Best Invoice App and Software for Contractors (2026): 23 Compared

Quick answer

For a solo contractor with an iPhone who wants no caps on estimates and invoices, and payments that go straight to their own account, we think Settle is the best fit (we make it, so weigh that). For a crew that needs scheduling and dispatch, Jobber or Housecall Pro is the better tool. Joist suits people who want an established app on Android and web.

The apps side by side

App	Unlimited estimates and invoices from	Caps on lower plans	Card payment fee	Platforms	Best for
Settle	Free ($0). Pro adds unlimited AI drafts: $19.99/mo	None	Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢ paid to Stripe	iPhone	Solo contractors who want no caps and payments to their own account
Joist	Pro, $17 a month	Basics is capped at 5 documents a month; unlimited starts at Pro	Not listed on the pricing page ("standard payment processing fees apply")	iPhone, Android, web	Solo trades who want a long-established app, an Android or web version, or scheduling on a higher tier
Invoice Simple	Premium, $21.99 a month or $219.99 a year	Essentials allows 3 invoices a month; unlimited starts at Premium	Not listed on the pricing page	iPhone, Android, web	People who send a few invoices a month, want a web version, and like records kept in the cloud
Jobber	Core, $49 a month month-to-month, $39 a month with a one-year commitment, or $29 a month billed annually	No document limit listed on the pricing page	2.9% + 30¢ for cards, 1% for bank payments, and 1% more for instant payouts	iPhone, Android, web	Crews and growing businesses that need scheduling, dispatch, recurring jobs and a client hub
Housecall Pro	Basic, $59 a month billed annually or $79 month-to-month, one user	No document limit listed on the pricing page	Card rates "as low as 2.59%" and 1% for bank payments	iPhone, Android, web	Home-service businesses that want scheduling, dispatch, marketing and payroll in one system
Square Invoices	Free plan; Square Plus is $49 a month and Premium $149 a month per location, adding payment schedules, custom templates, lower fees and 24/7 phone support	No document limit listed	Online invoice payments: 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium; in person 2.6% + 15¢ on Free	iPhone, Android, web	Businesses already taking card payments with Square hardware that want invoices in the same system
Invoice2go	Premium, $449.99 a year billed annually ($539.88 a year billed monthly)	Starter allows 30 invoices a year and Professional allows 100; unlimited starts at Premium	3.5% on Starter, 3% on Professional, 2.9% on Premium	iPhone, Android, web	People who want accounting-style reports, QuickBooks or Xero connections, and phone support on the top plan
FreshBooks	Premium, $70 a month at the regular price, for unlimited invoices and unlimited clients. Lite and Plus also have unlimited invoices but cap how many clients you can bill	Invoices are unlimited on every plan, but Lite is capped at 5 billable clients and Plus at 50, counting active and archived clients; unlimited clients start at Premium	"Starting at 2.9% + $0.30" for cards; 1% for bank transfers (US only)	Web, iPhone, Android	Small businesses that need bookkeeping, hourly time tracking and an accountant login, not only estimates and invoices
Zoho Invoice	Free, with a cap of 500 invoices a year, two users and three projects	The pricing FAQ says up to 500 invoices a year, two users and three projects. No customer limit is listed on the page we checked	Set by the gateway you connect. With Stripe, Zoho's help page says Stripe's own pricing applies and Zoho adds no fee. Zoho's own gateway, Zoho Payments, lists 2.90% + 30¢ for domestic cards and 0.8% (capped at $5) for ACH	Web, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac	Freelancers and small businesses that want a free, full-featured invoicing tool on the web and every phone, and may grow into Zoho Books
Wave	Starter, $0: "unlimited estimates, invoices, bills". Pro is $19 a month or $190 a year	No document limit listed	2.9% + 60¢ per Visa, Mastercard or Discover transaction and 3.4% + 60¢ for Amex on Starter. Pro drops the 60¢ on the first ten transactions each month. Bank payments 1%, $1 minimum. Wave does not permit surcharging	Web, iPhone, Android. US and Canada only	Solo owners who want free bookkeeping and invoicing in one place on the web, and don't mind Wave running their payments
Contractor+	PRO TEAM, $58 a month, first 2 users included. No document cap is listed on the paid plans	The free plan lists "up to 5 estimates or invoices per month" and "up to 250 leads & clients"	Not listed on the pricing page we checked. The help center says C-Pay "typically" charges 2.9% + 30¢ for cards, with plan-based rates from 3.5% + 30¢; the App Store description says 2.7%	iPhone, iPad, Android, web	Crews that want scheduling, dispatch, team chat, QuickBooks sync and built-in payments in one app, on Android or the web as well as iPhone
