Jobber or Housecall Pro for a one-person cleaning business?
Short answer (prices checked October 27, 2026): if you just need to quote, schedule recurring cleans and send invoices, Jobber Core is the cheapest start at $29 a month billed annually ($49 with no commitment). If you want the software to send appointment reminders and chase invoices for you, the fair comparison is Housecall Pro Basic at $59 a month (billed annually) against Jobber Connect at $99, and Housecall Pro is the cheaper of those two. The bigger cost for a busy cleaner isn't the subscription at all. It's card processing fees, which can run two to six times the software bill.
Here's how to choose without paying for features you won't use.
The prices side by side
All prices are USD for one user, from Jobber's pricing page and Housecall Pro's pricing page, checked October 27, 2026. Housecall Pro's month-to-month price comes from independent price checks by Broombook and FSM Advisor on October 5, 2026, because the pricing page itself leads with the annual figure.
| Plan (1 user) | Billed annually | Monthly, 1-year commitment | Monthly, no commitment | Yearly cost (annual billing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber Core | $29/mo | $39/mo | $49/mo | $348 |
| Jobber Connect | $99/mo | $119/mo | $139/mo | $1,188 |
| Housecall Pro Basic | $59/mo | n/a | $79/mo | $708 |
Time-limited offer: Jobber is running a first-year discount for new customers who subscribe before October 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT: Core at $21 a month and Connect at $70 a month for 12 months on annual billing, then the normal price. Annual prepaid plans are non-refundable if you cancel mid-year, according to Jobber's FAQ.
Housecall Pro shows a separate, higher price card to HVAC, plumbing and electrical businesses, according to FSM Advisor. Cleaning businesses get the standard prices above.
What each plan actually gives a solo cleaner
| What you need | Jobber Core | Jobber Connect | Housecall Pro Basic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring jobs (weekly, biweekly, monthly) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Online booking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Quotes and invoices | Yes, unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| Online card payments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automated appointment reminders | No | Yes | Invoice reminders listed; test appointment reminders in the trial |
| Automatic payments for recurring clients | No | Yes | Not listed on the pricing page; confirm in the trial |
| Quote and invoice follow-ups | No | Yes | Invoice reminders listed |
| QuickBooks Online sync | No | Yes | No (Essentials plan, $149/mo billed annually) |
| Review requests | Add-on | Add-on | Yes (review management) |
Sources: Jobber's Core plan help article and pricing page; Housecall Pro's pricing page and its recurring jobs help article. Jobber also notes that "on my way" text messages aren't available on Core.
Two things jump out:
- If you use QuickBooks Online, the math flips. QuickBooks sync is on Jobber Connect ($99) but only on Housecall Pro Essentials ($149 billed annually). For a QuickBooks user, Jobber is the cheaper route.
- Jobber Core is a genuine solo tool, not a teaser. Recurring schedules, unlimited invoices and stored client cards are all there. What it lacks is the automation that saves you evening admin.
The cost most comparisons ignore: payment fees
Example scenario with stated assumptions, not a real business: a solo cleaner does 40 cleans a month at $150 each, so $6,000 a month goes through the app.
| Payment method | Rate (published) | Monthly fee on $6,000 (40 payments) | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber online card | 2.9% + 30¢ | $174 + $12 = $186 | $2,232 |
| Housecall Pro card | "as low as 2.59%"; Broombook reports 2.59% to 3.49% | $155 to $209 | $1,865 to $2,513 |
| Bank payment (ACH), either app | 1% | $60 | $720 |
Rates are from each pricing page; the Housecall Pro range is from Broombook's October 2026 check.
In this example, card fees cost roughly two to six times more than either app's subscription. The single biggest saving is getting recurring clients to pay by bank transfer (ACH) instead of card, which cuts fees from around $186 a month to $60 at these numbers. That's worth more than the gap between any two plans in this article.
What one $150 clean costs you to collect
Per payment, at the published rates:
- Jobber, card online: 2.9% of $150 is $4.35, plus 30¢, so $4.65. You keep $145.35.
- Jobber, Tap to Pay in person: 2.7% plus 30¢, so $4.35.
- Housecall Pro, card: from 2.59%, so from $3.89.
- Either app, bank transfer (ACH): 1%, so $1.50.
