Best Apps to Get Paid Faster as a Contractor
Getting paid faster as a contractor usually comes down to three things: invoicing the day the work is done, making it easy to pay by card or bank transfer, and following up before an invoice goes stale. The right app depends on which of those you're missing. This guide compares seven options so you can match a tool to your situation. Features and pricing change; we checked each tool's site in October 2026, and where we couldn't confirm a detail, we say so.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | How it follows up | Collections | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casey | Contractors who want payment chasing handled for them | Automatic reminders by text, email and WhatsApp, timed to each customer | Yes, after 60+ days past due | Free if paid on time; $5 per invoice chased; 20% of recoveries |
| Joist | Solo and small contractors wanting estimates, invoices and payments in one app | Check their site | Check their site | Monthly plans, $12 to $32 for most tiers |
| QuickBooks Online | Contractors who want full accounting | Check their site | Check their site | Varies by plan |
| Jobber | Home service businesses managing jobs and scheduling | Check their site | Check their site | Varies by plan |
| Housecall Pro | Home service crews with dispatch and scheduling needs | Check their site | Check their site | Varies by plan |
| Square Invoices | Contractors who already take card payments with Square | Check their site | Check their site | Varies by plan |
| FreshBooks | Freelancers and consultants billing by project or time | Check their site | Check their site | Varies by plan |
How we compared
A contractor's day is spent on job sites, not at a desk, so we weighed each tool on what actually moves cash:
- Time saved: How much typing and tapping it takes to get an invoice out and to follow up on it.
- How follow-ups go out: Whether reminders happen automatically, and over which channels. Many contractors find clients answer texts faster than email.
- Getting paid faster: Card and bank payment links, deposits, and anything that shortens the gap between finishing work and money in the account.
- Cost when customers pay on time: Most clients pay without a fight. A tool that charges you the same either way costs more than one that charges only when it works.
- What happens past 60 days: Late invoices that nobody answers need a next step beyond another email.
- Setup: How quickly you can go from signing up to sending a real invoice.
We didn't verify every competitor's reminder and collections features from their official sites, so where a cell says "Check their site," confirm it before you commit.
Casey
Casey is an AI accounts receivable assistant built for businesses that bill after the work is done, including contractors and trades. You text it like you'd text an employee ("Bill Jones Roofing $4,800 for the Maple Street job"), and it sends the invoice by email and text with a card or ACH pay link under your business name and logo.
What it does well:
- Sending invoices, pay links and the reminder 3 days before the due date is free. Invoices paid within 3 days past due cost nothing.
- From 4 to 60 days past due, Casey follows up automatically on the channel and at the time each customer responds to, and offers payment plans and partial payments.
- At 60+ days past due, one tap sends the invoice to Casey's collections team (AI plus people) for calls, formal demand letters and settlements, with your approval. Collections costs 20% of what's recovered, and nothing if nothing is recovered.
- It works on top of QuickBooks Online and Clio, importing open invoices and keeping them in sync, and takes card and ACH payments through Stripe. See the integrations.
- It asks you before doing anything sensitive, and you can pause reminders for any customer.
- Casey is about getting paid, not running your jobs. It doesn't schedule crews, build estimates or dispatch technicians, so you'll pair it with a field service app or your accounting tool if you want those.
Where it falls short:
- It's built for US small businesses. If you operate elsewhere, another tool may fit better.
Who it suits: Contractors who are good at the work and bad at the awkward follow-up. If you dread the "hey, just checking on that invoice" text, Casey does it for you, and you pay $5 per invoice only when it has to chase.
Joist
Joist is built specifically for contractors, and its pricing page leads with "Get Paid Faster. Grow Revenue." It's an app for creating estimates and turning them into invoices, with online payments built in.
What it does well:
- The Basics plan (listed at $12 a month as of October 2026) covers up to 5 documents a month, online payments, estimate-to-invoice conversion, built-in AI tools and homeowner financing, which suits occasional jobs or new businesses.
- The Pro plan is aimed at full-time solo contractors. It's listed at $17 a month billed monthly, or $14.17 a month billed annually, as of October 2026. It adds unlimited documents and clients, your logo, line items, document photos, client activity tracking and work orders.
- The Elite plan (listed at $32 a month as of October 2026) adds license and insurance display, change orders, business and sales reports, Joist Reviews and social integrations.
- A higher tier called Run adds jobs and scheduling for contractors juggling multiple jobs. We couldn't tell from the page which of the prices it showed is current, so check the site.
- Basics, Pro and Elite each list a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
- We couldn't confirm from Joist's page how its payment processing fees work, or whether it sends automatic late-payment reminders. Check before you rely on it for follow-up.
Where it falls short:
- It's a monthly subscription whether or not you have invoices outstanding.
Who it suits: Solo contractors and small crews who want one app for estimates, invoices and payment links at a predictable monthly price.
QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online is the accounting tool many contractors and their bookkeepers already use. It lets you create invoices, accept online payments and track what you're owed alongside the rest of your books. Check Intuit's site for current plans, since pricing varies by plan and we couldn't verify it today.
What it does well:
- Your invoices, expenses and tax records live in one place, which your accountant will appreciate.
- It's widely supported by other tools. Casey, for example, imports open QuickBooks invoices and keeps them in sync.
- It's accounting software first. Follow-up and collections on late invoices are not the main event, so many contractors still end up chasing clients by hand. We couldn't verify its reminder features from the official site today.
