BusyBuddy CRM vs Jobber vs Housecall Pro
A side-by-side look at pricing, features, and payments for the three most-searched CRMs for painters, landscapers, HVAC pros, cleaners, and other home service businesses.
Pricing sourced from each vendor's public pricing page. Verify before purchase — plans change often.
BusyBuddy CRM
Built for solo operators and small crews.
Solo, Team, and Pro plans. See pricing.
Best for: contractors who want everything — leads, estimates, jobs, invoices, payments — without per-seat surprises.
Jobber
Established mid-market field service CRM.
1 user. Adding crew scales up quickly.
Best for: growing teams already on QuickBooks that want a mature ecosystem.
Housecall Pro
Popular with HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.
1 user. Add-ons (marketing, sales proposal) extra.
Best for: trades teams that want a marketplace of add-on tools and consumer marketing.
Pricing & plans
| Feature | BusyBuddy CRM | Jobber | Housecall Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29–$159/mo Solo · Team · Pro | $29/mo Core plan, 1 user | $59/mo Basic plan, 1 user |
| Mid-tier plan | — Single plan, all features | $149/mo Connect, up to 5 users | $149/mo Essentials, up to 5 users |
| Top-tier plan | — | $499/mo Grow, up to 15 users | Custom MAX, contact sales |
| Users included | Unlimited No per-seat fees | 1 – 15 Depends on plan tier | 1 – 8+ Depends on plan tier |
| Extra user cost | $0 | ~$29/user/mo | ~$35/user/mo |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days |
| Contract required | Annual discount available | Annual discount available |
Core features
| Feature | BusyBuddy CRM | Jobber | Housecall Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead management & inbox | |||
| Estimates with e-signature | Built-in, no add-on | ||
| Job scheduling & dispatch | |||
| Invoicing & online payments | Card, ACH, PayPal | Card, ACH via Jobber Payments | Card, ACH via HCP Payments |
| Recurring jobs | |||
| Google Calendar 2-way sync | |||
| QuickBooks sync | On roadmap | ||
| Mobile app (iOS/Android) | Mobile-first web app |
Payments
| Feature | BusyBuddy CRM | Jobber | Housecall Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card processing rate | PayPal standard 2.99% + $0.40 (PayPal direct) | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.59% – 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Payout schedule | PayPal 1-business-day payouts | Instant Payout add-on | HCP Instapay |
What a 3-person team actually pays
Here's what each tool costs per month for a 3-person crew with all the features BusyBuddy CRM offers.
| Cost breakdown | BusyBuddy CRM | Jobber | Housecall Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost (3 users, all features) | $29–$159/mo Plans for 1, 5, or 15 users | $149/mo Connect plan, up to 5 users | $149/mo Essentials plan, up to 5 users |
| Annual cost | $948 | $1,788 | $1,788 |
| Savings vs BusyBuddy | — | Save $840/yr with BusyBuddy | Save $840/yr with BusyBuddy |
How to pick between them
Pick BusyBuddy CRM if you're a solo contractor or small crew that wants one flat monthly price and needs to add your whole team without per-seat fees.
Pick Jobber if you're already on QuickBooks Online, want a mature integration ecosystem, and are willing to move up plan tiers as your team grows.
Pick Housecall Pro if you're in HVAC, plumbing, or electrical and want tight consumer-marketing tools and a large marketplace of add-ons — and don't mind paying for them.