Top 10 Scheduling Apps for Home Services Contractors: Free and Paid Tools to Put the “Service” in the Scheduling of Your Service Business

Today’s consumers need flexible solutions, and especially when it comes to the home services contractors that they work with. People are busier than ever and don’t have time for that “personal touch” of calling and having a lengthy conversation or waiting for someone to call them back to make an appointment or discuss their needs. Really, you don’t have that kind of time, either. You've got a business to run. For everyone’s sake, it’s time to streamline and optimize. 

As a service business, you’ve got a lot on your hands. Your business is depending on you to keep everything organized, but you can’t possibly do it all alone. Fortunately, modern scheduling tools integrate booking and scheduling tools, social media integration, reminders and automation, and even some marketing features that can help with promotion. 

Mobile-ready for service brands on the go

Home services are notoriously mobile, always out in the field and at customer’s houses, and that can make it even harder to rely on software that might be great, but always back at the office. Modern scheduling apps are mobile, often have their own native apps for iOS and Android, and give you the chance to run your entire business from anywhere, on any device. 

With scheduling apps, you can provide customized online scheduling and even mobile scheduling options for your customers. You can create your own rules and structure, set custom availability, and then go on with generating scheduling solutions that work for your business as much as they do for your clients. 

Whether you’re in HVAC, landscaping, painting, or any other home service business, you will appreciate packages with appointment options for businesses of all sizes and integrations with Google Calendar, WordPress, Facebook, PayPal, and more. Several of the options on the list below even include or offer a dedicated appointment website for those who need it. (Plus, you can streamline your scheduling even further by allowing our virtual receptionists to answer live chat for lead intake, scheduling, and more.)

Schedule like a pro with modern scheduling apps

Scheduling apps will offer all of the tools and resources that you need to take your home services business to the next level. They can help improve your booking rates, reduce the risk of cancellations and no-shows, and automate several mundane tasks so that you can focus your efforts on actually running your business. Plus, you don’t even have to do the hard work of finding them—we've already done that for you. 

In the list below, you’ll find an array of scheduling tools that can deliver robust, streamlined solutions for your home services business. We’ve taken the time to research the options and choose the top 10 apps that offer the best features for their money. Most importantly, they’re all geared toward scheduling for home services companies, so you can trust that they’ll deliver what you need, regardless of the one that you choose. 

If you want to deliver an even better experience for your clients and reap the benefits of dedicated industry experts, you can also enlist the assistance of the lead screening and intake services from Smith.ai so that you can book consultations, schedule jobs, and manage customer queries without lifting a finger. 

1. Housecall Pro

This is one of the leading solutions for home services brands. Housecall Pro makes it easy to schedule jobs, assign teams, set arrival windows, and update jobs and schedules in real-time. The platform is already used by more than 15,000 service brands and offers online and desktop integrations with tools like QuickBooks and Google calendar, invoicing and payment processing tools, marketing integrations, and online booking. 

Housecall Pro also has tools for dispatch, robust reporting features, and automation that helps streamline processes and workflows. This app is dedicated to home services, offering a scalable and customizable platform that can be set to custom rules and offers real-time scheduling to maximize your time and fill your schedule as effectively as possible. 

The key features of Housecall Pro include:

• Free option? No
• Price: Starts at $49 per month
• Client messaging and notification tools
• Integrations with invoicing and payments
• Internal chat feature
• Marketing automation tools
• Scalable for growth

2. SimplyBook.me

SimplyBook.me is dedicated to online booking, and although the focus isn’t specifically on home service providers, it does offer a lot in the way of scheduling and appointment management that can translate well in these industries. The tool integrates with social media, offers email and SMS reminders and notifications, and even offers integrations with payment processors like PayPal and Stripe. 

SimplyBook.me includes a robust scheduling tool that allows you to create and set custom rules, along with promotional tools to help with branding. You can even get two months free if you pay for an annual membership upfront instead of choosing monthly pricing. The app includes a client app option and an open API that makes integrations simple. Key features of SimplyBook.me include:

• Free option? Yes, free for up to 50 bookings
• Price: $9.90 per month to start
• SMS and email reminders
• Online booking acceptance
• Social media booking
• Custom branded app for your business
• Custom features for promotions
• Intake forms and templates 
• Integrations with CMS, CRM, and other tools

3. Appointy

Appointy is a dedicated appointment booking resource that is great for home services businesses of all kinds. Appointy offers a robust real-time scheduling tool that you can set custom rules for and change as needed. You can scale the platform to the size of your service business and enjoy the easy-to-use dashboard. The apps are great for use on the go, with native iOS and Android options available. 

Appointy can integrate with Google calendar and other tools, as well as social media. It offers client notifications and those who need it can get a sub-domain that includes a dedicated page for appointment booking. That saves you the trouble of building one into your website or having to make a huge investment otherwise. 

While there’s a lot to love, the highlights of this scheduling app include:

• Free option? Free for up to 100 appointments a month
• Price: $19.99 per month to start 
• Online scheduling that’s convenient for clients
• Social media integration and booking features
• Scalable, cloud-based design
• Functional apps for iOS and Android
• Dedicated booking website 

4. Calendly

Calendly is one of the easiest and most customizable tools for scheduling that home services brands are sure to love. It's also got some of the most affordable pricing, including a free option for single users if you have a small business and are the only one who will be using the tool. If you want more than one calendar or multiple users, plans start at just $8 per month. 

