Acorn Finance
Free / freemiumLender marketplace with no dealer fee on many offers
Best for: Contractors who want to offer financing while protecting margin
Software directory · 18 tools
💳 Payments, Invoicing & Consumer Financing
Two jobs again. Payment processing shortens the gap between finishing work and having the money: card and ACH on site, stored cards for recurring plans, deposits before you order material, and automatic reminders on anything outstanding. Consumer financing does something different — it raises the ceiling on what a homeowner will approve. A $14,000 system is a different conversation at $180 a month, and offering a payment option is one of the few changes that reliably lifts average ticket.
Before you buy in this category
- Compare total effective rate, not headline rate: interchange, assessment, platform markup, and chargeback handling.
- Surcharging rules vary by state and card network. Get the compliance answer in writing.
- For financing, know who pays the dealer fee and how it affects your margin on a promotional plan.
- Check approval rates across credit tiers — a lender that only approves prime leaves money on the table.
- Make sure deposits and progress payments are supported, not just pay-in-full invoices.
Working with no budget? 2 tools here have a free or freemium tier: Acorn Finance, Melio.
13 tools for this job
Listed alphabetically. We do not rank — the right pick depends on your trade, your headcount, and what you already run.
Billd
Pay per useMaterial financing to bridge the pay-when-paid gap
Best for: Subcontractors whose growth is limited by material cash flow, not sales
GreenSky
Pay per useEstablished home improvement financing with promotional plans
Best for: Established contractors selling high-ticket replacements who can absorb dealer fees
Hearth
$$Financing options plus quoting and payments for remodelers
Best for: Remodeling and replacement contractors selling five-figure projects
Levelset
$Preliminary notices, lien waivers, and payment rights
Best for: Contractors and subs on commercial or new construction work where payment risk is real
Melio
Free / freemiumFree bill payment with card-funded options
Best for: Contractors managing supplier and subcontractor payments who want cash timing flexibility
Payzer
$$Field payments and financing with light job management
Best for: Service contractors who want payment and financing presented together in the field
QuickBooks Payments
Pay per useCard and ACH acceptance that reconciles itself in QuickBooks
Best for: Any contractor already running QuickBooks who wants reconciliation to stop being a chore
Service Finance Company
Pay per useManufacturer-linked financing for home improvement dealers
Best for: Dealers in manufacturer programmes offering branded financing
Square
Pay per useSimple card acceptance with free hardware to start
Best for: New and small contractors who need to accept payment immediately
Stripe
Pay per useThe processing engine behind most contractor software
Best for: Businesses wanting transparent rates, recurring billing, or a custom payment flow
Sunbit
Pay per useHigh-approval financing for mid-ticket repairs
Best for: Service contractors with repair tickets too large for a card and too small for a loan application
Wisetack
Pay per useTransparent consumer financing embedded in contractor software
Best for: Service contractors who want to raise average ticket without a financing department
Also covers this
Tools from other categories that do this job as part of a wider platform. Often the cheaper answer, because you are already paying for them.
Job management with consumer-grade booking and marketing built in
Best for: Service businesses that want booking, reviews, and remarketing in the same tool as dispatch
Jobber
$The default first platform for small home-service businesses
Best for: Solo operators through roughly ten-person service teams who want one system that just works
Joist
$Free phone-based estimates and invoices for new contractors
Best for: Brand-new contractors who need to look legitimate this week
Podium
Quote onlyReview generation and customer messaging in one inbox
Best for: Established local businesses treating reviews and response speed as a growth strategy
Trusso
$One flat-priced app for jobs, AI, leads, reviews, and your website
Best for: Contractors who want card, Venmo, and Zelle payments plus milestone invoicing on larger jobs, with no per-seat charge for the office
What the price bands mean
Free / freemium
Free / freemium A usable free tier, or free with payment processing
$
$ — under ~$100/mo Solo operators and very small teams
$$
$$ — ~$100–400/mo Small teams, usually priced per user
$$$
$$$ — ~$400+/mo Multi-crew shops with office staff
Quote only
Quote only No public pricing — expect a sales call
Pay per use
Pay per use Per lead, per measurement, or per transaction
Bands are our judgement of what a small team actually ends up paying, not the headline price on a pricing page. Always confirm current pricing with the vendor.
Get one actionable tip every week
Join contractors getting practical advice on winning more jobs, running tighter operations, and picking the right tools — free, no fluff, unsubscribe anytime.