ProBase vs Jobber

Which Is Right for Your Lawn Care Business?

Jobber is great software. But at $49–$349/month, you're paying for features most 1–5 crew operations never touch. Here's an honest look at both.

The Short Version

If you're short on time, start here.

Choose Jobber if…
  • You have 10+ crew members and need enterprise-level scheduling
  • QuickBooks or Xero sync is non-negotiable for your accounting
  • You need two-way SMS and advanced automations
  • $169–$349/month fits your budget
Best for 1–5 Crews
Choose ProBase if…
  • You want to run a professional operation without paying for software
  • You're running 1–5 crews and don't need enterprise add-ons
  • You want tools that help you get more customers, not just manage them
  • You'd rather put $2,000+/year back in your business

What You'll Pay

No surprises. Here's the real math.

ProBase Jobber
Solo (1 user)$0/month$49/month (Core)
2–5 users$0/month$169/month (Connect Team)
6–10 users$0/month$349/month (Grow Team)
Annual cost (2–5 users)$0$2,028
Payment processingStandard Stripe rateStandard Stripe rate
You save every year
$2,028
Put it back in your business
ProBase is free. No trials, no credit card, no "free tier" with limits. Just free.
Here's what no one talks about: Jobber's Core plan is just $49/month — but it's capped at one user and and locks out the features most businesses actually need. The moment you hire your first helper or need accounting sync, you're jumping to $169/month. That's a $120/month step up just to add one person.

The Real Cost of "Professional" Software

For a 2-person lawn crew on Jobber's Connect Team plan.

Jobber ProBase Difference
Year 1$2,028$0+$2,028
Year 2$2,028$0+$2,028
Year 3$2,028$0+$2,028
3-Year Total$6,084$0+$6,084

$6,084 over three years — and that's before processing fees. One verified 8-year Jobber user with 10 employees reported paying approximately $10,000 per year — "for what is essentially a scheduling app." The question isn't whether Jobber is good software. It is. The question is whether you actually need what you're paying for.

How Much Is Jobber Costing You?

Drag to your crew size. See your Jobber plan and monthly bill. Then see what $0 looks like.

How many people on your team? 2users
1 (solo) 5 10 15
Jobber
Connect Team
$169
per month
ProBase
All plans
$0
per month
You save with ProBase Every year. Every team member you add.
$2,028 / year
Full cost breakdown
Period Jobber ProBase
Per month $169/mo $0/mo
Per year $2,028/yr $0/yr
Over 5 years $10,140 $0
Start with ProBase — $0

No credit card. No trial period. Free from day one.

The Honest Truth About Features

Jobber has more features. That's not the question.

Jobber's extras
GPS Fleet Tracking

Real-time location on Connect+

QuickBooks Sync

Accounting integration on Connect+

Two-Way SMS

Client messaging on Grow+

Job Costing

Revenue and expense per job on Grow+

If you use these daily and have 10+ crew members, Jobber may be worth the cost.

What you actually need
Route Management

See your stops. Tap. Go.

Job Scheduling

Recurring routes. One-off jobs.

Customer Info

Notes, gate codes, property access.

Invoicing

Send it. Get paid. Done.

ProBase does these. Simply. For free.

What ProBase Has That Jobber Doesn't

Tools to help you grow — not just manage.

Feature ProBase Jobber
Automated review requestsComing soon ($39/mo add-on)
Tip collection
No subscription fee
No annual lock-in Annual = non-refundable

Automated Review Requests

After every service, customers get a prompt to leave a Google review. More reviews = higher rankings = more calls. On Jobber, this is a $39/month add-on. On ProBase, it's included. (Coming soon)

Tip Collection

Built into online payments. Customers can add a tip when they pay. The system was developed across half a billion real service transactions before it came to ProBase. Pros earn tips on 52% of jobs, averaging 18% of the job total. Jobber doesn't have this.

Jobber is great at helping you manage what you have. ProBase helps you get more.

What Jobber Does Better

We'll be honest about this.

Feature Jobber ProBase
GPS fleet tracking Connect+Coming soon
QuickBooks / Xero sync Connect+
Two-way SMS with clients Grow+
Job costing Grow+
Advanced workflow automations Grow+Basic
Offline mode All plans
If GPS tracking and QuickBooks sync are non-negotiable, or you're managing 10+ crews with complex dispatch needs, Jobber has the depth. But those features start at $169/month — $2,028 a year. If you're a 1–5 crew operation running routes and billing customers, you probably don't need — or use — most of that.

