Both tools are solid. Neither is perfect for every crew. Here's an honest side-by-side — features, pricing, and who each tool actually fits.
Three tools, three different strengths.
Best for: Solo to mid-size crews who want the most polished customer-facing booking flow and an established integration ecosystem.
Watch out: Tier-based user caps. Adding employee #6 means a full plan upgrade, not one extra seat.
Full FieldGate vs Jobber →Best for: High-volume HVAC, plumbing, and electrical shops that want consumer financing and a large partner network.
Watch out: Recurring jobs, GPS, and inventory are gated to higher tiers. The base plan is a teaser.
Full FieldGate vs Housecall Pro →Best for: Crews who want recurring jobs, GPS, team chat, dispatch, and AI in one plan without tier-shopping or plan-upgrade surprises.
Unique: Export hours to Gusto or ADP in one click. MAX AI on Pro+.
A concrete cost comparison for a typical trades crew.
| Scenario | Jobber | Housecall Pro | FieldGate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-person crew, base plan | $119/mo (Core) | $149/mo (Essentials) | $49/mo (Starter, flat) |
| With AI assistant | limited | × | $149/mo (Pro) |
| Adding a 6th employee | plan upgrade required | per-user fee | +$25/seat (Pro) |
| Recurring jobs | ✓Core plan | higher tier | ✓all plans |
What each platform ships in its base or starting plan.
| Feature | Jobber | Housecall Pro | FieldGate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobs & scheduling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dispatch board | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recurring jobs | ✓Core plan | higher tier | ✓all plans |
| GPS time tracking | ✓Core plan | higher tier | ✓all plans |
| Inventory tracking | × | higher tier | ✓all plans |
| Team chat | × | × | ✓all plans |
| AI assistant | limited | × | ✓MAX on Pro+ |
| Online booking page | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Invoicing & payments | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| E-sign proposals | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| QuickBooks / Xero sync | ✓Connect plan | ✓ | ✓Pro plan |
| Export hours to Gusto / ADP | × | × | ✓ |
| Consumer financing | × | ✓ | × |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days |
Beyond the feature checklist.
Jobber and Housecall Pro both use tier-based plans with hard seat caps. When you hire your 6th person on Jobber Core (5-user cap), you don't add one seat — you upgrade your entire plan to $199+/mo for everyone. FieldGate starts at $49/mo for up to 5 seats, then adds $25/seat after that. One hire, one seat charge. No penalty upgrade.
Jobber has started rolling out AI features under the Jobber Copilot brand. Housecall Pro doesn't have a conversational AI. FieldGate's MAX is live today on Pro and Business plans — ask it "who's clocked in right now?", "what jobs are overdue?", or "what was this month's revenue?" and get a direct answer, not a link to a report.
If you run payroll through Gusto or ADP, Jobber and HCP both require you to manually key hours into your payroll tool every period. FieldGate exports a Gusto-ready CSV from the Payroll tab — regular hours and overtime split correctly per FLSA weekly rules. For shops using Gusto, this alone is worth the switch.
You're 1–5 people, you want the best customer-facing booking experience, and you're already in the Jobber ecosystem with integrations that work for you.
You run a high-volume residential trade (HVAC, plumbing, electrical), you need consumer financing built in, and the higher tier price is worth it for the feature set you need.
You want recurring jobs, GPS, team chat, and AI in the base plan, you're growing past 5 seats and don’t want plan-upgrade penalties, and flat per-seat pricing matters more than brand name recognition.
14 days free. No credit card. Takes under 2 minutes to set up your crew.