For the shop that invoices and ships
Orders, invoices, and books that stay current on their own.
Engine is the back office for shops and small businesses that invoice customers. Send invoices, take card payments, bill repeat accounts on a schedule, and let the expense ledger keep itself current. The right-sized tool for a shop - not a field-service platform you have to grow into, and not a spreadsheet.
At a glance
- Invoice customers and collect payment online - money goes directly to your bank
- Recurring invoicing for retainers, service agreements, and repeat accounts
- Your expense ledger updates itself - charges sort and file on their own
- Free CPA portal - your accountant logs in, no extra seat
- Starting at $29/mo - 14-day free trial, no card to try
14 days free. No credit card. Cancel anytime.
Engine/Expense ledgerKnown vendors file themselves; a new one gets categorized and waits for a one-tap confirm. Either way, the ledger is current by morning - no shoebox, no Sunday-night catch-up. Tap each charge above.
Live operator
“I used to do the books after I closed up, every Sunday. Now the expenses sort themselves and the invoices send with a Pay Now link. I get my Sundays back.”
After switching to Engine
- Expense ledger updates itself overnight
- Invoices paid by card, money straight to the bank
- Recurring accounts queue the next invoice automatically
- CPA pulls clean data without a paid second seat
What you get
The back office, without the overhead.
Orders, invoices, recurring accounts
Build an order, turn it into an invoice, attach a recurrence if it's a repeat account. When you mark a cycle done, the next one queues up. The customer pays by card online. One tap to send - no separate billing platform needed.
Payments land straight in your bank
Engine never holds your money. Connect your bank in about three minutes, and every customer payment routes directly to your account.
The books keep themselves current
Each charge gets pulled in, matched to a vendor, sorted into a category, and filed - so the ledger is up to date by morning without the after-hours data entry. Engine keeps it current; you and your accountant decide what's deductible.
Free CPA portal at every tier
Your accountant logs in and pulls invoices, expenses, and exports without a paid seat. Not a feature you unlock at the top tier - it's in every plan.
The Sunday you get back
The data entry that never has to happen.
Connect your bank once. After that, every charge is pulled in, matched to a vendor, sorted into a category, and filed - while the shop is closed. You open the books in the morning and they are already current. Engine keeps them current; what counts as deductible is still yours and your accountant’s call - we don’t pretend to be your CPA.
The self-updating expense ledger is on every tier, starting at $29/mo, with a free CPA portal so your accountant pulls clean data without a paid seat.
Engine/Expense ledgerKnown vendors file themselves; a new one gets categorized and waits for a one-tap confirm. Either way, the ledger is current by morning - no shoebox, no Sunday-night catch-up. Tap each charge above.
A week in the back office
Set up in minutes. Current from then on.
Connect the bank and the card.
Add your business name and connect your bank. Engine handles the payment setup, so you can send a branded invoice with a Pay Now link the same afternoon. No developer, no separate dashboard to babysit.
Invoice it, get paid by card.
Add the customer, list the line items, hit send. They get an email with a payment link and pay by card from their phone. Set a recurrence and the next cycle queues itself - retainers, service agreements, monthly accounts. You send each invoice with one tap; Engine never charges their card without you.
The ledger fills itself in.
While the shop is closed, each charge is pulled in, matched, categorized, and filed. You open the books in the morning and they are already current - no shoebox of receipts, no Sunday-night catch-up.
How Engine stacks up
Right-sized for a shop, not a platform to grow into.
Based on published monthly tiers of common service-business platforms as of May 2026.
| Feature | Engine Solo $29/mo | Jobber Core $49/mo | HCP Basic $79/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orders, invoices, recurring invoicing | Included | Included | Included |
| Self-updating expense ledger | Included | Not native | Not native |
| Free CPA portal | Included | Extra seat cost | Extra seat cost |
| Online invoice payments | Direct to your bank | Jobber Payments | HCP Payments |
| Contract required | No | Annual available | Annual available |
| 14-day trial, no card | Yes | 14 days (card required) | 14 days (card required) |
Jobber and Housecall Pro pricing based on published monthly tiers as of May 2026. See Engine vs. Jobber or Engine vs. Housecall Pro for the full comparison.
FAQ
Shop operators ask this.
What's the simplest way to invoice customers and accept online payments as a small business?+
Engine is one of the simplest: create a customer, add a line item, send an invoice with a payment link. Customer pays by card. Money goes directly to your bank. Starts at $29/mo with a 14-day free trial.
Can I set up recurring invoicing for my customers in Engine?+
Yes. Attach a recurrence rule to any job or order - weekly, monthly, quarterly, or custom intervals. When you mark a cycle complete, Engine queues the next one. You send the invoice in one tap; the customer pays by card online. Engine does not auto-charge a saved card - invoicing is a one-tap step you control each cycle.
Does Engine keep my expenses and books up to date automatically?+
Yes. Connect your bank once and Engine pulls in each charge, matches it to a vendor, sorts it into a category, and files it - so your expense ledger stays current without the after-hours data entry. Engine keeps the books current; it does not file your taxes or decide what is deductible. You mark that, and your accountant takes it from there.
Does Engine replace QuickBooks for a small shop?+
Engine is not an accounting replacement - it's an operations layer. It handles the front office (customers, orders, invoices, payments, expenses), includes a free CPA portal so your accountant can pull data without a second seat, and lets you import your QuickBooks customers and items on the Business tier.
Can my accountant access my Engine data without a paid seat?+
Yes. Engine includes a free CPA portal at every tier. Your accountant gets a read-only login with access to invoices, expenses, P&L, and exports. No extra seat required.
Is Engine a good fit for a shop that doesn't do on-site service work?+
Yes. If your business invoices customers and ships or sells rather than dispatching crews, Engine gives you the back office - customers, orders, invoices, recurring invoicing, payments, and a self-updating expense ledger - without the crew-dispatch features a field-service shop needs. At $29/mo, it's right-sized for a shop, not a platform you have to grow into.
Pricing
Solo $29. Crew $59. Business $119.
Every tier includes orders, invoices, recurring invoicing, the self-updating expense ledger, free CPA portal, and card payments. 14-day free trial. No credit card. No contract.
Founding 50: the first 50 paying customers get 30% off forever (coupon FOUNDING50, applied at checkout).