MarginTap vs QuickBooks Self-Employed — for tradesmen, not freelancers.

QuickBooks Self-Employed is a bookkeeping app: mileage, expenses, year-end tax summary. MarginTap is a quoting and invoicing app for tradesmen: pre-built copper, brass and PEX lines, quote-to-invoice in one tap, three languages on one job, one VAT number. €9.99/month, flat. No bookkeeping, no per-user tax.

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3 reasons MarginTap fits where QuickBooks doesn't.

Quotes the way tradesmen need them

QuickBooks Self-Employed wasn't designed to write a quote in the rain. MarginTap loads with plumbing, electrical and HVAC libraries, per-line VAT, finger-on-screen signature and a PDF that goes by WhatsApp before the toolbox is back in the van. If you spend more time quoting jobs than logging mileage, you're using the wrong app.

One job, three languages, one VAT number

Quote the Polish-passport homeowner in PL, deliver the invoice in DE to the German office paying the bill, send the English copy to UK procurement — all on the same job, with the same VAT number. QuickBooks Self-Employed doesn't translate documents per recipient. MarginTap is the only invoicing app for tradesmen that does.

Flat €9.99/month, no upgrade trap

QuickBooks Self-Employed is priced in dollars and changes plans often. MarginTap is €9.99/month or €79/year — flat, no per-seat tax, no "upgrade to Simple Start to actually send an invoice." Unlimited quotes and invoices on Pro. CSV export to your accountant included on every tier.

MarginTap vs QuickBooks — your questions

Can I import/export from QuickBooks?
MarginTap exports clean CSV of clients, quotes and invoices on every tier — your accountant or bookkeeper can pull it into QuickBooks Online, Xero, or whatever they actually run. There is no live QuickBooks sync yet; the design choice is deliberate, because most tradesmen don't run the books themselves. If you do, you keep QuickBooks for the ledger and run MarginTap for the quoting side.
What does MarginTap do that QuickBooks Self-Employed doesn't?
Three things QuickBooks Self-Employed wasn't built for: a real quote-to-invoice flow with finger-signature in the field, pre-built trade libraries (copper 15/22/28, push-fit, RCBOs, conduit), and the same job rendered in PL, DE and EN on one VAT number. QuickBooks Self-Employed is a bookkeeping app with a basic invoice screen bolted on. MarginTap is a quoting and invoicing app for tradesmen, full stop.
What does QuickBooks Self-Employed do that MarginTap doesn't?
Bookkeeping. Mileage tracking by GPS, bank feed categorisation, quarterly tax estimates, a Schedule C / self-assessment summary at year-end. If those are your day job, QuickBooks is the right tool. MarginTap is upstream of all that — we hand your accountant a clean CSV; we don't try to be the ledger.
How does the pricing compare?
QuickBooks Self-Employed is priced in USD and revises regularly; expect the equivalent of a mid-teens monthly fee in dollars, with periodic promotions. MarginTap is €9.99/month or €79/year — flat, in euros, one trader, unlimited quotes and invoices. €79/year saves 34%. 14-day Pro trial, no card to start, cancel from the app.
Should I switch if I'm already paying for QuickBooks Self-Employed?
Probably not as a like-for-like swap — they solve different problems. The honest call: keep QuickBooks if you really use the mileage tracker and tax summary, and add MarginTap for the quoting and invoicing your trade actually runs on. If you opened QuickBooks Self-Employed expecting it to write quotes for boiler swaps and it doesn't, switch fully. €9.99/month, cancel from the app.
Can I run MarginTap alongside QuickBooks?
Yes, and a lot of tradesmen will. MarginTap writes the quote in the van, converts it to an invoice on signature, and exports CSV to your accountant. QuickBooks keeps the ledger and the tax side. Two apps, one workflow, no double-entry — because MarginTap doesn't try to be the bookkeeping system, only the front end of it.
SHEET 06 · PRICING

The receipt.

Two tiers. No "Contact Sales". No annual lock-in. Cancel from the app.

MarginTap
RECEIPT · NO. 0001
TIER · FREE

€0.00

— PER MONTH · FOREVER
  • ✓Quotes & invoices5/mo
  • ✓PDF exportincl.
  • ✓1 userincl.
  • ✓EN · PL · DEincl.
  • —Client CRMPRO
  • —Recurring invoicesPRO
Subtotal€0.00
VAT€0.00
TOTAL€0.00
[ START FREE → ]
MarginTap PRO
RECEIPT · NO. 0042
TIER · PRO
PAID

€9.99

— PER MONTH · UNLIMITED
  • ✓Quotes & invoicesunlimited
  • ✓PDF + email + WhatsAppincl.
  • ✓Client CRM & balancesincl.
  • ✓EN · PL · DE on one jobincl.
  • ✓Recurring invoicesincl.
  • ✓Schedule of rates libraryincl.
  • ✓VAT-correct exportsincl.
Subtotal€8.12
VAT 23%€1.87
TOTAL€9.99
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SHEET 08 · EARLY ACCESS

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Tradesman in workwear in his van at sunset, sending a quote on his phone, folded high-vis on the seat.