Cheaper Alternatives to ServiceTitan (Read First)

TL;DR

If you were shopping for ServiceTitan because you quote jobs with materials and labor, this post isn't for you — ServiceTitan, Jobber, or Housecall Pro is the right tool. But if you Googled "cheap ServiceTitan" because you run a grooming, detailing, cleaning, junk removal, or pressure washing business and someone said "you need ServiceTitan," keep reading. You don't need ServiceTitan. You need a scheduler.

First, Who Is This For?

Be honest about your business before you pick a tool.

If you run HVAC, plumbing, electrical, appliance repair, handyman, or locksmith work — every job gets quoted. The price depends on the parts, the scope, and how long it takes. Your software has to handle estimate → approval → work order → invoice → payment. That's the workflow ServiceTitan is built for, and the workflow Jobber and Housecall Pro replicate at lower price points. Arrively does not do any of that, and it would be wrong for your business. Skip the rest of this post and look at those three.

If you charge a predictable per-visit price — dog grooming, mobile detailing, one-off or deep cleaning, junk removal, pressure washing, pet sitting, mobile notary, dog training — your problem isn't quoting. It's scheduling. You already know what each visit costs. What you don't know is which 2pm slots you can physically reach from the 1pm across town, or how to fill the gap when a 3pm cancels. ServiceTitan isn't built for that, and neither is most "field service software." You need a scheduler.

The rest of this post is for the second group.

Why "Cheap ServiceTitan" Is the Wrong Search

Here's what usually happens. You hear about ServiceTitan from someone running a 15-truck HVAC company. You look it up, see $8,000-$15,000+ per year with annual contracts, and start searching for something cheaper. The results you get — Jobber, Housecall Pro, Workiz, FieldPulse — are all the same tool shape as ServiceTitan, just with a smaller footprint. They all assume you quote jobs, send invoices, and need a CRM.

If that's not your business, every one of those tools is the wrong shape. You'll pay $50-$200 per user per month for invoicing features you won't open and a CRM that's heavier than your customer list needs. The scheduling piece — the thing you actually need — is usually the weakest part of these platforms, and none of them are drive-time aware.

You're not looking for a cheaper ServiceTitan. You're looking for a tool ServiceTitan doesn't compete with.

The Options, If Scheduling Is Your Real Problem

1. Arrively — Purpose-Built for Flat-Rate Mobile Service (from $0.49/job or $49/mo)

Arrively is built for the mobile pro who charges a predictable per-visit price and is also their own dispatcher. Instead of packing in every feature imaginable, it focuses on the thing that makes or breaks your day: your schedule.

Pricing: Every account starts with 20 free jobs. After that, pick Pay-as-you-go at $0.49/job (no monthly fee, 1 user), Growth at $49/mo with 150 jobs included and 3 users, or Pro at $149/mo with 600 jobs included and unlimited users. No contracts. No per-user fees.

Best for: Groomers, detailers, cleaners, junk removal, pressure washers, pet sitters, notaries, dog trainers — anyone who charges a flat price per visit and just needs a better schedule.

Key differentiator: Drive-time-aware scheduling. Arrively calculates actual travel time between jobs and blocks it on your calendar automatically. No more accidentally booking a 2pm in Scottsdale when you won't leave your 1pm in Mesa until 1:45.

Other highlights include automated SMS/email reminders, customer self-booking pages, cancellation gap-fill that texts customers with upcoming appointments to offer them the earlier slot, and phone calendar sync. It does less than ServiceTitan on purpose. Critically, it does not do quoting or invoicing — if you need those, it's the wrong tool.

2. Jobber — If You Actually Need Quoting + Invoicing ($39-$199/mo per user)

Jobber has been around since 2011 and has earned its reputation. It's a solid all-in-one platform with quoting, invoicing, CRM, and scheduling in one place.

Pricing: Core plan starts at $39/month for 1 user. Connect is $119/month, and Grow is $199/month. Each plan has per-user costs that add up.

Best for: Teams of 3-10 that want quoting, invoicing, and scheduling in one tool.

Key differentiator: Excellent quoting and invoicing workflow. Customers can approve quotes and pay invoices online. If you're spending hours on paperwork, Jobber can cut that significantly.

The downside: no drive-time awareness in scheduling, and costs scale quickly per user. A 5-person team on the Grow plan is looking at $1,000+/month.

3. Housecall Pro — Best for Customer-Facing Polish ($49-$199/mo per user)

Housecall Pro offers a clean, modern interface that customers love. Their online booking, automated review requests, and payment processing are well-executed.

