What field service software actually costs you
The subscription is the small number. For most contractors the card processing fee costs several times more — and it is missing from every comparison article we could find. Enter your numbers and see both.
The fee nobody puts in the comparison
Every “best field service software” article ranks these products on their monthly subscription. But if you take card payments through the software, that subscription is rarely the biggest line item. A crew running $40,000 a month through cards pays somewhere around $14,000 a year in processing — against a subscription of $948 to $5,388.
| Vendor | Card rate | Per transaction | Bank / ACH | Published? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber | 2.9% | $0.30 | 1% | Exact rate |
| Housecall Pro | from 2.59% | not published | 1% | Floor only |
| ServiceM8 | 3.05% | $0.30 | — | Exact rate |
| Service Fusion | No rate published | |||
| Kickserv | No rate published | |||
Housecall Pro publishes only “as low as 2.59%” and no per-transaction fee. Every Housecall Pro figure on this site is therefore a best case, marked with an asterisk, and your real cost is likely higher.
Where the ranking flips
Because ServiceM8 has the cheapest subscription and the most expensive card rate, and Housecall Pro is the reverse, the winner depends on how much money you run through the system. Same crew of 10, same 150 jobs a month, only the card volume changes:
| Card volume | Jobber | Housecall Pro | ServiceM8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000/mo $120,000/yr | $7,040 | $8,496* | $4,688 |
| $40,000/mo $480,000/yr | $17,720 | $17,820* | $15,908 |
| $70,000/mo $840,000/yr | $28,400 | $27,144* | $27,128 |
| $100,000/mo $1,200,000/yr | $39,080 | $36,468* | $38,348 |
Total annual cost, subscription plus card processing, at a $450 average invoice. * = best case only.
Jobber overtakes ServiceM8 above $1,688,000 a year in card volume — even though its subscription costs several times more. Below that, ServiceM8 wins.
Housecall Pro overtakes ServiceM8 above $843,038 a year in card volume — even though its subscription costs several times more. Below that, ServiceM8 wins.
Why there is no single “best” answer
Jobber charges per user ($29/mo each). Housecall Pro bundles users into plans and then charges $100/mo for each extra one on Essentials. ServiceM8 ignores users entirely and charges by job volume, with unlimited logins.
So the answer moves with your shape. A large crew running modest job volume pays a fraction on ServiceM8. A small crew running heavy volume is better off on Jobber. A business pushing serious money through cards can be better off on the most expensive subscription of the three.
| Scenario | Cheapest overall | Subscription | Card fees | Total / yr | Fees as % of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo operator 1 tech, 40 jobs/mo, $8,000/mo on cards |
Housecall Pro Basic |
$708 | $2,486* | $3,194 | 78% |
| 5-tech crew 5 techs, 120 jobs/mo, $25,000/mo on cards |
Housecall Pro Essentials |
$1,788 | $7,770* | $9,558 | 81% |
| 10-tech crew 10 techs, 150 jobs/mo, $40,000/mo on cards |
ServiceM8 Growing |
$948 | $14,960 | $15,908 | 94% |
| 3 techs, high volume 3 techs, 400 jobs/mo, $60,000/mo on cards |
Housecall Pro Essentials |
$1,788 | $18,648* | $20,436 | 91% |
Vendors that do not publish pricing
Workiz Pricing not public
The official pricing page returns a 404. Public sources contradict each other: the per-user surcharge is reported both as $30 and as $46-54, and plans appear as $187/$229/$270 and also as 'from $225'. We publish none of these as fact.
ServiceTitan Pricing not public
Does not publish pricing. Quotes are given only after a sales demo. Aimed at larger contractors.