Best Expense Tracker for Contractors

Contractors burn through expenses differently than typical businesses. You're buying materials at Home Depot three times a week, paying subcontractors, fueling work trucks, renting equipment, and eating lunch on job sites. Every receipt matters for taxes, but more importantly, tracking expenses at the job level tells you which projects are profitable and which are underwater. The right expense tracker for contractors connects to your bank, scans receipts on the job site, tags costs to specific projects, tracks mileage between sites, and integrates with your accounting. Here's what works.

Detailed Reviews

QuickBooks Online Plus — $115/mo

QuickBooks Plus is the standard for contractors who need job-level expense tracking. Create a project for each job, then tag every expense — materials, subs, equipment rental, fuel — to that project. Receipt capture via the mobile app works on the job site. Mileage tracking logs trips between sites. The project profitability report shows revenue minus expenses per job, so you know your actual margins. Bank and credit card connections import transactions automatically. At $115/month, it's an investment, but for a GC managing $500K+ in annual projects, knowing which jobs make money justifies the cost. The limitation: it's a full accounting platform, which means complexity. If you just need expense tracking without accounting, it's overkill.

Verdict: Best for general contractors who need job-level expense tracking integrated with full accounting.

Expensify — $5–$9/user/mo

Expensify works well for contractor teams where multiple people (foremen, project managers, office staff) submit expenses. SmartScan captures receipts in the field — a crew lead snaps a photo of the materials receipt at Lowe's, tags it to the project, and it routes to the office for approval. Per-project tagging organizes costs by job. The approval workflow ensures the right people sign off before expenses post. Integration with QuickBooks and Xero syncs everything to accounting. For a 5–10 person contracting company, Expensify at $5–9/user/month brings order to field expense chaos. The limitation: Expensify is an expense tool, not a construction tool — no purchase orders, no budget-vs-actual by job, no materials management.

Verdict: Best for contractor teams with multiple people submitting field expenses that need approval routing.

Zoho Expense — Free–$5/user/mo

Zoho Expense's free plan covers a solo contractor or very small team (up to 3 users) with receipt scanning, mileage tracking, and basic expense categorization. Tag expenses to projects for job-level cost tracking. The Standard plan ($3/user/month) adds approval workflows and accounting integration. For an independent contractor or small crew, Zoho Expense delivers solid expense tracking without a monthly fee. Integration with Zoho Books or QuickBooks handles the accounting side. The limitation: it's a general expense tool without construction-specific features like material tracking or PO management.

Verdict: Best budget option for small contractor teams that need basic job-level expense tracking.

Buildertrend — $199–$799/mo

Buildertrend isn't an expense tracker — it's a full construction project management platform with built-in cost tracking. Purchase orders tie material costs to specific jobs. Budget vs. actual reports show where you're over or under on each cost category. Change orders update budgets automatically. The vendor management module tracks subcontractor costs. For a residential builder managing 5+ concurrent projects, Buildertrend's integrated approach means every cost is tracked at the project level without separate tools. The cost is significant ($199/month minimum), but it replaces multiple tools. The limitation: this is project management software, not a standalone expense tracker. If you just need receipt scanning and mileage, this is massive overkill.

Verdict: Best for residential builders who want expense tracking integrated with full project management.

Hurdlr — Free–$10/mo

Hurdlr shines for solo contractors who drive between job sites daily. The automatic mileage tracker detects when you're driving and logs the trip without you opening the app. Swipe to classify trips as business or personal. The real-time tax estimate calculator shows how much to set aside for quarterly payments. The free plan covers mileage and income tracking; Premium ($10/month) adds bank connections, receipt scanning, and expense categories. For an independent plumber, electrician, or HVAC tech who drives 20,000+ business miles per year, automated mileage tracking at $0.67/mile represents $13,400+ in deductions. Hurdlr ensures you capture every mile.

Verdict: Best for solo contractors who drive heavily and need automatic mileage tracking for tax deductions.

Holdings — Free

Holdings auto-categorizes contractor expenses as they hit your checking account — materials, fuel, equipment, subcontractor payments, insurance. The AI handles categorization without manual input, and your expense data is organized by tax category year-round. No separate expense app to manage. The free checking account includes 1.75% APY and $3M FDIC insurance. For an independent contractor who wants the simplest possible expense tracking, Holdings eliminates the need for a standalone tool. The limitation: only tracks expenses in your Holdings account. For job-level tracking (expenses by project), you'll need a supplementary tool.

Verdict: Best for independent contractors who want effortless expense categorization through their bank.

FreshBooks — $33–$60/mo

FreshBooks works for independent contractors who bill clients for time and need to track project-level expenses. Tag expenses to specific projects and clients. Mark expenses as billable and add them to invoices with a click. Receipt scanning captures job-site purchases. Bank connections import transactions automatically. The Plus plan ($33/mo) covers 50 clients with expense tracking, invoicing, and time tracking. For a consulting contractor or professional services firm, the expense-to-invoice workflow saves significant time. The limitation: no construction-specific features, no team expense management, and no mileage tracking (you'll need a separate app).

Verdict: Best for independent service contractors who need to track and bill project-level expenses.

What to Look For