Best Invoicing Software for Tradies (2026): Quote-to-Invoice Apps Compared

The best invoicing software for tradies in 2026 is InvoiceSonic if you want to build, send and chase a tax invoice from your phone before you have left the driveway, and Invoice-Generator.com.au if you just need a free, ATO-compliant PDF with no signup. If you also schedule staff, a job-management app like Tradify or ServiceM8 does more, at a higher price. We judged all eight apps on one question: can you invoice from the ute, with no laptop and no manual data entry, and get paid?

Quick comparison

How we tested: the invoice-from-the-ute test. Three questions per tool. Can you send a tax invoice from a phone with no laptop? Does an accepted quote become an invoice in one tap? And can it raise a deposit and a progress invoice on a multi-day job?

1. InvoiceSonic — Best overall

InvoiceSonic is a free invoicing app that builds and sends a tax invoice from your phone or browser in under a minute, with no signup for the first one. It is for the sole tradie who wants to send the invoice from the ute and know when it has been paid.

There is an iPhone app, it saves your details and logo, and it formats Australian GST correctly. Customers pay by bank transfer or PayID with no gateway setup and a 0% InvoiceSonic transaction fee, and automatic payment reminders chase overdue invoices. It converts a quote to an invoice in one click and can take a percentage or fixed deposit up front, with progress claims raised as separate invoices. What it lacks is scheduling and job cards.

Pros

• First invoice with no signup, no watermark and a 0% transaction fee.
• Sends, tracks and chases automatically, which a PDF generator cannot.
• Bank transfer and PayID by default, so no card fees on a $4,000 job.

Cons

• No materials or timesheet tracking, so a big job's costs live elsewhere.
• No scheduling, job cards or staff features.

Price: free tier with a Pro upgrade. Best for: solo tradies sending 5 to 30 invoices a month who want them chased automatically.

2. Invoice-Generator.com.au — Best free tool

Invoice-Generator.com.au is a 100% free tax invoice generator that produces a finished PDF in your browser with no signup, no watermark and no ads. It is for the tradie who needs one compliant invoice right now and does not want another app on the phone.

The tradie invoice template comes pre-set with an ABN field, 10% GST and a live ATO-compliance checklist. There are trade-specific versions too, such as the plumber invoice template and electrician invoice template, and nothing you type leaves your browser. The honest limitation: it generates a PDF and does not send, track or remind. It will not convert a quote either, though the free quote generator shares the same layout.

Pros

• Free, no signup, no watermark, no invoice limit.
• Compliance checklist catches a missing ABN or GST line before you send.

Cons

• No sending, tracking or automatic reminders.
• No saved customer list.

Price: free, always. Best for: occasional invoices and tradies under the GST threshold.

3. Tradify — Best job management for small crews

Tradify is job-management software built for trades, covering quotes, scheduling, job cards, timesheets and invoicing in one app. It suits a crew of two to ten, and it passes all three ute tests: quotes become invoices in a tap, scheduling syncs to Google Calendar, and progress invoicing for deposits and retentions is included on Pro and Plus.

Pros

• Quote, schedule, job card and invoice in one record per job.
• Progress and deposit invoicing on Pro and above.
• Pushes invoices into Xero or MYOB; 14-day trial.

Cons

• Priced per user, so a crew of five is five subscriptions.
• No free plan, and progress invoicing is not on the cheapest tier.

Price: at the time of writing, AUD $48 (Lite), $52 (Pro) or $62 (Plus) per user per month, ex GST. Best for: small crews that need scheduling and invoicing in one app.

4. ServiceM8 — Best free plan with scheduling

ServiceM8 is an Australian-built job-management app that runs a job from enquiry to payment on an iPhone. Its free plan is unusual: 30 jobs a month for one user, with scheduling, quoting and invoicing included. A quote becomes a work order and then an invoice without using another job credit, and progress invoicing is available from the Starter plan up.

Pros

• Free plan includes scheduling, which nothing else here offers for $0.
• Paid plans are per business, not per user.

Cons

• Field app is iPhone and iPad only, so an Android crew is out.
• 30 jobs a month runs out fast for a busy sparky.

Price: at the time of writing, free for 30 jobs a month, then AUD $29, $79, $149 or $349 per month including GST. Best for: iPhone-based tradies who want job cards and scheduling without paying per user.

