Invoicing Compared
Public list prices as of 2026-10-01.
For pool and lawn route businesses: each property gets one monthly invoice — the recurring service amount plus extras for that period — charged once on your date. Clients and properties stay separate. Pricing follows the active recurring templates you bill, not clients or seats, and staff logins do not add a fee. One-off invoices are unlimited. Card charges run on your connected Stripe account; there is no FlexInvoice platform fee on card charges.
Dollar rows below are public subscription list prices. Whether another tool puts extras on the same card charge is not published here — not a guessed No.
One combined charge. Active recurring templates, not clients or seats.
At a Glance
The basics — not full ladders. FlexInvoice first. Dollars are USD monthly list unless a footnote says otherwise.
| Product | Starts At | You Pay When… | What Counts Toward the Cap | One Combined Recurring + Incidentals Charge? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FlexInvoice | $0 Always Free | You add active recurring templates past 3, in packs of 10 billed slots1 | Active recurring templates (paused/ended do not count; one-offs unlimited)1 | Yes |
| FreshBooks | $23 Lite (USD monthly list)3 | You exceed the billable-client cap, or add team members ($11/mo)2,3 | Billable clients (Lite 5 · Plus 50 · Premium unlimited)2,13 | Not published11 |
| QuickBooks Online | $38 Simple Start (monthly list)4,5 | You need more billable users or a higher feature tier4 | Billable users (1 / 3 / 5 / 25). Free: 2 invoices/mo unless Payments.4 | Not published11 |
| Jobber | $49 Core (monthly, no commitment, 1 user)6 | You pick a higher feature tier or a larger user band6,7 | Users and plan features — not invoice count7 | Not published11 |
| Housecall Pro | $79 Basic (monthly, 1 user)9 | You pick a higher feature tier or add users7,8,9 | Users and plan features — not invoice count. Recurring Service Plans on Max.7,8 | Not published8,11 |
| Wave | $0 Starter · $19 Pro10 | You want Pro automation, or you collect cards (processing is separate)10 | No public client or invoice cap on Starter or Pro10 | Not published11 |
Where FlexInvoice Fits
Same active-recurring-template counts, different meters. Typical competitor list is the published SKU a merchant would open for a comparable footprint — or a footnote when there is no clean public equivalent. List prices as of 2026-10-01.
| When | FlexInvoice | Typical List for a Comparable Footprint | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 active recurring templates | $0 Always Free (3 slots)1 | FreshBooks Lite $23 list (5 billable clients) · Wave Starter $0 / Pro $19 · QBO Simple Start $38 (1 user) · Jobber Core $49 monthly · Housecall Pro Basic $79 monthly3,4,6,7,9,10 | $23 less than FreshBooks Lite list. Same $0 subscription as Wave Starter (processing still billed). QBO, Jobber, and Housecall Pro are not invoice-count SKUs.4,7,10,12,13 |
| 13 active recurring templates | $5 (10 billed + 3 free = 13)1 | FreshBooks Plus $43 list (Lite caps at 5 clients) · Wave Starter $0 / Pro $19 · QBO Simple Start $38 (still 1 user) · Jobber / Housecall Pro: no invoice-count SKU2,3,4,7,10,13 | $38 less than FreshBooks Plus list. Wave Starter is still $0 / Pro $19. Seat-priced tools do not have a public 13-invoice row.7,10,13 |
| 23 active recurring templates | $10 (20 billed + 3 free = 23)1 | FreshBooks Plus $43 list (50-client cap) · Wave Starter $0 / Pro $19 · QBO Essentials $85 if a third user is required · Jobber / Housecall Pro: no invoice-count SKU3,4,7,10,13 | $33 less than FreshBooks Plus list. Wave Starter $0 / Pro $19. QBO only moves if you need more users, not because you added invoices.4,7,10,13 |
| 53 active recurring templates | $25 (50 billed + 3 free = 53)1 | FreshBooks Premium $70 list if 53 billable clients (Plus is 50) · Wave Starter $0 / Pro $19 · QBO Plus $140 if five users · Jobber / Housecall Pro: no invoice-count SKU2,3,4,7,10,13 | $45 less than FreshBooks Premium list when client count matches. If 53 invoices sit on fewer than 51 FreshBooks clients, Plus may still fit — different meter.7,10,13 |
- The FlexInvoice meter is active recurring templates, not clients and not seats.
- Always Free covers 3. Capacity is $5 per 10 billed slots; the 3 free slots stay.
