2.59%) | from $155.40 |
| Bank transfer through Jobber (1%) | $60.00 |
| Bank transfer through PayPal (1%, capped at $10) | $10.00 |
| Zelle or direct bank transfer, InvoiceSonic invoice | $0 from InvoiceSonic (your bank's own terms apply) |
Fees as published on each vendor's US pricing page, October 2026. Some providers charge extra for international or Amex cards.
Construction invoicing software has to bill a project in stages, not as one job. That means progress billing against a schedule of values, retainage held back until completion, change orders and lien waivers.
Jobber, Housecall Pro, Joist and InvoiceSonic handle deposits, progress invoices and change orders as line items. QuickBooks Online Plus adds project profitability. If a general contractor requires AIA G702/G703 pay applications or automatic retainage, you need a construction-specific platform; check its current pricing with the vendor.
Progress billing explained · Deposit invoice · Construction estimate template
Enter the actual job details, review the totals and preview your invoice. You can start without an account. Downloads follow the free-tool limits; saving, tracked sending and reminders are available with an account.
If you dispatch staff, shortlist Jobber and Housecall Pro. If you work alone, a quoting and invoicing app is enough.
Add the subscription to the card fees you will pay. A free plan that takes 3.3% of $150,000 in card payments costs about $4,950 a year.
Most contractor disputes are about scope and deposits. Make sure the tool invoices a deposit, then the balance, against the same job.
Create a quote or invoice in your browser. No sign-up, no card, and InvoiceSonic takes 0% of what your customer pays.
Create a free invoiceFor solo contractors, Joist (Pro $17/month) and InvoiceSonic (free to start) cover estimates and invoices from a phone. For crews, Jobber (from $49/month) and Housecall Pro (from $79/month) add scheduling and dispatch. QuickBooks Online (Simple Start $38/month) is best if you need full accounting or payroll.
Square Invoices, Invoice Ninja (up to 5 clients) and InvoiceSonic are free to start. But free tools that process payments charge a percentage: 3.3% + 30¢ per card payment on Square's free plan is $198.30 on a $6,000 job. Add the payment fees to the subscription before deciding.
For small builders and remodelers billing deposits and stages, general contractor apps such as Joist, Jobber or InvoiceSonic work. If your general contractor requires AIA G702/G703 pay applications or automatic retainage, use a construction-specific platform.
Yes. Invoice the deposit, then invoice the balance on completion against the same job. Only issue a receipt for money you have actually received.
Your business name and contact details, the customer and job address, an invoice number and date, labor and materials as separate lines, sales tax where your state requires it, the total, payment terms and how to pay.
No. InvoiceSonic has a native iPhone and iPad app and a web app. On Android, open invoicesonic.com in Chrome and add it to your home screen; it is the same account.
Progress billing · Job management software · Free quote template · Construction estimate template · Free invoice generator · Payment fee calculator