ADP RUN
Quote onlyEstablished payroll with deep compliance support
Best for: Contractors wanting established payroll with HR and compliance support
QuickBooks Online
The default ledger for small contracting businesses
Price band $ — under ~$100/mo
Rough cost Free tier available; Simple Start $38/mo, Essentials $85/mo, Plus $140/mo, Advanced $340/mo
Company size Any size up to mid-market
Category Accounting
What QuickBooks Online is
QuickBooks Online is the accounting system almost every contractor ends up in, and the practical reason is gravity: every field service platform syncs with it and every accountant already knows it. With classes and projects switched on it gives usable job-level profitability, and Simple Start is enough for a new business.
Best for
Almost any home-service business that wants its books where its accountant can work
Watch out
Not built for construction accounting — retention, work-in-progress, and certified payroll need workarounds or an add-on. Per-user limits also bite as you grow.
What it does well
- Universal integration support across trade software
- Every accountant and bookkeeper knows it
- Project profitability on higher tiers
- Payroll, payments, and time add-ons available
The AI, specifically
Automated transaction categorisation suggestions and anomaly flags.
We name what the AI actually does rather than repeating the word, because in this market it covers everything from a genuine voice agent to a template that fills in a customer name.
Integrates with
Nearly every field service platform · QuickBooks Payments · QuickBooks Time
Integration lists change often and "integrates" can mean anything from a real two-way sync to a one-way push through Zapier. Ask the vendor which fields move, in which direction, and how often.
Before you commit
- Pick what your accountant already works in unless you have a strong reason not to. Migration costs real money.
- Job-level profit is the number to chase. Verify labour burden — not just wage — flows into job cost.
- If you run crews across jurisdictions, check multi-state payroll tax handling before you commit.
- Prevailing-wage or public work means certified payroll. Confirm it is supported natively.
- Weekly categorisation habit beats any feature. Software makes bookkeeping faster, not automatic.
How to judge it in a trial
Run one real job through it end to end — not the demo data. Quote it, schedule it, do it, invoice it, take the payment. Then ask the only question that matters on day 400: did the people who have to use this every day find it faster than what they do now? Friction you notice in week one compounds forever, and tool-hopping costs more than any feature gap.
Compare
Alternatives to QuickBooks Online
Other tools solving the same problem, for a similar kind of business.
Gusto
$Payroll and benefits that a small contractor can run alone
Best for: Small and mid-size contractors who want payroll handled without a specialist
Wave
Free / freemiumFree accounting and invoicing for the smallest businesses
Best for: Brand-new and part-time contractors with simple finances
Xero
$Cloud accounting with unlimited users
Best for: Contractors who want modern cloud accounting and multiple people in the books
FOUNDATION
$$$Construction accounting with strong union and certified payroll
Best for: Contractors with union agreements, prevailing wage work, or multi-state payroll
Invoice-first accounting for very small operations
Best for: Solo contractors and very small service businesses billing time and materials
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