--- title: "Plumbing Business Software, Sorted by Job | Chargezen" description: "The software a plumbing business runs on: field-service apps, price books, estimating, photos, accounting and phones, with published prices checked Oct 2026." url: "https://chargezen.com/blog/plumbing-business-software" lang: "en" updated: "2026-10-18" --- Canonical URL: https://chargezen.com/blog/plumbing-business-software # Plumbing Business Software: The Tools Plumbers Use, Sorted by Job DTC Strategy · 9 min read ![Jerry Abrahamson](https://chargezen.com/assets/blogpost1.6581a30d.png) Jerry Abrahamson Founder & CEO • Oct 18, 2026 ![Plumbing Business Software: The Tools Plumbers Use, Sorted by Job](https://chargezen.com/og-default.png) A plumbing business lives on the phone. A slab leak, a water heater dumping water into a finished basement, a sewer line backing up on a Sunday: those calls don't wait for business hours, and the customer usually calls the next plumber on the list if nobody picks up. Behind those calls sits everything else: dispatching the right tech with the right parts, pricing the job the same way every time, getting paid before the truck leaves the driveway, and keeping the books straight for tax time. No single app does all of that well, so most plumbing shops end up with a small stack. This guide sorts the common tools by the job they do, with what each one does and its published price, checked on each vendor's own site. It doesn't rank them. Your call volume, crew size and mix of service, remodel and new-construction work decide which ones fit. ## The short answer * **Run the jobs**: A field-service management app (Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, FieldEdge, Service Fusion) for scheduling, dispatch, estimates, invoices and payments. * **Price the work**: A flat-rate price book, either the one built into your field-service app or a dedicated one such as Profit Rhino. Commercial and new-construction shops add a takeoff and estimating tool. * **Prove the work**: A photo app such as CompanyCam for before-and-after shots, or the photo features in your field-service app. * **Keep the books**: QuickBooks Online or Xero, synced from the field-service app. * **Answer the phone**: A business phone and texting system that answers every call, including the 2 a.m. burst pipe. ## What plumbing software has to handle Plumbing has quirks that generic small-business software misses. Before you compare tools, write down which of these you actually deal with: * **Emergency calls at any hour**: Burst pipes, no water, sewer backups and leaking water heaters. You need to know which calls are true emergencies, what you charge after hours, and who is on call. * **Flat-rate pricing**: Many residential shops quote by the task (replace a wax ring, swap a 50-gallon water heater) instead of time and materials. That needs a price book techs can show on a tablet. * **Parts on the truck**: Fittings, valves, cartridges and water heaters. A missing part means a second trip. * **Recurring work**: Annual backflow testing for commercial customers, water heater flushes and drain maintenance plans. * **Proof**: Camera footage of a sewer line, photos of a corroded supply line, and signed approvals before you open a wall. * **Licensing and permits**: Plumbing licenses and permit rules are set by states and cities. Software won't track that for you unless you set it up; keep license numbers and permit records where the office can find them. ## Field-service management apps These run the day: booking, scheduling and dispatch, estimates, invoices, payments and customer records. Most plumbing shops pick one and build around it. | Tool | What it does for a plumbing shop | Published pricing (checked October 18, 2026) | | --- | --- | --- | | Jobber | Quotes, scheduling, invoicing, online payments and client reminders for small and mid-size crews; higher plans add job costing, two-way texting and an AI receptionist | Core from $29/mo billed annually ($49 month to month) for 1 user; Connect, Grow and Plus scale by plan and team size, up to $699/mo for 15 users month to month (Jobber pricing) | | Housecall Pro | Scheduling, dispatch, estimates, invoicing and online booking; Essentials adds flat-rate pricing and checklists, Max adds service plans | Basic $79/mo ($59 billed annually), Essentials $189/mo ($149), Max $329/mo ($299) (Housecall Pro pricing) | | ServiceTitan | A larger platform for multi-truck residential and commercial shops: dispatch, price book, memberships, reporting; sells a built-in phone system, Phones Pro | Quote-based; confirm with the vendor. ServiceTitan says pricing is per technician (ServiceTitan pricing) | | FieldEdge | Field-service software aimed at HVAC, plumbing and electrical contractors | Quote-based; confirm with the vendor (FieldEdge pricing) | | Service Fusion | Scheduling, estimates, invoicing and payments with unlimited users; Plus adds job photos, inventory and job costing | Starter $245/mo ($208 billed annually), Plus $382/mo ($325), Pro $627/mo ($533) (Service Fusion pricing) | Prices are the vendors' published list prices, checked October 18, 2026. They change often, and promotions come and go, so confirm on each vendor's pricing page before you buy. We don't rank these tools, and we have no affiliate deal with any of them. A plumbing-specific question to ask every vendor: can a tech build a flat-rate quote on site, with good-better-best options, get a signature and take a deposit before starting? That one workflow decides most of your average ticket. ## Price books and estimating | Tool | What it does | Published pricing (checked October 18, 2026) | | --- | --- | --- | | Profit Rhino | Prebuilt flat-rate price books for plumbing, HVAC and electrical (SmartPrice), and price data that feeds field-service software (Integrate) | Quote-based; confirm with the vendor (Profit Rhino) | | McCormick Systems | Takeoff and estimating software for plumbing, mechanical and electrical contractors, aimed at bid work rather than service calls | Quote-based; confirm with the vendor; the site offers a demo (McCormick Systems) | | CompanyCam | Timestamped job photos and videos, organized by project and shareable with customers | Core $63/mo, Crew $129/mo, Scale $199/mo billed annually; Enterprise custom (CompanyCam pricing) | Prices are the vendors' published list prices, checked October 18, 2026. They change often, and promotions come and go, so confirm on each vendor's pricing page before you buy. We don't rank these tools, and we have no affiliate deal with any of them. Service shops often start with the price book inside their field-service app and only add a dedicated one when keeping hundreds of tasks priced by hand gets painful. Shops that bid new construction or commercial work need takeoff software; a service-only shop usually doesn't. ## Accounting | Tool | What it does | Published pricing (checked October 18, 2026) | | --- | --- | --- | | QuickBooks Online (Intuit) | Bookkeeping, invoices, bills, reports; the accounting app most field-service apps sync with | Simple Start $38/mo, Essentials $85/mo, Plus $140/mo, Advanced $340/mo list; Intuit often discounts the first months (Intuit pricing) | | Xero | Bookkeeping, invoices, bank reconciliation, reports | Early $27/mo, Growing $59/mo, Established $97/mo list, with a new-customer promotion at times (Xero US pricing) | Prices are the vendors' published list prices, checked October 18, 2026. They change often, and promotions come and go, so confirm on each vendor's pricing page before you buy. We don't rank these tools, and we have no affiliate deal with any of them. Check the sync before you commit. Jobber lists QuickBooks Online sync from its Connect plan and Housecall Pro from Essentials, per their pricing pages. Ask how the sync handles deposits, partial payments and job costing, because that's where books drift. ## Phones and texting This is where plumbing shops lose the most work and notice it least. The tech who would normally answer is under a sink with wet hands. The office closes at five, and pipes burst at night. And homeowners with water on the floor call the next number on the list. You have three broad options, and they can mix: * **Phone features inside your field-service app**: Jobber's Receptionist answers calls and texts, books visits and takes requests ([Jobber](https://www.getjobber.com/features/ai-receptionist/)). Housecall Pro sells CSR AI, which answers calls and chats and books jobs, and a Voice add-on ([Housecall Pro](https://www.housecallpro.com/features/csr-ai/)). ServiceTitan sells Phones Pro, a phone system that links calls to jobs ([ServiceTitan](https://www.servicetitan.com/features/phones-pro)). If you want AI that books straight into your schedule, start here. * **A standalone business phone app**: For example Quo (formerly OpenPhone): $15 to $47 per user per month depending on plan and billing, and its Sona AI agent includes 10 calls free, then paid tiers from $25 to $199 a month ([Quo pricing](https://www.quo.com/pricing), checked October 18, 2026). See our [Concierge vs Quo](https://chargezen.com/compare/quo) comparison. * **An AI and texting layer next to your app**: One business number for calls and texts, an AI that answers every call and takes the details, and a shared inbox for the team. This is where Chargezen