What a trades business owner pays to collect a $5,000 invoice by card or bank transfer, and to pay subcontractors, read from each vendor's own pricing page. The fee on one invoice can be bigger than the software plan.
Paying subcontractors is a separate bill: Melio's free plan covers 5 bank transfers a month, then $0.50 each. BILL starts at $49 per user per month plus $0.59 per transfer. If most of your customers can pay by bank transfer, that choice matters more than which plan you pick.
| Tool | Bank transfer | Card online | Card in person | Instant payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber | $50 1% | $145.30 2.9% + 30c | 2.7% + 30c Tap to Pay | +1% |
| Housecall Pro | $50 1% | $149.50 2.99%; 3.49% keyed, on file, Amex | 2.59% reader or Tap to Pay; +$5/device/mo on mobile | +1% (Instapay) |
| QuickBooks Payments | $50 1% | $149.50 2.99%; 3.5% keyed | 2.5% reader | 1.75% |
| Square, free plan | $50 1%, $1 minimum; $10 cap on Plus and Premium | $165.30 3.3% + 30c; 2.9% + 30c on Plus and Premium | 2.6% + 15c | Not on pricing page |
| Stripe | $5 0.8%, $5 cap | $145.30 2.9% + 30c; +0.4% per paid invoice on Invoicing Starter | 2.7% + 5c | 1.5%, 50c minimum |
| Melio, Get Paid | $0 listed as free | $145 2.9%; you or your customer can cover it | No card reader | 1% to bank or debit card |
| BILL, receiving side | $0.59 per ACH or ePayment | $145 2.9% | No card reader | 1.25%, $1 minimum |
Worthd arithmetic from the published rates on a single $5,000 invoice. Rows checked Oct 15 (QuickBooks, Square, Stripe), Oct 16 (Jobber, Housecall Pro) and Oct 17 (Melio, BILL), 2026. Melio and BILL do not plug into Jobber or Housecall Pro invoices: you would send a separate payment request or BILL invoice. "Instant payout" is an extra fee on top of the rate shown.
| Tool and plan | Bank transfer out | Mailed check | Faster options | 8 subs, once a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melio Go, $0 (1 user) | 5 free a month, then $0.50 | $1.50 | Same-day ACH 1% ($75 max); fast check $20 | $1.50 a month $18 a year |
| Melio Core, $25 a month ($20 annual) | 20 free a month, then $0.50 | $1.50 | As Go | $25 a month $240 a year billed annually |
| BILL Essentials, $49 per user per month | $0.59 | $1.99 | Pay Faster ACH $11.99; instant 1% ($9.99 min) | $53.72 a month $644.64 a year, 1 user |
| QuickBooks Online Bill Pay | $0.50 over a monthly allotment | Not published | Not published | Allotment not published, so no total |
| Gusto contractor payments | Included, direct deposit | n/a | Next-Day Pay $15 a month + $3 per person | $97 a month Simple $49 + $6 x 8 contractors |
Worthd arithmetic: Melio Go 3 payments over the free 5 at $0.50; Core covers up to 20; BILL one user plus 8 x $0.59. Melio's Core, Boost and Unlimited are free for the first 90 days, then revert to Go. BILL's annual price is not published; it also lists $50 for a failed ACH after the receiver is paid. Gusto contractor-only plan closed to new customers Oct 1, 2026; whether Gusto Simple includes 1099 filing for contractors was not checked, so confirm on gusto.com. Melio's pricing page does not mention 1099s; BILL lists 1099 e-file at $2.99 each.
On Jobber, a $5,000 invoice costs $145.30 by card and $50 by bank transfer, a gap of $95.30. A shop that collects ten invoices like that a month keeps about $11,400 more a year by steering them to bank transfer. Illustration only: your invoice sizes and mix will differ. See getting paid by bank transfer instead of card fees.
Square's instant transfer fee, chargeback fees, Melio's terms page, BILL's annual price and QuickBooks Bill Pay's monthly allotment were not on the pages checked, so Worthd shows no number for them. Ask the vendor before you rely on one.
Already on Jobber, Housecall Pro or QuickBooks: use the built-in payments, and offer bank transfer first, since it is 1% against 2.9% or more. Mostly large invoices to commercial customers: Stripe's $5 cap on bank transfers is the lowest published, but it is a separate tool from your field service app. Paying a handful of subs a month: Melio's free plan is the cheapest published route; BILL makes sense only if you need approvals and a QuickBooks sync, where its Team plan is $65 per user per month. Wrong for you: BILL if you only pay a few subs, and any card route if your margins on large jobs are thin. BILL's program with Worthd covers payables and receivables only.
On Jobber, Housecall Pro, QuickBooks Payments and Square's free plan the bank-transfer fee is 1%, or $50 on $5,000. Stripe is 0.8% capped at $5. Melio's Get Paid shows free, and BILL charges $0.59 per ACH. The same invoice on a card online costs about $145 to $165. Checked Oct 15 to 17, 2026.
Jobber lists 2.9% + 30 cents online and 2.7% + 30 cents with Tap to Pay. Housecall Pro lists 2.99% online, 3.49% for keyed cards, cards on file and Amex, and 2.59% on the reader. QuickBooks Payments lists 2.99% for invoiced cards and 2.5% on a reader, 3.5% keyed. US list rates, checked Oct 15 to 16, 2026.
Melio's free Go plan includes 5 free bank transfers a month, then $0.50 each; mailed checks are $1.50. BILL charges $0.59 per ACH on top of a plan that starts at $49 per user per month. Paying 8 subs once a month costs about $1.50 on Melio Go and about $53.72 on BILL Essentials. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Yes, Bill Pay is included with QuickBooks Online plans. Intuit lists $0.50 per standard bank transfer over a monthly allotment, but does not publish the allotment on its pricing page, so Worthd gives no yearly total for it.
Melio says the card fee on Get Paid can be covered by either you or your customer. Surcharging rules for card payments differ by card network and state; see Worthd's guide on card-fee surcharging before you add one.
Rates are US list rates before sales tax and can differ by account. Totals are Worthd arithmetic. Report a correction.
Run the cost calculator with your monthly card volume · Get paid by bank transfer instead of card fees · Card-fee surcharging by tool · Jobber pricing by team size · Housecall Pro pricing · Stripe payments · Jobber price changes · Email me when Jobber, Housecall Pro or Tradify change price or fees
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