Switching From Jobber

Here's exactly what happens to your data — and what to watch out for.

What moves with you

  • Customer roster — names, addresses, phones, tags, custom fields (CSV export)
  • Invoice history — exported to CSV via Jobber's reports
  • Job history — one-off job records available via export
  • Your data is yours — Jobber's CSV export covers the essentials

What to plan for

Saved payment cards. Tokenized card data can't transfer between payment processors — this is true on every platform, not just Jobber. Customers will need to re-enter cards. We walk you through setting up new payment collection so it's smooth, not awkward.

One important note

Annual plans are non-refundable. If you're on an annual Jobber subscription, you're locked in until renewal. The best time to switch is 30–60 days before your renewal date — that's enough runway to run both systems in parallel and cancel before the next charge.

Our honest advice: If you use GPS fleet tracking and QuickBooks sync every day, and you're managing 10+ crews, Jobber is probably worth the cost. If you're a 1–5 crew operation paying $169–$349/month mostly to schedule jobs and send invoices, you're very likely overpaying for features you rarely use.

What Lawn Pros Say About Jobber

Pain points that come up consistently. We're not here to trash Jobber — but these are real.

What lawn pros say How ProBase handles it
"Going from $49 to $169/month the moment I hired my first helper"Core is 1 user only — adding even one employee jumps you to Connect Team Free for every crew size. No tier jumps, ever.
"You're not getting out of that annual commitment"Annual plans are prepaid and non-refundable No contracts. No commitments. Leave any time.
"We pay approximately $10,000 per year for what is essentially a scheduling app"8-year Jobber user, 10 employees (MyQuoteIQ, 2025–2026) $0/year. Always.
"The best features are locked behind higher tiers"Brian S., Capterra, Oct 2025 ProBase doesn't gate features behind expensive tiers.
"Marketing Suite, AI Receptionist — I'm paying for stuff I'll never use"New add-ons launched 2024–2025 at $79–$99/mo create cost pressure Focused toolset. Pay for nothing you don't need.
"QuickBooks sync randomly breaks — 2% of line items drop"Manual reconciliation required; documented across hundreds of reviews Simple invoicing that works. No sync to break.
"60% of my estimates go straight to spam"Emails sent via generic jobbermail.com domain land in spam filters SMS-first. Texts get through.
"Customer service has nose-dived"Documented support quality decline, 3–5 day response times on escalated issues Free onboarding support. Real help when you need it.
Sources: Capterra, G2, MyQuoteIQ, LawnSite, Mowing Magic, LawnCrewPro (2024–2026). Plenty of Jobber users are happy. If it works for your operation, great. But if any of these sound familiar, ProBase might be worth a look.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions we get most often.

ProBase is free because we partner with marketplaces. You can pick up new jobs through ProBase if you want — we take a cut on those. You're never required to. Every tool stays free either way.
Yes. Export your customer list from Jobber as a CSV and upload it during ProBase signup. We'll help you get your roster, job history, and notes set up. Most operators are running their routes the same day.
Yes — saved payment card tokens can't transfer between payment processors on any platform, including Jobber. Customers will need to re-enter their cards once. We make this as smooth as possible with digital payment links built into your invoices.
Not yet. If QuickBooks integration is critical to your daily workflow, Jobber's Connect plan ($169/mo) has it — though users consistently report sync issues. It's on our roadmap.
GPS fleet tracking is coming to ProBase. For now, if real-time crew location is a daily operational need, Jobber's Connect+ plan has it — though it's part of the $169/month tier, not the base $49 plan.
ProBase works well for 1–5 crew operations. No per-user fees. For larger operations (6+) needing complex dispatch, advanced job costing, and enterprise analytics, Jobber has more depth — at $349/month.
ProBase was built by Steve Corcoran, who scaled LawnStarter to over 500,000 home service customers nationwide. The free model is funded by the marketplace side of the business. We're not backed by VCs who need to extract value — this is a long-term play, not a bait-and-switch free trial.
Yes. Automated review requests will prompt customers after every service — more Google reviews means higher local rankings, which means more inbound calls. On Jobber, this is a $39/month add-on. On ProBase, it's included. (Coming soon)

The right tool depends on your business.

If you have 10+ crews, need QuickBooks sync, and have budget for $169–$349/month, Jobber is solid software. If you want to stay organized, run your routes, and keep $2,000+/year in your pocket, give ProBase a try.

Start Free Today
No credit card No trial period Just free