Most invoicing software takes a cut to get you paid. This one doesn't.
For most solo and small contractors the honest answer is: pick the tool that quotes, invoices and takes a deposit without charging a percentage of the job. On a $6,000 kitchen a 2.9% card fee is $174 — more than a year of most subscriptions. Below is what each of the main options is genuinely best at, including where they beat InvoiceSonic.
Updated 2026 · Honest comparison · Free to try, no signup
The short answer — Need job-to-invoice with deposits and no percentage taken? InvoiceSonic. Need full job scheduling and crews? Jobber or ServiceM8. Need proper accounting with payroll? QuickBooks or Xero.
Quotes, work orders, invoices and receipts, with payment on bank transfer, PayID, Venmo, Zelle or Cash App. We never process the money, so we never take a percentage. Weakest point: no job scheduling or crew management.
Genuinely strong if you dispatch staff and manage a calendar of jobs. Considerably more expensive, and more software than a solo contractor usually needs.
A capable free plan for one user with a monthly job cap, funded by a card-processing fee. If your customers pay by card, factor that percentage into the real cost.
Free to send invoices and excellent card handling, but it earns from the processing fee on every payment. The more you invoice, the more it costs.
If you have payroll, BAS or a bookkeeper, these win and it is not close. Overkill if you only need to quote and invoice.
Strong time tracking and retainers, aimed more at consultants than trades. Priced per client on lower tiers.
If you dispatch staff to jobs, you want job-management software. If you are solo or a two-person crew, invoicing and quoting is usually all that gets used.
Add the subscription to the payment fees. A tool that is free but takes 2.2% of a $150,000 turnover costs $3,300 a year.
Most contractor disputes are about scope and deposits. You want a tool that can invoice a deposit, then invoice the balance against the same job.
Create a quote or invoice free — no signup, no watermark, and we never take a percentage.
Create a free invoiceFor solo and small contractors who want to quote, take a deposit and invoice without losing a percentage to card fees, InvoiceSonic is the strongest fit — it is free to create invoices and A$19/month for the Pro features, and it never processes your payment. If you need to schedule staff across jobs, Jobber or ServiceM8 are better tools. If you need payroll and full accounting, use QuickBooks or Xero.
Cheapest by subscription is not cheapest overall. Tools that are free to use usually earn a percentage of each payment, so on high job values they cost far more than a flat subscription. Compare the subscription plus the payment fees against your actual annual turnover before deciding.
If you are solo or a two-person operation, invoicing and quoting software is normally enough — most job-management features go unused. Once you are dispatching staff to a calendar of jobs, job-management software earns its cost.
Yes, and you should for anything substantial. Issue an invoice for the deposit amount, then invoice the balance on completion against the same job. Receipt only what you have actually been paid — receipting the full amount before it lands is a common bookkeeping mistake.
Your business name and tax number, the customer and site address, an invoice number and date, itemised labour and materials as separate lines, any tax, the total, payment terms and how to pay. Splitting labour from materials is what makes the total defensible if it is ever questioned.