QuickBooks	Lite, $20 a month on QuickBooks' Solopreneur page (shown as $10 a month, 50% off for 3 months), is the cheapest plan that lists unlimited invoices outright. Simple Start, $38 a month, is the entry plan on the main pricing page	The Free plan allows "up to two invoices a month, or unlimited invoices if you qualify for and enable QuickBooks Payments". No document limit is listed on paid plans	2.99% for invoiced cards and digital wallets, 2.5% in person, 3.5% keyed in, 1% for ACH; instant deposits cost 1.75% more. "Rates are accurate as of 09/18/2026"	Web, iPhone, Android. The mobile app is not available on the Free plan	Businesses that need real bookkeeping, tax prep and an accountant login, and treat invoicing as one feature of the books
PayPal Invoicing	No subscription. PayPal's help page says Invoicing has no set-up or monthly fees; you pay a fee when a customer pays online	No document limit listed	2.99% + 49¢ for cards and Apple Pay; 3.49% + 49¢ when the customer pays with PayPal or Venmo; 1% capped at $10 for Pay by Bank. Fees page dated October 1, 2026	iPhone, Android, web	Contractors whose customers already pay with PayPal or Venmo, or who bill customers abroad
Tofu	Solo, $29 a month month-to-month, or $15 a month billed annually ($180 a year)	No document limit listed on the pricing page	Stripe's standard rate (Tofu points to stripe.com/pricing) plus a 1% Tofu platform fee on every successful payment, the same on every plan	iPhone, Android, web	Contractors who want scheduling and a crew plan alongside invoicing, or who need Android or a web app
Markate	Owner Operator, $49.95 a month month-to-month, or $45.95 a month billed annually ($551.40)	No document limit listed on the pricing page	Not listed; the pricing page says "competitive payment processing rates" and routes card and ACH payments through Square	iPhone, Android, web	Businesses with employees that want CRM, scheduling and marketing (postcards, SMS, review requests) in one place
Staxen	Eddie (estimates) $59 a month; Ivy (invoicing) is a separate $59; all three for $149 a month	None. Unlimited projects, estimates and invoices on the paid plans	Stripe's standard rates; Staxen says it adds no markup	iPhone, Android, web	Contractors who want voice estimates priced off plans and store prices, plus automatic follow-ups, and who will pay $59 to $149 a month for it
QuoteIQ	Essentials, $29.99 a month month-to-month, or $25 a month billed annually ($299.99 a year), one user	No document limit listed; AI estimates use a monthly allowance of 500 "IQ Credits" on Essentials	Not listed. QuoteIQ says card and ACH payments run through your own Stripe or Whop account at that provider's rates	iPhone, Android, web	Contractors who want an AI estimator plus scheduling, map measuring and a phone-answering service in one platform, and who will pay from $29.99 a month
Invoice Ninja	Pro, $14 a month billed monthly, or $140 a year	Free plan is limited to 5 clients (invoicing itself is unlimited)	Whatever your own gateway charges. Invoice Ninja connects Stripe, PayPal, Square, GoCardless and others; its pricing page doesn't add a platform fee	Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux	Freelancers and office-based small businesses that want recurring billing, expenses, time tracking and a client portal on a web app, with a true free tier
TitanQuote	Starter is free with unlimited quotes; Pro is $39 a month (annual saves 15%) for voice-to-quote, no watermark and 0% platform fee	No quote cap on any plan; the free plan watermarks estimates and charges a 1% platform fee on deposits	Stripe's rate plus a 1% TitanQuote platform fee on the free plan; 0% platform fee on Pro ($39) and Business ($89)	Web app (its schema also lists iOS)	Solo contractors who want a free quote-and-deposit link in a browser, and who will pay $39 a month to speak the quote and drop the watermark and the 1% fee
ProField	$19.99 a month for the owner seat (every feature included); $28.99 if you subscribe in the iPhone app; technicians $9.99 each, extra locations $10	No document cap listed	Stripe's fee plus a 0.5% ProField platform fee on card payments from the invoice link; Zelle and Venmo QR codes are free	iPhone, Android, web dashboard	Inspection-heavy trades (chimney, air duct, dryer vent, auto, pest) that want checklists and AI-written reports with the invoice attached, plus a web dashboard for the office
SimplyWise Cost Estimator	One standard plan, $29.99 a month or $239.99 a year (about $20 a month), per SimplyWise's pricing page; it notes prices can differ in the app stores	No document limit stated on its pricing page	Not listed on its pricing page	iPhone and Android	Contractors who price material-heavy jobs from photos and want local material prices filled in, and who will pay about $20 to $30 a month
Invoice Fly	Weekly plan, $8.99 a week, or the yearly plan, $98.99 a year	Both plans list unlimited invoices and estimates	Not set by Invoice Fly; payments go through Stripe or PayPal at their rates	iPhone, Android, web	Anyone who wants a straightforward invoice app on iPhone, Android and the web and is fine paying about $99 a year
Bookipi	Starter, $9.99 a month or $7.60 a month billed annually ($91.20 a year)	Free plan: 3 invoices a month, counting estimates and quotes, resetting every 30 days	Bookipi's fee page lists 2.9% + 30¢ for US Visa and Mastercard through BookiPay, or 3.4% + 30¢ through Stripe	Web, iPhone, Android	Small businesses that want invoicing, eSignatures and simple booking on the web and phone for under $10 a month

