FSM Software vs Payment App vs TradePay

Small trade shops usually end up choosing between three kinds of software for getting paid: a field service management (FSM) suite, a general payment app, or a job-aware collect layer like TradePay. They solve different problems, and many shops end up using two of them together. This guide explains what each one is for, what it costs on published pricing, and how to choose.

The short version: FSM software runs the business, a payment app takes the card, and TradePay connects the payment to the job without replacing the tools you already use.

The three categories at a glance

• FSM software (Jobber, Housecall Pro, Joist, ServiceTitan)
  • What it is: an all-in-one system for scheduling, dispatch, quotes, invoices, and customer history. Most suites include their own payment tools.
  • Best for: shops that want one system to run the whole day and are ready to set it up and train the crew on it.
  • Job awareness: strong inside the suite. Payments taken in the suite land on that suite's jobs and invoices.
  • Trade-off: more setup and a monthly plan, and its payment tools usually only work inside that suite.
• Payment apps (Square, QuickBooks Payments)
  • What it is: a merchant processor that takes cards, digital wallets, and bank payments in person, by invoice, or by link.
  • Best for: shops that mainly need to take a card quickly and have simple jobs.
  • Job awareness: payments are tied to the app's own sales, invoices, and customers, not to the jobs in your FSM or spreadsheet.
  • Trade-off: low fees and simple setup, but someone still has to match payments to jobs.
• TradePay (job-aware payment collection)
  • What it is: a collect layer built around the trade job. Every payment starts from a job and updates its paid status. Tap to Pay, pay links, ACH, financing, cards on file, and Quick Charge are all included.
  • Best for: shops that want to know which job got paid, without moving off the scheduling or accounting tools they already use.
  • Job awareness: built in. Smart Alerts on the Control and Close plans detect when a tech arrives and leaves, and one tap opens the right job and amount.
  • Trade-off: it is not a full FSM and not a generic card reader. It does not do dispatch or full scheduling, and it does not sync with Jobber or Housecall Pro, so payments are tracked on TradePay jobs.

What each one costs (published pricing)

Here are entry-level prices and the main payment rates for the tools above. They are standard US list rates published by each company.

• Jobber
  • Plan: Core (1 user) is $49/mo with no commitment, or $29/mo billed annually.
  • Payments: 2.7% + 30 cents for Tap to Pay, 2.9% + 30 cents for online cards, and 1% for ACH.
• Housecall Pro
  • Plan: from $59/mo billed annually (Basic).
  • Payments: 2.59% in person (Tap to Pay adds $5/mo per active user), 2.99% for online invoices, 3.49% for keyed cards, and 1% for ACH.
• Joist
  • Plan: Basics is $12/mo billed monthly, or $8.34/mo billed annually.
  • Payments: 2.79% + 49 cents for Tap to Pay, 3.49% + 49 cents for cards, and 1% for ACH, capped at $15.
• ServiceTitan
  • Plan: not published. ServiceTitan prices per technician and asks you to request pricing.
  • Payments: not published on its pricing page.
• Square
  • Plan: Square Free is $0. Square Plus is $49/mo per location, and Square Premium is $149/mo per location.
  • Payments on Square Free: 2.6% + 15 cents in person, 3.3% + 30 cents for online and invoice cards, 3.5% + 15 cents for keyed cards, and 1% for ACH on invoices with a $1 minimum.
• QuickBooks Payments
  • Plan: no monthly fee for Payments ("just pay as you go"). QuickBooks Online has a $0 Free plan, and Simple Start lists at $38/mo.
  • Payments: 2.5% in person, 2.99% for invoice cards, 3.5% for keyed cards, and 1% for ACH.
• TradePay
  • Plan: Collect is $0 for up to 2 users. Control is $29/mo for up to 5 users, and Close is $59/mo for up to 10 users.
  • Payments: 2.9% for Tap to Pay with no fixed per-transaction fee. Pay links and saved cards are 3.9% on Collect or 3.4% on Control and Close. ACH is 1.2% capped at $15 on Collect, or 0.8% capped at $10 on Control and Close. Stripe fees are included.

Fees checked Oct 8, 2026 on each company's official pages: Jobber pricing, Housecall Pro processing fees, Housecall Pro pricing, Joist Payments, Joist pricing, ServiceTitan pricing, Square pricing, QuickBooks Payments rates, QuickBooks pricing, and TradePay pricing. Rates change, so check the source before you decide.

TradePay is not the cheapest way to take a card. Square and QuickBooks Payments publish lower in-person rates. TradePay's case is the job: which job got paid, who collected it, and what is still unpaid, with a $0 plan to start.

How to choose

• You need scheduling, dispatch, and quotes in one place. Start with an FSM suite. Use its payment tools, or add a collect layer if techs still leave without getting paid. See TradePay vs Jobber, Housecall Pro, and ServiceTitan.
• You only take a card now and then. A payment app may be enough. See the Square alternative for contractors comparison.
• You already have an FSM or accounting tool, but payments are messy. Keep it and add a collect layer. See the Jobber Payments alternative and keep your stack and add a collect layer.
• You run a small crew without an FSM and want to stay light. Job-aware collection may cover what you actually need. See why full field service software is too much just to get paid.
• Your tickets are big. Look at ACH caps before card rates. See card vs ACH for contractor payments.

What job-aware payment collection looks like

A job-aware flow starts from the job, not from an empty payment screen. The tech opens the job, takes Tap to Pay on their phone, and the job shows paid with the receipt sent. iPhones and NFC Android phones tap directly with no reader. A Bluetooth Stripe reader is only needed for phones without NFC. See card payments without a card machine.

If the customer is not home, the tech sends a pay link from the job. If scope changed, Quick Charge collects the new amount without waiting on an invoice. On Control and Close, Smart Alerts prompt the tech on arrival and departure, so collecting becomes part of leaving the job.

At the end of the day, the owner can see which jobs were paid and which are still unpaid without matching a payment feed to a calendar. That is the difference between taking a payment and closing a job.

See how it works for your trade, or compare plans on the pricing page.

FAQs

Is TradePay an FSM?

No. TradePay does not handle dispatch or full scheduling. It is job-aware payment collection that works next to Jobber, Joist, QuickBooks, or a simple calendar.

Is TradePay just a card reader app?

No. Every payment belongs to a job, a customer, and a paid or unpaid status. Pay links, ACH, financing, cards on file, and Smart Alerts are all built around that job.

Can I use an FSM and TradePay together?

Yes. That is the most common setup: keep the FSM for scheduling and paperwork, and use TradePay as the collect layer. TradePay does not sync with Jobber or Housecall Pro, so payments are tracked on TradePay jobs. QuickBooks sync is listed as coming soon.

Which option is cheapest?

On published card rates, QuickBooks Payments (2.5% in person) and Square Free (2.6% + 15 cents) are lower than TradePay (2.9%). On big bank transfers, capped ACH fees such as TradePay's $10 or $15 cap, Joist's $15 cap, or Square Plus's $10 cap can matter more. FSM suites add a monthly plan on top of their payment rates.