Best Quote and Invoice Software in Australia (2026)
Compare 13 quote and invoice software tools on what happens when a client accepts, deposits, real yearly cost and card fees. Prices checked October 2026.
The best quote and invoice software lets a client accept your quote online, turns that accepted quote into an invoice without retyping it, and then chases the invoice until it's paid. Most tools claim to do all three. In practice, the differences show up in the details: some only offer online acceptance on a more expensive plan, some can't take a deposit until the job has already been invoiced, and some cap how many invoices you can send.
We compared 13 quoting and invoicing tools used by Australian sole traders, tradies and small service businesses on exactly those details: what happens when your client clicks Accept, what it costs a one-person business versus a five-person crew, and what each charges when a client pays by card. All prices were checked on each vendor's pricing page on 9 October 2026, in AUD and including GST unless we say otherwise. InvoiceSonic publishes this guide and is one of the tools compared.
Best quote and invoice software compared
| Tool | Free plan | Client accepts the quote online | Deposit taken when the client accepts | Quote becomes an invoice | Cheapest plan with online acceptance | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InvoiceSonic | Yes, 3 invoices/month | Yes | No | One click | Pro A$19/month | Sole traders who quote and invoice without accounting software |
| ServiceM8 | Yes, 30 jobs/month | Yes, all plans | Yes, all plans | Yes, from the job | Free | Trades crews who also need scheduling |
| Tradify | No (14-day trial) | Pro plan and up | Pro plan and up | Yes | Pro A$57.20/user/month | Trade businesses with a few staff |
| Fergus | No (14-day trial) | Through the customer portal | Not confirmed | Yes | Essentials from A$53/month | Trades businesses tracking job profit |
| Xero | No (1 month free) | Yes, one click | No, only after invoicing | One click | Ignite A$37/month | Businesses whose bookkeeper uses Xero |
| MYOB Solo | No | No | No | Yes, manual convert | n/a | Mobile-only sole traders who want MYOB's books |
| QuickBooks Online | No (30-day trial) | Yes (estimate approval) | Not confirmed in AU | Yes | Simple Start A$33/month | Accounting and quoting in one file |
| Square Invoices | Yes, unlimited | Yes, with digital signature contracts | Yes, free plan | Automatically on Plus only | Free | Businesses already taking payments through Square |
| Zoho Invoice | Yes, 500 invoices/year | Yes, accept, decline or negotiate | Retainer invoices | Automatically, free | Free | Free quoting with automatic conversion |
| Bookipi | Yes, 3 invoices/month | Yes, 3 e-signatures/month free | Yes, all plans | Yes | Free | Occasional quotes from a phone |
| Invoice2go | No (30-day trial) | Not on the pricing page | Not confirmed | Yes, with a tap | n/a | Quoting far more often than invoicing |
| FreshBooks | No (30-day trial) | Yes, with e-signature | Yes | Yes | Lite A$29/month (5 clients) | Consultants and agencies |
| Invoice Ninja | Yes (limited clients) | Yes, client portal with signature | Partial payments | Automatically | Free | Freelancers who want open-source or self-hosting |
What actually happens when your client clicks Accept
This is the part of quote and invoice software that saves you time or costs you a phone call, and no two tools do it the same way:
- Deposit at the moment of acceptance. ServiceM8 lets your client pay a deposit as they accept, on every plan including Free. Square and Bookipi also support deposits on their free plans. Xero can't: the customer can accept a quote online, but can only pay once you've converted it to an invoice.
- Automatic conversion. Zoho Invoice converts an accepted quote into an invoice automatically, for free. Square only does this automatically on its A$30-a-month Plus plan; on the free plan you convert it yourself. Xero and InvoiceSonic convert in one click.
- Online acceptance itself. Tradify's cheapest plan, Lite, doesn't include online quote acceptance, deposits or quote reminders. You need Pro at A$52 per user per month plus GST. MYOB doesn't currently offer online accept and decline buttons on quotes; it's an open feature request on MYOB's community forum.
- Follow-ups. ServiceM8 can send automated quote follow-ups by email or SMS, and Tradify Pro sends quote reminders. Most invoicing-first tools only chase invoices, not quotes.
If your clients are mostly homeowners booking a job, a deposit at acceptance matters most. If you work business to business, automatic conversion and invoice reminders usually matter more than deposits.
How we chose and checked these tools
We started with the tools that rank in Australia for "quote and invoice software", the ones Australian tradies recommend in forum threads (Xero, ServiceM8, Fergus, Tradify, Rounded and simPRO came up repeatedly), and the free quoting apps people search for. We left out enterprise quoting tools such as PandaDoc and Salesforce CPQ, which several US listicles rank but which are built for sales teams, not small businesses.
