Is it worth building our own software instead of paying for ServiceTitan?
For a shop with about 10 to 100 technicians, owning can cost less over 5 years than renting ServiceTitan. Smaller crews usually stay on a published plan.
It can be, if you run roughly 10 to 100 technicians and the per-technician bill is growing with the crew. For a 20-technician team, renting ServiceTitan is about $418,000 over 5 years, and owning with Evertech is about $146,000 to $318,000 over 5 years. A much smaller shop is usually better on a published subscription such as Jobber or Housecall Pro.
The table describes each pricing model from that vendor’s public pricing page. Where a vendor does not list a dollar amount, this page does not invent one. The own-side ranges are the ones on our field service offer.
How the options charge
| Product | Pricing model | Typical buyer | What you own at the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceTitan | Per technician. Quoted, not listed. | Service contractors that will take a quoted contract. The pricing page says it fits a business at any size. | Rented access, not the software. |
| Jobber | Published plans that include a set number of users, plus a fee for each added user. | Smaller home-service crews. Larger teams are asked to contact sales. | The subscription, not the software. |
| Housecall Pro | Published monthly plans. Extra users are billed per user. No long-term contract is required. | Home service businesses, from a solo operator to a growing crew. | The subscription, not the software. |
| FieldEdge | Quoted. The price varies by technicians or employees and by add-ons. Plans include a set number of mobile licenses. | Trade shops, including multi-truck operations. | The subscription, not the software. |
| BuildOps | Quoted from field and office users. No public price list. Subcontractors do not need licenses. | Commercial contractors running service, projects, or both. | The subscription, not the software. |
| Custom with Evertech | A fixed build plus yearly upkeep. No fee per technician. | HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing shops with about 10 to 100 technicians whose work no longer fits a rental. | The code, the database, and your data. |
Switching from ServiceTitan to Housecall Pro, Jobber, FieldEdge, or BuildOps is still a rental. The monthly bill may drop. You still do not own the system, and a per-user or per-technician model can rise again as you hire. Owning wins when the crew is large enough for the build to earn its keep, and the work no longer fits the rental.
The 5-year math for 20 technicians
The same planning picture is on the offer page. It is not a bid, and the rent total is not a price ServiceTitan prints.
| Path | Over 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renting ServiceTitan | About $418,000 |
| Owning with Evertech | About $146,000 to $318,000 |
Estimates for a 20-technician team. Put your written quote beside the rent figure. If the proposal in front of you is lower or higher, the comparison moves.
The own side is a fixed build plus upkeep. A first release of jobs, dispatch, the technician app, and QuickBooks sync is typically $50,000 to $80,000, about 6 weeks after a 2 to 4 week discovery. A full core system typically takes 3 to 6 months. Upkeep on a full core system is typically $12,000 to $30,000 a year. New modules are quoted separately.
Rent keeps charging for each technician. Own spends more at the start, then the yearly number stays in that upkeep band unless you add scope. On a system you own, headcount is not the meter. We do not turn the gap into a savings percentage. Discovery rewrites the picture with your crew size, your quote, and your contract end date.
When to stay on a subscription
Stay when the product still fits and the bill is acceptable. A tool the office already knows is a reasonable place to remain.
Switch to another subscription when you mainly want a lower monthly bill and the workflows are ordinary: book the job, dispatch, invoice, take the card, sync the books. Housecall Pro, Jobber, FieldEdge, and BuildOps are that path. You trade one rental for another. For a smaller shop, that trade is often the right one, and it is faster than a build.
A shop well under 10 technicians is usually better on a published plan such as Jobber or Housecall Pro. The build pays for itself more slowly, and a published plan can be running this month.
Stay on a rental when you need a mature product’s full surface on day one. A custom system starts with the workflows you use. It does not copy another product screen by screen. If you cannot name the workflows yet, discovery may tell you to stay.
Own when three things are true together. The crew is roughly 10 to 100 technicians. The per-technician bill grows as you hire. Dispatch, the pricebook, or the agreements do not fit the rental without workarounds. That is the HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing shop this is written for.
Commercial contractors looking at BuildOps are comparing a different product, quoted per field and office user. Get that quote before assuming a custom build is the answer.
How switching works
Switching is a dated plan.
Discovery. A 2 to 4 week fixed-price engagement maps dispatch, quoting, billing, and your contract dates. It ends with a written scope and price. If owning does not make sense, that is the answer.
First release. About 6 weeks later, the shop gets jobs, dispatch, the technician app, and QuickBooks sync, typically $50,000 to $80,000. QuickBooks stays the system of record. This is the first module, not every ServiceTitan feature.
Cutover. The move is planned around your contract dates so the new system is live before you renew. Customers, jobs, and history move in a tested switch. The plan says what comes across and what is archived.
Upkeep. A retainer keeps the system current, typically $12,000 to $30,000 a year on a full core system. A new module is quoted on its own.
Payroll, payments, and accounting stay with the vendors you already use. The field app opens the job where the signal drops, and offline work syncs when the connection returns.
Start with own your field service software. The cost drivers are in what it costs to build field service software. How we work is the engagement: discovery first, then a scoped build.