Tradify vs Jobber vs Housecall Pro: Which FSM for Trades Shops? (2026)
Should a plumbing, HVAC, or electrical shop pick Tradify, Jobber, or Housecall Pro for job management?
Pick by published seat math and where AI lives. Tradify bills per user from Lite $47/month with SmartTools AI only on Plus ($61/month). Jobber starts at Core $29/month billed annually with a clear tier ladder and optional Receptionist. Housecall Pro starts at Basic $59/month billed annually with employee GPS and routes on Essentials. None replace a missed-call answering layer — OnCrew still covers confirm-before-book phone intake when the FSM is not the gap.
For a plumbing, HVAC, or electrical shop shopping the FSM that owns jobs, quotes, and invoices — not another answering bot — start with published floors. Tradify Lite is $47 USD per user/month; Pro $51; Plus $61 (SmartTools AI quoting/cost tracking/invoicing on Plus only); Custom price-by-request; Instant Website add-on $12/month; 14-day free trial with all features (tradifyhq.com/pricing, re-verified 2026-11-02). Jobber Core is $49/month no commitment or $29/month billed annually (1 user); Connect $139/$99; Grow $199/$149; extra users $29/month; Receptionist add-on $29/month when you already pay for Jobber (getjobber.com/pricing, last verified 2026-10-31; direct re-fetch blocked 2026-11-02 — floors unchanged). Housecall Pro Basic is $79/month or $59 billed annually; Essentials $189/$149 (5 users); Max $329/$299 (8 users) — housecallpro.com/pricing, re-verified 2026-11-02. Honesty: Jobber has a tracked affiliate URL in our catalog; Tradify and Housecall Pro are destination/Skimlinks only until Chip pastes PartnerStack or Tradify partner tracking — do not invent commissions. Phone gap is separate: Try OnCrew via https://oncrew.ai/ref/useaifor when after-hours still hits voicemail.
See Comparison TableSide-by-Side Comparison
All three schedule jobs, send estimates, invoice, and take payments. Tiebreakers for flagship trades shops are published entry price, per-user vs seat-band math, where AI quoting lives, GPS/routes, and whether missed-call answering is included or a separate buy. Pricing re-verified 2026-11-02 on tradifyhq.com/pricing and housecallpro.com/pricing; Jobber floors last verified 2026-10-31 (direct pricing re-fetch blocked 2026-11-02 — public floors unchanged). No star ratings or "we reviewed" claims. Jobber outbound uses the catalog affiliate. Tradify and Housecall Pro have no directAffiliateUrl yet — destination only. FSM does not replace answering: OnCrew confirm-before-book path is https://oncrew.ai/ref/useaifor.
| Criteria | Tradify | Jobber | Housecall Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (published) | Lite $47 USD per user/month | Core $49/month no commitment; $29/month billed annually (1 user) | Basic $79/month; $59/month billed annually (1 user) |
| Plan a busy 2–6 truck shop often lands on | Pro $51/user/month or Plus $61/user/month when SmartTools AI quoting matters; multiply by active users | Connect $139/month ($99 billed annually) or Grow $199/month ($149 billed annually) for two-way SMS and job costing | Essentials $189/month ($149 billed annually, 5 users) — routes, employee GPS, QuickBooks Online sync |
| AI quoting / estimates (as published) | SmartTools AI (faster quoting, cost tracking, invoicing) called out on Plus only — confirm in trial before you buy Lite/Pro expecting AI drafts | AI-assisted quotes/invoices on the platform; Jobber AI Voice for field notes on the feature grid — confirm plan inclusion in trial | Vendor lists “AI team members” on every plan and CSR AI / Voice / Campaigns as product areas — confirm which are included vs paid add-ons in trial |
| Missed-call answering (as published) | Not a trades Multi-Truck answering product — confirm any call features in trial; plan a separate answering stack for after-hours | Receptionist add-on $29/month (30 conversations, then $0.79; unlimited on Plus) — verified 2026-10-31 | Confirm live which answering / voice AI products are included vs add-ons — do not assume Basic covers after-hours triage |