If a client pays every two weeks, the gap between card and ACH on a single $150 clean is about $3. Across a year of 26 visits, that's roughly $82 per client in this example. Asking each regular client to switch to bank payments is the cheapest "upgrade" you can make, and it takes one message.
Total first-year cost, same example
| Setup | Subscription (annual billing) | Card fees | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber Core, all card | $348 | $2,232 | $2,580 |
| Jobber Connect, all card | $1,188 | $2,232 | $3,420 |
| Housecall Pro Basic, all card | $708 | $1,865 to $2,513 | $2,573 to $3,221 |
| Jobber Core, all ACH | $348 | $720 | $1,068 |
Your own numbers will differ; plug in your monthly revenue and number of payments.
So which one?
Pick Jobber Core if you're starting out, you send reminders yourself (or don't need them), and you want the lowest fixed cost. Start on the no-commitment $49 plan for a month or two, then switch to annual once you're sure.
Pick Housecall Pro Basic if you want online booking, invoice reminders and review requests in one plan, and you don't need QuickBooks sync. It's $40 a month cheaper than Jobber Connect on annual billing.
Pick Jobber Connect if you use QuickBooks Online, or you want automatic card-on-file payments and appointment reminders for a big recurring client list. It's the cheapest of the three with QuickBooks sync.
Pick neither yet if you only have a handful of regular clients. A calendar, a spreadsheet and a free invoicing tool will do, and you can move to either app when the admin starts eating your evenings.
The free-trial trap
Both trials are 14 days and need no credit card. But Jobber's trial runs on its Grow plan, and Housecall Pro's on MAX, according to their own FAQs. Both are well above what a solo cleaner usually buys. If you build your workflow around a feature during the trial, it may disappear the day you pick a cheaper plan.
During either trial, test only what your target plan includes:
- Create one real recurring client (biweekly, same day and time) and check how a skipped or moved visit is handled.
- Send yourself a quote, approve it from your phone, and turn it into a job.
- Send yourself an invoice and pay it by card and by bank transfer. Note how long the money takes to land.
- Check whether appointment reminders go out on your target plan, not just on the trial plan.
- Time how long a whole day's admin takes. If it isn't clearly faster than your current method, don't subscribe.
Questions to ask before you pay annually
- Will I still be solo in 12 months? Extra users on Jobber cost $29 a month each; Housecall Pro's Essentials plan includes 5 users.
- Do I use QuickBooks Online now, or will my bookkeeper want me to?
- What share of my clients would switch to ACH if I asked?
- Am I buying before Jobber's October 30 offer ends, and do I actually want an annual commitment?
Sources
Checked on October 27, 2026.
- Jobber: Pricing page (plan prices, billing options, offer end date, payment fees, trial plan, refund terms)
- Jobber Help Center: The Core Plan (recurring jobs, unlimited quotes and invoices, features not on Core)
- Housecall Pro: Pricing page (Basic at $59 billed annually, plan features, card and bank fees, trial plan)
- Housecall Pro Help Center: Create a Recurring Job
- Broombook: Housecall Pro pricing 2026 (month-to-month prices, card fee range, checked October 5, 2026; Broombook sells a competing app)
- FSM Advisor: Housecall Pro pricing 2026 (separate trade price card, checked October 5, 2026)
More software comparisons are on our field service software page. Seen a price change? Let us know.
Quick answers
Is Jobber or Housecall Pro cheaper for one person?
Jobber Core is cheaper on paper: $29 a month billed annually, or $49 with no commitment, against Housecall Pro Basic at $59 billed annually or $79 month to month (prices checked October 27, 2026). But Jobber's automated reminders and automatic payments start on Connect at $99 a month billed annually.
Does Jobber Core do recurring cleaning jobs?
Yes. Jobber's help center says Core lets you set up jobs with a recurring or one-off schedule, with unlimited quotes, jobs and invoices for one user.
What's the catch with the free trials?
Jobber's 14-day trial runs on its Grow plan and Housecall Pro's on its MAX plan. Both are higher tiers than a solo cleaner usually buys, so note which features you'd lose before you choose a plan.
Maria Torres is the pen name of The Back-Office Fixer's editorial team. Prices and features come from the vendors' own pages and the sources linked above, checked on the date shown. Software pricing changes often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you subscribe. Example scenarios are illustrations with stated assumptions, not real businesses. Some links may be affiliate links that pay us a commission at no extra cost to you.