For each tool we checked the vendor's pricing page and help documentation for five things: whether a client can accept online, whether a deposit can be taken at acceptance, how a quote becomes an invoice, the cheapest plan that includes those features, and the card fee on a paid invoice. Where a vendor's site blocked us or didn't say, the table says "not confirmed" rather than guessing.
1. InvoiceSonic: best for sole traders who quote and invoice without accounting software
InvoiceSonic is a quote and invoice app for Australian sole traders and small service businesses, and it's the app that publishes this guide. Clients accept quotes online, and an accepted quote becomes an invoice in one click with the same line items. From there you get invoice open tracking, automatic payment reminders, recurring invoices and progress claims for staged jobs. An accountant-ready CSV export splits out GST for your BAS or bookkeeper.
Price: free for 3 invoices a month; Pro is A$19 a month or A$168 a year with no invoice cap.
Limits: InvoiceSonic doesn't do job scheduling, timesheets or bookkeeping, and it doesn't take deposits at the moment of acceptance. If you run a crew and need a calendar, ServiceM8 or Tradify is a better fit. See quote and invoice software for how quoting works, or try the free quote generator.
2. ServiceM8: best for trades crews who also need scheduling
ServiceM8 is job management software for trades and field service businesses, with quoting and invoicing built in. Clients can accept online, sign on your device or sign remotely, and pay a deposit at acceptance on every plan, including Free. It can follow up unanswered quotes automatically by email or SMS, and it runs on both iOS and Android.
Price: pricing is by jobs per month, not users, and includes GST. Free covers 1 user and 30 jobs a month; Starter is A$29 a month for 50 jobs; Growing is A$79 for 150 jobs; Premium is A$149 for 500. Users are unlimited on paid plans. See ServiceM8's pricing.
Card fees: 1.89% + 30c on Free, falling to 1.19% + 30c on Premium Plus. On Starter (1.69% + 30c), a A$1,000 invoice costs A$17.20.
Limits: you're paying for job management. If you don't schedule staff, much of it goes unused, and most crews still run Xero or MYOB alongside it for the books.
3. Tradify: trade businesses with a few staff (online acceptance needs Pro)
Tradify is New Zealand-built job management for trades. On Pro and above you get quote options, online acceptance, deposits, progress payments, retentions and quote reminders.
Price: Tradify charges per user, excluding GST: Lite A$48, Pro A$52 (A$57.20 including GST) and Plus A$62 per user per month. Online acceptance and deposits start at Pro. See Tradify's pricing.
Card fees: 1.9% + 30c including GST, so A$19.30 on a A$1,000 invoice.
Limits: per-user pricing adds up quickly. A five-person crew on Pro pays about A$286 a month.
4. Fergus: trades businesses that track job profit
Fergus was built by an Auckland plumber and focuses on job costing: whether each job made money. Quotes run from a price book, clients can accept through the customer portal, and accepted work flows through to invoicing.
Price: Essentials is listed from A$53 a month and Professional from A$77; at the time of writing Fergus is advertising 90% off until December. Fergus doesn't say on its pricing page whether these prices are per user or include GST, so confirm before you sign up. See Fergus's pricing.
Card fees: 1.95% + 30c, or A$19.80 on a A$1,000 invoice.
5. Xero: best if your bookkeeper already uses Xero
Xero's quotes are simple and work well: clients accept or decline online with one click and can leave a comment, and an accepted quote converts to an invoice in one click. Quotes support branding themes and a default expiry date.
Price: Ignite is A$37 a month including GST, and allows 20 invoices a month. Invoices created by connected apps count towards that limit. More than 20 invoices a month means Grow at A$78. See Xero's plans.
Limits: no payment at the quote stage, so no deposit on acceptance, and no e-signature. If a job app like ServiceM8 creates your invoices in Xero, they use up the Ignite allowance.
6. MYOB Solo: cheapest accounting-backed option, if mobile-only suits you
MYOB Solo costs A$99 a year (MYOB is advertising A$12 for the first year) with unlimited quotes and invoices for one user, and Smart Invoice Reminders. Quotes convert to invoices manually.
Limits: Solo is mobile-only, and MYOB doesn't currently offer online accept and decline on quotes, so your client replies by email or phone instead. See MYOB's pricing.
7. QuickBooks Online: accounting and quoting in one file
QuickBooks Online includes quotes (estimates) and unlimited invoices on every plan. Clients can approve estimates online, and QuickBooks can convert an approved estimate to an invoice. Simple Start is A$33 a month for one user; recurring invoices start on Essentials at A$60.
Limits: QuickBooks' US help documents describe taking a deposit on an estimate through QuickBooks Payments, but we couldn't confirm this works for Australian accounts.
