Marine Canvas and Upholstery Invoicing Software (2026)
Canvas work is custom material plus shop hours, and the material is unsellable once it's cut — so the deposit matters more than anything else. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) quotes fabric and labor separately, collects a deposit when the customer accepts, and invoices the balance at delivery.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, checked against each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the custom fabricator's real workflow — material-plus-labor quoting, deposits before cutting, and balance-on-delivery invoicing — not on retail POS or inventory management.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Canvas and upholstery shops: fabric/labor quoting, deposits before cutting, balance at delivery |
| Joist | Free / $8/mo | Simple estimates and invoices |
| Invoice2go | $9.99/mo+ | Basic mobile invoicing with templates |
| Kickserv Flex | $19/mo | Budget scheduling and invoicing |
| Jobber | $29/mo (Core) | Service businesses dispatching crews to sites |
Custom material is the whole risk
Once acrylic is cut to a boat’s pattern, it’s worth nothing to anyone else. Every billing decision in a canvas shop follows from that.
Take a deposit that covers the material in full — not half of it.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Fabric and labor as separate lines, a deposit charged the moment the quote is accepted, and a balance invoice at delivery — all from one job record.
2. Joist — Free / $8/mo
Simple estimates and invoices; no real deposit mechanism.
3. Invoice2go — $9.99/mo+
Basic mobile invoicing with standard templates.
4. Kickserv Flex — $19/mo
Budget scheduling and invoicing for a general service business.
5. Jobber — $29/mo (Core)
Built around dispatching crews to job sites — a shop with a sewing table is a different shape of business.
Quote structure that survives a fabric-price jump
| Line | Why it’s separate |
|---|---|
| Fabric & thread | Prices move; the customer picks the grade |
| Hardware & zippers | Swappable without touching labor |
| Labor / patterning | Your rate, visible and defensible |
| Installation visit | Travel isn’t shop time |
Frequently asked questions
How big a deposit should a canvas shop take?
Enough to cover the fabric and hardware in full, since custom-cut material has no resale value if the customer walks. Collecting it by card at quote acceptance is what makes it routine instead of an awkward ask.
Should fabric and labor be separate lines?
Yes. Marine fabric prices move, and a customer choosing between two acrylics needs to see the material difference without your labor muddying it. It also protects your margin when a supplier raises prices mid-job.
How do I quote a job I have to measure on the boat?
Send a measurement-visit line or a written estimate range first, then convert it into a firm quote once you've patterned the boat. The customer sees one document evolve rather than three numbers by text.
Can I bill a repair and a new build differently?
Yes — save both as catalog items, a per-hour repair rate and a per-project build, and pick the right one per job so the invoice reads the way the work was actually done.