Two Very Different Philosophies
Jobber and TradeKit both want to help tradespeople run better businesses. But they approach the problem from opposite directions.
Jobber's model: Charge a monthly subscription. Offer tiers. Lock premium features behind higher plans. Make money whether the tradesperson has a good month or a bad one. TradeKit's model: Charge a one-time launch fee. Include everything. Make money only when the tradesperson makes money—through small payment processing fees.Neither approach is inherently wrong. But one of them means you are paying $249/month during your slowest season, and the other means you are paying $0.
Feature-by-Feature Breakdown
Scheduling and Dispatch
Jobber: Solid scheduling with drag-and-drop calendar, team assignment, and route optimization (on higher plans). This is Jobber's bread and butter. TradeKit: Full booking system with customer-facing online scheduling, SMS confirmations, evening-before and morning-of reminders, and a morning schedule with navigation links. Verdict: Both handle scheduling well. Jobber's route optimization is a plus for multi-truck crews. TradeKit's customer-facing booking and automated reminders are stronger for solo operators who want bookings coming in while they are on the job.Website and Online Presence
Jobber: No website included. You need to build your own site somewhere else and link it to Jobber. TradeKit: Full professional website included—built on your own domain with SEO optimization, stock photos, symptom-based copy, and a booking button. Plus a hyper-local SEO engine with service area pages, blog content, and citation management across 15+ directories. Verdict: This is not close. Jobber gives you zero web presence. TradeKit gives you a website that is designed to rank on Google and make your phone ring. If you do not already have a professional site, this alone is worth the switch.Quoting and Invoicing
Jobber: Clean quote builder, invoice templates, batch invoicing. Well-executed. TradeKit: Tap-to-add quote builder from your service catalog, branded PDF quotes, branded invoices with multiple payment options (card, tap-to-pay, ACH, cash, check). Verdict: Roughly even. Both do the job. Jobber has a slight edge for batch invoicing if you are running a crew. TradeKit's tap-to-add from your catalog is faster for on-site quotes.Payments
Jobber: Credit card processing at 2.9% + $0.30 (Jobber Payments) or connect your own Stripe/Square. TradeKit: Online cards at 5.8% + $0.30, tap-to-pay at 5.5% + $0.10, ACH at 2.5%, cash/check at $0. Verdict: Jobber's processing rates are lower per transaction. But factor in the $49–$249/month subscription and the math shifts dramatically. A solo operator doing $8,000/month in card payments saves more money on TradeKit despite the higher processing rate—because there is no monthly fee eating into the margins.The Features Jobber Does Not Have
This is where the gap widens:
- Missed-call auto-text: Miss a call on TradeKit, and a branded text with your booking link fires in 10 seconds. On Jobber, that customer just calls the next guy.
- Live GPS tracking: TradeKit gives your customers an Uber-style map showing your truck and a live ETA. Jobber offers text-only notifications.
- Custom logo design: TradeKit's design team creates your brand. Jobber does not touch branding.
- Growth tools: Business cards, work shirts, yard signs, vehicle wraps, Google Ads—all orderable through TradeKit. Jobber offers nothing here.
- Recurring reminders: TradeKit automatically reminds customers when it is time for annual service. Revenue on autopilot.
- Business phone number: Dedicated local number that forwards to your cell. After-hours routing. Voicemail. Your personal number stays private.
The Real Numbers
Year 1 with Jobber (Grow plan at $249/month): $2,988 in subscription fees + you still need a website ($400+/year), SEO ($1,800+/year), and marketing materials ($500+). Total: $5,688+ Year 1 with TradeKit: $149 one-time. Website, SEO, marketing tools—all included. Total: $149The difference is $5,539. That is not marketing spin. That is math.
When Jobber Makes More Sense
We will be honest: Jobber is the better choice if you have a 5+ person team that needs advanced dispatch routing, you are already doing $500K+ in revenue, and the monthly cost is a rounding error on your P&L. Jobber's team management features are mature and battle-tested.
When TradeKit Makes More Sense
If you are a solo operator or small crew, every dollar matters. You need a website, a brand, and tools that help you get customers—not just manage the ones you already have. TradeKit gives you the whole package for less than what Jobber charges for a single month.
The Bottom Line
Jobber is a good product. It has earned its reputation over 13+ years. But it was built in an era when SaaS companies charged monthly and tradespeople just accepted it.
TradeKit was built for a different era—one where the tradesperson who shows up in a branded truck, sends professional invoices from their phone, and has a website that ranks on Google should not have to pay $250/month for the privilege.