TradesBill vs Invoice2go — which is better for Australian tradies?

If you're searching for an Invoice2go alternative for Australia, you've probably hit one of two walls: the invoice caps on Invoice2go's cheaper plans, or the monthly subscription bill turning up on a job where you barely used the app. This guide compares TradesBill and Invoice2go head-to-head on the things that actually matter to a working tradie — price, GST handling, invoice limits, and offline reliability.

We build the free invoice app for tradies this article compares, so we're not pretending to be neutral. But every price and feature claim below is something you can verify yourself on Invoice2go's own pricing page.

TradesBill vs Invoice2go — feature comparison table

Pricing — the real difference

Invoice2go runs a tiered subscription model: Starter, Professional, and Premium. The Starter plan is $5.99/month billed monthly (or $59.99/year) but caps you at 2 invoices a month on the monthly plan, or roughly 30 a year if you pay annually. Need more than that? You're pushed to the Professional plan at $9.99/month, which still only allows around 100 invoices a year — call it 5 a month. Truly unlimited invoicing only arrives on the Premium plan, which can run up to $44.99/month.

For a tradie sending 15–30 invoices a month across multiple jobs, that pricing structure means either paying for the top tier or constantly bumping against a cap mid-quarter. TradesBill has no invoice cap on any plan — the free plan covers unlimited invoices, quotes, and clients from day one.

GST and ABN handling

This is where the two apps diverge the most. Invoice2go is a general-purpose invoicing app built for a global market — the US, UK, and Australia all use the same underlying platform. That means Australian GST isn't a native concept; you configure a generic "tax rate" yourself and have to remember to apply it consistently, and there's no built-in prompt to label an invoice "Tax Invoice" the way the ATO requires.

TradesBill was built for Australian tradies specifically. GST is a first-class field — turn it on, and every invoice automatically calculates the 10% GST amount, shows it as a separate line, and labels the document correctly for ATO compliance. If you're not sure how the GST maths works, we've broken it down in our guide to how to calculate GST on an invoice.

Offline reliability on-site

Most tradies aren't invoicing from a co-working space with fibre internet — you're in a roof cavity, a basement, or a regional job site with patchy or no reception. Invoice2go, like most cloud-first invoicing apps, depends heavily on a live connection to sync and save your work reliably.

TradesBill is built offline-first. You can create a quote, build an invoice, add line items, and save everything with zero signal — it syncs automatically the next time you're connected. If you invoice from vehicles, remote sites, or areas with dead spots, this is the difference between finishing the paperwork on-site or carrying it home to do later.

Ease of use for a one-person operation

Invoice2go has grown into a broader small-business platform since being acquired by BILL, adding features aimed at larger teams — multi-user access, more complex reporting, integrations with accounting software. That's useful if you're running a team with a bookkeeper, but it adds setup overhead if you're a sole trader who just wants to send a clean invoice after a job.

TradesBill stays deliberately simple: create a quote or invoice, add your line items, hit send. There's no onboarding flow to configure tax rates, currencies, or templates before your first invoice looks right for an Australian job.

When Invoice2go might still make sense

To be fair, Invoice2go isn't a bad app — it's a mature, well-established platform with a long track record and broader international features. If you regularly invoice clients in the US or UK and need multi-currency support out of the box, or you're already using BILL for other business functions, staying in that ecosystem may be more convenient than switching tools.

For a tradie who works exclusively in Australia and wants GST handled correctly without configuration, TradesBill is the more direct fit.

Switching from Invoice2go to TradesBill

There's no lock-in with either app, so switching is low-risk. Most tradies moving across:

• Export your client list — most invoicing apps, including Invoice2go, let you export contacts as a CSV.
• Re-create your standard line items — labour rates, callout fees, common materials — as a one-off setup in TradesBill.
• Start new invoices in TradesBill going forward — you don't need to migrate historical invoices; keep them accessible in Invoice2go for your records if the ATO ever asks.
• Cancel your Invoice2go subscription once you've confirmed TradesBill covers your workflow — check their cancellation terms so you're not charged for another billing cycle.

Frequently asked questions

Is TradesBill really free, or is there a hidden catch?

TradesBill's core invoicing — unlimited invoices, quotes, and clients — is free. There's an optional Pro tier for features like BAS reporting, but you're never capped on invoice volume the way Invoice2go's Starter and Professional plans cap you.

Does Invoice2go handle Australian GST correctly?

Invoice2go can be configured to add a tax rate to invoices, but GST isn't a native Australian feature — you're responsible for setting it up correctly and ensuring your invoices meet ATO tax invoice requirements yourself.

Can I import my Invoice2go invoices into TradesBill?

There's no automatic import between the two platforms currently. Most tradies keep their historical Invoice2go invoices for record-keeping and start fresh in TradesBill for new jobs going forward.

Which app works better without internet on a job site?

TradesBill is built offline-first, so you can create and save quotes and invoices with no signal. Invoice2go, being a cloud-first platform, generally needs a connection to reliably save and sync your work.