March 2026 · 5 min read

THEBRICKBOOK VS INVOICE2GO: FREE VS PAID INVOICE APP COMPARED

Invoice2go (now part of the Bill.com group) is one of the most downloaded invoicing apps in Australia. It's simple, it's mobile-friendly, and it does invoicing well. But at $10/month ($120/year), is it worth paying for when there are free alternatives that do more?

WHAT IS INVOICE2GO?

Invoice2go is a straightforward invoicing app. You create professional invoices, send them to clients, and track whether they've been paid. It supports multiple currencies, custom branding, and online payments. It's clean, easy to use, and gets the invoicing job done.

What it doesn't do is track your jobs, log your time, record your expenses per job, or tell you what you actually earned. It's an invoicing tool — nothing more, nothing less.

WHAT IS THEBRICKBOOK?

TheBrickBook is a free iOS app for Australian tradies and solo operators. It does everything Invoice2go does — create and send invoices with ABN and GST — but adds job tracking, a built-in timer, per-job expense logging, and automatic real hourly rate calculation. No monthly fee.

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

WHERE INVOICE2GO WINS

Invoice2go has some genuine strengths:

• Online payments: Clients can pay your invoice directly with a credit card or bank transfer. This can speed up payment times significantly.
• Custom branding: Add your logo, brand colours, and custom fields to create polished, professional invoices.
• Multi-platform: Works on iOS, Android, and web. TheBrickBook is currently iOS only.
• Estimates: Send formal estimates to clients, then convert them to invoices when the job is accepted.
• Simplicity: Invoice2go does one thing well. If all you want is an invoicing tool, it's clean and intuitive.

WHERE THEBRICKBOOK WINS

• Price: Free vs $120/year. TheBrickBook gives you more features for no cost.
• Job tracking: Invoice2go starts when the invoice is created. TheBrickBook tracks the entire job — from the moment you accept it to the moment you get paid.
• Built-in timer: Start a timer when you arrive on site. Stop it when you leave. TheBrickBook tracks your actual hours automatically.
• Per-job expenses: Log fuel, materials, helper wages, and any other cost against the specific job. See exactly how much the job cost you.
• Real hourly rate: This is the feature Invoice2go simply doesn't have. TheBrickBook takes your invoice amount, subtracts all expenses, divides by total hours, and shows you what you actually earned per hour. Automatically.

THE REAL DIFFERENCE

Here's a simple example. You invoice a client $1,500 for a job. Invoice2go shows you: $1,500 invoiced, paid. Done.

TheBrickBook shows you: $1,500 invoiced, minus $400 materials, minus $60 fuel, minus $200 helper wages. You worked 18 hours total (including travel and setup). Your real hourly rate was $46.67.

That second number is the one that actually matters. It's the difference between thinking you're earning $80/hr and knowing you're earning $47/hr. One of those numbers lets you make better pricing decisions. The other one just makes you feel good.

WHY PAY $120/YEAR FOR LESS?

This is the core question. Invoice2go charges $120/year for invoicing. TheBrickBook is free and does invoicing plus job tracking, time tracking, expense tracking, and real hourly rate.

The only reasons to choose Invoice2go over TheBrickBook are:

• You need Android or web access
• You want clients to pay invoices with credit card directly
• You want heavily branded invoices with custom colours and layouts

If those aren't priorities, TheBrickBook gives you everything Invoice2go does — and more — for free.

OUR RECOMMENDATION

Invoice2go is a decent invoicing app. But for Australian tradies, it's hard to justify $120/year for an app that only does invoicing when TheBrickBook does invoicing plus job tracking, expense logging, and real hourly rate — all for free.

If you're on iOS and you want to know what you actually earn (not just what you invoice), TheBrickBook is the clear winner.