Housecall Pro vs ServiceM8
We give Housecall Pro a 2.6 GPA and ServiceM8 a 3.4, out of 4.0. ServiceM8 grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
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
ServiceM8
Job management for trades, priced by jobs a month, not users
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHousecall ProGood | 3.4GPAServiceM8Very good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AStarter is $29 a month with unlimited users, so a crew of three pays $29 in total, far below what most tools here charge three people. The catch is 50 new jobs a month; a busier crew needs Growing at $79 for 150. |
| 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. | BA free plan for 1 user and 30 new jobs a month, with scheduling, quotes, invoices, card payments and online booking. A sole trader could live on it, though texts cost 10 cents each and support is self-serve. |
| 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. | BJob cards, scheduling, on-site quotes and invoices, card payments, online booking, automatic client texts, a live staff map with auto routing and GPS time tracking. The whole job. Forms, assets and proposals start on Growing, job costing on Premium. |
| 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. | B4.6 from 849 App Store ratings. Staff get new jobs by push notification, and an AI helper drafts client texts and fills in quote and invoice items for you. |
| 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. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, plus Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Zapier, n8n and an API from Starter up. It's the only tool in this category with a desktop app for the office. |
| Best for | home service crews that take bookings online | small crews who'd rather not pay per user |
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 ServiceM8. 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. ServiceM8 starts at $29 a month and scores 3.3.
ServiceM8 scores higher and starts $30 a month lower. Of the other field service apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Housecall Pro for less, and none scores higher than ServiceM8 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 starts at $59 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($79 billed monthly). ServiceM8 starts at $29 per month for up to 50 new jobs, unlimited users.
- ServiceM8 has a free plan. Housecall Pro does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ServiceM8 lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Housecall Pro also covers review collection.
- ServiceM8 also covers time clock.
At a glance
| Housecall Pro | ServiceM8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $59 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($79 billed monthly) | $29 per month for up to 50 new jobs, unlimited users |
| Free plan | None | Free plan for 1 user and 30 new jobs a month, with scheduling, quoting, invoicing, card payments, online booking and self-serve support; texts cost 10¢ each. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Max plan, no credit card required | 14-day free trial with all features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Housecall Pro (Codefied Inc.) | ServiceM8 Pty Ltd |
| Price read from | housecallpro.com | servicem8.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Housecall Pro
- Home service trades such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical and cleaning
- Owner-operators who want booking, dispatch and payments in one app
- Teams with Spanish-speaking technicians
ServiceM8
- Small trade businesses that want unlimited users at a flat price
- Businesses that keep their books in Xero, QuickBooks Online or MYOB
- Sole traders who can stay within 30 jobs a month on the free plan
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.
ServiceM8
- Each plan caps new jobs a month at 30, 50, 150, 500 or 1,500; only Premium Plus lets you go over, at 20¢ a job.
- The free plan has 1 user and self-serve support only, and charges 10¢ per text message.
- Asset tracking, forms and proposals start on Growing at $79 a month; job costing and markup billing need Premium.
- ServiceM8 Phone, a business phone system, is an add-on from $19 a month.
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.
ServiceM8
- Job cards and scheduling
- Each job card holds client details, notes, photos, videos and messages. Jobs are scheduled to staff in the app or online, and staff are notified by push.
- Quotes, invoices and payments
- Build quotes and invoices on site, collect signatures, and take card payments in the app, by Tap to Pay or through an online link, with automatic payment reminders.
- Booking and client messages
- Clients can get a price and book online. Booking confirmations, reminders, on-the-way texts with arrival tracking and quote follow-ups go out automatically.
- Staff GPS and time tracking
- A dispatch map shows live staff locations, auto routing plans each day's route, and the app can clock shifts and job time on and off using GPS.
- Forms, assets and proposals
- From Growing, build certificates and reports as PDF forms, track the service history of equipment, and send visual proposals with several options.
- AI Smart Helper
- On every plan, an AI helper drafts client emails and texts, fills in quote and invoice items, summarizes jobs and takes spoken requests.
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.
ServiceM8
Free$0
1 user and 30 new jobs a month, with the core job, quoting and invoicing tools. Self-serve support and texts at 10¢ each.
Starter$29
per month for up to 50 new jobs
Unlimited users, free texts, 24/7 chat and email support, progress invoicing, supplier invoice import and API access.
Growing$79
per month for up to 150 new jobs
Adds asset management, electronic forms, proposals, bundles and a ServiceM8 inbox that turns emails into jobs.
Premium$149
per month for up to 500 new jobs
Adds job costing, markup billing, location insights with property photos and a knowledge base for technicians.
Premium Plus$349
per month for 1,500 new jobs, plus 20¢ per extra job
Everything in Premium for the busiest teams; the only plan that allows jobs beyond its monthly allowance.
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.
ServiceM8
- Startups
50% off the first 12 months for new businesses
Businesses registered less than 2 years ago get half price on any plan for 12 months, claimed by emailing proof of registration within 14 days of subscribing.
