Contractors have a workflow desktop invoice software wasn't built for: a walkthrough on Tuesday, a signed estimate that afternoon, a deposit before Wednesday, materials picked up Thursday, and a final invoice the moment the last screw goes in. Anything that takes more than a minute per step is friction that costs you jobs.
The right invoice app for a contractor does five things well. First, it works on a phone in a driveway — one-handed, offline drafts, big touch targets, no desktop-only screens. Second, it separates parts from labor on every line, with per-line tax so you can tax materials and exempt labor (or the reverse) depending on your state. Third, it lets you attach photos to every estimate and invoice, so the customer sees exactly what's included and you have a paper trail if payment gets disputed.
Fourth, it handles deposits and progress billing. Residential remodels almost always run 25–50% down, a progress draw mid-job, and a balance at completion. If your app can't do a deposit invoice off a signed estimate, you're either underwriting the customer's project or holding the schedule hostage while you build one manually. Fifth, it converts a signed estimate into an invoice without retyping — line items, photos, signature, and pricing all carry over, and any change orders get their own approval so the original scope stays clean.
Glo Invoice covers each of those. The estimate builder saves your line items (200A panel, romex per foot, 4×8 drywall, sub-floor labor by the hour) so common jobs are two taps. Markup applies automatically by category — 35% on wire, 22% on drywall, whatever you set. Photos attach to every estimate, the customer signs on their phone, deposits post through Stripe within minutes, and the final invoice inherits everything. Change orders live on their own line with their own approval link.
Beyond the basics, contractors typically need: industry-specific custom fields (permit numbers, lien waivers, warranty terms, insurance claim numbers), a crew view so foremen can update job status, saved service templates by trade, and reminders that fire automatically at 7, 14, and 30 days past due. Glo Invoice includes each of those.
How does it compare to the other apps contractors evaluate? Joist and Housecall Pro have been in market longer and have deeper scheduling built in, but both charge $50–$200/month once you leave the free trial. QuickBooks is heavier accounting, not a field tool. Square Invoices is simple but doesn't split parts from labor cleanly. Glo Invoice sits in the field-first, contractor-specific niche with a 14-day free trial that includes unlimited invoices and estimates — you pay only when you need automation (recurring invoices, larger crews, higher SMS volume).
The workflow to try it: sign up free, create your first customer, snap two photos of the job, build the estimate on the truck, and text it to the homeowner before you pull out of the driveway. If the whole loop takes more than 90 seconds, we haven't done our job.