Comparison · Invoicing
Best invoicing app for an owner-operator
General information for Saskatchewan and Alberta, checked November 14, 2026. It isn't tax, legal or accounting advice. Your situation may differ, so confirm with CRA, the Ministry of Finance or an accountant before you rely on it.
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Pick by situation, not by feature list:
| Your situation | Start with | List price |
|---|---|---|
| New, under $30,000, few invoices | Wave Starter | $0 |
| Billing 5 or fewer contractors regularly | FreshBooks Lite | $26 CAD/mo |
| Your accountant uses QuickBooks, or you'll hire soon | QuickBooks Online Lite or EasyStart | $20 / $30 CAD/mo |
| Residential jobs with quotes, bookings and reminders | Jobber Core | US$49/mo, or US$29/mo billed annually (US$348/yr up front) |
What your invoice has to show
Your customers can only claim back the GST you charge if your invoice has the right details. For a sale of $500 or more, CRA lists:
- Your business or trading name
- The invoice date
- The total amount
- The GST charged (or a statement that the price includes it) (required from $100)
- Your GST/HST registration number (required from $100)
- The customer's name or trading name
- A brief description of the work
- The payment terms
Source: CRA, Input tax credits: information requirements, checked November 14, 2026.
For Saskatchewan real-property work, also show PST as its own line. If you're a sub working PST-free, write the contractor's vendor's licence number on the invoice. (PST-12, sections C and H)
Day tickets: if a contractor signs your daily hours ticket, attach it or put the ticket number on the invoice. It helps avoid arguments over hours.
The picks in a bit more detail
Wave Starter: free
Unlimited estimates, invoices and bookkeeping records. Card payments are optional at 2.9% + $0.60 per card. You enter bank transactions yourself, because auto-import is on Pro ($250 CAD a year, billed annually). (Wave pricing)
FreshBooks Lite: simple, client-capped
$26 CAD a month, up to 5 billable clients, with estimates, expense tracking and card or pre-authorized debit payments. Plus ($42) raises the cap to 50 and adds receipt scanning. There's a 30-day free trial with no card needed. (FreshBooks pricing)
QuickBooks Online: full books
Lite starts at $20 CAD a month and EasyStart at $30, for 1 user plus a free accountant seat. Automated bank feeds are listed on EasyStart and up. You get either a 30-day trial or a buy-now discount, not both. (QuickBooks Canada pricing)
Jobber Core: if you quote and book residential jobs
Online booking, quotes, invoices with online payments, a basic website and reporting. Automated reminders and QuickBooks Online sync start on Connect (US$139/mo, or US$99/mo billed annually — US$1,188/yr up front). There's a 14-day free trial of the Grow plan, no card needed. (Jobber pricing) If you bill hourly to two or three general contractors, Jobber is probably more than you need.
Don't overbuy
An owner-operator billing a few contractors by the hour needs three things: clean invoices with GST (and PST in SK), a record of who's paid, and numbers your accountant can use. Start with the cheapest app that does those, and move up when you add people or residential customers.
Not a hands-on test yet. Based on vendors' public pricing and plan pages. See how we review.