- One-off invoices are included and do not occupy slots.
- Stripe card fees on Connect are a separate bill from Capacity. There is no FlexInvoice platform fee on card charges.
How the Bill Is Built
Products meter different things. The unit you grow is the unit you pay.
| Product | Meter | What Grows the Bill |
|---|---|---|
| FlexInvoice | Active recurring slots | Each additional 10 billed active recurring templates is $5/month. The 3 free slots stay additive (10 billed → 13 total).1 |
| FreshBooks | Billable clients | Lite → Plus at 6 clients; Plus → Premium at 51. Extra seats $11/mo on published plans. Select is quote-only.2,3 |
| QuickBooks Online | Seats (users) | Simple Start 1 user · Essentials 3 · Plus 5 · Advanced 25. The sixth login on Plus is a move to Advanced on the public page — not a per-seat add-on line.4 |
| Jobber | Seats + feature tier | Core / Connect / Grow / Plus, then user bands (1 / 5 / 10 / 15). No public price per active recurring template.6,7 |
| Housecall Pro | Seats + feature tier | Basic 1 user · Essentials 5 · Max 8 then +$35/user. Recurring Service Plans on Max. Essentials extra-user price not published.7,8,9 |
| Wave | Feature tier (Starter vs Pro) | Starter stays $0. Pro is $19 USD/mo per business for bank import, receipts, reminders, extra users. Invoice count does not raise the subscription. Card processing is a separate bill.10 |
Price Ladders
Public monthly list as of 2026-10-01. Promos and trials are labeled. No invented competitor tiers.
| Product | Monthly List | What the List Buys | Promo / Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| FlexInvoice | $0 · $5 · $10 · $15 · … | Always Free: 3 active recurring templates, 3 emails/month. Capacity: $5 per 10 billed slots plus 3 free. One-offs included.1 | Always Free is $0 forever (no card required). Capacity is optional at $5 per 10 billed slots. |
| FreshBooks | $23 / $43 / $70 · Select quote3 | Lite 5 billable clients · Plus 50 · Premium unlimited. 1 user included; extra seats $11/mo. Recurring invoices listed; double-entry reports from Plus.2,3 | 30-day trial (no card). Solopreneur Lite $1/mo for one year; 80% off Plus/Premium for 3 months on the date checked.3 |
| QuickBooks Online | $0 Free · $38 / $85 / $140 / $3404,5 | Free: 1 user, 2 invoices/mo unless Payments. Simple Start 1 user · Essentials 3 · Plus 5 · Advanced 25, plus accounting features by tier.4 | 50% off for 3 months on paid plans. 30-day trial on paid plans.5 |
| Jobber | Core $49 (1) · Connect $139 (1) · Grow $199 (1) · Plus $499 (5)6 | Monthly, no commitment. Core: quotes, invoices, payments, 1 user. Connect adds auto-pay and QBO sync. Grow adds two-way SMS, job costing, optional line items. Plus starts at 5 users on the public grid. Annual prepaid is lower (Core $29).6 | 14-day trial, no card. Annual and 1-year-commitment columns are cheaper than monthly no-commitment.6 |
| Housecall Pro | $79 / $189 / $3299 | Basic 1 user · Essentials 5 (QBO sync) · Max 8 (Recurring Service Plans, proposals, API). Annual: $59 / $149 / $299. Card processing “as low as 2.59%”; ACH 1%.8,9 | 14-day Max trial, no card. |
| Wave | $0 Starter · $19 Pro10 | Starter: unlimited invoices, estimates, bookkeeping records. Pro: bank auto-import, receipt capture, late-payment reminders, extra users, discounted card fixed fee on the first 10 charges/month.10 | Starter is free (not a trial). Pro list $19/mo. No Pro free trial stated.10 |
Capabilities
Narrow rows for route work. This is not a full feature matrix. Disputed cells are footnoted, not guessed.