8. Square Invoices: best free option if clients pay through Square
Square's free plan includes unlimited invoices, estimates and contracts with digital signatures, deposits, automatic reminders and recurring invoices. Square makes its money on payments: 2.2% for online card payments, so A$22.00 on a A$1,000 invoice.
Limits: automatic estimate-to-invoice conversion and multi-package estimates need Square Invoices Plus at A$30 a month. See Square's invoice pricing.
9. Zoho Invoice: best free quoting with automatic conversion
Zoho Invoice is free with no paid tier. Clients can accept, decline or negotiate a quote in Zoho's customer portal, and accepted quotes can convert to invoices automatically. Recurring invoices, automated reminders and retainer invoices are included.
Limits: the free plan allows 500 invoices a year, 2 users and 3 projects, and adds "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding. See Zoho Invoice's limits.
10. Bookipi: occasional quotes from your phone
Bookipi is an Australian-built app for sole traders. The free plan includes 3 invoices a month and 3 e-signatures a month, with deposits and automatic overdue reminders on all plans. Starter costs US$9.99 a month (US$7.60 billed annually), charged in US dollars plus 10% GST for Australian customers. See Bookipi's pricing.
Limits: the 3-invoice free cap fills up quickly if you invoice weekly.
11. Invoice2go: when you quote far more often than you invoice
Invoice2go includes unlimited estimates on every plan, and you can convert an estimate to an invoice with a tap. The cap is on invoices, and it's per year: Starter (A$129.99 a year) allows 30 invoices a year and Professional allows 100. Recurring invoices are Premium-only. See Invoice2go's plans.
Limits: at 30 invoices a year, Starter suits someone who quotes constantly but wins and invoices a few big jobs.
12. FreshBooks: consultants and agencies
FreshBooks lets clients accept estimates with an e-signature, supports deposits, and turns accepted estimates into invoices. Proposals are on the Premium plan. Lite costs A$29 a month but limits you to 5 billable clients; Plus (A$43) allows 50. See FreshBooks' plans.
Limits: the client cap rules Lite out for most trades businesses.
13. Invoice Ninja: open-source quoting for freelancers
Invoice Ninja is open-source invoicing you can use hosted or run on your own server. Clients approve quotes in the client portal, optionally with a signature, and approved quotes can convert to invoices automatically. Pro costs about A$22.99 a month through the Australian App Store.
Limits: priced and built for an international audience, so ABN and GST setup is manual, and the hosted free plan is limited to a small number of clients.
Also worth knowing: Jobber and Joist are popular in North America and have Australian apps, but are built US-first. Joist's Basics plan is limited to 5 documents a month.
What quote and invoice software really costs
The monthly price on the pricing page isn't the whole story. Per-user pricing, job caps and invoice caps change the answer depending on the size of your business.
A sole trader sending about 15 quotes and 15 invoices a month (including GST):
| Tool | Plan you'd need | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Invoice | Free (under 500 invoices/year) | A$0 | A$0 |
| Square Invoices | Free (Plus A$30 for auto-convert) | A$0 | A$0 |
| ServiceM8 | Free if 30 jobs or fewer; Starter otherwise | A$0 to A$29 | A$0 to A$348 |
| MYOB Solo | Solo | about A$8.25 | A$99 |
| InvoiceSonic | Pro | A$19 (A$14 annual) | A$168 |
| FreshBooks | Lite (5 clients maximum) | A$29 | A$348 |
| QuickBooks Online | Simple Start | A$33 | A$396 |
| Xero | Ignite (Grow above 20 invoices) | A$37 | A$444 |
| Tradify | Pro, 1 user | A$57.20 | A$686 |
A five-person crew (monthly, including GST where stated):
| Tool | How it's priced | Monthly for 5 people |
|---|---|---|
| Xero | Grow, no per-user fee (no scheduling) | A$78 |
| ServiceM8 | Growing, unlimited users, 150 jobs | A$79 |
| Fergus | From A$53, if charged per user | about A$265 (confirm terms) |
| Tradify | Pro, A$57.20 per user | about A$286 |
Most crews running ServiceM8, Tradify or Fergus also pay for Xero or MYOB for the books, so add that to the job app's price. That "two subscriptions" problem is the most common complaint in Australian tradie forums about quoting software.
What a card payment costs on a A$1,000 invoice
| Provider | Rate | Fee on A$1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 (Starter) | 1.69% + 30c | A$17.20 |
| Tradify | 1.9% + 30c | A$19.30 |
| Fergus | 1.95% + 30c | A$19.80 |
| Square (online) | 2.2% | A$22.00 |
Bank transfer and PayID cost nothing, which is why many sole traders put both on every invoice and offer card as an option. Try the payment fee calculator to compare your own volume.
