Stairkey
Compare/Workiz Alternatives

Workiz Alternatives

The short answer

Workiz wins for trades that live on inbound calls thanks to its native phone system, call tracking, and missed-call automation; Jobber wins on polish and app marketplace, Housecall Pro on built-in payments. Stairkey fits the owner who wants estimating, scheduling, invoicing AND real double-entry books with native HST/GST in one capped-price workspace instead of bolting on QuickBooks.

Updated June 18, 2026

People look for Workiz alternatives for two reasons: its paid tiers are quote-only (only the free Lite plan up to two users carries a public price), and like most field-service tools it stops at ops and hands your books to QuickBooks. Workiz earns its place with a genuinely native phone system — call tracking, recording, and missed-call automation built in — which is exactly why locksmiths, garage-door, appliance-repair, and HVAC shops choose it. The question is whether you need that phone stack, or whether a more transparent all-in-one (with the accounting built in) is the better fit.

This page is written by Stairkey, a competing tool, so we'll be straight about where each rival genuinely wins. Workiz's telephony is real and Stairkey has nothing like it; Jobber has a much larger integration marketplace; Housecall Pro processes payments natively. Where Stairkey differs is that double-entry accounting with native HST/GST is built in rather than bolted on — so below we lay out the trade-offs and who each tool is actually best for.

At a glance

WorkizJobberHousecall ProStairkey
Starting priceQuote-only (free Lite ≤2 users)$49/mo ($29 annual), 1 user$79/mo ($59 annual), 1 user$20/mo core, capped at $100
Pricing transparencyPaid tiers quote-onlyPublished tiersPublished tiersPublished, flat, usage-capped
Built-in accountingNo — one-way to QuickBooksNo — syncs to QBO/XeroNo — syncs to QuickBooksYes — native double-entry (+$20 add-on)
Sales tax (HST/GST)Line-item, relies on syncLine-item, relies on syncLine-item, relies on syncNative HST/GST handling
Built-in telephony / SMSNative phone + call trackingAdd-on (AI Receptionist)Marketing/automationNone
Estimating / takeoffEstimatesQuotes, strong workflowEstimatesLine items OR measured takeoff + approvals
Payments processingVia Stripe integrationBuilt-in (2.9% + $0.30)Built-in (as low as 2.59%)Invoices & payments (no own processor)
Crew / phone portalMobile appMobile appMobile appPhone-first crew portal, offline cache
AI featuresGenius AI (upper tiers)AI Receptionist add-onMarketing automationPhoto/voice → task capture, workspace AI
Real estate / deal moduleNoNoNoYes — buying, listing, deal P&L
Best forCall-driven tradesPolished ops + QBO/XeroUS field-service + paymentsOwners wanting books built in

Who each one is for

Choose Workiz if

your trade lives and dies by inbound calls — locksmith, appliance repair, garage doors, HVAC — and a native phone system, call tracking, and missed-call automation inside your field-service tool is worth a quote-only price and a separate QuickBooks subscription.

Choose Jobber if

you want the most polished quoting-to-payment workflow with a large app marketplace and published pricing, and you're fine running QuickBooks Online or Xero alongside it for the books.

Choose Housecall Pro if

you're a US home-service business that wants strong built-in payments (as low as 2.59%) and deep marketing/review tooling, and you'll add the QuickBooks sync for the books.

Consider Stairkey if

you'd rather have estimating, scheduling, invoicing AND real double-entry books with native HST/GST in one flat, usage-capped workspace than pay for and maintain a separate QuickBooks subscription — and you don't need a built-in phone system.

Pricing

Prices verified June 18, 2026. Quote-gated vendors change pricing without notice — confirm before you buy.

Workiz
Quote-only

Paid Standard/Pro/Ultimate tiers are quote-only on the official site (a free Lite plan covers up to 2 users); reported entry-to-mid pricing runs roughly $198–$229/mo with extra users about $46–$55/user/mo. Books run on a separate QuickBooks subscription.

Jobber
$49/mo (Core, monthly) or $29/mo billed annually, 1 user

Higher tiers (Connect $139, Grow $199, Plus $699) and per-user seats add up; you'll still pay separately for QuickBooks or Xero.

Housecall Pro
$79/mo (Basic, monthly) or $59/mo billed annually, 1 user

QuickBooks sync starts at the Essentials tier ($149/mo annual); per-user MAX pricing plus add-ons inflate the real bill.

Stairkey
$20/mo core, capped

Usage is capped at $100/mo so there are no surprise bills; the optional accounting add-on is +$20/mo (=$40/mo) for native double-entry books with HST/GST. First month free, no credit card.

Where the others win

Each rival genuinely beats Stairkey somewhere. Workiz has a native phone system, call tracking, and missed-call/SMS automation that Stairkey flatly doesn't offer — if inbound-call handling is core to your business, that alone can decide it. Jobber has a far larger integration marketplace and a longer track record; Housecall Pro processes payments natively at competitive rates and has deeper US marketing tooling. Stairkey's own limits are real: it's a newer, smaller-brand product with a smaller third-party integration marketplace; it has no built-in telephony, automated SMS dispatch, or AI phone agent; no aerial roofing measurement; it is not a full payroll system (it does contractor tax slips, year-end, and mileage, not payroll); and it's focused on North America, strongest on Canadian HST/GST. Its edge isn't the biggest ecosystem — it's the integrated workspace with native accounting at a transparent, capped price.

Common questions

What's the best Workiz alternative if I don't need a phone system?

If Workiz's native telephony isn't the draw, Jobber and Housecall Pro are the closest field-service alternatives, and Stairkey is the one that also keeps your books — native double-entry accounting with HST/GST built in as a +$20/mo add-on, so you're not paying for a separate QuickBooks subscription.

Is Workiz's pricing public?

Only partly. Workiz publishes a free Lite plan for up to two users, but its paid Standard/Pro/Ultimate tiers are quote-only; reported pricing runs roughly $198–$229/mo entry-to-mid with extra users around $46–$55/mo. Jobber, Housecall Pro, and Stairkey all publish their prices.

Do any of these handle Canadian HST/GST natively?

Workiz, Jobber, and Housecall Pro apply line-item tax on invoices and pass it through their QuickBooks/Xero sync, oriented to US sales tax. Stairkey handles HST/GST natively in its accounting add-on, with year-end packages and Canadian contractor tax-slip workflows — its strongest fit for Canada-based trades.

One tool, books included.

Estimating, projects, invoicing, and real double-entry accounting in one workspace — first month free, no card required.