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A 1-5 tech plumbing shop needs the same few things from field service software: booking and dispatch, estimates and invoices from the truck, card payments, a price book, and a sync to the books. All eight handle scheduling, estimates, invoices and card payments; price books, job costing and accounting sync depend on the plan. They also differ in how they charge and how hard it is to leave.
This guide covers eight tools from their own pricing pages, help articles and terms, all read on October 4, 2026. It lists who each one fits rather than ranking them; the right pick depends on your head count, how you price jobs and how your customers pay.
Prices and terms at a glance (as of October 4, 2026)
Prices are per month in U.S. dollars before sales tax.
| Tool | Published price | Users | U.S. card rate | Contract and trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber | Core $29 annual to $49 no commitment; Grow from $149 annual | 1-, 5-, 10-, 15-user tiers; +$29 per user | 2.9% + 30¢ online; 2.7% + 30¢ Tap to Pay | No commitment, 1-year or prepaid annual; 14-day trial |
| Housecall Pro | Basic $59 annual / $79 monthly; Essentials $149 / $189; Max $299 / $329 | 1 / 5 / 8 included; Max +$35 per user | 2.59% in person; 2.99% online; 3.49% keyed, Amex, business cards | Monthly or annual; 14-day trial |
| Service Fusion | Starter $208 annual / $245 monthly; Plus $325 / $382; Pro $533 / $627 | Unlimited | 2.90% + $0.30; +1.00% card not present | Month-to-month or annual (15% off); demo |
| ServiceM8 | Free; Starter $29; Growing $79; Premium $149; Premium Plus $349 (by new jobs per month) | Unlimited on paid plans | 3.05% + 30¢ | No lock-in; 14-day trial |
| ServiceTitan | Request pricing (Starter, Essentials, The Works) | Per technician | Not published | Typically 12-36 months; demo only |
| Workiz | Request pricing (Standard, Pro, Ultimate) | Not published | Not published | 12-month term, auto-renews; 7-day trial |
| FieldEdge | Request pricing (Select, Premier, Elite) | 2 / 4 / 6 mobile licenses included | Not published | Annual; no free trial |
| FieldPulse | Custom quote, seat-based | Seats bought up front for the term | Not published | Contract term; no free trial |
Where the table says request pricing, the vendor's site shows no dollar figure. Card rates come from Housecall Pro's processing article, Service Fusion's payments page (effective December 1, 2025) and ServiceM8's fee article, which says its U.S. rate is current as of September 2024.
Who each tool fits
Jobber
Fits a solo owner who wants a low-cost one-user plan (Core, $29 a month on annual billing) or a shop that likes the 1-year commitment middle price. Job costing starts at Grow and QuickBooks Online sync at Connect; no flat-rate price book appears on the pricing page. The full cost math against Housecall Pro is in Jobber vs Housecall Pro. For a one-truck shop that only needs estimates, invoices and card payments, see the cheapest way to estimate and invoice.
Housecall Pro
Fits a shop that wants job costing and a price book on the entry plan and flat-rate pricing from Essentials, which also covers 5 users. Its 2.59% in-person card rate is the lowest published here, but keyed, Amex and business cards cost 3.49%. Its page also asks your trade and team size; on October 4, 2026 its plan quiz gave a plumbing shop the same list prices, but the page code holds an unpriced per-seat view for HVAC, plumbing and electrical visitors, so get your quote in writing.
Service Fusion
Fits a shop with several office and field people, because every plan has unlimited users at one price. Starter includes QuickBooks Online and Desktop sync; job costing comes with Plus. Flat rate is a separate integration powered by Profit Rhino, with no price on its flat-rate page. Watch the payment extras: a 1.00% card-not-present surcharge, a $0.75 daily batch fee and a $59.95 monthly fee if you are not PCI compliant.
ServiceM8
Fits a small crew with a modest job count. It charges by new jobs per month, not by user: Growing covers 150 jobs, Premium 500. Job costing starts at Premium ($149). It shows only monthly prices.
ServiceTitan
Fits a shop with a full-time office person that is ready for a longer commitment; its demo form asks whether you have one. Pricing is per technician, with no published price and no trial. Its annual report says new customers typically sign 12- to 36-month agreements and pay for onboarding separately. More in ServiceTitan pricing.
Workiz
Fits a shop that wants online booking and fleet tracking on the base plan and can live with an annual term. All plans include a price book, QuickBooks Online sync, fleet tracking and online booking; flat rate, checklists and service plans are Ultimate only. Its terms (updated February 19, 2026) set a 12-month term that auto-renews unless you give 30 days' notice and allow a yearly fee increase of up to 10%. Workiz published plan prices earlier in 2026: Internet Archive copies of its pricing page show dollar prices on March 26, 2026 and request-pricing buttons by June 11, 2026.
