BEST FREE APPS FOR TRADIES IN 2026: COMPARED
There are dozens of apps that promise to help tradies and small business owners manage their work. Most of them cost $30-50/month and are built for businesses with employees, accountants, and office staff.
But what if you're a one-person operation? What if you just want to track your jobs, send invoices, and know what you're actually earning?
Here's an honest comparison of the main options in 2026.
QUICK COMPARISON
| App | Price | Job Tracking | Invoicing | Timer | Real Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TheBrickBook | Free | Yes | Yes (PDF) | Yes | Yes |
| Xero | $35/mo | No | Yes | No | No |
| Tradify | $50/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| ServiceM8 | $29/mo | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Invoice2go | $10/mo | No | Yes | No | No |
THE BREAKDOWN
XERO — $35/MONTH
Xero is the standard for small business accounting in Australia. It handles invoicing, bank feeds, BAS statements, payroll, and reporting. Your accountant probably uses it.
Great for: Businesses with employees, complex finances, or those who need full accounting integration.
Not great for: Solo operators who just want to track jobs and send invoices. It doesn't track individual job profitability, doesn't have a timer, and the learning curve is steep. At $35/month, you're paying $420/year for features you probably don't need.
Verdict: Overkill for most one-person businesses. If your accountant needs it, ask them — otherwise you're paying for complexity you don't use.
TRADIFY — $50/MONTH
Tradify is a New Zealand-built job management platform popular with trade businesses. It covers quoting, scheduling, job tracking, timesheets, and invoicing. It's well-designed and trade-focused.
Great for: Trade businesses with 2-10 staff who need scheduling, team timesheets, and a professional quoting workflow.
Not great for: Solo operators. At $50/month ($600/year), you're paying enterprise prices for a one-person operation. Many of its best features (scheduling, team management) only make sense with employees.
Verdict: The best option if you have a team. Expensive and over-featured if it's just you.
SERVICEM8 — $29/MONTH
ServiceM8 is an Australian-built field service management app. It handles job dispatch, client communication, quoting, and invoicing. It integrates with Xero and has a strong focus on customer-facing communications (job confirmations, reminders).
Great for: Service businesses that want automated client communications and a polished booking experience.
Not great for: People who just want to track what they earn. ServiceM8 is about managing the client experience, not your profitability. There's no built-in hourly rate calculator or profit-per-job breakdown.
Verdict: Strong for client-facing automation. But if you want to know your real hourly rate, you'll need something else.
INVOICE2GO — $10/MONTH
Invoice2go is a simple invoicing app. You create invoices, send them, and track payments. It does one thing and does it reasonably well.
Great for: People who only need invoicing and nothing else.
Not great for: Anyone who wants job tracking, time tracking, or profit visibility. It's purely an invoicing tool — you can't see what you earned on a job because it doesn't know what the job cost you.
Verdict: Simple and cheap, but limited. You're still guessing your profitability.
THEBRICKBOOK — FREE
TheBrickBook is a free iOS app built specifically for solo operators. It tracks jobs from quote to payment, has a built-in timer, logs expenses, and calculates your real hourly rate after all costs.
Great for: Solo tradies, freelancers, cleaners, landscapers — anyone who runs their own business and wants to know what they actually earn per job. Includes invoicing with ABN, GST, and bank details.
Not great for: Businesses with employees who need scheduling and team management. Also iOS only for now — no Android yet.
Verdict: The only app that shows your real hourly rate after expenses. Free, simple, and built for one-person businesses. The trade-off is it's iOS only and newer than the alternatives.
SO WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU USE?
If you have employees: Tradify or ServiceM8
If your accountant requires it: Xero
If you just need invoicing: Invoice2go
If you're a solo operator who wants to know what you actually earn: TheBrickBook
The truth is, most solo operators don't need full accounting software or team management tools. They need to know three things:
- Where does each job stand?
- How much did I actually make on this job?
- Can I send a professional invoice quickly?
If that's you, you don't need to spend $35-50/month. You need something simple that answers those questions.
KNOW YOUR NUMBERS. PAY NOTHING.
TheBrickBook is free. No trial, no subscription. Just download and start tracking.
Download Free for iOS