Prices and features from each company's public pages, checked between October 27, 2026 and November 4, 2026; each app's own page shows its date. "Not listed" means the company's page doesn't say. Confirm on the company's page before you buy.

Which one should you pick?

You work alone, have an iPhone, and don't want caps: Settle

Unlimited estimates and invoices on the free plan. Describe a job out loud and get a priced draft. Payments go to your own Stripe account.

You want a long-established estimate app with Android and web: Joist

A popular estimate and invoice app for contractors, on iPhone, Android and web.

You send a few invoices a month and want the cheapest paid plan: Invoice Simple

Plans start at $6.99 a month, with caps on how many invoices you send.

You have a crew and need scheduling and dispatch: Jobber

The most complete tool here for crews. Settle has no scheduling, so if you run a team, Jobber is the better pick.

You want full field-service software with marketing and payroll: Housecall Pro

Built for home-service businesses with employees. It costs more and has add-ons.

You already take payments with Square: Square Invoices

Keeps invoices in the same system as Square card readers and your sales.

You want accounting-style reports and QuickBooks or Xero connections: Invoice2go

Reports and accounting connections on its Professional plan; invoice caps on lower plans.

You need bookkeeping, time tracking or an accountant login: FreshBooks

A full accounting suite. Invoices are unlimited on every plan, but Lite caps you at 5 billable clients and Plus at 50; unlimited clients start at $70 a month.

You want a free tool on the web and Android too, and bill some work by the hour: Zoho Invoice

Free with a 500-invoice-a-year cap, with time tracking, recurring invoices and a customer portal, on every platform. Settle is iPhone only.

You want free bookkeeping with your invoices, on the web: Wave

Starter is free with unlimited estimates and invoices plus basic accounting, on web, iPhone and Android (US and Canada only). Payments run through Wave at 2.9% + 60¢.

You run a crew and want scheduling, dispatch and a CRM, on Android or the web: Contractor+

Bundles scheduling, team chat, QuickBooks sync and its own payments. The free tier allows 5 estimates or invoices a month; the first paid plan is $58 a month for two users.

You want books, taxes and an accountant login, and invoicing is one part of that: QuickBooks

An accounting suite with invoicing attached, on web, iPhone and Android. Accountant access starts on Simple Start at $38 a month.

Your customers already pay with PayPal or Venmo: PayPal Invoicing

No subscription and no document cap. You pay 2.99% to 3.49% + 49¢ per payment, and the money sits in a PayPal balance that PayPal can hold for up to 21 days.

You want scheduling and crew plans with your invoicing: Tofu

The closest match to Settle on payments: your own Stripe account, no holding. Tofu charges a subscription and 1% per payment; Settle's free plan charges neither. Tofu has scheduling and Android, Settle doesn't.

You want marketing and a CRM with your invoicing: Markate

A full field-service CRM with marketing add-ons. If you only need to quote, invoice and get paid, you are paying $49.95 a month for a lot you won't open.

You want voice estimates that also count material off plan PDFs and pull store shelf prices: Staxen

The closest voice-first competitor. Staxen's Eddie and Settle both draft a priced estimate from speech using your own past prices. Staxen is $59 a month for estimates alone and $149 for estimates, jobs and invoicing; Settle's free plan sends unlimited estimates and invoices and Pro is $19.99. Staxen texts from its own number; Settle sends from your phone.

