The Best Contractor Software by Business Size

What to use when you're a one-person crew, running a small team, or scaling up fast. A realistic guide to contractor software that fits your stage.

Not to be confused with marketing tools like Rebolt, which help contractors grow their online presence, this guide focuses on business management software — tools that help you run the day-to-day: estimating, job tracking, invoicing, and client communication.

If you're looking for help with SEO, reviews, and looking good online, check out our platform Rebolt to start generating more leads and supercharge your business. But if you're looking to stay organized and get paid faster, the software below is what you need.

Choosing software as a contractor can feel like shopping for a tool you’re not sure you need. Do you go simple or all-in-one? Free or full-featured? It really depends on where your business is at.

Here’s a straight-up breakdown of what makes sense at different stages, with no fluff.

1. Just Getting Started (Solo Contractor)

What you need:

• A way to send estimates and invoices

• Somewhere to keep project notes and photos

• A way to stay on top of jobs

Options:

• Google Sheets + QuickBooks: This works fine at the start. Track your jobs in a spreadsheet. Send estimates or invoices through QuickBooks or even a Word doc if you’re keeping it lean.

• Dave: A trade-focused tool that helps solo contractors & small teams stay organized with unlimited projects, photo notes, and clean-looking estimates you can send by text or email.

• Joist: Lightweight option with estimate and invoice templates.

Recommendation:

If you're doing one to three jobs at a time and don’t want to overthink it, Google Sheets might do. But if you're quoting often or want to look more professional, Dave gives you that without adding complexity.

2. Small Team (2 to 5 people)

What you need:

• Estimates and invoices that look professional

• A shared place to keep notes, photos, and client info

• Some light task or job tracking

Options:

• Dave: Still a strong fit. Easy to use and great for organizing jobs, tracking progress, sending contracts, and getting reviews.

• Jobber: Starts to bring in more CRM-style features and light scheduling tools.

• Trello or Notion: Flexible tools that can be set up for job tracking if you’re comfortable building your own system.

Recommendation:

Keep it lean. Unless you're managing multiple crews, simple and focused tools work best. Dave or Jobber Lite both do the trick depending on how you like to work.

3. Mid-Size (5 to 15 people)

What you need:

• Scheduling and dispatching

• Customer relationship management (CRM)

• Job costing, markups, and internal workflows

Options:

• Jobber: A full CRM built for service contractors with quoting, invoicing, scheduling, and customer messaging. (works for larger teams as well)

• Housecall Pro: Great for technician tracking, dispatching, and customer communication.

• Buildxact: Designed more for custom home builders and remodelers.

Recommendation:

At this stage, you're running multiple jobs and crews. Look for a system that brings your CRM, dispatching, and billing together in one place.

4. Large Teams (15+ people)

What you need:

• Workflow automation

• Full dispatching and crew management

• Financial integrations and advanced reporting

Options:

• ServiceTitan: Built for trades like HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. Deep features but a steep learning curve.

• Buildertrend: Popular with custom builders and remodelers. Offers project management, financial tools, and client communication.

• JobNimbus: CRM-focused, with automation features and good integrations.

Recommendation:

These tools are best for companies with dedicated office staff and more complex needs. Be ready for onboarding and training.

Final Thoughts

The best contractor software isn’t about picking the one with the most features. It’s about finding what fits your current size and workflow.

If you're just getting going, you don’t need dispatching. If you’re scaling fast, a spreadsheet won’t cut it. Start simple, stay organized, and upgrade when you outgrow your tools.