Invoice2go alternative for UK builders: EstiMate vs Invoice2go

Invoice2go is a capable invoice app, and it does a couple of UK things properly that we couldn't find in some other invoice apps, including the domestic reverse charge. If you're a sole trader whose work is mostly one-off jobs, it's a fair choice.

A builder's problem with it isn't the invoice. It's everything around the invoice. Signatures come through SignRequest or Esignly. The accounts live in QuickBooks, Xero, FreeAgent or MYOB. Time tracking links out to TSheets, TimeTac or timr. CIS and variations we couldn't find at all. EstiMate puts the price, the contract, the variations, the invoices and the accounts figures in one app, at one price per business.

So: one-off jobs and a phone, Invoice2go is fine. Projects with stages, extras and subbies, read on.

What Invoice2go gets right

Invoice2go started in Australia in 2002 (Wikipedia) and is owned by BILL (SEC filing). It's mobile-first and well liked: 4.8 out of 5 from about 17,000 to 18,000 ratings on the UK App Store (App Store).

Two features stand out for UK trades:

• A per-item reverse-charge toggle that adds the mandatory tax note to the invoice (reverse charge help).
• Deposit requests on estimates, as a percentage or a fixed sum. Once the client pays, the estimate becomes an invoice by itself (deposit requests).

It also produces MTD-compatible sales and expense reports for UK customers, though we didn't find VAT filing from the app (MTD reports).

One app, or Invoice2go plus an app for each gap

Here's how the job of running a building project splits up.

Invoice2go's integrations are listed on its integrations site, including FreeAgent. Clients approve an estimate in a web view rather than signing it (estimate approval). "Not found" means we searched Invoice2go's site and help centre in October 2026 and found nothing; it isn't proof the feature is missing.

To be fair to Invoice2go, a direct link to your accounting package is a real strength. EstiMate's accounts are built in, but its Xero and QuickBooks exports are files, not a live sync, and it doesn't file VAT returns to HMRC. If your accountant wants your invoices going straight into Xero, that counts.

The contract and the extras

A lot of money on a building job is lost in the gap between what the client thinks they agreed and what you priced. EstiMate closes that gap in two steps.

First, the accepted quote becomes a contract with payment terms, delays, responsibilities, insurance, guarantee and dispute wording, and the client signs it online. See construction contract software.

Second, extras are priced from site as variations. The client approves with one tap, and the contract total, invoices and reports update with an audit trail. Say the client on an illustrative kitchen extension asks for underfloor heating in week four. With Invoice2go we couldn't find a variations feature, so you'd be handling it outside the app. In EstiMate it's a signed addendum before the screed goes down. More on variation order software.

CIS: the gap that matters for subbies

In the Invoice2go help articles we found, CIS only comes up as a condition for using the reverse charge. We couldn't find CIS deductions on invoices. If you're a subbie and the main contractor deducts 20% from your labour, your invoice should show it.

EstiMate handles CIS deductions on the invoice and keeps a CIS register, alongside the P&L, VAT return figures and aged debtors in the Accounts tab. It prepares the figures; it doesn't file CIS or VAT returns to HMRC.

What Invoice2go costs

Invoice2go's pricing page shows US dollars, "starting at $5.99 per month", with Starter at about 30 invoices a year, Professional at about 100 plus the QuickBooks and Xero integrations, and Premium unlimited with recurring invoices. The copy we could see was about six months old.

In pounds, a UK comparison site, mobiletransaction.org, reported around January 2026: Starter £4.99 a month, Professional £7.99 (or £6.67 billed annually) and Premium £29.99 (or £25 billed annually), with smaller invoice allowances on Starter and Professional than the vendor page above. We couldn't confirm these on Invoice2go's site, and neither source says whether VAT is included. Prices checked October 2026.

Run those third-party figures over a year:

• Invoice2go Professional, billed annually: £6.67 × 12 = £80.04.
• Invoice2go Premium, billed annually: £25 × 12 = £300.
• EstiMate: £15.99 × 12 = £191.88, per business, no tie-in.
• EstiMate Pro: £39.99 × 12 = £479.88.

On paper, Invoice2go Professional is cheaper than EstiMate. The difference is what's inside: a contract, variations, CIS and the accounts figures, which in Invoice2go come from other products or which we couldn't find.

Reviews and complaints

Invoice2go scores 4.3 out of 5 from about 275 reviews on Capterra (Capterra) and 4 out of 5 from about 3,000 on Trustpilot (Trustpilot). Recurring complaints include subscription price rises (one reviewer's annual price went from $35.99 to $53.98) and, on Trustpilot, trouble cancelling, auto-renewals, and invoices deleted or zeroed after saving.

Who Invoice2go suits

• Sole traders doing one-off jobs who mainly need a quick invoice and a deposit.
• VAT-registered subbies who need the reverse charge but whose CIS is handled elsewhere.
• Anyone whose accountant wants invoices flowing straight into QuickBooks, Xero or FreeAgent.

If you're only choosing between phone invoice apps, our Invoice Simple vs Invoice2go comparison covers that head to head.

Who EstiMate suits

• Builders and contractors with jobs that run for weeks and change as they go.
• Firms with CIS subbies, or who work as subbies themselves.
• Anyone who wants the quote, contract, variations, invoices and accounts figures in one app.

How to switch

1. Start EstiMate on the free plan: three jobs a month, no card, no time limit.
2. Get your client list out of Invoice2go (check its help centre for whether and how it exports) and add your customers in EstiMate.
3. On Pro, import your old quotes and paper quote books with AI, so your past prices are there from day one.
4. Move to the £15.99 plan when you're ready to send quote links, contracts and invoices. Finish open invoices in Invoice2go, then cancel it and keep the confirmation.

Your next job, in one app: start free.