Why Is ProBase Free?

If your first reaction was "if it's free, what's the catch?" — good. That's the right question to ask. Most software that costs nothing is paying for itself by selling you, locking you in, or quietly turning on tier gates the day you have 50 customers.

ProBase isn't doing any of that. The reason it's free starts with a different question.

"Software is not that expensive to build anymore. Why does it cost so much?"

— Steve Corcoran, Founder & CEO, ProBase

It doesn't have to. ProBase is built lean and runs on a different business model — and free is what comes out the other end. Intentionally slimmer than subscription tools. Focused on what solo operators and 1–5 crew operations actually use every day.

What "Free" Actually Means

Every feature. Every plan. Every customer. One price.

$49 – $275+ / mo $0

Per month. Per crew. Per pool. Per anything.

Everything included Price

Scheduling$0
Routes & drive-time optimization$0
Service history$0
Job notes & photo documentation$0
Invoicing$0
Stripe-powered payments$0
Tipping$0
Customer management$0
Quotes & assessments$0

Total / month $0

Honest note

ProBase is leaner than Jobber, Skimmer, or Pool Brain — fewer bells and whistles, no enterprise dispatch, no LSI calculator, no Bluetooth water testing. If your workflow needs those tools, the subscription cost is worth it. If you need to run a 1–5 crew operation cleanly and get paid on time, this is enough — and it's $0.

How ProBase Will Make Money

Honest answer: we're not making money on you today. Here's the plan.

1

Coming soon

Marketplace integration.

Once it ships, ProBase will route real jobs from LawnStarter and Lawn Love straight to pros inside the app. Picking up a job is optional — you can ignore the marketplace entirely. When you do accept a job, ProBase takes a percentage of that job's revenue.

2

Forever

Your existing business stays free.

Whether you ever take a single marketplace job or not, every tool — scheduling, invoicing, tipping, history, quotes — stays free. Marketplace participation is opt-in. The software isn't gated behind it.

Why give it away?

Better and free is unbeatable.

"Free software for small operators only works if the company offering it has a non-subscription revenue source aligned with the operator's success. For ProBase, that's marketplace job-sharing — we make money when our pros take more jobs, which only happens when they're growing. Every other vendor has to charge them to grow, even when growth is exactly when they need help most."

— Steve Corcoran, Founder & CEO Get Early Access

Subscription vs. ProBase

Two different ways software companies make money. They produce very different incentives.

Skimmer · Jobber · Pool Brain ProBase

Monthly cost

$49 – $275+ / mo $0

How costs change

Rises with crews, pools, or tiers Always $0

If you leave

Access ends with cancellation Keep your Stripe, customers, and data

When the software co. makes money

Every month you have a subscription Only when ProBase finds you new work

Range reflects published pricing for Skimmer, Jobber, and Pool Brain standard tiers as of 2026.

So… what's the catch?

There isn't one. Here's what stays yours, no matter what.

Your Stripe account is yours

ProBase uses Stripe Connect — you own your own Stripe account. Card details go directly to Stripe's PCI-compliant servers, never to ProBase. If you ever leave, your Stripe account goes with you, and saved customer cards can be copied to your next platform through Stripe's official process.

Your customer data is yours

Customer list, service history, payment records, photos — all yours. ProBase never sells customer data to third parties. You can export everything anytime. If you leave, you walk out with your data intact.

Your customers are yours

No exclusivity clauses. No lock-in. They're your customers whether you use ProBase or not. The marketplace mechanic is opt-in and only applies to new jobs ProBase routes to you — not to customers you bring with you.

Frequently asked questions

Answers to what pool pros ask most about the model.

Yes. There is no free trial and no credit card required. Every feature — scheduling, routes, invoicing, tipping, quotes, history, payments — is free permanently. ProBase plans to make money through optional marketplace job referrals (coming soon). Even after marketplace launches, the software stays free whether you participate or not.

The marketplace is the planned integration between ProBase and LawnStarter / Lawn Love — the platforms that connect homeowners with service pros. Once it ships, pros using ProBase will be able to opt into picking up new jobs directly in the app. Launch timing is targeted post-beta — we'll announce specifics ahead of time. Picking up a job will always be optional.

No. Marketplace participation will be entirely optional when it launches. You can run your existing customers, set your own schedule, and keep full access to every ProBase feature regardless of whether you ever accept a single marketplace job.

ProBase will take a percentage of the revenue from marketplace jobs you accept. The specific rate will be published before the marketplace launches. It only applies to new jobs we route to you — never to customers you already have or bring with you to ProBase.

Yes. Your Stripe Connect account is yours and stays with you. Your customer data exports as CSV. Saved customer cards can be moved to your next platform through Stripe's official "Copy customers" process (under 72 hours). No lock-in. No exit fee. No catch.

ProBase is slimmer than all three. Fewer features, no enterprise dispatch, no LSI calculator, no commercial-tier billing. If you need those, the subscription cost is worth it. If you're running 1–5 crews and 50–200+ stops a week, ProBase covers what you actually use every day — for $0. See the full comparisons: Skimmer · Pool Brain.