Recpt vs Xero, QuickBooks and Billdu for job tracking
Accounting platforms solve a bigger problem than most sole traders have, and invoicing apps solve a smaller one. Here is where Recpt jobs sit between them, and the point where you should pick something else.
Side by side
| Xero / QuickBooks | Billdu | Recpt | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Accounting platform | Invoicing and estimates app | Jobs, receipts and documents |
| Jobs with quotes and invoices | Via projects and invoicing | Invoices and estimates | Yes, a job holds both |
| Receipt scanning into ATO categories | No, chart of accounts | Expense capture | Yes, D1 to D10 plus property |
| General ledger | Yes | No | No |
| Bank feeds | Yes | Varies | Statement import on the web |
| Payroll | Yes, on the right plan | No | No |
| GST numbers for BAS | Yes, and lodgment | Depends | Numbers only, no lodgment |
| Built for | Businesses with a bookkeeper | Small business invoicing | Sole traders and tradies |
The short version
Use Xero or QuickBooks if you have a bookkeeper or accountant who works in your file, or you need payroll, bank feeds and a real general ledger. That is what accounting platforms are for and nothing here changes that.
Use Billdu or a similar invoicing app if all you want is to send invoices and estimates and you are not tracking the job or the receipts around it.
Use Recpt if the work is job-shaped: you quote it, you invoice it, receipts pile up against it, and you want the deduction side sorted at the same time.
Why we built job tracking at all
Recpt started as receipts into ATO categories. The tradies using it kept asking the same question: these receipts belong to a job, and that job has a quote, an invoice and money still owed. Keeping those in separate places means doing the matching twice.
So a job in Recpt holds the quote, the invoices raised against it, payments received, and the expenses attached. Profit and what is still owed fall out of the job rather than being assembled at the end.
What we deliberately did not build
No general ledger. No bank feeds in the accounting sense. No payroll. No lodgment. Recpt produces documents and numbers, not a set of books.
That is a real limit and worth being blunt about. The moment you have staff on payroll or a bookkeeper who needs to work in your file, you need accounting software, and Recpt is the wrong tool.
Where the money difference shows up
Accounting platforms are priced per month for a business, and the cheaper tiers usually drop the features people signed up for. Invoicing apps are cheaper but stop at the document.
Recpt is one flat plan covering the jobs, the documents and the receipt side together. Check current pricing on each site before deciding, since everyone changes it.
How to choose
Three questions. Do you have staff on payroll? Do you have a bookkeeper working in your file? Does your accountant need a ledger rather than a summary?
Any yes means accounting software. All no, and what you actually have is jobs, receipts and invoices, which is the shape Recpt is built around.
Common questions
Does Recpt replace Xero?
No, and it is not trying to. Xero is accounting software with a general ledger, bank feeds and reporting, built to be worked in by an accountant or bookkeeper. Recpt covers jobs, quotes, invoices, payments and the GST numbers for a BAS, which is the part most sole traders actually touch. If you have a bookkeeper in Xero, stay in Xero.
Can Recpt send a quote and an invoice?
Yes. A job holds a quote, invoices raised against it, payments received, and the expenses you attached, so profit and what is still owed fall out of the job rather than being worked out separately. Documents are shared as PDFs.
Does Recpt do BAS?
Recpt produces the GST numbers from your jobs and expenses to help you complete a BAS. It does not lodge it. Lodging stays with you or your agent.
What about payroll, bank feeds and a general ledger?
Recpt has none of those. If you need payroll or a ledger your accountant works in, you need accounting software, and this comparison is not close.
Who is Recpt job tracking for?
A sole trader or small operator who quotes work, invoices it, and wants receipts and income sitting against the job, without running a full accounting platform for it.
Recpt is a record-keeping tool, not a tax agent, and this page is general information, not tax advice. Competitor details checked September 2026 and described at a product level rather than feature by feature, because plans and inclusions change often. Check each product's own site before deciding.