All comparisonsBCTM.

Free Contractor Invoice Apps, Compared Honestly

Not every 'free' invoicing app is actually free — many advertise a free trial that converts to a paid plan, while only a few, like Wave and Zoho Invoice, offer a genuinely permanent $0/mo tier confirmed on their own pricing pages (waveapps.com/pricing; zoho.com/invoice/pricing/). This page separates real free tiers from free trials so contractors don't get surprised by a bill after 14 or 30 days.

Pricing verified 2026-08-01; vendor pricing changes frequently — verify before relying on it.

Side by side

Wave — Starter

BCTM
$0/mo permanently — you pay a per-transaction fee only when a customer pays you
This tool
$0/mo, permanent, unlimited estimates

Square Invoices — Free

BCTM
$0/mo permanently — you pay a per-transaction fee only when a customer pays you
This tool
$0/mo, higher card rate (3.3%+30¢) than paid tiers

Jobber

BCTM
$0/mo permanently — you pay a per-transaction fee only when a customer pays you
This tool
No permanent free tier — 14-day trial only

Housecall Pro

BCTM
$0/mo permanently — you pay a per-transaction fee only when a customer pays you
This tool
No permanent free tier — 14-day trial only

Invoice Simple

BCTM
$0/mo permanently — you pay a per-transaction fee only when a customer pays you
This tool
No permanent free tier — limited trial (2 documents, 1 sendable)

Joist

BCTM
$0/mo permanently — you pay a per-transaction fee only when a customer pays you
This tool
No permanent free tier — 14-day trial only

FreshBooks

BCTM
$0/mo permanently — you pay a per-transaction fee only when a customer pays you
This tool
No permanent free tier

The verdict

Wave and Zoho Invoice are the strongest genuinely free options: Wave's Starter plan is $0/mo with unlimited estimates (waveapps.com/pricing), and Zoho Invoice is described by Zoho as a 'forever-free' invoicing product, though it carries usage limits per Zoho's own free-version documentation. Square Invoices' Free plan is also real, but pairs $0/mo with the highest per-transaction card rate (3.3%+30¢) among Square's own tiers. BCTM belongs in the same conversation on headline price: there is no subscription and no per-user seat, so the monthly bill is $0 and the only charge is per transaction — 3.9% + $0.30 on cards, 1.8% on ACH with the Stripe portion capped at $5.00 — payable when a customer pays you. Contractors who need SMS delivery and offline invoice drafting, which the free tiers above don't clearly confirm, may find that combination the better overall fit.

Questions people ask

Which contractor invoicing apps have a genuinely free plan?

Wave, Zoho Invoice, and Square Invoices all confirm a permanent $0/mo tier on their own pricing pages.

Wave's Starter plan is $0/mo with unlimited estimates and no time limit (Wave pricing). Zoho describes Zoho Invoice as 'forever-free' for small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs (Zoho Invoice pricing), though Zoho's own free-version documentation lists usage limits such as user counts. Square's Free plan is also $0/mo with no subscription commitment, though it carries the highest per-transaction card rate among Square's tiers (Square pricing).

Are Jobber, Housecall Pro, and QuickBooks Online ever free?

No — all three offer free trials (14 or 30 days) rather than a permanent free plan.

Jobber's trial gives access to Grow-tier features for 14 days (Jobber pricing); Housecall Pro's trial gives full MAX access for 14 days with no credit card required (Housecall Pro pricing); QuickBooks Online offers a 30-day trial (QuickBooks pricing). None of these convert into an ongoing free tier — contractors will be billed once the trial ends unless they cancel.

What's the catch with 'free' invoicing apps?

Free tiers usually cap invoice volume, user seats, or clients, and free trials convert to paid billing automatically unless canceled.

Even genuinely free plans have limits: Zoho's own free-version documentation lists caps such as limited users, and Square's Free plan trades $0/mo for a higher 3.3%+30¢ card processing rate versus its paid tiers' 2.9%+30¢ (Square pricing; Zoho Invoice free-version PDF). Free trials from Jobber, Housecall Pro, and QuickBooks Online are time-limited and shift to paid billing once they end.

Which free invoicing app has the lowest payment processing fees?

Among confirmed free tiers, Wave's ACH rate (1%, $1 minimum) and Zoho's unspecified rates should be compared directly against Square's Free-tier card rate of 3.3%+30¢.

Wave's Starter plan charges 2.9%+$0.60 for standard cards and 1% ($1 minimum) for ACH, the same rate as its paid Pro plan (Wave pricing). Square's Free plan charges a higher 3.3%+30¢ for card payments compared to its own paid tiers (Square pricing). Zoho Invoice's pricing page does not publish specific card or ACH rates, so contractors should confirm directly before choosing based on processing costs.

Where these numbers came from

Pricing verified 2026-08-01; vendor pricing changes frequently — verify before relying on it.

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