Accounting
Best Accounting Software for Contractors & Trades (2026)
Your accounting software is where your books live, and it may be what your field-service tool syncs to. We compare 10 options grouped by how much accounting they do: full double-entry books, invoicing-first, free, mid-market platforms with accounting built in, and bill pay that syncs to your books. Each review lists published prices, plan limits and an affiliate disclosure.
The short answer
No one tool fits every shop; match it to what your books need to do. QuickBooks Online has a Free plan and paid plans from $20 to $340 a month at regular prices, with job costing and inventory from Plus ($140/mo); 96 of the 127 software tools in this directory list a QuickBooks integration. Xero charges no per-user license fees; its US plans list at $27, $59 and $97 a month (checked October 10, 2026). FreshBooks is built around invoicing, with plans priced by how many clients you bill (Lite, $23/mo, covers up to 5). Wave has a free Starter plan with unlimited invoices and double-entry books. Whichever you pick, confirm that your field-service software syncs with it. No vendor pays for placement.
The headline filter: how much accounting do you need?
Full double-entry accounting (QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books, Sage 50, Patriot Accounting and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise) covers bank reconciliation, invoicing, bills and financial reports. Job costing or project tracking starts at QuickBooks Online Plus, Xero Established and Zoho Books Professional, and is part of Sage 50 and QuickBooks Enterprise; Patriot Accounting has no job costing. Invoicing-first (FreshBooks) centers on quotes, invoices and getting paid, with plans priced by the number of clients you bill. Free (Wave) keeps double-entry books and unlimited invoices at $0 and charges for card and bank payments, payroll and its Pro plan. Mid-market (Striven) builds accounting into a per-user platform with job costing and technician scheduling. Bill pay (Melio) pays subs and suppliers and syncs to QuickBooks or Xero; it does not replace accounting software. Field-service sync varies by tool and plan, so check what your scheduling software supports before you choose.
Complete double-entry accounting (bank reconciliation, receivables and payables, reporting) for businesses with employees, inventory or an outside accountant. Check that your field service software syncs with the one you choose.
QuickBooks Online
Intuit's cloud accounting, from a free plan to Advanced, with job costing and inventory from the Plus plan up
Free
- Founded
- -
- Free trial
- Free plan
- Best team size
- 1-25
- Verified
- 2026-10-10
Best for: Trades businesses that want accounting their bookkeeper and field-service software already support, and that need job costing (Plus) or construction financials (Advanced)
Xero
Cloud accounting with no per-user license fees and three simple US plans
From $27/mo
- Founded
- 2006
- Free trial
- No
- Best team size
- 1-500
- Verified
- 2026-10-10
Best for: Growing trades businesses that want full cloud accounting with several people in the books and no per-user license fees, and whose field-service tool syncs with Xero
QuickBooks Desktop / Enterprise
QuickBooks' Windows desktop accounting for larger contractors, with a Construction & Contractors edition
From $184/mo
- Founded
- -
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Best team size
- 5-40
- Verified
- 2026-09-30
Best for: Established contractors and specialty trades running many jobs at once who want Windows desktop accounting with a contractor edition, billing rate levels and room for up to 40 users
Sage 50
Sage 50: installed accounting software with job, phase and cost code tracking, inventory and purchase orders
From $128.67/mo
- Founded
- 1981
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Best team size
- 1-40
- Verified
- 2026-09-30
Best for: Established US contractors who want job costing by phase and cost code, inventory and purchase orders in one accounting package
Zoho Books
Low-cost online accounting with a free plan for small revenue and job profitability from the Professional plan
Free
- Founded
- 2011
- Free trial
- Free plan
- Best team size
- 1-50
- Verified
- 2026-09-30
Best for: Cost-conscious solo and small trades (plumbers, electricians, HVAC, handymen, small GCs) that want low-cost full accounting, with per-job profitability from the Professional plan, especially if they use other Zoho apps
Patriot Accounting
Low-cost online bookkeeping from Canton, Ohio that posts Patriot Payroll entries to your books automatically
From $20/mo
- Founded
- 2002
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Best team size
- 1-25
- Verified
- 2026-06-18
Best for: Cost-conscious solo and small US trades (plumber, electrician, small HVAC, handyman) that want simple books, ideally alongside Patriot Payroll
Built around invoicing, time tracking and getting paid, with lighter bookkeeping, for solo and small service businesses that care most about billing.
FreshBooks
Invoicing-first accounting for solo and small service businesses
From $23/mo
- Founded
- 2003
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Best team size
- 1-15
- Verified
- 2026-09-30
Best for: Solo and small service contractors (handymen, cleaners, painters, small crews) who bill a limited number of clients and want simple quoting, invoicing and online payment
Core accounting and invoicing with no monthly fee on the base plan; the vendor earns from payments, payroll and paid add-ons. Suits very small or new businesses.
Wave
Free accounting and invoicing for very small and new businesses
Free
⚠ Heads up
Wave Financial's BBB profile lists 235 complaints closed in the last three years as of 30 September 2026.
- Founded
- 2010
- Free trial
- Free plan
- Best team size
- 1-5
- Verified
- 2026-09-30
Best for: Brand-new, solo or very small trades businesses that want free double-entry books and unlimited invoicing while watching every dollar
Accounting built into a per-user business platform, alongside job costing and technician scheduling.
Striven
All-in-one business platform with built-in accounting, job costing and technician scheduling, priced per user
From $35/mo
- Founded
- -
- Free trial
- No
- Best team size
- 5-50
- Verified
- 2026-09-30
Best for: Small-to-mid contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, GC) who want to replace the QuickBooks-plus-scheduling-plus-CRM patchwork with one platform that has built-in accounting and technician scheduling
Pays your vendors, subs, and suppliers (ACH, check, or card) and syncs to your books, an accounts-payable layer that sits alongside accounting rather than replacing it.
Melio
Bill pay that syncs to your books: pay subs and suppliers by ACH, card, check or wire from one place
Free
⚠ Heads up
Melio Payments' BBB profile lists 102 complaints closed in the last three years, as of September 2026.
- Founded
- 2018
- Free trial
- Free plan
- Best team size
- 1-50
- Verified
- 2026-09-30
Best for: Small US contractors (GC, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, landscaping) who pay subs and suppliers and want low-cost bill pay that syncs to QuickBooks or Xero, with a backup for time-critical payments
Where to start
Start with what your books need to do. Job costing in the cloud: QuickBooks Online Plus ($140/mo list); or, on Windows with up to 40 users, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise (from $2,210 a year). Several people in the books: Xero, with no per-user license fees, or Patriot Accounting ($20/mo, unlimited users). Solo, billing a few clients: FreshBooks (Lite $23/mo for up to 5 billable clients). New and watching every dollar: Wave's free Starter plan, or Zoho Books' free plan while revenue stays under $50K a year. Job costing by phase and cost code: Sage 50 Premium (from $182.50/mo on a one-year commitment). Paying subs and suppliers: Melio, which syncs bill payments to QuickBooks or Xero; read its BBB warning first. Before deciding, confirm what your field-service software syncs to.
Missing from this list?
We list 10 accounting platforms for trades today, and we know that is not all of them. If you build one and it is not here, you can submit it for editorial review. An evaluation can end with or without a listing.
Listings are free. We do not accept payment for inclusion, for placement, for a score, or to remove a documented con. We publish the cons next to the pros, so read an existing review before you decide you want one.