| Product | Clients ≠ Properties | Recurring + Incidentals, One Charge | Auto-Charge / Smart Retries | Client Portal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FlexInvoice | Yes — required on every recurring template | Yes — one period total, one card hit | Yes — account default; Stripe Smart Retries | Yes — Client Portal |
| FreshBooks | Clients only on the public matrix (no first-class properties) | Not published11 | Card storage / charge listed; plan checkmarks not shown on the public pricing page11 | Client Account Portal listed |
| QuickBooks Online | Customers / jobs; not FlexInvoice properties | Not published11 | QuickBooks Payments listed; retries not on the pricing page | Invoice pay links listed; a named client portal is not |
| Jobber | Clients and jobs; properties as FlexInvoice uses them not named | Not published11 | Collect payments automatically listed from Connect | Client Hub listed on Core (booking and payment) |
| Housecall Pro | Customers and jobs; properties as FlexInvoice uses them not named | Not published8,11 | Invoices, payments, and reminders listed; Smart Retries not named | Online booking and pay listed on every plan |
| Wave | Customers; no first-class properties | Not published11 | Pro markets automatic card payments on recurring invoices | Pay through emailed invoices / links; a named client portal is not |
| Product | Staff | Late Fees | Needs Action | Bookkeeper CSV | General Ledger? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FlexInvoice | Yes — owner invites; no per-seat fee | Yes — opt-in in Settings | Yes — failed cards and aging | Yes — paid and open invoices, recurring vs incidentals | No |
| FreshBooks | 1 user included; $11/mo each. Select includes 2. | Scheduled Late Fees listed; plan marks not extractable | Not published as a named worklist | Accounting reports; this CSV not published | Double-entry reports from Plus |
| QuickBooks Online | 1 / 3 / 5 / 25 billable users by plan | Not listed on the pricing page | Not published as a named worklist | Books and reports — this is the ledger, not a CSV export of one charge | Yes |
| Jobber | 1 user on Core; Connect/Grow/Plus sell user bands | Not listed on the pricing page | Not published as a named worklist | QBO sync from Connect; this CSV not published | No — field service; books via QBO sync |
| Housecall Pro | 1 / 5 / 8 users; Max +$35 extra. Essentials extra-user price not published. | Not listed on the pricing page | Not published as a named worklist | QBO sync from Essentials; this CSV not published | No — field service; books via QBO sync |
| Wave | Pro: add users. Starter collaborators are limited on current Wave plan copy. | Pro: automated late-payment reminders (not a fee engine on the pricing page) | Not published as a named worklist | Books and reports; this CSV not published | Yes — bookkeeping / accounting |
Gotchas
FreshBooks Client Caps
Lite is 5 billable clients, Plus is 50, and archived clients still count until deleted. The sixth client is Plus at $43 USD monthly list, not Lite at $23. Intro $1 Lite pricing is a promo, not list.
QuickBooks Online Is Accounting-First
QBO is a general ledger priced per user. Free allows 2 invoices per month unless Payments is on. Paid plans do not sell “53 recurring templates.” Compare it as books, not as a slot meter.
Jobber and Housecall Pro Are Sales Ladders
Both sell feature tiers and seats. Jobber’s $29 Core is annual prepaid; monthly no-commitment Core is $49. Housecall Pro’s $59 Basic is billed annually; monthly Basic is $79. Recurring Service Plans are a Max line on Housecall Pro. Neither publishes an invoice-count price.
Wave Free Is Not Processing
Starter is $0 for unlimited invoices. Cards still cost 2.9% + $0.60 (Amex 3.4% + $0.60). Pro at $19 USD/mo buys automation and a cheaper fixed fee on the first 10 card charges each month — not a client cap.
Stripe Fees Are Separate on Connect
There is no FlexInvoice platform fee on card charges. Capacity is the FlexInvoice subscription. Card processing is Stripe’s bill on the connected account (US online domestic cards list 2.9% + 30¢ as of the date checked). Capacity does not include or replace those fees.
Always Free for 3 active recurring templates.
No card for Always Free. Capacity is $5 per 10 billed slots plus those 3 free slots. One combined charge on your connected Stripe account. There is no FlexInvoice platform fee on card charges.
Sources
Prices checked 2026-10-01 (America/New_York) on each company’s public pricing page. A blank cell means the page did not list it.
- FlexInvoice meters active recurring templates. Paused and ended templates do not occupy a slot. One-off invoices are unlimited and do not occupy slots. Extra email packs ($5 per 100, only at ≥90% utilization on Capacity) do not add slots.
- FreshBooks billable-client caps count active and archived clients until they are deleted (FreshBooks pricing FAQ on that page).
- FreshBooks public pricing currently leads with intro rates (Lite $1/mo for the first year; Plus/Premium shown at 80% off for 3 months). USD monthly list on the same page and the 2026 FAQ is Lite $23, Plus $43, Premium $70. Select is quote-only.