Quotes and invoices in Australia: the rules that matter
Is a quote legally binding? In WA, Consumer Protection's guidance is that a quote for a total amount forms a binding contract when the customer accepts it, while an estimate is an approximate price that can change (WA Consumer Protection). Traders should get the customer's permission before doing extra work beyond the quote.
How long is a quote valid? There's no legal default period. A quote is valid for whatever expiry date you put on it, so set one. Xero and Zoho both let you set a default.
Should a quote include GST? If you quote consumers and you're registered for GST, show a single total price that includes GST. That's the ACCC's single-price rule (ACCC price displays); prices quoted only to other businesses are exempt.
Is a quote a tax invoice? No. If you're GST-registered and a customer asks for a tax invoice on a sale over A$82.50 including GST, you must provide one within 28 days, and sales of A$1,000 or more need the buyer's identity or ABN. See our guide to quote vs invoice and our ABN invoice template.
Can the invoice be more than the quote? Only if the customer agreed to the extra work or the quote clearly allowed for variations. Most quoting software lets you send a revised quote or a variation for approval before you invoice.
Deposits on residential building work are capped by law in several states, whatever your software allows: in Victoria, 10% for contracts under A$20,000 and 5% at A$20,000 or more; in NSW, 10%; in WA, builders can take at most 6.5% on contracts between A$7,500 and A$500,000. Check your state's building authority before setting a default deposit.
Which quote and invoice software should you choose?
- You're a sole trader who quotes and invoices and doesn't need accounting software: InvoiceSonic Pro, A$19 a month, with no invoice cap.
- You want it free and send under 500 invoices a year: Zoho Invoice.
- Your clients pay by card and you want a free tool: Square Invoices.
- You run a crew and need scheduling, with deposits at acceptance: ServiceM8.
- You run a trade business and want quote options and progress payments: Tradify Pro or Fergus.
- Your bookkeeper works in Xero and you send under 20 invoices a month: Xero Ignite.
Before you commit, send one real quote through your top two choices. Accept it from a phone as your client would, convert it to an invoice, and check what the client sees.
For more, see the quote template and Australian quote template if you only need a document, our guide on how to write a quote, the estimate template, job management software for tradies if scheduling matters most, and our comparison of the best invoice app if you mainly need invoicing. Need to send an invoice today? Use the invoice generator for Australia.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best quote and invoice software in Australia?
For sole traders, InvoiceSonic (A$19 a month, no invoice cap) and Zoho Invoice (free, 500 invoices a year) cover quoting, online acceptance and invoicing without accounting software. For trades crews that need scheduling, ServiceM8 is the most complete, with deposits at acceptance on every plan. If your bookkeeper uses Xero, Xero's built-in quotes are the simplest choice.
Is there free quote and invoice software?
Yes. Zoho Invoice is free with online acceptance and automatic conversion, up to 500 invoices a year. Square Invoices is free with unlimited estimates and invoices but charges 2.2% on card payments. ServiceM8 has a free plan for 30 jobs a month, and Bookipi and InvoiceSonic have free plans of 3 invoices a month.
Can I turn a quote into an invoice?
Yes. Most quote and invoice software converts an accepted quote into an invoice with the same line items. Zoho Invoice and Invoice Ninja can do it automatically, Xero and InvoiceSonic in one click, and Square automatically only on its Plus plan.
Can a client pay a deposit when they accept a quote?
With some tools. ServiceM8 takes a deposit at acceptance on every plan, and Square, Bookipi and FreshBooks support deposits. Xero only takes payment once the quote has become an invoice. Tradify needs the Pro plan for deposits.
Is a quote legally binding in Australia?
A quote for a fixed total generally becomes binding once the customer accepts it, while an estimate is an approximate price that can change. WA Consumer Protection's guidance says exactly this. Put an expiry date and clear scope on every quote.
Should a quote include GST?
If you're GST-registered and quoting consumers, show a single total price that includes GST under the ACCC's single-price rule. Prices quoted only to businesses can be shown excluding GST, as long as you make that clear.
How much does quote and invoice software cost?
From free (Zoho Invoice, Square, ServiceM8's free plan) to about A$57 a user a month for Tradify Pro. Most sole traders pay A$0 to A$37 a month. Crews pay more with per-user pricing, about A$286 a month for five people on Tradify Pro compared with A$79 on ServiceM8 Growing.
Can I quote and invoice from my phone?
Yes. ServiceM8, Tradify, Xero, QuickBooks, Square, Zoho Invoice, Bookipi, Invoice2go and InvoiceSonic all work on a phone, and MYOB Solo is phone-only. Android support is now standard on the major trades apps, including ServiceM8.
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