Jobber vs TradesTimer
What Jobber is
A comprehensive field-service management platform that integrates quoting, scheduling, invoicing, payments, and CRM for service-based businesses.
Best for: Growing service businesses that need to manage client relationships, automate the entire billing cycle, and coordinate complex workflows or multiple employees.
Pricing at a glance
$39 FLAT / MO
Lite plan around $39/mo (1 user); higher tiers scale up. Pricing changes — verify.
Verified 2026-06-08
$0 FREE — FULL APP
Where Jobber is strong
- End-to-end business automation from quote to payment
- Integrated CRM for managing client communication and history
Where Jobber falls short for trades
- Requires manual clocking in and out of specific job sites to track time accurately
- Requires managing a complex, paid subscription ecosystem for simple time and mileage needs
Jobber problems, in users' own words
These aren't our words — they're from public threads written by people using Jobber (or shopping for a way out). Each quote links to the original discussion.
I need something Like Jobber or HouseCall Pro but that has all of the features that I'm looking for. … I have extensivly trialed numerous app suites however none of the ones I've tried check all of the boxes for features I'm looking for.
The all-in-one promise keeps not quite landing, and the tiers climb while you look. A single-purpose free tool can't disappoint you on 39 features it never promised.
Why I built a Jobber alternative
Jobber is the poster child of run-your-whole-business software, and for a growing crew with a booking pipeline it can be worth every dollar. But I watched a real contractor's office run: quoting, scheduling, and invoicing were weekly chores — capturing honest hours was the daily one, and the one that leaked money when it slipped.
TradesTimer takes the daily chore off your plate for free and leaves the weekly ones wherever you like them — Jobber included. It hands you per-job billable hours as plain text; paste them into any invoice on earth.
What TradesTimer does differently
- Zero manual input: Automatically detects stops and trips via background GPS without needing to start/stop timers
- Privacy and simplicity: No accounts required, no pre-configured jobsites, and all location data stays on your device
The verdict
Jobber is a robust operational suite for scaling service companies needing CRM and invoicing. TradesTimer is a lightweight, free tool for solo tradespeople who simply need to automate mileage logs and billable hours without manual timers or setup.
Page last verified 2026-06-08. If Jobber has changed pricing or features since then and this page is stale, email support@tradestimer.com and we'll fix it.
Free. The whole app.
The whole time-tracking app is free — no trial, no feature gate, no ads, no per-user fees. (Encrypted cloud backup is on the roadmap.)
- Automatic day reconstruction from background GPS
- Unlimited stops, drives, and days
- Review and edit any block
- Rounded billable-hours summary, shareable as plain text
- Automatic mileage log, exportable for taxes
- 7-day summary view
- All location data stays on your device
Your location history stays on your phone.
There is no TradesTimer server storing your location trails. No account. No sign-up. Your GPS history lives on the device that recorded it — for as long as you want it. The only time anything leaves your phone is when you choose to share your billable-hours summary yourself.
The app does not talk to any third-party service with your location. Nothing about where you've been is uploaded anywhere. See the privacy policy for the full detail.