FieldEdge
Fits a shop already running QuickBooks Desktop: every plan includes QuickBooks Online and Desktop sync plus a price book with flat-rate pricing. There is no free trial. Its service agreement, the Xplor terms, renews for 12 months unless you give 60 days' notice and defines the early-termination fee as the monthly fee times the months remaining.
FieldPulse
Fits a shop that would rather negotiate a package than pick a list price. It is quote-only and seat-based: you buy seats up front for the contract term. The price book and fleet tracking are add-ons. It offers no trial and says outside price estimates are not verified by it.
Total-cost notes
The subscription. For a shop with 3 techs and one office login (4 users), here is what the published plans that include job costing cost per year:
| Tool and plan | Annual billing | Monthly billing |
|---|---|---|
| Housecall Pro Essentials (5 users included) | $1,788.00 | $2,268.00 |
| ServiceM8 Premium (500 new jobs a month) | not listed | $1,788.00 |
| Jobber Grow (5-user tier annual; 1 user + 3 at $29 monthly) | $2,748.00 | $3,432.00 |
| Service Fusion Plus (unlimited users) | $3,900.00 | $4,584.00 |
| ServiceTitan, Workiz, FieldEdge, FieldPulse | quote only | quote only |
In the site's example shop (3 techs, 3,650.4 billable hours a year), each $1,000 of yearly software cost adds about $0.27 to the break-even rate per billable hour; $2,748.00 adds $0.75.
Card fees. Per $10,000 of card payments at an average of $400 (25 payments):
| Tool | Paid online from the invoice | Paid in person |
|---|---|---|
| Jobber | $297.50 | $277.50 (Tap to Pay) |
| Housecall Pro | $299.00 | $259.00, plus $5 per active Tap to Pay device a month |
| Service Fusion | $397.50 with the card-not-present surcharge | $297.50, plus $0.75 per day with transactions |
| ServiceM8 | $312.50 | $312.50 |
Times 30 for $300,000 a year, that is $7,770.00 (Housecall Pro, all in person) to $11,925.00 (Service Fusion, all online), before device and batch fees. Each half-point of rate at that volume is $1,500.00. Surcharging rules are covered in credit card fees for contractors.
What else to price in. ServiceTitan invoices onboarding separately, and FieldEdge's terms refer to implementation fees; neither publishes the amount. Jobber's top plan lists onboarding and data import as included extras. Exits cost money too: prepaid annual fees are non-refundable at Jobber, Housecall Pro and Service Fusion, Workiz runs 12-month terms, and FieldEdge's early-termination fee is the rest of the term.
Questions to settle before you sign
- What is my yearly total at my real card mix: tapped, online, keyed, and Amex or business cards?
- Who counts as a user, and what does the next user cost on this plan and billing mode?
- Are job costing, flat-rate pricing and the right QuickBooks (Online or Desktop) on the plan quoted?
- What is the term, the renewal notice period, the cap on price increases and the early-termination fee? Get it in writing; what the vendors' published terms say is compared clause by clause.
- What do onboarding, data import and card readers cost?
- Can I export customers, the price book and job history if I leave?
These are contract questions; if the agreement is long or unusual, have an attorney read it.
Next step
Price the two or three tools that fit your head count and pricing method, then enter the yearly subscription as overhead in the labor rate calculator to see what it adds to every billable hour.
Sources
Tools for the job
Tool listOffice3 itemsSpecs read
As an Amazon Associate, Trade Price Book earns from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are marked “(paid link)”; prices aren’t shown here.
Rugged tablets and mobile printersSamsung SM-X308U
Galaxy Tab Active5 5G (U.S., unlocked)
- 8.0 in. WUXGA display up to 120 Hz that works with gloves or when wet; Exynos 1380 processor.
Specs: Samsung product page, read
View on Amazon for Samsung SM-X308U(paid link)
Rugged tablets and mobile printersBrother PJ-883
PocketJet PJ-883 Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Mobile Printer
- Full-page 8.5 in. wide thermal printing at 300 dpi, up to 3 in. per second.
Specs: Brother product page, read
View on Amazon for Brother PJ-883(paid link)
Rugged tablets and mobile printersBrother RJ-4230B-L
RuggedJet RJ-4230B-L 4-Inch Mobile Printer with Bluetooth and Battery
- 4 in. direct-thermal receipt and label printer, up to 5 in. per second; the -L version ships with the battery.
Specs: Brother product page, read
View on Amazon for Brother RJ-4230B-L(paid link)
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