Invoice Simple Alternatives: 5 Invoicing Options for Contractors and Freelancers, Compared by Invoice Limits (Updated October 2026)

Short answer (opinion): Most people search for Invoice Simple alternatives because of its monthly invoice caps: 3 on Essentials and 10 on Plus. If you only need to produce invoices and estimates, our free generator has no cap, but it doesn't take payments. Invoice2go is the closest paid like-for-like app, with yearly rather than monthly allowances. Joist fits contractors who want change orders and financing. Stay with Invoice Simple if online payments on every plan and client e-signatures matter most.

At a glance (as of Oct 13, 2026):

• Contractor Estimate Generator (ours): unlimited PDF invoices, no payments : Free
• Invoice2go: yearly invoice allowance, unlimited estimates : see vendor (per-plan prices not shown in its page text)
• Joist: contractors who want change orders and financing : from $10/mo
• Jobber: crews that need scheduling plus invoicing : from $29/mo billed annually
• Housecall Pro: home-service teams : from $59/mo billed annually

Invoice Simple alternatives compared

Option	Best for	Starting price (as of Oct 13, 2026)	Free plan / trial	Invoice limit	Platform
Contractor Estimate Generator (ours)	Unlimited PDF invoices, no account	Free (site)	Free	None	Web browser
Invoice2go	Yearly allowance; lots of estimates	Not shown in page text; check pricing	30-day trial; card required	30 / 100 / unlimited per year	iOS, Android, web
Joist	Contractors: change orders, financing	$10/mo (pricing)	14-day trial, no card	Basics: 5 documents a month; Pro+: unlimited	Mobile and web
Jobber	Crews: scheduling + invoicing	$29/mo billed annually (pricing)	14-day trial, no card	None stated	iOS, Android, web
Housecall Pro	Home-service teams	$59/mo billed annually (pricing)	14-day trial, no card	None stated	iOS, Android, web
Invoice Simple (for reference)	Cheap invoicing with payments	$6.99/mo (pricing)	14-day Premium trial on mobile	3 / 10 / unlimited per month	iOS, Android, web

Why people look for an Invoice Simple alternative

Invoice Simple does a lot right: it takes online payments on every plan and offers free Word, Excel and Google templates (per its pricing page). The friction comes from how its plans are gated (pricing page, Oct 13, 2026):

• Monthly invoice caps. Essentials ($6.99/mo) allows 3 invoices a month and Plus ($14.99/mo) allows 10. Unlimited invoicing means Premium at $21.99/mo.
• Key features sit on the top plan. Client signatures, deposits, premium templates and restoring previous invoices are Premium-only.
• Busy months cost more. A contractor who sends 4 invoices one month and 25 the next has to size the plan for the busy month or change plans.

What 5, 15 or 40 invoices a month cost on each option

Our own calculation from each vendor's published plans as of Oct 13, 2026 (cheapest plan that covers the volume; monthly billing unless noted):

Invoices a month	Invoice Simple	Joist*	Invoice2go	Jobber	Ours
5	Plus, $14.99	Basics, $10	Professional (100/yr) — price not shown in page text	Core, $29 annual / $49 no commitment	Free
15	Premium, $21.99	Pro, $17	Premium (unlimited) — price not shown	Core, same	Free
40	Premium, $21.99	Pro, $17	Premium — price not shown	Core, same	Free

*Joist's Basics cap counts all documents, so estimates use up the 5 too. Invoice2go publishes per-plan prices on its pricing page, but they didn't load in the page text we archived, so we don't quote them. Check Invoice2go pricing directly. Payment processing fees are extra wherever you take cards.

Payment fees, where vendors publish them

• Invoice2go: card fees 3.5% (Starter), 3.0% (Professional), 2.9% (Premium); ACH bank transfers free; PayPal 2.9% + 30¢.
• Jobber: cards 2.9% + 30¢ online, Tap to Pay 2.7% + 30¢, ACH 1%.
• Housecall Pro: cards from 2.59%; bank payments 1%.
• Invoice Simple and Joist list online payments but don't publish rates on their pricing pages, so we leave them out.

1. Invoice2go

Best for: freelancers and contractors who send many estimates but fewer invoices, or whose volume swings month to month. Price (as of Oct 13, 2026): per-plan prices didn't appear in the page text we checked; confirm on its pricing page. Starter 30 invoices a year, Professional 100, Premium unlimited; estimates unlimited on all plans (pricing). Trial: 30 days with a card on file; 30-day money-back guarantee.

• Pros: yearly allowance absorbs busy months; unlimited estimates and team members on every plan; invoice reminders on every plan.
• Cons: recurring invoices and phone support only on Premium; accounting sync starts at Professional.
• Choose it if Invoice Simple's monthly cap is your main complaint.

2. Contractor Estimate Generator (ours)

Best for: anyone who needs a professional invoice or estimate PDF now, with no cap and no account. Price: free (contractorestimategenerator.com, checked Oct 13, 2026).

