Original research. 10 tools analyzed across field service, property management, and invoicing. All prices verified June 2026 from public vendor pages.
Quick summary: The average starting price for service business software is $60/month. Not one of the 10 tools we analyzed offers a free tier. The cheapest option (ServiceM8) starts at $9/month. The most expensive (ServiceTitan) starts around $200/month per tech and scales from there. The gap between the advertised base price and what you actually pay after add-ons, per-tech fees, and onboarding is typically 4-7x the sticker price.
| Tool | Category | Starting Price | Pricing Model | Free Tier? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | Field Service | $9/mo | Per user | No |
| Jobber | Field Service | $39/mo | Tiered (Core/Connect/Grow) | No |
| Housecall Pro | Field Service | $49/mo | Tiered (Basic/Essentials/MAX) | No |
| Workiz | Field Service | $65/mo | Per user, 2-user min | No |
| ServiceTitan | Field Service | ~$200/mo | Per tech, custom quote | No |
| Buildium | Property Mgmt | $55/mo | Tiered (Essential/Growth/Premium) | No |
| AppFolio | Property Mgmt | $280/mo min | $1.40/unit, 200-unit min | No |
| TenantCloud | Property Mgmt | $15/mo | Tiered (Starter/Growth/Business) | Yes (limited) |
| FreshBooks | Invoicing | $17/mo | Tiered (Lite/Plus/Premium) | No |
| QuickBooks | Invoicing | $30/mo | Tiered (Simple Start/Essentials/Plus) | No |
The real cost gap is the biggest finding in this research. Across all 10 tools, the advertised starting price represents roughly 15-25% of what a typical small shop actually spends in year one after onboarding, training, add-ons, and per-user fees.
Five of 10 tools charge per user or per tech. For a 5-person shop, multiply the advertised price by 5. Jobber at $39/month becomes $195/month. Workiz at $65/month becomes $325/month with a 2-user minimum enforced. ServiceTitan at $200/tech becomes $1,000/month minimum. This is the single biggest pricing surprise for new buyers.
| Add-On | Typical Range | Who Charges It |
|---|---|---|
| GPS fleet tracking | $15-45/user/mo | HCP, ServiceTitan, Workiz |
| SMS reminders | $0.05-0.15/msg | HCP, Jobber |
| Online payments | 2.9% + $0.30/transaction | Nearly all |
| QuickBooks sync | $10-30/mo | HCP, Jobber, Workiz |
| Website + online booking | $20-100/mo | HCP, ServiceTitan |
| Onboarding & training | $500-3,000 one-time | ServiceTitan, AppFolio, Workiz |
| Additional users | $9-200/user/mo | ServiceM8, ServiceTitan, Workiz |
| Tool | Advertised Monthly | Actual Monthly (with add-ons) | Year One Total (incl. onboarding) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | $9/mo | $65/mo | ~$780 |
| Jobber | $39/mo | $195/mo | ~$2,340 |
| Housecall Pro | $49/mo | $245/mo | ~$3,440 |
| Workiz | $65/mo | $325/mo | ~$4,900 |
| ServiceTitan | ~$200/tech | $1,000+ | $15,000-20,000 |
How much does field service software cost?
The average starting price is $60/month. Cheapest: ServiceM8 at $9/month. Most expensive: ServiceTitan at ~$200/tech/month. But the sticker price is misleading. Real costs after add-ons, per-user fees, and onboarding run 4-7x higher than the advertised number.
What is the cheapest field service software?
ServiceM8 at $9/month per user. If you need free, TenantCloud has a limited free tier for DIY landlords with 1-10 units. No full-featured field service tool offers a genuine free tier for active businesses.
How much does ServiceTitan actually cost?
ServiceTitan starts around $200 per tech per month, custom-quoted only. For a 5-tech shop: roughly $1,000/month in software plus $1,000-3,000 in onboarding. Year one: $15,000-20,000. ServiceTitan does not publish pricing online and requires a demo to get a quote.
What hidden costs should I expect?
Per-user fees (multiply the base price by headcount), GPS fleet tracking ($15-45/user/month), SMS reminders ($0.05-0.15 each), payment processing (2.9% + $0.30), QuickBooks sync ($10-30/month), and onboarding ($500-3,000). These add-ons are standard across every platform we analyzed.
Which software is best for a small service business on a budget?
For solo operators: ServiceM8 ($9/month). For teams of 2-5: Jobber ($39/month base) offers the best features-for-price ratio. For growth-focused shops: Housecall Pro ($49/month) with built-in marketing. Year-one totals for a 5-person shop range from $780 to over $15,000 depending on the platform.
All prices were gathered from public vendor websites, pricing pages, and sales documentation in June 2026. We did not use trial signups or sales calls to obtain pricing. Where vendors require a demo for pricing (ServiceTitan, AppFolio), we used the lowest publicly available figure from user reports and industry sources.
Starting prices reflect the lowest-priced plan available to a new customer. Actual costs include per-user math for a standard 5-person shop, common add-ons (GPS tracking, payments processing, QuickBooks sync), and standard onboarding fees where published.
Limitations: Enterprise and multi-location pricing is excluded. Promotional discounts and annual billing discounts are not factored in. Prices change. This is a snapshot of June 2026.
When evaluating software:
Want help comparing specific tools? See our detailed head-to-head breakdowns:
ServiceTitan vs Housecall Pro (a $34,000/year difference for a 5-truck shop)
Jobber vs Housecall Pro (automation vs customization)
Workiz vs Housecall Pro (pricing model comparison)
FreshBooks vs QuickBooks vs Invoice Simple (invoicing tools compared)
Buildium vs AppFolio (property management pricing breakdown)
Jamie Waterson runs Service Tools Guide, an independent comparison resource for service business software. No vendor sponsorships. No affiliate-driven rankings. Just the numbers.