Housecall Pro vs PaintScout (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Housecall Pro: it is third in our ranking of field service apps, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Housecall Pro grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Housecall Pro
Scheduling, quotes and payments for home service businesses
PaintScout
Estimating, proposals and CRM for painting contractors
Which one is for you
Pick Housecall Pro if
- Fits if you run an HVAC, plumbing or cleaning crew and want bookings, jobs and payments in one app
- Works for teams that win work through Thumbtack or Google Local Services
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need route optimization or service plans, which only come with Max at $299 a month
- Skip it if you want AI call answering or payroll priced up front, as both are add-ons with no price shown
- Not for you if you want Zapier or the API on a small plan, since both are Max only
- Tight if you're a crew of 2 to 5, as Basic holds 1 user and Essentials at $149 is the floor
- Watch out: card processing starts at 2.59% and bank payments carry a 1% fee
Pick PaintScout if
- Fits if you run a painting business and want proposals customers sign online
- Makes sense if you want a card-free 14-day trial first
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need scheduling and job management included, as that is a $79 add-on
- Pricey if you add staff: team seats are $20 a user a month, and the base seat count isn't stated
- Watch out: Success Packages that do setup for you run $999 to $1,999
- Not for you if you work in other trades, as it is built for painting
- Tight if you want a phone app, since none is listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHousecall ProGood | 2.2GPAPaintScoutFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $59 a month but holds 1 user, so a crew of three starts on Essentials: $149 a month billed yearly ($189 monthly) for up to 5 users. That's the middle of what this category charges. Route optimization and service plans wait for Max at $299. | C$99 a month billed annually, $119 billed monthly. Adding the Operations add-on makes it $178. That sits between the middle and the dearer quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day trial of the Max plan with no card needed, which is the usual deal here. There's no free plan to fall back on afterwards. | CA 14-day trial with no card is listed, and no free plan. |
| Features | BOnline booking, scheduling and dispatch, estimates, invoices, card and bank payments, a price book, job costing and review requests, with routes, GPS and checklists on Essentials. That's the whole job. AI call answering and payroll cost extra. | CProduction-rate estimates, proposals, payments, pipeline, automation and reports. Job management and scheduling need a paid add-on, and it is for painters only. |
| Ease of use | B4.65 from 31,013 App Store ratings, more ratings than any other app in this category. The crew app runs in English and Spanish and techs can still view jobs offline. | CNo rating on record. You build rates, templates and follow-ups. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks, Thumbtack, Google Local Services, Gusto, Mailchimp and CompanyCam. Zapier and the open API need Max, and there's no desktop app. | BWeb only, with Google Calendar, Wisetack and Zapier. No native phone or desktop apps were on the pages read. |
| Best for | home service crews that take bookings online | estimates and proposals for painting contractors |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Housecall Pro and PaintScout. How we grade
Price against what you get
Housecall Pro starts at $59 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PaintScout starts at $99 a month and scores 2.3.
Housecall Pro scores higher and starts $40 a month lower. Of the other field service apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Housecall Pro for less, and 13 score higher than PaintScout for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Housecall Pro also covers appointment booking and review collection.
- PaintScout also covers sales pipeline, workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| Housecall Pro | PaintScout | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $59 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($79 billed monthly) | $99 per month, billed annually ($119 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Max plan, no credit card required | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Housecall Pro (Codefied Inc.) | PaintScout |
| Price read from | housecallpro.com | paintscout.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Housecall Pro
- Basic includes 1 user, Essentials 5 and Max 8; the pricing page prices extra users only on Max, at $35 a month each.
- Route optimization, recurring service plans, Zapier and the open API are only on Max, the plan sold through a demo.
- Card processing starts at 2.59% a transaction and bank payments carry a 1% fee.
- AI call answering, payroll, bookkeeping, websites and vehicle GPS are add-ons with no price on the pricing page.
PaintScout
- Job management and scheduling for operations are a paid add-on on top of the Sales plan.
- Team seats cost $20 per user per month; the page does not say how many seats the base plan includes.
- Free onboarding is included; Success Packages that do setup work for you are listed from $999 to $1,999.
- Built for painting contractors, with no listed app-store apps on the pages read.
Key features
Housecall Pro
- Scheduling and dispatch
- Assign technicians to jobs on a shared schedule. Essentials adds routes and phone-based employee GPS tracking; Max reorders a day's jobs by live drive time.
- Estimates, invoices and payments
- Send estimates by text or email, invoice from the field, take cards and bank payments, deposit checks in the app and offer customers financing.
- Online booking and reviews
- Customers can book and pay online from Google or the business's own website, and review tools ask for reviews after the job and help share them.
- Price book and job costing
- A price book keeps service prices current and job costing tracks what each job costs. Essentials adds flat-rate pricing with margins and commission rates.
- Crew mobile app
- The iOS and Android app works in English and Spanish, with offline viewing, and from Essentials adds job checklists and annotated photo reports.
- Service plans and add-ons
- Max adds recurring maintenance agreements and visual sales proposals. AI call answering, payroll, bookkeeping, websites and vehicle GPS are sold separately.
PaintScout
- Production-rate estimating
- Estimates use production rates and material lists, with pre-built templates, photos, optional add-ons and change orders.
- Interactive proposals
- Branded proposals sent by email or text, with e-signature, customer chat and viewed or signed notifications.
- Payments
- Deposits and final payments by ACH or card, payment links in estimates, and a Wisetack financing integration.
- Pipeline and tasks
- A drag-and-drop sales pipeline, deal filters, task assignment and a full interaction timeline.
- Automation and reports
- Automated email and SMS, reminders, deal automations, close-rate reports and sales leaderboards.
- Scheduling
- A central calendar with two-way Google Calendar sync for booking estimates, visits and follow-ups.
Plans
Housecall Pro
Basic$59
per month for 1 user, billed annually ($79 billed monthly)
Online booking, scheduling and dispatch, estimates, invoicing and payments, a price book, job costing and review management.
Essentials$149
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($189 billed monthly)
Adds routes, flat-rate pricing, checklists, photo reports, employee GPS tracking, commissions and QuickBooks Online sync.
Max$299
per month for up to 8 users, billed annually ($329 billed monthly)
Adds route optimization, recurring service plans, the sales proposal tool, the open API and a dedicated onboarding specialist. Extra users $35/mo each.
PaintScout
Sales$99
per month, billed annually ($119 billed monthly)
Core platform: estimates, proposals, payments, follow-ups, customer chat, pipeline and sales analytics.
Operations add-on$79
per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Added to Sales for customer and job management, scheduling and team task management.
Ways to pay less
Housecall Pro
- Annual discount
Save $20 to $40 a month with annual billing
Annual billing lowers Basic from $79 to $59 a month, Essentials from $189 to $149 and Max from $329 to $299.
PaintScout
- Annual discount
Annual billing lowers the monthly rate
Billed annually, Sales is $99 a month instead of $119 and the Operations add-on $79 instead of $99.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Housecall Pro or PaintScout?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Housecall Pro is cheaper to start with: $59 a month, against $99 a month for PaintScout. Housecall Pro starts at $59 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($79 billed monthly), and PaintScout starts at $99 per month, billed annually ($119 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Housecall Pro or PaintScout?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Housecall Pro nor PaintScout has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Housecall Pro and PaintScout run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Housecall Pro lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.