• Pros: no invoice limit and no watermark; convert an accepted estimate into an invoice in one click; labor, materials and tax lines; logo and license number; drafts saved on your device.
• Cons (what it does not do): no online payments, reminders, client signatures, email/text sending, client history sync, or native app.
• Choose it if you get paid by check, cash, Zelle or your own card reader and just need the paperwork.

3. Joist

Best for: contractors who want estimates, change orders and homeowner financing in one app. Price (as of Oct 13, 2026): Basics $10, Pro $17, Elite $32, Run $70 introductory (list $100), billed monthly; annual billing gives two months free (pricing). No free plan; 14-day trial, no card.

• Pros: unlimited documents from $17/mo; in-app signatures; deposits and milestone payments; homeowner financing.
• Cons: Basics caps all documents at 5 a month; logo from Pro, license and insurance from Elite.
• Choose it if you're a contractor first and an invoicer second.

4. Jobber

Best for: crews that need invoicing tied to scheduling and job tracking. Price (as of Oct 13, 2026): Core $29/mo billed annually ($49/mo no commitment) for 1 user (pricing). 14-day Grow trial, no card.

• Pros: automated quote and invoice follow-ups and QuickBooks Online sync from the Connect plan; progress invoicing listed on its pricing page; client hub.
• Cons: far more than you need for invoicing alone; per-user costs add up.
• Choose it if invoicing is only one part of running a crew.

5. Housecall Pro

Best for: home-service teams that want invoicing plus booking, dispatch and financing. Price (as of Oct 13, 2026): Basic from $59/mo billed annually (pricing). 14-day MAX trial, no card; no long-term contract.

• Pros: invoices with automated reminders, online booking and dispatch on Basic; consumer financing access and English/Spanish mobile apps on every plan.
• Cons: highest entry price here; overkill for a freelancer.
• Choose it if you're replacing several tools, not just an invoice app.

How we evaluated

• Scenario: a contractor or freelancer sending 5–40 invoices a month.
• Criteria: invoice limits, starting price, payment fees where published, trial terms, platforms.
• What we did: on Oct 13, 2026 we read and archived each vendor's public pricing page (see our facts log). We didn't sign up for competitor trials, so competitor features are as each vendor describes them. The cost-per-volume table is our own arithmetic from those published plans. On Oct 13, 2026 (about 10 p.m. ET) we built a two-line estimate (6 hours of labor at $75 plus a $640 vanity, 8% tax) with a license number, downloaded the PDF, switched to invoice mode and downloaded again. In a scripted browser run the page loaded in 1.3 s, each PDF generated in 0.6–1.2 s, and the whole run took 4.1 s; by hand, typing is what takes the time. Both PDFs carried our test business name, license number, line items and totals with no watermark. One limit we found: the invoice kept the estimate's "EST-" number.

When Invoice Simple is still the right choice

Stay with Invoice Simple if you:

• want clients to pay online from every invoice, on any plan;
• like real-time read receipts (every plan) and due-date reminders (Plus and up);
• need client signatures or deposits (Premium); Source: Invoice Simple pricing, Oct 13, 2026.

FAQ

How much does Invoice Simple cost? As of Oct 13, 2026: Essentials $6.99/mo or $69.99/yr (3 invoices a month), Plus $14.99/mo or $149.99/yr (10 a month), and Premium $21.99/mo or $219.99/yr (unlimited). Prices are in USD and, per Invoice Simple, may vary by local currency.

Is there a free alternative to Invoice Simple? Yes. Our Contractor Estimate Generator makes unlimited invoices and estimates as PDFs for free, with no account. The trade-off is that it doesn't take payments, send reminders or collect signatures. Invoice Simple itself also offers free invoice templates (Word, Excel, Google Docs and Sheets are listed on its site).

Does Invoice Simple have a free trial? Yes. Its pricing page says the mobile free trial gives 14 days of full access to the Premium plan, including unlimited invoices and estimates. After the trial you choose a plan.

Invoice Simple vs Invoice2go: which has better limits? Invoice Simple caps invoices per month (3 or 10 on its cheaper plans); Invoice2go caps them per year (30 or 100) and allows unlimited estimates on every plan. If your volume is uneven, a yearly allowance is usually easier to live with. Both offer unlimited plans.

Can I turn an estimate into an invoice for free? Yes. In our generator you can switch an accepted estimate to invoice mode in one click and download the PDF. Paid apps such as Invoice Simple, Joist and Invoice2go also convert estimates to invoices.

Sources (checked Oct 13, 2026)

Invoice Simple pricing · Invoice2go pricing · Joist pricing · Jobber pricing · Housecall Pro pricing · Contractor Estimate Generator

Disclosure: We make Contractor Estimate Generator. We're not affiliated with Invoice Simple, Invoice2go, Joist, Jobber or Housecall Pro. All trademarks belong to their owners. Prices change; verify on each vendor's site.