Contractors lose thousands to un-tracked material costs and job-site expenses. We tested the top expense tracking platforms for job-level cost capture, mobile receipt scanning, and material vs. equipment categorization. Our picks cover solo operators through growing construction firms.
Square's free tier and low transaction fees make it a viable entry point for sole proprietors who already take card payments on-site, though it lacks true job-costing.
Wise Business offers real exchange rates and low fees for contractors importing materials or paying overseas subs, integrating with QuickBooks and Xero.
Every contractor knows the feeling: you finish a project, tally up the receipts from Home Depot, the lumber yard, the equipment rental — and the margin you thought you had has evaporated. Material costs, small job-site purchases, and supply-run reimbursements are the things actually worth buying software to track. Without project-level expense tagging, those costs leak straight out of your bottom line.
We evaluated the leading expense trackers on how well they handle the specific pain points of contractors: mobile receipt capture for on-the-go purchases, job-cost allocation, material vs. equipment categorization, and integration with accounting workflows. Here's what we found.
General-purpose expense tracking falls short when you're managing multiple projects with distinct material budgets. The key capabilities that matter:
Square is best known as a point-of-sale system, but its inventory management and basic expense tracking make it a viable entry point for very small contractors — sole proprietors and micro-merchants who need something simple and already take card payments on-site.1
It won't replace a dedicated job-costing platform for multi-project firms, but for the solo operator running one or two small jobs at a time, Square's free tier and low transaction fees keep overhead minimal. Receipt capture is basic, and there's no true project-level budgeting — but if you're just getting started, it beats a shoebox.
Who it's for: Solo contractors, handypeople, and micro-merchants who already use Square for payments.
Trade-offs: No job-costing, no material vs. equipment categories, limited reporting.
If your work involves sourcing materials from overseas suppliers or paying subcontractors across borders, Wise Business (formerly TransferWise) is a specialist that saves real money on currency conversion and international transfers.1
Wise isn't an expense tracker in the traditional sense — it's a multi-currency account with low-fee international transfers and real exchange rates. But for contractors who import specialty materials (tile from Italy, hardwood from Brazil, fixtures from Germany), the savings on transfer fees alone can justify the account. It also integrates with QuickBooks and Xero, so your international payments flow into your main accounting system.
Who it's for: Contractors importing materials or paying overseas subcontractors.
Trade-offs: Not a full expense tracker — it's a payment tool that complements your main accounting software.
If you're a solo contractor just starting out, Square gives you a free on-ramp with basic expense tracking built into your payment processing. As you grow, you'll want to graduate to a dedicated job-costing platform.
If you regularly source materials internationally or pay overseas subs, Wise Business pays for itself in fee savings — pair it with QuickBooks Online or Xero for full job-costing.
For most residential builders and general contractors, the gold standard remains QuickBooks Online Plus for its job-costing depth, or Buildertrend for project-first management with scheduling and client communication built in.2 Budget-conscious teams should look at Zoho Expense for its generous free tier, and field-heavy crews benefit from Expensify's SmartScan receipt processing.3
We may earn a commission if you purchase through our affiliate links — at no extra cost to you. Our recommendations are based on independent research and testing.
| Pick | Price | Job-Costing | Receipt Capture | Best For | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Square ▶ Pick | — | None | Basic mobile | Solo micro-contractors | Check price ↗ |
Wise Business best for international material sourcing & subcontractor payments — saves real money on cross-border fees. | — | None (complement) | Not applicable | International payments | Check price ↗ |
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Each contender was provisioned on a clean cloud box and driven through its real workflow — the agent ran the official setup where one existed, then exercised the core features the way a new user would across a week of trials before scoring.