You want AI estimates inside a full scheduling platform: QuoteIQ

QuoteIQ's AI Estimator drafts from a job photo or a description against your catalog; Settle drafts from what you say and up to 3 photos, using your own past prices. QuoteIQ starts at $29.99 a month with a card-required trial and meters AI by credits; Settle's free plan is unlimited on documents and meters only AI drafts.

You want a free web-based invoicing system with recurring billing and your own payment gateway: Invoice Ninja

Both let you keep your own payment account. Invoice Ninja is a general web invoicing tool: free for 5 clients, $14 a month beyond that, no voice drafting, lots of features a one-person trade won't use. Settle is a phone app that writes the estimate from what you say.

You want a free, no-catalog quote link with e-signature and a deposit on the same page: TitanQuote

The closest positioning to Settle: free, no catalog, send by text, your own Stripe account. The differences: TitanQuote's free plan watermarks quotes and takes 1% of deposits, and voice-to-quote costs $39 a month; Settle's free plan adds no fee and no watermark, and Pro with unlimited voice drafts is $19.99. TitanQuote is a web app; Settle is an iPhone app.

You do inspections and want the report written for you, with scheduling and a web dashboard: ProField

ProField's AI writes inspection reports from a checklist and photos; Settle's AI writes the estimate from what you say. ProField is $19.99 a month with a 14-day trial and adds 0.5% to card payments; Settle's free plan sends unlimited estimates and invoices with no platform fee, and Pro is $19.99 for unlimited AI drafts.

You want photo-to-estimate with local material pricing: SimplyWise Cost Estimator

SimplyWise drafts an itemized estimate from a photo and fills in local material prices; Settle drafts from what you say or up to 3 photos and prices with your own past rates. SimplyWise has no free plan after its 7-day trial; Settle's free plan sends unlimited estimates and invoices.

You want a simple invoice app across phone and web: Invoice Fly

Invoice Fly is a template-based invoice and estimate app on iPhone, Android and the web, $98.99 a year or $8.99 a week. Settle writes the estimate from what you say and is free for unlimited estimates and invoices; it's iPhone only.

You want web plus phone invoicing with eSignatures under $10 a month: Bookipi

Bookipi's free plan allows 3 documents a month, estimates included; Starter is $9.99 a month for unlimited. Settle's free plan sends unlimited estimates and invoices on iPhone and drafts them from what you say.

How we compared them

We make Settle, so this is not a neutral review. To keep it fair, every price and feature below comes from the company's own public pricing page or help center, with a link, and the date we checked it (checked between October 27, 2026 and November 4, 2026). Where a page doesn't say, we write "not listed" instead of guessing. We also list what Settle can't do, and when each competitor is the better choice.

Review quotes come from public reviews on sites like Capterra, Trustpilot and the App Store. They are individual opinions, not facts about how every customer is treated.

Download the whole comparison as a spreadsheet: contractor-invoice-apps-compared.csv. Free to use with a link back.

Questions

What is the best estimate and invoice app for contractors?

It depends on how you work. For a solo contractor with an iPhone who wants no document caps and payments that go to their own account, Settle. For a crew that needs scheduling and dispatch, Jobber or Housecall Pro. For a long-established estimate app on Android and web, Joist.

Is there a free estimate and invoice app for contractors with no limits?

Yes. Settle's free plan has no limit on estimates or invoices. Square Invoices also has a free plan. Joist no longer has one, and Invoice Simple and Invoice2go cap how many invoices you can send on their lower plans.

Which invoice apps hold your money?

Any payment processor can place a hold when its risk checks trip, including Stripe. Jobber's help center says its Risk Team can place reviews and holds at any time, and Square has a documented history of reserves on some accounts. Settle never holds funds: payments go to your own Stripe account, and Stripe, not Settle, sets payout timing.

Which estimate app works best for plumbers, HVAC and electricians?

Apps built for a solo operator do best here: you need to quote in the driveway, text it, and get paid. Settle has pages for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, handyman, pool, painting and landscaping work. Crews that need dispatch should look at Jobber or Housecall Pro.

Which invoice app is cheapest?

Settle's free plan is $0 with no document cap. Square Invoices has a free plan. Among paid plans, Invoice Simple starts at $6.99 a month for 3 invoices a month, and Joist's entry plan is around $10 a month for 5 documents a month.

Sources

Try Settle on your next job.

Free on iPhone. Unlimited estimates and invoices. 7 days of Pro to try the voice drafts, and you cancel in two taps.

Download on the App Store

iPhone, iOS 17 or later. Questions? Text Nina: (818) 945-9686

Best estimate and invoice apps for contractors, compared