- The invoice built from the signed estimate, sent when you tap done, not that night, and paid at the door by card, apple pay or google pay matter most.
- Koira covers it with no per-person fee: invoices and online payments (Office (free)); deposits at signing (Office, at signing); invoices in stages (Deposit, midpoint and final invoices).
- Prices and card rates for FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Joist are from each company's own pages.
What invoice app does
Most invoice apps are built for people who bill from a desk. A contractor bills from a driveway: the job is done, the customer is standing there, and the best time to get paid is right now.
So the invoice app that fits a trade business builds the invoice from the estimate, sends it the moment you finish, and lets the customer pay on their own phone by card, phone wallet or pay over time. Deposits and staged invoices matter as much as the final.
What to look for
- The invoice built from the signed estimate
- Sent when you tap done, not that night
- Paid at the door by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay
- Deposits at signing
- Staged invoices on bigger jobs
- Pay over time for big tickets
- A clear card rate, on both sides
- Who owes you, at a glance
How Koira does it
In Koira the invoice is built from the signed estimate and your price list and goes out when you tap done, on every plan including the free one. The same invoice opens as a QR code on your phone, so the customer pays at the door by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or pay over time through Affirm or Klarna. The receipt goes by text.
Deposits are paid at signing, and bigger jobs bill in stages, deposit, midpoint and final, as you mark each one done. Money shows what is paid, due and late, and on Grow Koira syncs invoices, payments and deposits to QuickBooks Online as they happen. Card payments are Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ plus Koira's share, 2% on Office, 1% on Grow and 0.5% on Front Office.
Side by side
Where each feature first appears on each company's public pricing page, then the people, usage, card and add-on rows every company gets. It is not a full feature list for anyone, including us.
| What you need | Koira | FreshBooks | QuickBooks | Joist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoices and online payments | Office (free) | Lite | Free (2 a month), Simple Start | Basics |
| Deposits at signing | Office, at signing | Not listed | Not listed | Basics (deposit and milestone payments) |
| Invoices in stages | Deposit, midpoint and final invoices | Not listed | Not listed | Basics (milestone payments) |
| Paid on the spot | Office, QR code at the door, 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe) plus 0.5% to 2% (Koira) a payment | Not listed | Not listed | Basics |
| Customer financing | On the pay page, every plan | Buy now, pay later listed | Not listed | Basics (homeowner financing) |
| Recurring service plans | Front Office | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| QuickBooks Online sync | Grow | It is its own accounting | It is QuickBooks | Pro |
| Day-before reminders | Office, the day before | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Customer page or portal | Office (free) | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| People, usage and card fees | ||||
| Extra people | No per-person fee; one or fifteen people, the same price | $11 a month per team member | Move up a plan | Not published |
| Usage or credits | None on Office, at cost on Grow, included on Front Office | Billable clients: 5 on Lite, 50 on Plus, unlimited on Premium and Select | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments | None on the pricing page |
| Card payments | 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe) plus 2%, 1% or 0.5% by plan (Koira) | 2.9% + 30¢ a card, ACH 1% | 2.99% on invoices, 2.5% in person, 3.5% keyed in, ACH 1% | 3.49% + 49¢ online, 2.79% + 49¢ Tap to Pay, 1% bank (capped at $15) |
| Add-ons | None; postcards are a flat price per card | Advanced Payments $20 a month, Payroll $40 a month plus $6 per person | Payroll, sold separately | AI Receptionist from $49 a month |
From FreshBooks pricing and QuickBooks Online pricing, checked October 9, 2026; Joist pricing, checked October 8, 2026. Joist's monthly prices fill in by script, so we read them in a real browser. Its newest plan, Run, was at an introductory 30% off when we checked. A cell names the lowest plan that lists the feature; "Not listed" means we did not see it, so ask. Prices change often, so check the page before you buy.
What each one costs
Every plan in the same columns: price, people, usage, card rates and add-ons. Koira has no per-person fee on any plan, and Office costs nothing a month.
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | People included | Usage or credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koira | ||||
| Office | $0, free | Monthly, no contract | One or fifteen, the same price | None charged on Office |
| Grow | $249 a month | Monthly, no contract | One or fifteen, the same price | Texts, call minutes and emails at cost, nothing added |
| Front Office | $499 a month, flat | Monthly, no contract | One or fifteen, the same price | Included in the $499 |
| FreshBooks | ||||
| Lite | $23 a month | No yearly price published; the page showed a first-year offer | The owner | 5 billable clients |
| Plus | $43 a month | No yearly price published; the page showed a first-year offer | The owner | 50 billable clients |
| Premium | $70 a month | No yearly price published; the page showed a first-year offer | The owner | Unlimited billable clients |
| Select | Priced on request | No yearly price published; the page showed a first-year offer | 2 team members included | Unlimited billable clients |
| QuickBooks Online | ||||
| Free | $0 | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 1 user | 2 invoices a month unless QuickBooks Payments is on |
| Simple Start | $38 a month | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 1 user, 2 accountants | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments |
| Essentials | $85 a month | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 3 users | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments |
| Plus | $140 a month | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 5 users | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments |
| Advanced | $340 a month | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 25 users | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments |
| Joist | ||||
| Basics | $10 a month | $8.34 a month billed yearly | Not stated | Up to 5 documents a month |
| Pro | $17 a month | $14.17 a month billed yearly | Not stated | None on the pricing page |
| Elite | $32 a month | $26.67 a month billed yearly | Not stated | None on the pricing page |
| Run | $70 a month (introductory, $100 regular) | $58.33 a month billed yearly | Not stated | None on the pricing page |
What comes on top: people, card payments and add-ons
| Company | Each extra person | Card payments | Add-ons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koira | No per-person fee on any plan | 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe) plus 2% on Office, 1% on Grow, 0.5% on Front Office (Koira); on Office that share replaces a monthly fee | None; postcards are a flat price per card |
| FreshBooks | $11 a month per team member | 2.9% + 30¢ a card, ACH 1% | Advanced Payments $20 a month, Payroll $40 a month plus $6 per person |
| QuickBooks Online | Move up a plan | 2.99% on invoices, 2.5% in person, 3.5% keyed in, ACH 1% | Payroll, sold separately |
| Joist | Not published | 3.49% + 49¢ online, 2.79% + 49¢ Tap to Pay, 1% bank (capped at $15) | AI Receptionist from $49 a month |
From FreshBooks pricing and QuickBooks Online pricing, checked October 9, 2026; Joist pricing, checked October 8, 2026. Joist's monthly prices fill in by script, so we read them in a real browser. Its newest plan, Run, was at an introductory 30% off when we checked. A cell names the lowest plan that lists the feature; "Not listed" means we did not see it, so ask. Prices change often, so check the page before you buy.
Card rates as each company publishes them (also QuickBooks Payments rates, Joist Payments), checked October 9, 2026. Koira's is Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ for a US card plus Koira's share, which pays for Office in place of a monthly fee.
How to choose
If you keep your own books and bill a handful of clients, an accounting app with invoicing may be enough. If you bill from the driveway, look at how the invoice gets sent and paid on site, and compare the card rate you will actually pay.
Koira's plans and prices are on one page, and Office is free with no time limit.
Sources, each checked October 9, 2026: FreshBooks pricing, QuickBooks Online pricing, QuickBooks Payments rates, Joist pricing (checked October 8, 2026), Joist Payments, Stripe pricing, and Koira pricing. We read each page's own text; we did not use summaries or third-party price lists.