Settle vs. Tofu
A Tofu alternative for solo contractors
What Tofu costs, where it caps you, and when it is the better pick. Prices checked November 3, 2026.
Tofu is an invoicing, estimating and scheduling app for contractors and small service businesses, from a solo plan up to crews of 16 or more. 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 Tofu if you have a crew.
Side by side
| Settle | Tofu | |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited estimates and invoices | Free: $0, no document limit | Solo, $29 a month month-to-month, or $15 a month billed annually ($180 a year) |
| 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. 7-day free trial on Solo, Team and Business |
| Card payment fee | Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢ paid to Stripe; Settle adds nothing | 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 |
| Payouts | Paid straight to your own Stripe account. Stripe sets payout timing and runs its own risk checks; Settle never holds the money | Tofu connects your own Stripe account and its pricing page says Tofu never holds your money. Tofu adds a 1% platform fee per payment; in the US you can pass both fees to the client |
| Scheduling and dispatch | No | Yes, on every plan: schedule visits, track statuses, dispatch a crew |
| Platforms | iPhone only | iPhone, Android, web |
From each company's public pages, checked November 3, 2026. Confirm on Tofu's page before you buy.
Why contractors look for a Tofu alternative
There is no free plan
Tofu's pricing page lists Solo at $29 a month month-to-month, or $15 a month billed annually as one $180 payment, with a 7-day trial. Settle's free plan sends unlimited estimates and invoices and takes payments to your own Stripe account; the only thing it meters is AI-written drafts.
Source: Tofu pricing
A 1% fee on every payment, on top of Stripe
Tofu's pricing page says two fees apply to each card, Tap to Pay or bank-transfer payment: Stripe's processing fee and a 1% Tofu platform fee, the same on every plan. On a $1,000 invoice that is $10 to Tofu. Settle adds nothing on top of Stripe's rate.
Source: Tofu pricing
You still type the estimate
The Tofu pages we checked describe templates and a price book, not drafting from speech. In Settle you describe the job out loud and it writes the lines from the prices you charged last time, flagging any price it had to guess.
Source: Tofu invoice maker app
When Tofu is the better choice
- You have a crew. Tofu's Team plan covers up to 5 people and Business up to 10, with dispatch and status tracking. Settle has one user.
- You want scheduling, recurring visits and a calendar. Settle has none.
- You want Android, a web app, or offline use. Settle is iPhone only.
- Your customers pay by Zelle, Cash App Pay, Klarna or Google Pay. Tofu lists all of them; Settle takes card, Apple Pay and bank transfer.
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 Tofu
Tofu's plan buttons say "Cancel anytime" and its FAQ says invoices can be downloaded as PDFs; we did not find a bulk data export on the pages we checked. Download what you need before you cancel.
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 Tofu?
Settle is a good alternative to Tofu 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 Tofu cost compared to Settle?
Tofu: Solo, $29 a month month-to-month, or $15 a month billed annually ($180 a year). Cheapest plan: Solo, one person. 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 Tofu before I switch?
Tofu's plan buttons say "Cancel anytime" and its FAQ says invoices can be downloaded as PDFs; we did not find a bulk data export on the pages we checked. Download what you need before you cancel.
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 Tofu.
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 StoreiPhone, iOS 17 or later. Questions? Text Nina: (818) 945-9686