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A Jobber alternative — if you're just starting out
Jobber is a great tool for established field-service shops. But it's a tool you operate, and the bill starts on day one. Apex Ops Starter is free while you're getting going.
Side by side
For a shop in its first year
| Apex | Jobber | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost while you're starting | $0 — Starter includes CRM, invoices with HST, client portal, card site | ~$30–200+/mo CAD from day one, tiered by features |
| Who runs it | Paid plans are done-for-you — we set up and maintain the system | You — it's software you learn and operate yourself |
| Answers your phone 24/7 | AI front desk from Launch ($149/mo) — 20 languages, books the job | No — Jobber doesn't answer calls |
| Invoices, quotes, client portal | Included on every plan, Ontario HST built in | Yes — mature, polished, a real strength |
| Route & crew management at scale | Built for owner-led shops, not fleet logistics | Excellent — this is what Jobber is for |
| Works together | We wire into Jobber for established shops — integrate, not replace | Apex books jobs straight into your Jobber calendar |
The math
Year one, honest numbers
A new shop paying ~$100/mo for a mid-tier field-service tool spends $1,200 in year one — before it's answered a single call. Apex Starter is $0 for the same invoicing, HST, and client portal basics. When the phone starts ringing more than you can answer, Launch at $149/mo adds the AI front desk — and one booked job you would've missed covers it.
If you later outgrow us and move to Jobber, your invoices and client history export cleanly. No hostage-taking.
Be honest
When Jobber wins
If you're running 5+ crews with routing, dispatching, and chemical-tracking complexity, stay on Jobber — it's genuinely the better tool for that. We're not trying to replace it. For shops like that, Apex wires into Jobber: the AI front desk answers the call, books the job into your Jobber calendar, and chases the invoice after. You keep the tool you know; you stop losing the calls it can't answer.
Hear it first
Hear what Jobber can't do
Ninety seconds, in your browser. This is the front desk that books into your calendar while you're under a sink.