5. Fergus — Best for builders and multi-trade teams

Fergus is job-management software aimed at plumbers, electricians and builders running longer jobs with several people and a lot of materials. It covers quoting, scheduling, timesheets and invoicing, but it is designed around a desktop in the office feeding the phones on site.

Pros

• Tracks materials, supplier bills and labour per job, not just the invoice.
• Flat business pricing with cheaper add-on timesheet users.

Cons

• No free plan, and overkill for a one-person business.
• Progress claims are not listed on the pricing table; confirm on the trial.

Price: at the time of writing, from AUD $53 (Essentials) or $77 (Professional) per month. Best for: builders and multi-trade businesses with an office and a crew.

6. Square Invoices — Best if you take card payments on site

Square Invoices is the invoicing side of the Square payments platform, and its free plan includes unlimited invoices, estimates and automatic reminders. It is the pick for tradies who already carry a Square reader. Estimates only auto-convert to invoices on Plus, and so do milestone payment schedules for deposits and progress payments. The real cost is the 2.2% online card fee: on a $5,000 bathroom that is $110.

Pros

• Unlimited free invoices with automatic reminders.
• Customer pays by credit card from the invoice, so money often lands the same day.

Cons

• 2.2% per online card payment adds up on big jobs.
• No scheduling or job cards.

Price: at the time of writing, free, or Plus at AUD $30 per month; 2.2% on online card payments. Best for: tradies who want to be paid by card on the spot.

7. Bookipi — Cheapest paid invoicing app

Bookipi is a simple invoice app with a small free tier and a low-cost paid plan, syncing between web and mobile. It suits a part-time or new tradie who wants automatic reminders and saved customers. The free plan is capped at 3 invoices a month, but it includes overdue reminders, recurring invoices and estimate-to-invoice conversion.

Pros

• Automatic overdue reminders even on the free plan.
• Very low monthly cost on Starter.

Cons

• 3 free invoices a month is too few for most tradies.
• Priced in USD; no scheduling or job cards.

Price: at the time of writing, free for 3 invoices a month; Starter US$9.99 per month; Professional US$52 per month. Best for: part-timers and side-hustle tradies.

8. Xero — Best if your accountant already uses it

Xero is accounting software rather than invoicing software, but many tradies never buy anything else for invoicing. It is the right call when your bookkeeper already lives in Xero and wants invoices, bank feeds and BAS in one system, but it is not a job tool: no scheduling, no job cards.

Pros

• Invoicing, bank reconciliation, GST and BAS in one place.

Cons

• No free plan.
• More than a solo tradie needs.

Price: paid plans available — check current pricing. Best for: tradies whose bookkeeper runs the books in Xero.

What to look for in invoicing software for tradies

• Phone-first invoicing. If you cannot send a tax invoice from the phone at the end of the job, the app fails the only test that matters.
• Quote to invoice in one tap. Retyping an accepted quote is manual data entry. Our guide to invoice vs quote vs receipt explains when each document applies.
• Deposit and progress invoicing. Any job longer than a couple of days should have a deposit and a mid-job claim.
• ATO tax-invoice requirements. If you are registered for GST the invoice must say "Tax invoice" and show your identity and ABN, the date, a description of what was supplied, the GST amount, and the buyer's identity or ABN for sales of $1,000 or more. Good invoice templates include all of that.
• Automatic reminders. Reminders at the due date and 7 days after recover most late invoices without a call; our guide on how to chase overdue invoices in Australia covers the rest.
• Payment method and fees. Bank transfer and PayID cost nothing; card payments cost around 2% but arrive faster. Weigh the fee against cash flow.

Which one should you choose?

• If you work alone and send fewer than 5 invoices a month → the free Australian tax invoice generator and email the PDF.
• If you work alone and send 5 to 30 invoices a month → InvoiceSonic, so invoices are chased for you.
• If you have an apprentice or a second tradie to schedule → ServiceM8 on iPhone, or Tradify if the crew is on Android.
• If your jobs run for weeks with materials and subbies → Fergus, or Tradify Pro.
• If customers want to tap a card on site → Square Invoices, and budget for the 2.2%.

When not to use InvoiceSonic or a free generator. Once you are scheduling other people or running job cards, an invoicing app is the wrong tool. A job-management app like Tradify or ServiceM8 handles scheduling and staff, and the invoice falls out the end of the job. Payroll or BAS lodgement is accounting software territory: Xero or MYOB.

Frequently asked questions