Honest comparison · Prices checked September 2026
The best invoice app for Aussie tradies and sole traders, honestly
We read about 4,400 App Store reviews of these apps before building our own. So yes, one row below is ours, clearly labelled. The rest is the comparison we wish had existed: each vendor’s price as listed on its own pricing page in September 2026, what each app is genuinely good at, who it suits, and the thing its own users warn about. If you just need an invoice right now, the free tax invoice generator makes an ATO-correct one in your browser.
The field, at a glance
| App | Price (AUD, September 2026) | Genuinely good at | What users flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | Grow $78/mo, Comprehensive $107/mo, Ultimate 10 $143/mo (90% off first 3 months for new AU customers until 30 Sep 2026) | Full accounting: payroll, bank feeds, accountant workflows | Price rises most years; heavy for invoice-only sole traders |
| Solo by MYOB | $99/yr (about $8.25/mo); $12 for the first year on the current promo | Simple AU-native app from a big-name vendor, GST and BAS aware | Yearly billing; check export options before committing |
| Bookipi | Free plan: 3 invoices/mo. Starter $9.99/mo or $91.20/yr. Professional $52/mo. Plus 10% GST for AU users | Easy invoicing, popular free entry point historically | Users report free-forever becoming a paywall; the free cap is now 3 invoices a month |
| Invoice Simple | App Store (AUD): Essentials $9.99/mo, Plus $22.99/mo, Premium $34.99/mo, annual $199.99 | Genuinely easy to use, strong App Store rating | US-built (no BAS or AU financial year); users report caps applied to 'unlimited' plans |
| Rounded | Starter $23.95/mo or $264.95/yr. Pro $29.95/mo or $329.95/yr | AU-native, built for freelancers, tax estimates and BAS prefill on Pro | Monthly cost adds up if you only need invoicing |
| Hnry | 1% + GST of income paid into your Hnry account, capped at $1,500 + GST per year | Does your tax entirely: payments, deductions, lodgement | Percentage pricing; your money routes through their account |
| Square Invoices | Free plan $0/mo, Plus $30/mo. Card processing 2.2% online, 1.6% in person | Slick if customers pay by card at the job | Fees per payment; US defaults need an ATO compliance check |
| Dinkum Invoice (ours) | Free tax invoice generator, no cap, no account. $9/mo to save your details and keep your invoices, price locked for life | ATO-correct by default, GST or no GST, never touches your money | No payments or payroll by design; young product |
Prices taken from each vendor’s own Australian pricing page (or the Australian App Store listing where that is the only published price) in September 2026, and simplified for comparison. Promotional prices change often; always check the vendor’s page before you subscribe. “What users flag” summarises public App Store and review-site feedback; individual experiences vary.
Who each one is for
Pick by the job you actually do
| App | Best for |
|---|---|
| Xero | Sole traders with payroll, bank feeds or an accountant who lives in Xero |
| Solo by MYOB | Sole traders who want a big-vendor name at a small price and are happy to pay yearly |
| Bookipi | Anyone sending 3 or fewer invoices a month, or happy with Starter |
| Invoice Simple | Someone who wants the simplest possible app and will check the ATO output themselves |
| Rounded | Freelancers who want invoicing, expenses and tax estimates in one AU app |
| Hnry | Sole traders who want to never think about tax, and earn enough that 1% beats an accountant |
| Square Invoices | Tradies whose customers tap a card on the spot |
| Dinkum Invoice (ours) | Sole traders who just need correct invoices out the door fast |
Not registered for GST yet? Most of these apps assume you are. Check the app can print a plain “Invoice” with no GST line, or start with the free sole trader invoice template, which has a no-GST version.
How to choose
Match the app to the job, not the ads
Need payroll, bank feeds or an accountant working in your file? Xero. It’s the real thing; pay for it if you use it. Want your entire tax handled and don’t mind a percentage? Hnry has a genuine model. Customers pay by card at the job? Square’s flow suits you, but audit its output against the ATO checklist first.
Just need to send invoices and stay ATO-compliant? That’s the gap we’re building for: unlimited free invoices with the nine ATO checks automatic, a $9/mo BAS layer price-locked for life, and a seven-clause covenant that makes the anti-bait-and-switch promises in writing. Deeper dives: vs Bookipi, vs Invoice Simple, vs Xero, cancelling MYOB. Run a team and paying for job-management software? See what users say about the Tradify, Fergus and simPRO price rises.
Fair questions
FAQ
What is the best invoice app for a sole trader in Australia?
It depends on what else you need. If invoicing is the whole job, a dedicated invoice app costs $0 to $10 a month and will produce a correct ATO Tax Invoice. If you also need payroll, bank feeds or an accountant working in your file, Xero or MYOB Business earn their higher price. If you want your tax handled end to end, Hnry's percentage model is built for sole traders. The table above puts each vendor's September 2026 price next to who it suits.
What is the best invoice app for tradesmen in Australia?
For a sole-trader tradie who quotes, does the job and invoices, the things that matter are: ATO-correct output (the words Tax Invoice, your ABN, GST per line), a licence number field, materials and labour on separate lines, and no invoice cap. Job-management apps like Tradify, Fergus and simPRO add scheduling and crews on top, at a much higher monthly price; see our price-increase pages for those if you run a team.
What's the best free invoice app in Australia?
Be careful with 'free'. As at September 2026 Bookipi's free plan is capped at 3 invoices a month, Invoice Simple sells several paid tiers from $9.99 a month on the App Store, and Square Invoices is free to send but charges a card processing fee when the customer pays. Check current limits before building your records in any app, and check the app can produce a proper ATO Tax Invoice. Our free tax invoice generator has no cap and no account.
Do I need Xero as a sole trader?
Only if you use its accounting depth: payroll, bank feeds, inventory, or an accountant who works in it daily. As at September 2026 Xero's cheapest listed Australian plan, Grow, is $78 a month. If your usage is 'send invoices, track GST for BAS', that is a lot of software for the job. See our Xero alternative for sole traders page.
Which invoice apps work with Australian GST and BAS?
The Australian-built ones (MYOB, Xero, Rounded, Hnry, Dinkum Invoice) all understand GST, the July to June financial year and the BAS. US-built apps such as Invoice Simple and Square can print an invoice with a 10% tax line, but you should check the output against the ATO's tax invoice requirements: the words Tax Invoice, your ABN, and GST per line or a 'total includes GST' statement.
Is this comparison biased? You make one of these apps.
We're upfront: Dinkum Invoice is ours. The comparison sticks to verifiable facts (each vendor's published pricing page as fetched in September 2026, documented limits, public reviews) and tells you honestly who each competitor is right for; several rows recommend other apps.
Try the honest one first
Create your Dinkum Invoice account: free ATO-correct invoice template today, founding $9/mo price lock from day one.