What contractor software actually costs, all in

Three of eight show prices

Most of the big names make you ask.

Of the 8 pricing pages I read, 3 show a monthly dollar figure and 5 do not, per my own count. The 5 quiet ones sell to larger shops. ServiceTitan says it prices per technician, Buildertrend says it targets builders with 5 or more projects a year, and Procore says it sells on an annual contract, each per its own pricing page.

What Jobber charges

Cheap to start, then $29 for each person you add.

Jobber's Core plan for 1 user is $49 a month billed monthly, per Jobber's pricing page. The annual price shows as $21 a month for the first 3 months and then $29 a month, per the same Jobber page, so the $21 is a promo and not the real rate. Connect is $139 a month billed monthly or $99 a month on annual, per Jobber's pricing page. Grow runs from $199 to $499 a month and Plus from $499 to $699 a month, billed monthly per Jobber's page.

Every extra user on any Jobber plan costs $29 a month, per Jobber's pricing page. Jobber prices its add-ons at $99 a month for the Marketing Suite, $29 a month for the AI Receptionist and $49 a month for Pipeline. Jobber Payments takes 2.9% plus 30 cents per card charge, 2.7% plus 30 cents for Tap to Pay, and 1% for bank payments, per Jobber's pricing page.

What Housecall Pro charges

Higher entry price, more seats built in.

Housecall Pro's Basic plan for 1 user is $79 a month billed monthly or $59 a month on annual, per Housecall Pro's pricing page. Essentials covers 5 users at $189 a month monthly or $149 a month annual, per the same page. Max covers 8 users at $329 a month monthly or $299 a month annual, plus $35 a month for each user beyond that, per Housecall Pro's pricing page.

Housecall Pro advertises card rates as low as 2.59%, per its pricing page, and that phrase is a floor and not a promise. Bank payments carry a 1% fee and mobile check deposit has no fee, per Housecall Pro's pricing page.

Contractor Foreman flat tiers

One price covers everyone at the top.

Contractor Foreman publishes 5 tiers on its pricing page. Basic is $49 a month for 1 user, Standard is $105 a month for 3 users, Plus is $166 a month for 8 users, Pro is $221 a month for 15 users, and Unlimited is $332 a month for unlimited users, all per Contractor Foreman.

Setup and implementation is sold separately on the lower tiers and included free only on Pro and Unlimited, per Contractor Foreman's pricing page. Private training runs 0 sessions on Basic, 2 on Standard, 3 on Plus, 4 on Pro and unlimited on Unlimited, per the same page. It lists a 30 day trial and a 100 day money back guarantee, and it names Stripe for payments but shows no card rate, per the same page.

The five that make you call

No number on the page, just a form.

ServiceTitan lists Starter, Essentials and The Works with Request Pricing buttons and says the price is per technician, per its pricing page. Buildertrend says pricing is tailored, includes unlimited users and projects, and offers 10% off for paying a year upfront, per its pricing page. JobNimbus names 4 tiers and says the price depends on plan, user count and add-ons, with no required setup or onboarding fee but paid Professional Services on offer, per JobNimbus's pricing page.

FieldPulse says pricing is seat based and depends on what each seat can access, per FieldPulse's pricing page. Procore says pricing is fixed by company type on an annual contract, with unlimited users and implementation included, per its pricing page.

What eight contractor platforms publish

Basis: every figure in this table comes from the vendor's own public pricing page, listed under Sources, and I read all 8 pages myself.

A five man crew, priced out

Same crew, three tools, three bills.

Take a crew of 5. On Jobber Connect billed monthly, that is $139 for the plan plus 4 extra users at $29 each, which comes to $255 a month before add-ons, using Jobber's published rates. Add the Marketing Suite at $99 and the AI Receptionist at $29 and the same crew pays $383 a month, again from Jobber's published rates. On Housecall Pro Essentials billed monthly, 5 users are covered flat at $189 a month, per Housecall Pro's pricing page.

Card fees on real jobs

Processing can cost more than the plan.

Say that crew takes $30,000 a month on cards across 100 jobs. At Jobber's published rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents, my arithmetic gives $870 in percentage fees plus $30 in per-charge fees, about $900 a month. That is more than 3 times the $255 plan cost above, by the same arithmetic. Move those customers to bank payments at Jobber's published 1% rate and the fee on $30,000 drops to $300.

What we got wrong

The hidden fee story is only half true.

I expected every vendor to bury the real cost. The 3 public pages say otherwise. Jobber and Housecall Pro list plan, per user, add-on and processing rates in plain sight on their own pricing pages, and Contractor Foreman shows a flat unlimited user tier at $332 a month with no per seat creep. JobNimbus says there is no required onboarding fee and Procore says implementation is included, per their own pages, so I cannot claim the big tools always charge for setup.

The murk sits with the 5 sales call vendors, and even there it is a missing number, not a proven trap. I also caught myself twice. Housecall Pro's 2.59% is an as low as figure, per its own wording, and Jobber's $21 annual price is a 3 month promo before the real $29 rate, per Jobber's page.

Where VuseDesk fits

One flat price, and we never touch your money.

VuseDesk's Contractor plan is $39.99 a month and the General Contractor plan is $99.99 a month, per our own price list. VuseDesk records payments and never processes or moves money, so there is no card rate on our side to add to the table. A consult is $199 if you want a second set of eyes.

Try VuseDesk on your next few jobs and see how the numbers above hold up against your own. The Contractor plan is $39.99 a month, and your clients and subs log in free.