A free Jobber alternative for home-service companies.
WorkBench FSM does what most companies use Jobber for: booking, scheduling, quotes the client signs on their phone, invoicing, card and bank payments, and a client portal. The core is free for a small team, not a trial, and nothing is priced per user unless you add a seat.
Jobber's plans and features change; what is said about them here is general and public. WorkBench's numbers are exact and current.
Why people look for a Jobber alternative
The bill grows with the crew
Jobber's plans are tiered, and seats are part of what moves you up a tier. A busy season that adds two techs can mean a bigger plan, not just two more logins. WorkBench prices a seat as a seat, or unlimited users on one flat add-on.
Paying for a trial that ends
Jobber's free period is a trial of a paid plan. WorkBench's core plan is the product, on from the day you sign up, with no card and no clock. It is funded by payment processing when a client pays through it.
Features behind the top tier
On Jobber, things like automated quote follow-ups, online booking and job costing tend to arrive on higher plans. In WorkBench those are in the free core; the paid add-ons are a phone line, unlimited users with the ops tools, and job photos.
What you keep
All of it in Core, the free plan.
Online booking
An embeddable booking widget for your website that shows real availability. Jobs that need a look first go through an approval loop instead of landing straight on the calendar.
Scheduling & dispatch
Month, week, and day views with drag-to-schedule, time blocks, and per-tech filtering. The calendar is the command center, not a read-only report.
Quotes with e-signature
Line items, optional add-ons the client can toggle, discounts, and deposits. Clients review and sign from their phone; accepted quotes convert to jobs in one click.
One-click invoicing
Finish a job, send the invoice. Clients pay from a link on their phone; deposits and partial payments are first-class, not a workaround.
Card & ACH built in
Every invoice, quote, and booking can take card or bank payments — 2.95% + 30¢ per card transaction and 0.70%, $1–$8 per ACH transfer company-paid, or a client service fee of 3.50% + 30¢ card and 0.75%, $1–$8 ACH. No monthly fees, no minimums.
Client hub
A magic-link portal — no account, no password — where clients see upcoming visits, review invoices, sign agreements, request more work, and pay.
Recurring visit series
Weekly mows, quarterly filter changes, biweekly cleans — visit schedules generate real jobs weeks ahead that dispatchers can drag, reschedule, or skip one at a time.
Review requests
After a payment lands, WorkBench asks the happy client for a review and points them at your Google listing while the goodwill is fresh.
Quote follow-ups
A quote that sits unanswered gets a friendly nudge at 3 and 7 days, automatically. No more spreadsheet of “need to call back.”
What you give up
The honest list, so the switch is not a surprise.
- Jobber has been at this since 2011; its integrations list and its community are larger.
- There is no automated Jobber importer. Clients come in from a spreadsheet; the price book is rebuilt by hand or with Atlas.
- Route optimization and the ops tools (timesheets, team map, automations, QuickBooks) are on the paid Pro add-on, not the free core.
What it costs, side by side
Core includes 2 users free; extra users are $10 a month each, or unlimited with Pro at $89 a month. When a client pays through WorkBench the processing fee is 2.95% + 30¢ per card transaction and 0.70%, $1–$8 per ACH transfer company-paid, or a client service fee of 3.50% + 30¢ card and 0.75%, $1–$8 ACH, which is about what the subscription platforms charge on top of their plans.
| A three-person plumbing company, a month | Jobber | WorkBench |
|---|---|---|
| Software | $149 (Connect) | $10 (Core + 1 extra) |
| Card processing | $742 | $754 |
| Total | $891 | $764 |
| Kept a year with WorkBench | $1,518 |
Jobber's figures are its published annual-commitment list prices for the cheapest plan that fits, read October 2026, with card processing at the common published rate; the estimate leans in Jobber's favour. The calculator on the pricing page uses your own numbers.
How the switch goes
Open the account
The sign-up form takes a few minutes and the account opens today. Connect Square when you are ready to take payments; everything else works before that.
Bring the clients
Export your client list from Jobber as a spreadsheet and import it. Names, addresses, phones and emails come across. Rebuild the price book by hand, or tell Atlas what you charge.
Start the next job here
Finish open invoices in Jobber; they stay there as records. New quotes, jobs and invoices start in WorkBench, and your clients get a portal link with no password.
From the field
Owners who run their day on WorkBench.
“I used to juggle texts, a spreadsheet, and a separate card reader. Now a customer books online, I send the quote from my phone, and they pay the invoice from a link. One app instead of five.”
BrendanOwner, Excellent PC Building“Install season is a sprint. WorkBench keeps every house on the route in order, the crew knows exactly where to go, and deposits are in before we ever pull out a ladder.”
EdanOwner, Knight Light Christmas LightingQuestions
Is WorkBench a cheaper Jobber?
Can I move my clients over from Jobber?
Do my clients have to sign up for anything?
What does WorkBench not do that Jobber does?
Free to start. Full access, not a trial.
Your account opens today. Bring your client list, set your prices, and send the first quote this afternoon.