How much does field service software cost?

What drives the price of field service software

Two tools can both advertise "$29/mo" and bill you wildly differently, because the sticker price is usually just the entry point. The main levers are:

• Users / seats. Most vendors charge per user or cap users per tier. A plan that's cheap for a solo operator can triple once you add a crew.
• SMS volume. Appointment reminders and two-way texting are often metered or bundled in limited amounts, then charged per message above the cap.
• Add-ons. A built-in phone system, AI tools, marketing/automation modules, GPS tracking, and online booking are frequently sold separately or gated to higher tiers.
• Payment processing. Card payments carry a per-transaction fee (commonly around 2.9% + a flat cents charge) on top of your subscription, regardless of vendor.
• Tier jumps. The feature you need (say, advanced reporting or a second team) often lives one tier up, so your effective price is the tier that unlocks it — not the headline entry plan.

Free vs paid: what you actually get

"Free" means two very different things in this market. Most vendors — Jobber, Housecall Pro, Workiz, BookingKoala — offer a free trial (typically 14 days) that converts to a paid plan. A genuinely free-forever plan is uncommon.

Claver keeps it simple here: its Starter plan is $19/mo flat (no per-seat fees) and covers unlimited jobs and customers, quotes, invoices, Stripe card payments, a customer portal, and online booking — enough to run a solo operation end to end. You'd step up to Crew ($39/mo) or Business ($59/mo) for dispatch across a team, SMS, GPS, or the built-in phone and AI receptionist. If you're comparing trials, factor in that the bill starts the day the trial ends. For a deeper look, see our guide to free field service software.

Hidden costs to watch for

These are the line items that turn a "$29/mo" decision into a $150/mo reality:

• Per-seat multiplication. Confirm whether the price is per user. Three techs on a $29/seat plan is $87/mo, not $29.
• Add-ons you assumed were included. Read the tier matrix for booking, GPS, SMS, and phone before you commit.
• Annual contracts. Discounts are real, but so is being locked in for 12 months if the tool doesn't fit. Prefer month-to-month while evaluating.
• SMS and phone-line charges. A dedicated number and texting can be a separate metered cost.
• Onboarding / implementation fees. Enterprise platforms like ServiceTitan often carry setup and training costs on top of the subscription.
• Payment processing. Per-transaction card fees apply across all vendors — budget for them separately from the subscription.

What should you budget?

• Solo operator: $19–$29/mo. A low entry tier (Claver Starter is $19/mo) covers quoting, scheduling, invoicing, and payments.
• Small crew (2–10): $19–$99/mo. Expect to be on a mid tier once you add users, dispatch, and SMS.
• Larger / multi-crew: $99–$299+/mo, or custom enterprise pricing once you need call-center features and deep reporting.

The cheapest sticker price isn't automatically the lowest total cost. Add up seats, the add-ons you actually need, and processing fees, then compare. To see how specific tools stack up by capability, browse the full comparison or the best-for-small-business roundup.