Buyer's guide

Apps contractors use, and how to pick yours.

Ask around the supply house and you'll hear a different app from everyone, because they're solving different problems. Here are the apps for contractors that come up often, grouped by the job they do, with what each lists on its own pricing page, and where Redline fits and where it doesn't.

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Start with the job, not the app

Most "best app for contractors" lists rank apps that don't compete with each other. An invoice app, a field service suite and accounting software solve three different problems. Before comparing features, decide which one is costing you money right now: getting paid, keeping the schedule straight, or keeping the books.

Then pick the smallest tool that fixes that, and check two things before you commit: whether it has a free plan or a trial you can run on real jobs, and whether the price you see is monthly or billed for a year up front.

The four kinds of contractor app

Estimate and invoice apps

Joist, Invoice2go, Square Invoices and Wave. They make the paperwork look professional and take payments. Most don't run your schedule or a crew.

Field service suites

Jobber and Housecall Pro. Quotes, scheduling, dispatch, invoicing and payments in one product, with plans that step up as you grow.

Trade-specific apps

JobNimbus for roofing and exteriors, Yardbook for lawn and landscape. Built around one trade's workflow.

Bookkeeping

QuickBooks Online. Not a field app; some contractors keep it for the books whatever they use in the truck.

What each app lists on its own site

Checked 2026-10-06 on each vendor's website. Prices change; confirm before you buy.

App	Built for	Free option	Listed starting price
Square Invoices	Invoices, estimates and payments for small businesses	Yes, a free plan; you pay processing fees	Square Plus, $49 a month per location
Wave	Invoicing and bookkeeping for freelancers and small businesses	Yes, Starter is free	Pro, $19 a month
Joist	Estimates and invoices for small residential contractors	No; 14-day trial	Basics, $10 a month for up to 5 estimates or invoices a month
Invoice2go	Invoices and estimates	See its site	See its pricing page
Jobber	Field service management for home and commercial service	No; 14-day trial	Core, $29 a month billed annually or $49 with no commitment, 1 user
Housecall Pro	Field service management for home service pros	No; 14-day trial	Basic, $59 a month billed annually or $79 billed monthly, 1 user
JobNimbus	CRM and project boards for roofing and exteriors	No	See its pricing page
Yardbook	Lawn care, landscaping and snow removal	Yes, Starter is free and ad-supported	Business, $34.99 a month
QuickBooks Online	Bookkeeping	No; 30-day trial	Solopreneur, $20 a month; Simple Start, $38 a month
Redline	Chat-first field service software for contractors	Yes, Free with no end date (no invoicing)	Solo, $29 a month, month to month

Five questions that pick the app for you

Do you need free invoicing today? Then Square Invoices, Wave or Yardbook. Redline's Free plan doesn't invoice; that's Solo.
Does your bookkeeper want a live QuickBooks sync? Several suites offer one. Redline exports a QuickBooks-format CSV instead.
Is anyone on your crew on Android? Redline's app is iPhone only; Android phones use the browser, without push.
Do you want customers booking online or getting automatic texts? Look at the field service suites. Redline does neither.
Would you rather message than fill in forms? That's the case for Redline: "add Maria Lopez, Lowell, wants a gutter quote" and it's done.

Where Redline fits, and where it doesn't

Redline fits if

You're one truck or a small crew and want to start at $0
You want leads, quotes and the calendar run by chat
You want invoices and card pay links for $29 a month, month to month
You want a free Pro Page that takes quote requests
You'll hire and want techs who never see prices

Pick something else if

You only need free invoices and nothing else
You need online booking, a customer portal or texting
You need GPS, route maps, timesheets or a price book
You need a two-way QuickBooks or Xero sync
Your crew is on Android and needs push alerts

Questions contractors ask

So what's the best app for contractors?

The one that fixes the job costing you the most money right now, at a price you can see. We won't call any app the best, our own included. Run your next real week through a free plan or a trial before you commit.

Can I use two apps?

Yes, and it's a common setup: a field app for the work and QuickBooks for the books. Redline's Reports export a QuickBooks-format CSV and a plain CSV for that.

Which one is cheapest?

Several have free plans, and they're free for different things: Square, Wave and Yardbook include invoicing; Redline's Free covers leads, quotes and the schedule. Compare what you'd pay once you add the second person. See affordable contractor software.

Where are the side-by-side comparisons?

See Redline vs Jobber, Redline vs Housecall Pro, Redline vs Joist and the rest under compare.

Side by side

Try Redline on next week's jobs.

Free has no end date. If it doesn't fit, you've lost nothing but a few messages.