Industry stack
8 tools that fit how trades & home services actually run — grouped by the job they do.
Summaries are original; pricing shown is the vendor's public model, not a quote. Some links below are affiliate links — disclosure.
HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping — the office is a truck, and every unanswered call while you're on the tools is a job that went to whoever picked up. The tools below are built for that reality: field-service platforms that handle quoting, scheduling, dispatch, and invoicing from a phone, business lines that auto-text missed callers, and simple automations that chase the paperwork so you don't have to at 9 p.m.
Start with the leak that costs the most. For most crews that's missed calls and slow quotes — fix those two before adding anything else.
Zapier connects thousands of business apps so you can automate repetitive, multi-step tasks without writing code. For a small office it is the usual first step to wiring your booking form, calendar, and CRM together.
Pricing Freemium — Free tier plus usage/feature-tiered paid plans; see vendor pricing page.
Free trial Yes
All Automation platforms tools →
FreshBooks is invoicing and accounting software aimed at small service businesses and solo operators. It focuses on getting invoices out and payments in without the complexity of full accounting suites.
Pricing Flat monthly — Tiered monthly plans; see vendor pricing page.
Free trial Yes
PandaDoc handles proposals, quotes, contracts, and e-signatures with reusable templates. For an office that sends estimates or agreements often, it speeds up the document-to-signature step.
Pricing Freemium — Free e-sign tier plus paid document plans; see vendor pricing page.
Free trial Yes
All Back office & admin tools →
Housecall Pro is an all-in-one app for home-service businesses covering scheduling, dispatch, invoicing, and online booking. It targets trades that want to take and manage jobs from a phone.
Pricing Flat monthly — Tiered monthly plans; see vendor pricing page.
Free trial Yes
Jobber is field-service management for home and commercial trades — quoting, scheduling, dispatch, invoicing, and payments in one app. It is built for mobile crews running jobs away from a front desk.
Pricing Flat monthly — Tiered monthly plans; see vendor pricing page.
Free trial Yes
Thryv is a small-business platform combining CRM, scheduling, reviews, and marketing for local service providers. It pitches itself as one system to get found online and keep customers coming back.
Pricing Unknown / contact sales — Custom pricing; contact sales.
Free trial Not advertised
All Field service & trades tools →
Podium centers on text-message communication, reviews, and payments for local businesses. It targets offices that want to run customer conversations and review requests through one inbox.
Pricing Unknown / contact sales — Custom pricing; contact sales.
Free trial Not advertised
Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is a business phone system that adds shared numbers, texting, and a lightweight CRM on top of calling. It is a common upgrade from a personal cell line for a growing front desk.
Pricing Per seat — Per-user monthly plans; see vendor pricing page.
Free trial Yes
Disclosure: some links here are affiliate links — if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Summaries and rankings are written independently. See our full disclosure.