# The 7 best time tracking apps for tilers in 2026 By **Jeff** · Updated October 15, 2026 Canonical HTML: · App Store: > A tiler sells square feet and spends hours. The shower quoted per square foot looks like the kitchen backsplash on paper, until it needs a day of leveling, a niche and cuts around a valve nobody mentioned. The price is what the client pays; the hours show whether the price was any good. We compared seven iPhone apps on whether they keep both, plus the receipts for the thinset and the tile. ## Quick answer Quick answer: ContractorTools is the best pick for building estimates from a costbook, and Tradify for a tiling business with staff and an accounting package. Joist is the quickest signed estimate. For the self-employed tiler who quotes fixed prices and invoices their own clients, iTimeSheet is our pick: hours per room and stage to check square-foot prices, tile receipts on the job, and quote, deposit and invoice on the Studio tier. Tilers usually split their tools in two: an estimate app for the square-foot price and nothing at all for the hours, because the job is fixed-price anyway. That is exactly where margins disappear. A shower that took nine hours of leveling instead of three is a lesson for the next quote only if somebody recorded it, on the stage where it happened. We ranked seven apps from the US App Store on the criteria below, using each listing's own description and ratings dated at the top of the page. iTimeSheet is our app; it was judged by the same criteria, and we are explicit that it has no area calculator or costbook. ## What to look for We ranked for a trade that quotes by area, works by the hour and pays for material before the first tile is set. - **Hours per room and per stage** — Demo, leveling, setting and grout. Knowing which stage ate the day is how a square-foot price gets corrected. - **Fixed price on the invoice, hours in the report** — The client agreed a price and should see that price. The hours stay with the tiler, in a report the client never sees. - **A deposit before the tile order** — Porcelain is paid for at the showroom. The accepted quote should become a deposit invoice in a couple of taps. - **Receipts on the room they went into** — Tile, thinset, membrane and trim pinned to the job put the real material cost next to the hours. - **Starts with wet hands** — With thinset on the fingers and the phone in the tool bucket, a tap on the Watch is the only realistic way to start a timer. ## The ranking _App Store ratings checked on October 15, 2026 (US App Store)._ ### 1. iTimeSheet: Best for tilers who quote and invoice — _5.0 ★ · 1 ratings · US App Store_ **Square-foot prices on the invoice, real hours per stage behind them** The Client, Mission and Task tree becomes client, room and stage for a tiler: the shower, the floor or the backsplash, each with demo, prep, setting and grout. Rates cascade from the client to the room and the stage, and a single entry can be overridden. The timer starts and stops from the Apple Watch, so the phone stays clean, and switching stages saves the previous one with its hours. From Essential, Reports show hours by client with a drill into each room, the number needed to fix a square-foot price. On Studio, the quote carries the price worked out by the tiler, in its own ledger and numbering. A deposit invoice at 20, 30 or 50 percent of the accepted quote pays for the tile, and the quote converts to the final invoice in one tap with a logo, numbering, the US layout and bank details. The final invoice does not deduct the deposit automatically, so it is accounted for by hand. On Pro, tile, thinset and membrane receipts are photographed and attached to the room under a category created once, since the fourteen presets cover mileage, parking and hardware rather than tile. Credit notes and overdue chase e-mails are there when needed. Data stays on the phone, with no account and no vendor server; manual iCloud backup on every tier, automatic daily backup from Essential. The limits: no area calculator or costbook, no e-signature, no card payments, one user, iPhone and Apple Watch only with no iPad version yet, and CSV rather than an accounting connector. - **Strengths:** Hours per room and stage under each client, with drill-down reports; Quote, deposit invoice and one-tap conversion to invoice on Studio; Material receipts photographed and attached to the room on Pro; No account and no vendor cloud; Watch taps work offline and are backdated - **Limits:** No square-foot calculator or costbook for building the quote; No e-signature or card payments; Single user; iPhone and Apple Watch only, no iPad yet; One US rating since the July 2026 relaunch - **Best for:** A self-employed tiler who quotes fixed prices and wants to know, job by job, whether those prices hold. - **Pricing:** Free covers 3 clients and 2 entries a day, with no export. Essential is $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr for unlimited entries, drill-down