Written by Tahan · October 9, 2026
Jobber and Own Your Tools both run the core of a trade business: quotes, jobs, scheduling, invoices and getting paid. The difference is how you pay for them. Jobber is a monthly plan that grows with your headcount. Own Your Tools is a one-time license with 10 seats included and an annual platform fee, capped at $99, from year two.
As of October 2026, Jobber is ahead on automated customer messaging, accounting sync and support. Own Your Tools is far ahead on cost, seat pricing, payment fees and what happens to your data. Which one fits depends on which of those your shop needs more.
Disclosure: this comparison is published by Own Your Tools. Jobber details come from Jobber's public pricing and feature pages, with dates below.
Jobber vs Own Your Tools at a glance
| Jobber | Own Your Tools | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Monthly, by plan and user band | $490 once (the founding price) or $49 a month for 12 months, then it's yours. Annual platform fee from year two, capped at $99 |
| 10-person crew, 5 years | $20,940 (Grow, 1-year commitment) | $886 max, fee included |
| Adding users | Price steps up by band. Grow at 15 users is $80 a month more | Up to 10 seats included, no per-user fee |
| Card payments | Jobber Payments, extra 1% for instant payouts | Straight into your own Stripe account. OYT takes no cut |
| Automated customer reminders and follow-ups | Yes, by email and text (Connect plan and up) | No |
| Accounting sync | QuickBooks Online and Xero (Connect plan and up) | No live sync. Reports export to CSV |
| Online booking | Yes | No |
| App | Native iPhone and Android app | Installs on your phone like an app |
| Works without signal | Not covered here | Yes, once a device has signed in and synced (limits below) |
| Support | Live chat, phone and email | Email, while your platform fee is current; we aim to reply within 1 business day |
| Getting your data out | Not covered here | One click: business records in a JSON file, photos and signatures in a zip |
| If the company shuts down | No published commitment found | Per its Terms: app keeps working on your devices, data exports, source code released within 90 days |
| Risk-free window | 14-day free trial | 30-day free trial, plus a 60-day money-back guarantee |
Where Jobber is ahead today
Jobber has been around a long time, and it shows in the parts of the job that happen after the work is booked.
It talks to your customers for you. On Connect and above, Jobber sends automated appointment reminders and follows up on quotes and invoices by email and text (texting works in the US, Canada and the UK). Grow adds two-way texting with customers. Own Your Tools doesn't text or email customers automatically. It sends invoices by email with a payment link, and its on-my-way button opens your phone's own messages app with the text already written.
It syncs with your books. Jobber pushes invoices, payments and clients into QuickBooks Online or Xero. Own Your Tools has profit and loss reports and a Schedule C tax summary built in, but no live accounting connection.
It books jobs from your website. Jobber's online booking lets new customers request work and land on your schedule. Own Your Tools has a customer portal where customers read quotes, accept or decline, pay and message you, but it doesn't take new bookings.
You can call somebody. Jobber offers phone and live chat support. Own Your Tools is email only.
If automated follow-ups, accounting sync or phone support are things your shop can't run without, Jobber is the better pick right now.
Where Own Your Tools wins
Cost. For a 10-person crew, five years of Jobber Grow is $20,940 at the one-year commitment price. Own Your Tools tops out at $886 over the same five years: $490 for the license, then no more than $99 a year from year two. The full breakdown, with sources, is in our 2026 field service software cost report.
Up to 10 people, hiring doesn't raise the bill. Jobber prices users in bands. Moving past 10 users on Grow puts the shop in the 15-user band, $80 a month more on a one-year commitment. Own Your Tools includes 10 seats on one license with no per-user fee, with admin and technician roles.
No cut of your money. Customers pay invoices by card through the portal, straight into the contractor's own Stripe account. Own Your Tools takes nothing on top of Stripe's own fee. Jobber charges an extra 1% when you want your money instantly.
Your data is yours. One click exports your business records as a single JSON file, with photos and signatures in a separate zip. If Own Your Tools ever shuts down, its Terms commit to three things: the app keeps working on the devices that have it, your data still exports, and the source code is released within 90 days.
It keeps working without signal. Once a device has signed in and synced, you can add and change customers, jobs, the schedule, quotes, draft invoices, expenses, mileage and inventory, and record cash or check payments with no connection. It syncs when you're back in range. A connection is still needed to sign in on a new device, send email or texts, take card payments, change a sent invoice or quote, and use leads, maps or imports.
Who should pick which
Pick Jobber if your business runs on automated customer messages, you live in QuickBooks, or you want someone on the phone when something breaks.
Pick Own Your Tools if your crew is between one and ten people, the monthly bill is the thing you resent, and you'd rather own your software than rent it.
What switching from Jobber takes
Export your client list from Jobber as a spreadsheet, then import it into Own Your Tools. The importer takes Excel and CSV files from Jobber, Housecall Pro, QuickBooks or any spreadsheet, up to 5,000 rows, and one tap undoes the import if something looks wrong. It's a file import, not a live connection, so plan a cutover day.
The 30-day trial needs no card. The $490 founding price is for the first 25 shops (then $700), and buying locks it in. A trial doesn't hold the price.
FAQ
Is Own Your Tools cheaper than Jobber? Over five years, yes, by a wide margin. A 10-person crew pays $20,940 for Jobber Grow on a one-year commitment, versus a maximum of $886 for Own Your Tools (prices as of October 2026).
Does Own Your Tools have a monthly fee? Only if you choose the monthly plan: $49 a month for 12 months, after which the license is yours. The other option is $490 once at the founding price. Either way, an annual platform fee for hosting and updates, capped at $99, starts after the first year.
Can I move my customers from Jobber to Own Your Tools? Yes. Export your client list from Jobber and import the file into Own Your Tools. It handles up to 5,000 rows with one-tap undo.
Does Own Your Tools sync with QuickBooks like Jobber does? Not today. It imports customer lists from QuickBooks and exports reports to CSV, but there's no live sync.
Does Own Your Tools text my customers automatically? No. It emails invoices with a payment link. Texts to customers go out from your own phone.
Sources
- Jobber pricing and plan features: getjobber.com/pricing, checked October 9, 2026.
- Jobber band pricing (10 and 15 users): getjobber.com/pricing, checked October 9, 2026.
- Own Your Tools: ownyourtools.work and Terms, October 2026.