XtimatePro vs. Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro wins for high-volume HVAC, plumbing, and electrical service calls that need dispatching and recurring contracts. XtimatePro wins for project-style estimates — roofing replacements, water restoration jobs, kitchen remodels — where the deal is closed via a signed scope and a deposit.
Quick answer
Choose XtimatePro if your jobs are project-based (roofs, remodels, restorations, EV chargers), you do any insurance work, and you want trade-specific scope templates with photo evidence.
Choose Housecall Pro if you run a service-call business (HVAC tune-ups, drain cleaning, electrical service calls) and need consumer financing, online booking, and route optimization.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | XtimatePro | Housecall Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $39/mo | $79/mo |
| Trade-specific scope templates | 80+ templates across 8 trades | Pricebook items, no trade scopes |
| Photo-attached line items | ✓ | Photo upload, not line-tied |
| Insurance-claim PDF (RCV/ACV) | ✓ | No |
| E-sign + Stripe deposit | ✓ | ✓ |
| Service-call dispatch | No | ✓ deep |
| Consumer financing (Wisetack, etc.) | Roadmap | ✓ |
| Online booking widget | No | ✓ |
| Bilingual (ES / PT) | ✓ native | EN only |
| Time-clock / payroll | Roadmap | ✓ |
The honest take
If you wake up and your day is 8 dispatched service calls — Housecall Pro is the right shape. If you wake up and your day is one site visit, an estimate to write, a customer to convince, and a deposit to collect — XtimatePro is the right shape. Many restoration companies and GCs end up running both.
Who should pick which
XtimatePro is the better fit if you're a solo or small residential contractor doing project-style work — a roof replacement, a water-mitigation job, a panel upgrade — where the deal closes on a signed scope and a deposit. You build the estimate from one of 80+ templates across 8 trades, attach photos to individual line items, send it for e-signature, and collect a Stripe deposit on the spot. Insurance work exports as a claim-ready PDF with ACV, RCV, depreciation, and cause-of-loss, and restoration contractors get drying logs built in. Pricing is a flat $39, $89, or $149 per month with unlimited estimates, and the app runs in English, Spanish, or Portuguese at one click.
Housecall Pro is legitimately the better fit for service businesses that live on volume: online booking, dispatch boards, route-dense days of HVAC tune-ups and drain calls, plus the marketing automation — review requests, repeat-customer campaigns — that keeps that pipeline full. If customers book you rather than you quoting them, Housecall Pro's shape matches your business better than an estimating tool ever could.
What switching to XtimatePro looks like
Start a 14-day free trial — no credit card required. Import the 20-item starter pricebook for your trade in one click, edit the prices to match your market, then build your first estimate from one of 80+ templates and send it for e-signature with a Stripe deposit link attached. Most contractors send their first real estimate the same day they sign up.
What does not carry over: there is no automated import from Housecall Pro today. Your pricebook is built and edited inside XtimatePro, and your Housecall Pro customer and job history stays where it is. If you run both tools during the switch, nothing breaks — estimates live in XtimatePro while dispatch stays in Housecall Pro until you decide.
Frequently asked
Is XtimatePro a replacement for Housecall Pro?
For estimate-driven contractors, yes — XtimatePro covers the quote, e-signature, deposit, and insurance-claim PDF at a flat monthly price. It does not replace Housecall Pro's online booking, dispatch, or marketing automation, so if your revenue is mostly scheduled service calls you still need a field-service platform.
Does XtimatePro export .esx files?
No — and neither does Housecall Pro. XtimatePro generates claim-ready PDFs with ACV, RCV, depreciation, and cause-of-loss today; the Crew plan adds CSV / Symbility-compatible export, and native .esx export is on the roadmap.
How much does XtimatePro cost compared to Housecall Pro?
XtimatePro is a flat $39 (Solo), $89 (Pro), or $149 (Crew) per month, every plan with unlimited estimates and projects, after a 14-day free trial with no credit card. Housecall Pro starts at $79 per month, so estimate-focused contractors often pay less for a tool shaped around their actual work.
Can my Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking crew use XtimatePro?
Yes. The entire app switches between English, Spanish, and Portuguese in one click, so every crew member can build estimates and collect signatures in the language they work best in.
Does XtimatePro have online booking or dispatch like Housecall Pro?
No. XtimatePro deliberately skips booking widgets, dispatch boards, and marketing automation to stay fast at one thing: turning a site visit into a signed, deposit-paid estimate. If your day is built around dispatched service calls, Housecall Pro is the better shape — some contractors run both.
XtimatePro ships starter pricebooks and templates for the service trades too — see how it works for HVAC contractors, plumbers, and electricians. Plans and pricing live on the pricing page, and you can also read how XtimatePro compares to Xactimate and Jobber.