reports, export and daily iCloud backup. Pro is $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr for receipt photos and widgets. Studio is $9.99/mo or $89.99/yr for quotes, deposits and invoices; it has no free trial, but a watermarked invoice preview shows the PDF with your data first. > ★★★★★ **Easy to use, effective** — « I intend to use it for all my tracking as it works really nicely. Well worth the money. Nice. » > — GaiusCoffey, App Store review · Ireland · 2009 ### 2. Joist: Best for fast signed estimates _Joist Software Inc. · 4.8 ★ · 14,324 ratings · US App Store_ **The signed estimate, with no hours** Joist builds the estimate on the phone, collects the e-signature, takes payment and sends the invoice, on a free plan with paid tiers and an account. It covers the square-foot sale well and the hours not at all, which is the half that shows whether the sale was a good one. - **Strengths:** Estimates and invoices with e-signature; Payments from the phone; Free plan - **Limits:** No time tracking; Account required; Extras in paid plans - **Best for:** A tiler who sells fixed prices and wants a signed estimate fast. - **Pricing:** Free plan, paid plans ### 3. ContractorTools: Best for costbook estimates _Contractor Tools LLC · 4.8 ★ · 1,764 ratings · US App Store_ **Costbook estimates, signed on site, Apple-only** ContractorTools builds estimates from templates and costbooks, collects a signature on site and invoices, on a subscription with an optional account, on Apple devices only. A costbook with tile, setting and grout prices is exactly what iTimeSheet lacks; time tracking is what ContractorTools lacks. - **Strengths:** Templates and costbooks; On-site signature; Invoices - **Limits:** No time tracking; Subscription; Apple-only - **Best for:** A tiler who prices from a costbook and wants a professional estimate on site. - **Pricing:** Subscription ### 4. Billdu: Best for invoices with receipt capture _BILLDU LTD · 4.8 ★ · 26,237 ratings · US App Store_ **Invoices and estimates with receipt capture** Billdu makes invoices and estimates and captures receipts, on a subscription with an account. It is aimed at the US market and well rated on more than twenty-six thousand US ratings. Receipts are covered; hours are not. - **Strengths:** Receipt capture; Invoices and estimates; Large US rating base - **Limits:** No time tracking; Subscription and account; Data on the vendor's servers - **Best for:** A tiler who wants receipts and invoices in one app and bills fixed prices. - **Pricing:** Subscription ### 5. Tradify: Best for tiling businesses with staff _Tradify Limited · 4.8 ★ · 179 ratings · US App Store_ **Quotes and timesheets for a tiling business with employees** Tradify handles quoting, scheduling, invoicing, staff timesheets and QuickBooks and Xero sync for businesses of one to twenty people, on a subscription with an account. It covers the staff side iTimeSheet does not; for a single tiler it is a company tool at a company price. - **Strengths:** Quotes, scheduling and staff timesheets; QuickBooks and Xero sync; Sized for small teams - **Limits:** Subscription and account; Built around staff; Small US rating base - **Best for:** A tiling business with a few employees and an accounting package. - **Pricing:** Subscription ### 6. HoursTracker: Best for tilers on someone else's job _Cribasoft, LLC · 4.8 ★ · 56,323 ratings · US App Store_ **The hours log, when someone else sends the invoice** HoursTracker logs jobs, breaks and pay, exports CSV and can remind you to clock in at a saved site. It has more than fifty thousand US ratings and an optional account. It has no invoices and no receipts. - **Strengths:** Geofenced reminders; Pay and CSV export; Account optional - **Limits:** No invoicing; No receipts; Flat job list - **Best for:** A tiler working for a contractor who needs proof of hours. - **Pricing:** Free with in-app purchase ### 7. Time Squared: Best for job photos and hours _TSQ Publishing Corp. · 4.9 ★ · 2,430 ratings · US App Store_ **Hours and photos per job, invoiced elsewhere** Time Squared tracks hours per project with photo attachments, mileage and GPS punch, and its project reports are meant to feed an invoice made elsewhere. The free tier shows ads, a premium subscription removes them, and it is iOS-only. It is handy for before-and-after photos of a shower. - **Strengths:** Photos and mileage per project; GPS punch in and out; Project reports - **Limits:** No invoicing; Ads on the free tier; Premium features cost extra - **Best for:** A tiler with an invoicing tool who wants hours and photos per job. - **Pricing:** Free with in-app purchase ## Side by side | App | Account required | Where your data lives | Invoices | Receipt photos | Platforms | Pricing | Rating | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | iTimeSheet | No | Your iPhone (your iCloud for backup) | Yes (Studio) | Yes (Pro) | iPhone + Apple Watch | Free plan, paid plans | 5.0 ★ (1) | | Joist | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | — | iPhone + web/other | Free plan, paid plans | 4.8 ★ (14,324) | | ContractorTools | Optional | Your iPhone; optional cloud | Yes | — | iPhone | Subscription | 4.8 ★ (1,764) | | Billdu | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | Yes | iPhone + web/other | Subscription | 4.8 ★ (26,237) | | Tradify | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | — | iPhone + web/other | Subscription | 4.8 ★ (179) | | HoursTracker | Optional | Your iPhone; optional cloud | No | — | iPhone + web/other | Free with in-app purchase | 4.8 ★ (56,323) | | Time Squared | Optional | Your iPhone; optional cloud | No | Yes | iPhone | Free with in-app purchase | 4.9 ★ (2,430) | _App Store ratings checked on October 15, 2026 (US App Store)._ ## How to choose - Pick Joist if you sell fixed prices and want a signed estimate and payment from the phone. - Pick ContractorTools if you build estimates from a costbook of tile, setting and grout prices. - Pick Billdu if you want receipt capture and invoices in the same app and do not need hours. - Pick Tradify if you have employees and want quotes and staff timesheets synced to Xero or QuickBooks. - Pick HoursTracker if you tile for a contractor and only need a record of your hours. - Pick Time Squared if you invoice elsewhere and want hours and photos per job. - Pick iTimeSheet if you quote and invoice your own jobs: the client sees the square-foot price, you see the hours per stage behind it, and the tile receipt and the deposit sit on the same room. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best time tracking app for tilers? For costbook-based estimates, ContractorTools is the strongest; for a business with staff, Tradify. For a tiler on a contractor's job, HoursTracker is enough. For the self-employed tiler who quotes and invoices directly, we rank iTimeSheet first, because hours per room and stage, material receipts and the quote-to-invoice workflow live on the same job, on the phone, without an account. ### Does it work in a gutted bathroom with no signal? iTimeSheet does. All data is on the phone and the app never waits for a server, and the Apple Watch queues taps when away from the phone and backdates them later. A connection is only needed for the iCloud backup and the App Store purchase. ### Where are clients and prices stored? In iTimeSheet, in a local SQLite database on the iPhone, with no account, no vendor server, no analytics SDK and no ads. Backup is a single file in the user's own iCloud Drive, daily and automatic from Essential. The App Store label lists a device identifier, purchases and usage data, none linked to the user and none used for tracking. ### Can you quote a fixed price and still see your hours? In iTimeSheet Studio, yes. The quote carries the agreed price and converts to the invoice in one tap, so the client sees that price. The hours per room and stage stay in the app, in Week and Month views and in Reports, for the tiler alone. That is how a square-foot price gets checked against reality. ### Can you calculate square footage in the app? Not in iTimeSheet. It has no area calculator and no costbook; the price is worked out as usual and entered on the quote. What it adds is the other half: how many hours that area actually took. For estimates built from a price list, ContractorTools is designed for that. ### What does it cost for one tiler? iTimeSheet's free tier covers 3 clients and 2 entries a day. Essential is $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr, Pro $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr, and Studio, the invoicing tier, $9.99/mo or $89.99/yr on the US store. Studio has no trial but a watermarked invoice preview with real data. Subscriptions run through Apple, and cancelling never locks data. US invoices have no national mandatory fields beyond business identity; sales tax rules vary by state. ## The bottom line For estimates built from a costbook, ContractorTools is the tool, and Joist and Billdu are quick at the paperwork. A tiling business with staff will be better served by Tradify, and a tiler on someone else's job by HoursTracker. For the tiler who quotes and invoices their own jobs, iTimeSheet is the first install: the client sees the square-foot price, the tiler sees the hours per stage behind it, and the tile receipt and the deposit sit on the same room. --- _Method: ratings and review counts come from the US App Store on October 15, 2026; features come from each app’s own App Store listing. iTimeSheet is our app, and it was held to the same criteria as the others. No affiliate links._ ## Other guides - iTimeSheet for tilers: the product page: - The 7 best time tracking apps for carpenters and joiners in 2026: - The 7 best time tracking apps for painters and decorators in 2026: - The 6 best time tracking apps for masons and bricklayers in 2026: - The 7 best time tracking apps for people who bill by the hour in 2026: - Guides: - llms.txt: · agents.md: