Spreadsheet vs Jobber / Housecall Pro vs pricing books
How should a solo handyman or small remodeler figure out what to charge? Here are the three common options, side by side.
Full disclosure: we make True Rate, the spreadsheet kit in this comparison. We've tried to be fair — including saying when another option is the better fit. Competitor features and pricing change; check each company's current site before you decide.
The short answer
- 1
Pricing spreadsheet
Best for: one person (or one person plus a helper) who mainly needs to know the right number — what an hour costs, what to charge per task, and whether estimates were right.
- 2
Field-service software
Best for: businesses with several techs or crews that need scheduling, dispatch, online booking, invoicing and card payments in one system. Examples: Jobber, Housecall Pro.
- 3
Pricing / cost books
Best for: looking up typical labor times or regional cost figures for tasks you don't do often, or when you need a published reference for insurance or bid work.
Side by side
| Question | Spreadsheet (True Rate) | Field-service software (Jobber, Housecall Pro, etc.) | Pricing / cost books |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | One-time $39 | Monthly or annual subscription — check current pricing on each vendor's site | Usually per edition or per year — check current pricing |
| Where prices come from | Your own overhead, pay goal and billable hours | Whatever you enter into your price list | Published averages, often regional |
| Finds your loaded hourly rate | Yes — that's the starting point | Generally not the focus; you bring the rate | No — gives labor times or costs, not your overhead |
| Markup vs margin help | Built-in converter | Varies by product | Varies |
| Estimate vs actual | Manual "Was I Right?" tracker | Job-costing reports on some products and plans | No |
| Scheduling & dispatch | No | Yes — a core strength | No |
| Invoicing & card payments | No — client estimate plus payment-request text templates | Yes | No |
| Crew / team management | No | Yes | No |
| Works on a phone | Yes, in the Google Sheets app | Yes, dedicated apps | Depends on format (print, PDF, online) |
| Your data | A file you own in your Drive or computer | Hosted on the vendor's platform; export options vary | Reference data only |
| Learning curve | Fill in one Setup tab | Account setup, price list, client list, workflows | Learn the book's structure and adjust for your area |
When software is the better choice
- You have (or are about to have) multiple techs or crews to schedule and dispatch.
- You want customers to book online and pay by card from an invoice link.
- You run recurring service work — maintenance plans, repeat visits.
- You want scheduling, invoicing, client history and payments in one place and the subscription is worth it to you.
If that's you, a spreadsheet won't replace it. You might still use a loaded-rate calculation to set the prices you put into the software.
When a spreadsheet is enough
- You're solo and your customers pay by check, cash, Zelle or a payment app.
- Your real problem is the number — under-bidding, not scheduling.
- You don't want another monthly bill for features you won't use.
- You want to see and change the math yourself.
Start with the free Am I Underpriced? calculator — it uses the same loaded-rate formula as the kit.
How pricing books fit in
Pricing and cost books are good at one thing: telling you roughly how long a task takes or what it typically costs. They can't know your truck payment, your insurance, or how many hours a week you can actually bill. A common approach is to use a book's labor times as a sanity check, then price those hours at your own loaded rate.
Common questions
What is a loaded hourly rate?
The hourly rate that covers your business overhead and your own pay, spread over the hours you can actually bill — not every hour you work. Formula: (monthly overhead × 12 + yearly pay goal) ÷ (hours per week × weeks per year × billable %).
What's the difference between markup and margin?
Markup is added to cost; margin is the share of the price you keep. A 30% markup gives about a 23% margin. To keep 30%, you need about a 43% markup.
Can I use True Rate alongside Jobber or Housecall Pro?
Yes. Some people use a spreadsheet to work out their rate and task prices, then enter those prices into their field-service software.