Best CRM for contractors and home service businesses (2026)

Do contractors need a CRM or field service software?

A CRM keeps track of people: leads, contacts, follow-ups and deals. Field service software keeps track of the people and the work, adding scheduling, dispatch, quotes, invoices and payments on top of the customer list. If most jobs close within a few days of the first call, a field service app with a built-in CRM usually covers it.

A general sales CRM earns its place when the sale itself is long: a remodel that takes three site visits and six weeks of back and forth, or commercial bids that move through several decision makers. That is the part Zoho CRM and HubSpot are built for. Once the job is sold, though, someone still has to put it on the calendar, send the crew, bill the customer and collect the payment, and a sales CRM isn't built for that.

• A sales CRM (Zoho CRM, HubSpot) fits when you have a salesperson or estimator working a pipeline of bids, and the jobs themselves are run somewhere else.
• A field service app with a CRM (Jobber, Housecall Pro, QuoteIQ, Markate, Claver) fits when the same few people answer the phone, quote, schedule and get paid. The customer record, the job history and the invoices live in one place.
• Both can make sense for a larger contractor with a dedicated sales team. Check how the two connect before you pay for either.

How we compared these tools

We compared published prices, plan limits and features on each vendor's own site on September 27, 2026. We did not test the apps hands-on or survey their users, so nothing here ranks tools on ease of use or support. Where a feature doesn't appear on a vendor's pricing page, we leave it out instead of guessing.

The seven tools are two general CRMs that contractors often consider and five field service apps with a customer CRM built in. Each profile uses the vendor's own plan names and descriptions. Claver's plan details come from Claver's own product.

What does each CRM offer contractors?

Each profile covers what the tool is, who it suits, what it costs and one real tradeoff. Every price is the vendor's own published figure, and plan names match the vendor's pricing page.

Which CRM should a contractor choose?

Choose by how long your sales take and who does the work. If the same people take the call, quote the job and send the crew, pick a field service app with a CRM inside. If a salesperson works bids for weeks before a job is won, a sales CRM or a field service plan with a pipeline is worth the extra cost.

• Solo owner who answers every call. Claver Starter ($19/mo, 2 users), QuoteIQ Essentials ($29.99/mo) and Jobber Core ($49/mo, or $29/mo billed annually) keep customers, quotes and invoices together. If you only need a contact list and reminders, Zoho CRM's free plan (3 users) or HubSpot's (2 users) costs nothing.
• Small crew that texts customers all day. Check which plan has two-way texting. On Claver it starts on Crew ($39/mo for 8 users). On Jobber it starts on Grow, which is $299/mo for up to 5 users ($229/mo billed annually).
• Remodelers, roofers and others with long sales. Look for a pipeline: Zoho CRM Standard has multiple sales pipelines, QuoteIQ lists Pipelines and Deals, Housecall Pro puts its pipeline on Max, and Claver puts its kanban pipeline on Business ($79/mo for 20 users).
• Shops that buy leads from marketplaces. Speed to the first reply matters most. Claver Business parses Angi, Thumbtack and Local Services Ads leads and texts new leads back automatically.
• Growing team that pays per login today. Compare the total for your headcount. Zoho CRM and HubSpot charge per user or seat, Housecall Pro's team plans add $100/mo or $75/mo per extra user, and Claver includes 8 users on Crew and 20 on Business.

For the wider field of tools, see our guide to the best field service software for small business, or compare Jobber vs Housecall Pro directly.

What should a contractor look for in a CRM?

Look for a CRM that catches every lead, follows up without you and keeps the whole job history on the customer's record. Then check which plan has texting and pipelines, how the price grows with users, and whether it connects to your books.

• Every lead in one place. Calls, texts, web forms and online bookings should all land on a customer record, so nothing sits in a personal phone.
• Follow-up that runs on its own. Automatic quote follow-ups and appointment reminders win jobs that a busy owner forgets to chase.
• Two-way texting. Customers often reply by text. Find the plan that includes it and compare that price, not the entry price.
• Job and property history. Past visits, invoices, addresses, gate codes and notes on one record save a phone call before every job.
• How it charges for users. Per-seat CRMs get expensive once office staff and techs all need a login. Price your team as it will be a year from now.
• A link to your books. If you use QuickBooks Online, check which plan syncs with it: Jobber from Connect, Housecall Pro from Essentials, Claver from Crew, and Zoho CRM lists QuickBooks integration on Enterprise.
• Getting your data out. Make sure you can export customers and jobs as CSV files. Our guide on how to switch field service software walks through the move.