| GPS / routes | Confirm live which GPS/route tools ship on Lite vs Pro vs Plus — do not invent fleet GPS from marketing | Routing on the platform; GPS via Jobber activity tracking or fleet-partner devices (not a built-in phone GPS product on the pricing page) | Employee GPS tracking + Routes on Essentials; route optimization with live traffic on Max |
| Pricing shape | Per active user — Lite $47 / Pro $51 / Plus $61; Instant Website add-on $12/month; Custom on request | Seat bands with published Core → Grow ladder; extra users $29/month | Plan bands with included user counts (Basic 1; Essentials 5; Max 8); extra users published on pricing |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial — vendor says the trial includes all features so you can pick a plan (tradifyhq.com/pricing) | 14-day trial (Grow features), no card | 14-day free trial (housecallpro.com/pricing) |
| Best fit (honest) | You want published per-user dollars and are fine putting SmartTools AI on Plus — try Tradify destination/Skimlinks before you assume you need Jobber Grow | You want the clearest published tier ladder, Client Hub, and optional Receptionist inside the same FSM | You want employee GPS and routes on Essentials and are fine confirming AI add-ons in trial — destination only until a tracked affiliate exists |
Tradify
Per-user job management + SmartTools on Plus
Plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and property-maintenance shops that want published per-user pricing and optional SmartTools AI on Plus — without assuming US-only FSM defaults
Lite $47 USD/user/month; Pro $51; Plus $61 (SmartTools AI on Plus only); Custom price-by-request; Instant Website add-on $12/month; 14-day free trial with all features. Verified 2026-11-02 on tradifyhq.com/pricing.
Try TradifyJobber
Clearest published tiers + Client Hub
HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, and cleaning shops that want transparent Core → Grow pricing, Client Hub approve/pay, and optional Receptionist when the phone gap is inside Jobber
Core from $29/month billed annually ($49 no commitment, 1 user). Connect from $99/$139. Grow from $149/$199. Extra users $29/month. Receptionist add-on $29/month (30 conversations, then $0.79 each; unlimited on Plus). 14-day trial. Verified 2026-10-31 on getjobber.com/pricing + Jobber Receptionist help; direct pricing re-fetch blocked 2026-11-01 — public floors unchanged.
Try JobberHousecall Pro
Routes + employee GPS on Essentials
Home-services crews that want online booking from Basic, employee GPS and routes on Essentials, and Max for recurring service plans — confirm which AI features are included vs add-ons in trial
Basic $79/month ($59 billed annually). Essentials $189 ($149 annual, 5 users). Max $329 ($299 annual, 8 users; +$35/user on Max card). 14-day trial. Verified 2026-11-01 on housecallpro.com/pricing. No Chip PartnerStack paste yet — destination only / Skimlinks.
Try Housecall ProBuyer Checklist Before You Commit
Is the gap job docs and dispatch — or after-hours calls still hitting voicemail? (FSM first vs answering first)
How many people need the app on day one — multiply Tradify per-user dollars, or pick a Jobber/HCP seat band?
Do you need SmartTools AI quoting on Tradify Plus ($61/user), or is ChatGPT-outside-the-FSM enough on Lite/Pro?
Do you need employee GPS and routes on the mid tier (Housecall Pro Essentials), or is Client Hub approve/pay the tiebreaker (Jobber)?
Will you keep a separate answering stack (OnCrew confirm-before-book, Rosie, Upfirst) even after you pick an FSM?
Can you send one real change-order or estimate tonight and collect a signature in the tool — not just open the marketing site?
Have you checked live vendor pricing the day you buy? Floors move; this page cites 2026-11-02 Tradify/HCP and 2026-10-31 Jobber.
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