Markate Alternative (2026): Settle vs. Markate

What Markate costs, where it caps you, and when it is the better pick. Prices checked November 3, 2026.

Quick answer

Markate is a field service CRM with estimates, invoices, scheduling, dispatch and marketing tools, sold as one base plan plus paid add-ons. Settle is a free iPhone app for solo contractors with no cap on estimates or invoices, where payments go to your own Stripe account. Choose Settle if you work alone on an iPhone. Stay with Markate if you have employees.

Side by side

	Settle	Markate
Unlimited estimates and invoices	Free: $0, no document limit	Owner Operator, $49.95 a month month-to-month, or $45.95 a month billed annually ($551.40)
Limits on lower plans	None on any plan. AI drafts: 3 free, then Pro	No document limit listed on the pricing page
Free plan	Yes	No. 14-day free trial, no card required
Card payment fee	Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢ paid to Stripe; Settle adds nothing	Not listed; the pricing page says "competitive payment processing rates" and routes card and ACH payments through Square
Payouts	Paid straight to your own Stripe account. Stripe sets payout timing and runs its own risk checks; Settle never holds the money	Online payments run through Square. Markate's pricing page lists saved cards, ACH and instant payout (for a fee) "through Square". Square has a documented history of holding reserves on some accounts
Scheduling and dispatch	No	Yes: drag-and-drop calendar, dispatch, map view and employee location tracking
Platforms	iPhone only	iPhone, Android, web

From each company's public pages, checked November 3, 2026. Confirm on Markate's page before you buy.

Why contractors look for a Markate alternative

$49.95 a month before the add-ons

Markate's pricing page lists one base plan, Owner Operator, at $49.95 a month or $45.95 a month billed annually, with a 14-day trial and no free plan. Settle is free to send unlimited estimates and invoices.

Source: Markate pricing

Most features are $10 a month each

The pricing page lists more than twenty add-ons: online booking $10 a month, a branded customer portal $10 a month, automated review requests $10 a month, employee app access $5 per employee a month, API access $50 a month. Settle has one paid plan, Pro at $19.99 a month, and it gates only AI drafts.

Source: Markate pricing

Payments run through Square

Markate's pricing page marks card storage, ACH and instant payouts as "through Square" and gives no rate. Square has held reserves of up to 30% on some accounts. With Settle the payment goes to a Stripe account in your own name and Settle is never in the money path.

Source: ITPro: Square withholding up to 30% of funds

When Markate is the better choice

You have employees. Markate has dispatch, a drag-and-drop calendar, map view and location tracking. Settle has one user and no calendar.
You want marketing tools: postcards, SMS and email blasts, automated review requests.
You want customer financing. Markate offers it through Wisetack.
You want Android or a web app. Settle is iPhone only.

When Settle is not the right app

We would rather you know before you download:

iPhone only. There is no Android app and no web app.
No scheduling, dispatching, GPS or time tracking.
No QuickBooks sync. You can export everything to CSV.
One user per account. No crew or team logins.
Documents live on your phone. There is no sync between devices yet.
English only for now.
A new app from a small team. Most of the apps it competes with have been around for years.

How to switch from Markate

Markate's pricing page says there is no contract, that you cancel by emailing [email protected] or letting payment lapse, that there are no refunds for the rest of a billing period, and that you should download your data as CSV or PDF before cancelling.

There is nothing to import into Settle. Open the app, tap the orange button, and describe your next job. Your own prices are remembered from what you send, so your old price list doesn't need to come along.

Questions

Is Settle a good alternative to Markate?

Settle is a good alternative to Markate if you work alone, use an iPhone, and want no cap on how many estimates and invoices you send. It is not a replacement if you need scheduling, dispatch, a crew login, QuickBooks sync, or an Android or web app.

How much does Markate cost compared to Settle?

Markate: Owner Operator, $49.95 a month month-to-month, or $45.95 a month billed annually ($551.40). Cheapest plan: Owner Operator, one person; employees are $5 each a month. No document limit listed on the pricing page. Settle's free plan sends unlimited estimates and invoices; Settle Pro is $19.99 a month or $149.99 a year and adds unlimited AI-written drafts. Prices checked November 3, 2026.

Can I export my data from Markate before I switch?

Does Settle hold my money?

No. Customers pay through a link, and the payment goes to a Stripe account in your own name. Settle takes no cut and is never in the money path. Stripe sets payout timing and still runs its own identity and risk checks, as it does for any business.

Sources

Try Settle alongside Markate.

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

A Markate alternative for solo contractors