Plus, Calendly offers group meetings and webinars, team pages, integrated client booking tools, real-time scheduling, and more. You can even count on the AI to identify potential no-shows or scheduling issues that may get overlooked. It can be integrated into emails and on your website, too. 

The highlights of Calendly include:

• Free option? Yes, for a single user with one calendar
• Price: $8 per month to start 
• Notifications and custom alerts
• Team pages
• Robust analytics
• Integrations with other software, calendars, and apps
• Scalable cloud-based platform
• Apps for iOS and Android

5. 10to8

10to8 is another dedicated management and scheduling tool designed for service businesses. This platform includes a host of solutions like real-time scheduling, a client booking solution, integrations with social media and other tools, and affordable pricing with straightforward plans. 

The 10to8 app offers custom booking rules and manual appointment approvals, integrations with Google, Apple, and Microsoft, a customized online booking system, scalable apps for easy growth and expansion, and other features. You will even be able to identify potential no-shows and cancellations, saving you a lot of headaches and missed time. 

The key features of 10to8 are:

• Free option? Free for up to 100 appointments each month
• Price: Starts at $9.60 for paid plans
• Tailored booking system for various home services organizations
• Better outbound returns and lead generation
• Increased client engagement
• Manual appointment approvals

6. Service Autopilot

Although it’s designed primarily for outdoor services like landscaping and pest control, Service Autopilot makes the list because it does work for service businesses and it provides a great example of what a proper scheduling app should be. Service Autopilot is more than a scheduling app, though. It's an entire suite of tools that includes a scheduling function. 

The app is available for iOS and Android and includes automatic invoicing, cloud storage for remote data access, customized dashboards, asset tracking, client management, job management, dispatching and field management, and more. The tool can provide custom rules-based booking and availability and a variety of integrations are available. 

The highlights of this app include:

• Free option? No
• Price: Starts at $47 per month
• Dispatching and routing support
• Client booking with custom exceptions and rules
• Training and support
• Dedicated knowledge database
• Job and client management and scheduling automation

7. Jobber

Jobber is one of the most popular scheduling tools for home services businesses. This app offers route optimization, efficient and automated scheduling features, reminders and follow-ups, SMS messaging, and other features. Clients can book at their convenience online or through the app and there is a native mobile app for Android and iOS. 

The Jobber app includes free training and easy setup, along with integrations with several of your calendar tools, mail servers, and other tools that you use on a daily basis to run your business. You’ll enjoy custom scheduling rules, client approval tools, and more. The key features of Jobber include:

• Free option? No, but a trial is offered
• Price: Starts at $29 per month
• File attachments
• Custom field creation
• Billing integration
• Android and iOS apps
• Work history tracking
• Client approvals

8. Service Fusion

Service Fusion is another great platform that offers dedicated cloud-based scheduling and appointment management. The app includes dedicated iOS and Android apps, field management and scheduling tools, payment processing and invoicing integrations, mobile customer support, and more. 

Job creation tools are available, along with product catalogs, integrated SMS and other reminders, scheduling rules, job management, and job estimates and creation tools. You can find field management tools, commissions and sales reporting, and plenty of no-contact tools to improve your workers’ safety in the field. The highlights of this app include:

• Free option? No
• Price: Starts at $149 per month
• Dedicated payment processing integrations 
• GPS fleet tracking
• Android and iOS apps
• No contracts or setup fees
• Personalized onboarding tools and training
• Email broadcasting
• Time tracking
• Scheduling based on custom rules

9. Square Appointments

Square Appointments offers a host of integrated scheduling tools that fit right into the Square payment platform. The tool features a dedicated booking website for all scheduling needs, automated team and client reminders, and a free version for single users. The Square Appointments tool has everything that you want in a package that integrates with the rest of the Square family and several other tools and software solutions. 

Square Appointments offers a unique option for prepayment or cancellation fees to ensure that people aren’t canceling or causing no-shows so that your appointments are kept and your business runs smoothly. You can even manage it all from the mobile app on the go. Key features include:

• Free option? Yes
• Price: Paid plans start at $50 per month
• Invoicing integrations
• Mobile app for field management
• Customization and rules-based scheduling
• Free appointment booking website

10. Acuity Scheduling

With  Acuity Scheduling, you essentially have a personal assistant that is working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to fill your schedule and take all of the busy work off of your hands. Acuity is there from the moment a client books until their service is provided, offering customized confirmations, SMS reminders, and easy rescheduling options through the app. 

Acuity features native iOS and Android apps for easy schedule management on the go. The app allows you to customize and brand all of your messages, set your own hours and availability along with custom scheduling rules, and more. You can even integrate with payment processing solutions, other calendar tools, and more. 

The highlights of Acuity Scheduling include:

• Free option? No
• Price: $14 per month to start
• 24/7 scheduling and availability control
• Client intake forms available at booking
• Integrated calendars and schedules
• Adaptable to any service business
• Online payment integration
• Video conferencing
  

Step up your service delivery and scheduling with Smith.ai and our dedicated solutions

We can integrate with a number of the scheduling apps and tools discussed above, helping you take your client scheduling and job bookings to the next level. You will be able to automate, integrate, and streamline your scheduling and front-end operations so that you can focus your efforts where they are needed. All the while, the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai will be waiting to assist your clients so that you can carry on with business as usual. 

Schedule your consultation today to discuss how our integrations can assist your scheduling and booking needs. If you’re ready to step up your client and job management, no matter what type of home services business you have, we’re ready to help with integrated messaging, chatbots, live chat, and even 24/7 phone support and intake for those who need it.