Pricing: Basic starts at $49/month for 1 user. Essentials is $129/month, and MAX requires a custom quote. Per-user fees apply.

Best for: Teams of 2-10 who want a polished customer experience and online reviews.

Key differentiator: Strong consumer-facing features. Their automated review request flow after job completion genuinely helps build your Google presence. Their in-app payment processing is also smooth.

The catch: the Basic plan is limited, and most teams need Essentials or higher. And like Jobber, scheduling doesn't account for drive time.

4. Workiz — Best for Shops That Run on Phone Calls ($65-$225/mo)

Workiz is built for service shops where the phone is still the primary way jobs come in. Their call tracking and lead management features are strongest among mid-tier options.

Pricing: Lite plan at $65/month for 2 users. Standard is $169/month, and the all-in Ultimate plan is $225/month.

Best for: Teams of 3-15 with a dedicated office person answering phones.

Key differentiator: Built-in VoIP phone system with call tracking and lead scoring. If same-day phone leads are your bread and butter and you have office staff fielding them, Workiz connects the dots between the phone call and the dispatched job.

Not ideal for solo operators — the interface assumes someone's in the office managing the board while techs are in the field.

5. FieldPulse — Best for Commercial/Residential Mix ($60-$120/mo per user)

FieldPulse targets contractors who do both commercial and residential work. It has decent project management features alongside the standard scheduling and invoicing.

Pricing: Starts around $60/month per user for the base plan. Premium features push it to $120/month per user.

Best for: Teams of 3-10 doing a mix of commercial projects and residential service calls.

Key differentiator: Project management and contract tracking alongside daily scheduling. If you run service calls Monday through Thursday and a commercial install on Fridays, FieldPulse handles both workflows.

The per-user pricing hurts, though. A 5-person team at the base tier is already $300/month before premium features.

6. Google Calendar + Spreadsheets — The Free Option ($0)

It sounds basic, but plenty of successful one-person operations run on Google Calendar, a shared spreadsheet, and manual text messages. If you're doing under 5 jobs per week and have no crew, this works.

Pricing: Free.

Best for: Brand-new operators testing the waters.

Key differentiator: You already know how to use it.

The problems show up fast once you grow: no drive-time calculation, no automated reminders (customers no-show because they forgot), no way for customers to self-book, and endless manual data entry. Most contractors outgrow this setup within 3-6 months.

How to Choose

If you charge a flat price per visit and scheduling is your real bottleneck, start with Arrively. Most solo operators pay $20-$49/month on PAYG or Growth, there's no contract, and you can be running today. Just know it doesn't replace an invoicing tool — most users pair it with QuickBooks, Wave, or Square.

If you quote jobs and need a full workflow from estimate to invoice, look at Jobber or Housecall Pro. They cost more, but they cover more ground and they're the right shape for your business.

If you're running a phone-heavy operation with office staff, Workiz's call tracking is genuinely useful.

And if you're doing $500K+ in revenue with 10+ techs running quote-driven trades, ServiceTitan might actually be the right tool. It's not bad software — it's built for a different scale than most people who try it.

The Real Cost Comparison

Here's what a solo operator or 3-person team actually pays annually:

Tool	Solo Operator/Year	3-Person Team/Year
ServiceTitan	$8,000+	$12,000+
Jobber (Connect)	$1,428	$3,000+
Housecall Pro (Essentials)	$1,548	$3,200+
Workiz (Standard)	$2,028	$2,028
FieldPulse	$720+	$2,160+
Arrively	$235-$588	$588-$1,788

Arrively's plans don't charge per user. A solo operator on Pay-as-you-go doing 40 jobs/month pays about $19.60/month; on Growth the flat $49/month covers up to 150 jobs. A 3-person team doing 300 jobs/month lands on Growth at $86.50/month all-in, or jumps to Pro at $149/month once they cross ~400 jobs. Either way, it's a fraction of what Jobber, Housecall Pro, or Workiz charge — and drive-time aware scheduling is included at every tier.

Bottom Line

The cheapest ServiceTitan alternative is often no ServiceTitan-shaped tool at all. If you charge a predictable per-visit price, the "cheap ServiceTitan" rabbit hole sends you to tools that are structurally the same shape — just smaller and less expensive. You end up paying for quoting and invoicing features you don't need, while the one thing you do need (scheduling that respects drive time) is an afterthought.

Pick the tool that matches the shape of your business. If that's Arrively, check how it compares on our ServiceTitan comparison page or see all features. If it's Jobber or ServiceTitan, go use them — they're good at what they do.