Where it falls short:
Who it suits: Contractors who need real bookkeeping and want invoicing tied to it.
Jobber
Jobber is field service software for home service businesses, covering quoting, scheduling, invoicing and payments. See getjobber.com for current plans and features; we couldn't verify its pricing or reminder tools today.
What it does well:
- It manages the whole job lifecycle, from quote to scheduled visit to invoice, which keeps billing connected to the work.
- It's built for operations, so if your only problem is slow-paying clients, you may be buying more software than you need. Confirm what it offers for follow-up on past-due invoices.
Where it falls short:
Who it suits: Lawn care, cleaning, HVAC and similar crews that schedule recurring or multi-visit work.
Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro is another field service platform for home service pros, with dispatch, scheduling, invoicing and payments. Check housecallpro.com for current plans; we couldn't verify its pricing or collection features today.
What it does well:
- It ties dispatch and scheduling to invoicing, so a job finished in the field can become an invoice quickly.
- Like other field service suites, it's priced as a full platform. If you mainly need to get paid, check whether you'd use enough of it to justify the cost.
Where it falls short:
Who it suits: Home service businesses with technicians in the field who want everything in one system.
Square Invoices
Square Invoices lets you send invoices that customers pay by card online, and it fits neatly if you already take payments through Square. Check squareup.com for current fees and plans; we couldn't verify them today.
What it does well:
- If you already use Square for in-person or card payments, adding invoices keeps everything in one ecosystem.
- It's a payments-first tool. Confirm what follow-up and late-invoice features it includes before counting on it for chasing.
Where it falls short:
Who it suits: Contractors who already run on Square and want simple invoices with card payment links.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is accounting and invoicing software popular with freelancers and service businesses. See freshbooks.com for current plans; we couldn't verify its pricing or reminder features today.
What it does well:
- It's friendly for people who bill by project or by the hour and want clean invoices and basic accounting without heavy setup.
- It's geared more toward freelancers and consultants than job-site trades. Check whether its features around deposits, progress billing and late-payment follow-up match how you work.
Where it falls short:
Who it suits: Consultants, designers and tradespeople who bill like freelancers.
Why we built Casey differently
Most invoicing apps solve the first half of getting paid: making an invoice and giving the client a way to pay it. The second half, the part that takes your evenings, is knowing who's late, deciding how hard to push and finding the right words. That's where money gets stuck.
We built Casey around that second half. You don't open a dashboard or fill in a form; you text it. The pricing follows the same logic: if your customer pays on time, you pay nothing, and if Casey has to chase, it's $5 flat per invoice however many follow-ups it takes. If an invoice goes 60+ days past due, a collections team takes over for 20% of what's recovered, and nothing if nothing is recovered.
It also fits the way contractors actually communicate. Casey follows up by text, email and WhatsApp, at the time each customer tends to respond, rather than blasting everyone the same message on the same schedule.
If you want more on the approach itself, our guides on getting clients to pay invoices on time and automating invoice reminders go deeper.
Which should you choose?
Match the tool to your actual bottleneck:
- You hate chasing money and want it handled for you: Casey. It sends reminders, follows up across channels and has a collections team behind it. You pay only when it has to chase.
- You need estimates, invoices and payments in one simple contractor app: Joist is built for exactly that, with plans from about $12 a month as of October 2026. Confirm its reminder features on its site.
- You need real accounting alongside invoicing: QuickBooks Online. You can add Casey on top for follow-up.
- You run crews, schedules and recurring visits: Jobber or Housecall Pro. They're field service platforms, so check what they do for late invoices.
- You already run on Square for card payments: Square Invoices keeps things simple.
- You bill like a freelancer or consultant: FreshBooks may fit.
- You're a large business with a dedicated finance team, or you operate outside the US: A full accounts receivable platform or a local tool built for your market is likely a better fit than Casey.
It's also common to combine tools. A contractor might create estimates in a field app, keep books in QuickBooks and let Casey handle the chasing. If you're not sure where to start, read about the best accounts receivable software for small businesses, and pick the tool that fixes your slowest step first.
Whichever you choose, the habits matter as much as the app: invoice the day the work is done, offer a card or bank payment link, send a friendly reminder before the due date and follow up promptly after it. Software just makes those habits automatic.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way for a contractor to get paid?
Invoice the day the work is done, include a card or ACH pay link so the client can pay in one tap, and send a reminder before the due date. An app that automates the follow-up keeps invoices from sitting unpaid.
Do I need a job management app, or just an invoicing app?
It depends on your work. If you only need to bill and collect, a simple invoicing and payment tool is enough. If you schedule crews and recurring visits, a field service platform like Jobber or Housecall Pro may be worth it.
Can I use more than one app to get paid faster?
Yes. Many contractors keep books in QuickBooks Online and add a tool like Casey on top to follow up on late invoices. Casey imports open QuickBooks invoices and keeps them in sync.
How much does Casey cost for a contractor?
Sending invoices, pay links and the reminder before the due date is free, and invoices paid within 3 days past due cost nothing. If Casey has to chase an invoice, it's $5 per invoice. Collections at 60+ days past due cost 20% of what's recovered.
What should I do when a client still won't pay?
Start with a polite, specific follow-up, then escalate. Our guides on what to do when a client refuses to pay and when to send an invoice to collections walk through the steps.