fits; more below. Whatever you choose, set up an after-hours script. Decide what counts as an emergency (active leak, no water, sewage backup), what you charge for it, and what the caller should do right now, such as finding the main shutoff. If a caller smells gas, the answer is always to leave the house and call the gas utility or 911 from outside. Write that down so a person or an AI says it every time. ## Sample stacks by shop size These are common patterns, not recommendations. Match the stack to your work, not to the biggest shop in town. | Shop | Typical stack | | --- | --- | | Owner-operator | A field-service app on its entry plan, QuickBooks Online or Xero, and a business number that answers when you are on a job | | Three to ten trucks | A field-service app with flat-rate pricing and service plans, a photo app, accounting sync, a shared inbox for calls and texts, and an after-hours answering plan | | Multi-location or commercial | A larger platform such as ServiceTitan or FieldEdge, a dedicated price book, takeoff software for bid work, and a phone setup that records calls and keeps one history per customer | ## A checklist for choosing * Can a tech build a flat-rate quote with options on site and get a signature? * Does it handle service plans and recurring work such as backflow tests? * Can techs attach photos and video to the job and the invoice? * How does it sync with your accounting app, including deposits and partial payments? * What happens to a call at 2 a.m. on a holiday? Who or what answers, and what does the caller hear? * Can the office see every call and text with a customer in one place? * What does it cost at your team size today, and at twice that size? * Can you keep your current phone number if you switch? ## How Chargezen helps Chargezen isn't a field-service app, and it doesn't try to be one. It doesn't book jobs, schedule or dispatch crews, write estimates or send invoices, and it doesn't connect directly to Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, FieldEdge, QuickBooks or Xero today. Keep the app that runs your jobs. Chargezen is the phone, text and AI layer next to it: the part that makes sure every plumbing customer who calls or texts gets an answer. * **An AI receptionist on your business number**: Concierge answers calls day and night with the greeting you write, answers common questions from what you teach it, and takes the job details for your team. When a caller needs a person, it alerts your team in the Finn app and emails or texts the teammates you pick. See [AI receptionist](https://chargezen.com/concierge/use-cases/ai-receptionist) and [the phone channel](https://chargezen.com/concierge/channels/phone). * **An emergency script that never skips a step**: Teach Concierge your after-hours rules: what counts as an emergency, your after-hours fee, and shutoff and gas-smell safety lines. It says them on every call. * **Photos by text**: Customers can text a photo of the leak or the water heater label to your number, and it shows up in the conversation with the rest of the thread, so the tech sees it before rolling. * **A teammate can join any call**: Listen in from the browser or the Finn app, tap Join the call, and Concierge tells the caller you are there. From the Finn app you can transfer the call to another teammate. * **Calls and texts in one team inbox**: Every call, voicemail and text lands in the customer's conversation, so whoever picks it up sees the whole history. See the [team inbox](https://chargezen.com/smartytap/team-inbox). * **Missed calls and voicemails on your phone**: The Finn app shows missed calls and voicemails with transcripts. From a missed-call notification, a teammate can call back or send a text in one tap. * **Recordings by your rules**: Callers hear your recording notice first, and you choose how long recordings are kept. See [call recording](https://chargezen.com/concierge/features/call-recording). * **The number customers already have**: Get a new US local or toll-free number, or [bring the number](https://chargezen.com/concierge/features/bring-your-number) on your trucks and yard signs. See [business phone number](https://chargezen.com/concierge/features/business-phone-number). What Chargezen doesn't do on the phone: no phone menu, no ringing a group of phones, and no forwarding calls to personal cell numbers. Concierge answers, and teammates join or take over from it. Your field-service app stays the place where jobs get booked, priced and billed, so a teammate copies the job details from the conversation into it. Concierge Starter is $20 a month with 20,000 credits. Pro is $199 a month with 199,000 credits, or $1,990 a year. Phone and text charges are billed as used. See [pricing](https://chargezen.com/pricing). Want to put a number on unanswered calls? Try the [missed-call cost calculator](https://chargezen.com/tools/missed-call-cost-calculator) with your own figures. Related terms: [AI answering service](https://chargezen.com/glossary/ai-answering-service), [voice AI agent](https://chargezen.com/glossary/voice-ai-agent) and [human handoff](https://chargezen.com/glossary/human-handoff). Related guides: [HVAC business software](https://chargezen.com/blog/hvac-business-software), [what to do about missed customer calls](https://chargezen.com/blog/missed-customer-calls) and [after-hours text message examples](https://chargezen.com/blog/after-hours-text-message-examples). Software for other trades: [roofing](https://chargezen.com/blog/roofing-business-software), [electrical](https://chargezen.com/blog/electrical-business-software), [cleaning](https://chargezen.com/blog/cleaning-business-software), [pest control](https://chargezen.com/blog/pest-control-business-software), [lawn care](https://chargezen.com/blog/lawn-care-business-software) and [painting](https://chargezen.com/blog/painting-business-software). See how [Concierge answers the phone for plumbers](https://chargezen.com/concierge/industries/home-services/plumbing), or [Concierge for home services](https://chargezen.com/concierge/industries/home-services). ## Frequently asked questions ## What software do plumbers use? Most plumbing businesses run a field-service management app for scheduling, dispatch, estimates and invoices, an accounting app such as QuickBooks Online or Xero, and a phone system. Larger shops add a dedicated flat-rate price book, a photo app and, for bid work, takeoff and estimating software. ## Which plumbing software is cheapest? Of the published prices we checked on October 18, 2026, Jobber's Core plan starts lowest at $29 a month billed annually for one user. Several tools, including ServiceTitan, FieldEdge and Profit Rhino, are quote-based, so you have to ask. The cheapest tool isn't always the cheapest stack: count what you pay for add-ons such as phones, AI answering and extra users. ## Do I need a separate phone system if my field-service app has one? Not always. If your app's phone or AI receptionist covers your calls, keep it simple. Shops add a separate phone and texting layer when they want one number and one history for calls and texts across the whole team, call recording on their own terms, or an AI that handles more than booking. ## Does Chargezen replace Jobber, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan? No. Chargezen doesn't book, dispatch, quote or invoice, and it doesn't connect directly to those apps today. It answers the phone and texts, takes the job details and puts them in front of your team, who enter the job in the field-service app. ![Jerry Abrahamson](https://chargezen.com/assets/blogpost2.32f70dbd.png) Written by ### Jerry Abrahamson Jerry is the Founder and CEO of Chargezen, helping brands build sustainable omni-channel businesses. With over 10 years of experience in omni-channel commerce and SaaS, he's passionate about helping brands create recurring revenue streams. [](https://twitter.com/chargezenjerry)[](https://linkedin.com/in/jerry-a) ## Related Articles [ ![AI Receptionist for Plumbers: Answer Every Leak, Clog and Quote Call](https://chargezen.com/og-default.png) DTC Strategy · 10 min read ### AI Receptionist for Plumbers: Answer Every Leak, Clog and Quote Call What plumbing calls an AI receptionist should answer, what it should hand to a person, the safety lines it must follow, a sample call and a setup checklist. ](https://chargezen.com/blog/ai-receptionist-for-plumbers)[ ![AI Receptionist for HVAC Companies: No-Heat Nights and Heat-Wave Mornings](https://chargezen.com/og-default.png) DTC Strategy · 9 min read ### AI Receptionist for HVAC Companies: No-Heat Nights and Heat-Wave Mornings How an HVAC company's AI receptionist should handle no-heat and no-cool calls, tune-ups and replacement quotes with safety lines and a sample call. ](https://chargezen.com/blog/ai-receptionist-for-hvac)[ ![AI Receptionist for Roofers: Storm Surges, Leaks and Insurance Questions](https://chargezen.com/og-default.png) DTC Strategy · 8 min read ### AI Receptionist for Roofers: Storm Surges, Leaks and Insurance Questions How an AI receptionist should answer roofing calls after a storm: leaks, inspections, insurance questions and quotes, with safety lines and a sample call. ](https://chargezen.com/blog/ai-receptionist-for-roofers) ## Ready to Grow Your Subscription Revenue? 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