Accounting software
for contractors
Built for progress billing: deposits, mid-job draws, materials, and change orders, without the bookkeeping headache.
Free desktop app for Windows, Mac, and Linux. No account, no credit card, and your books stay on your own computer.
Argo Books
Opening Argo Books on Windows
Windows may warn you because Argo Books is a newer app, not because it is unsafe. After the download finishes, here is the last step to open it:
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Open the installer. If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.
Built for the way contractors actually get paid
A contractor invoice isn't one number on one piece of paper. It's a deposit before any work starts, a draw when the framing is up or the rough-in is done, change orders the homeowner asked for after the bid, materials at cost or with a markup, and a final balance with the deposit and draws already credited. Argo Books handles the books so you can stay on the tools.
Bill a deposit, a mid-job draw, and a final balance
Send a deposit invoice before the first day, a draw invoice when framing or rough-in is signed off, and a final balance with the deposit and draws already credited. Argo Books tracks what's been paid on each, so the closing balance is exactly what's still owed.
Snap a receipt from Home Depot, the lumber yard, or the supply house
Take a photo and Argo Books pulls the vendor, date, and amount automatically. Tag it Materials, Subcontractor, Equipment Rental, or Permit so when the customer asks for an itemized statement, you can answer in two minutes instead of two hours.
Pay the crew without a separate payroll service
Enter the hours and Argo Books works out CPP, EI and income tax from the CRA's own tables, prints the pay stubs, and puts the wages straight into your books. Different provinces on the same run is fine, and your T4s are ready in January. Payroll is on Premium and covers Canadian staff.
Send the final invoice the day you wrap
Walk through with the customer, open Argo Books, and send the final invoice before you pack the truck. Customers can pay through Stripe or Square, so the balance can clear before the deposit on the next job needs to land.
What Argo Books isn't
Argo Books is bookkeeping software, not construction-management software. It does not do job costing per project, crew scheduling, or bid and estimating. If you're trying to replace Buildertrend, CoConstruct, or QuickBooks Contractor for those, run them side by side: those for the project, Argo Books for your books.
Payroll covers Canadian staff only, so a crew outside Canada needs a separate payroll service. If those are dealbreakers, that's fair. If they're not, the desktop app is free, it works without internet at the job trailer, and your data stays on your computer.
Download FreeStart free, upgrade only if you need more
Most solo contractors and small crews stay on the free tier. Premium adds predictive analytics for cashflow planning between jobs, unlimited invoicing, and priority support.
FREE Plan
Just starting out, or you only need the basics? This is the place.
Free forever
- Unlimited products, customers, and sales
- See your numbers update in real time
- Keep every receipt in one place
- Send 25 invoices a month
- Scan 10 receipts a month, no typing
- Import 100 spreadsheets a month
- Import 25 bank statements a month
PREMIUM Plan
Want unlimited invoicing, bigger monthly limits, and forecasts you can act on? Go Premium.
Billed monthly
Billed annually at $150 CAD
Everything in Free, plus…
- Unlimited invoices and online payments
- Scan 500 receipts a month, no typing
- Import 500 spreadsheets a month
- Import 500 bank statements a month
- Run Canadian payroll and produce T4s
- Forecast revenue and spot trends early
- Sign in with your fingerprint or face
- Priority support when you need it
Argo Books for your line of work
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Most contractors send three invoices on a multi-week job: a deposit invoice before work begins, a draw invoice at a milestone like framing or rough-in, and a final invoice when the work is signed off.
Argo Books tracks what's been paid on each so the final balance lines up with what the customer still owes.
Yes. Add each change order as its own line item on the next progress invoice, or send a separate change-order invoice.
Keeping changes on their own lines makes it easy for the customer to see exactly what they signed off on versus the original scope.
Yes. List materials and labor on separate lines of the invoice, or roll materials into a single marked-up line if that's how you priced the bid.
On the expense side, scan the supply-house receipt and tag it Materials, Equipment, or Subcontractor so the report later actually means something.
Yes. The desktop app runs natively on your computer and does not need an internet connection to record expenses or build an invoice.
You only need internet when you actually send the invoice or take a payment.
Not the way QuickBooks Contractor or a dedicated job-costing tool does. Argo Books tracks expenses by category and revenue by customer and invoice, which covers most solo contractors and small crews.
If you need a true per-project P&L across labor, materials, subs, and overhead, a job-costing tool is a better fit. Many contractors run a simpler bookkeeping tool alongside their estimating or scheduling software.
Yes, for Canadian staff. Enter each person's hours and Argo Books works out CPP, EI and federal and provincial income tax from the CRA's own tables, for every province and territory, then prints the pay stubs and records the wages in your books.
At year end it prepares your T4 slips and the file the CRA needs, and when someone finishes it gathers the figures for their Record of Employment. Payroll is part of Premium at $15 CAD/month, with no per-employee fee. It does not cover staff outside Canada.
Yes, forever. The free tier covers all core features and 25 invoices per month.
Premium ($15 CAD/month) adds predictive analytics, unlimited invoicing, and priority support. No credit card to start.
Want the bookkeeping side in plain language? Read our guide to bookkeeping for contractors.