- QuickBooks Online paid plans are priced per billable user and feature tier, not per recurring template. Free is $0 with 2 invoices per month unless QuickBooks Payments is enabled (unlimited invoices if Payments qualifies). That is not a clean match for 3 / 13 / 23 / 53 active recurring templates.
- QuickBooks Online 50% off for 3 months is a new-customer promo. Monthly list on 2026-10-01: Simple Start $38, Essentials $85, Plus $140, Advanced $340.
- Jobber’s public headline “from $29/mo” is Core billed annually. Monthly no-commitment list on the same page starts at Core $49 (1 user). Jobber does not publish an invoice-count SKU.
- Jobber and Housecall Pro publish seat bands and feature tiers. There is no public list price for “N active recurring templates,” so scenario cells cite the lowest published monthly list for a small crew and mark the mismatch.
- Housecall Pro lists Recurring Service Plans under Max only. Essentials extra-user price is not published on the public pricing page. Max extra users list +$35/mo.
- Housecall Pro marketing floor $59/mo is Basic billed annually (1 user). Monthly list on the same page is Basic $79, Essentials $189, Max $329.
- Wave Starter is $0 for unlimited invoices. That is not free card processing (2.9% + $0.60; Amex 3.4% + $0.60). Pro is $19 USD/mo list for automation/bookkeeping, not a client or invoice cap.
- Competitors publish recurring invoices, jobs, or retainers. They do not publish “recurring amount plus incidentals as one card charge” the way FlexInvoice does. Those cells are Not published — not a guessed No.
- Stripe processing on FlexInvoice is billed by Stripe on the merchant’s connected account (direct charges). There is no FlexInvoice platform fee on card charges. US online domestic cards list 2.9% + 30¢ on stripe.com/pricing as of the date checked. Those fees are not the Capacity subscription.
- A FreshBooks client can hold several properties in the real world but still counts as one billable client. FlexInvoice occupies one slot per active recurring template (each template names a client and a property). Do not treat client count and slot count as the same number.
- FlexInvoice Help and platform billing · Checked 2026-10-01 · Always Free 3 slots; Capacity $5 per 10 billed slots plus 3 free additive; one-offs unlimited.
- FreshBooks Pricing · Checked 2026-10-01 · USD monthly list shown as Was $23 / $43 / $70 behind Solopreneur intro rates. Billable clients 5 / 50 / unlimited / unlimited (Select). Extra team members $11/mo. 30-day trial.
- FreshBooks 2026 price-change FAQ (USD list) · Checked 2026-10-01 · USD list Lite $23/mo, Plus $43/mo, Premium $70/mo (annual 10% off). Client-limit FAQ: archived clients count until deleted.
- QuickBooks Online Pricing · Checked 2026-10-01 · Free $0 (1 user, 2 invoices/mo unless Payments). Simple Start $38, Essentials $85, Plus $140, Advanced $340 monthly list. Promo 50% off 3 months. Users 1 / 3 / 5 / 25. 30-day trial on paid plans.
- Jobber Pricing · Checked 2026-10-01 · Monthly no-commitment list: Core $49 (1 user); Connect $139 (1) / $199 (5) / $299 (10) / $399 (15); Grow $199 (1) / $299 (5) / $399 (10) / $499 (15); Plus $499 (5) / $599 (10) / $699 (15). Marketing floor $29/mo is Core billed annually. 14-day trial, no card.
- Housecall Pro Pricing · Checked 2026-10-01 · Basic $79 monthly / $59 billed annually (1 user). Essentials $189 / $149 (5 users). Max $329 / $299 (8 users, +$35/user). Recurring Service Plans listed under Max only. Essentials extra-user price not published on the public page. 14-day Max trial, no card. Card processing 'as low as 2.59%'; ACH 1%.
- Wave Pricing (Starter and Pro) · Checked 2026-10-01 · Starter $0, unlimited invoices/estimates. Visible Pro card $19 USD/mo list ($190/year). Starter cards 2.9% + $0.60 (Amex 3.4% + $0.60). Pro drops the fixed fee on the first 10 card transactions/month, then the Starter rate returns. Page source still contained a $9.50/3-month remnant; not treated as a live offer.
- Wave Pro Plan · Checked 2026-10-01 · Pro $19 USD/mo or $190/year. Recurring billing, reminders, bank import, unlimited users claimed on this page.
- Stripe Pricing · Checked 2026-10-01 · US online domestic cards 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction. FlexInvoice uses Stripe Connect direct charges; processing is Stripe’s bill on the connected account, not Capacity.