How we work
Plainly: what's checked, what isn't yet, and who does the work.
What's verified today
Every price, plan name, user count, free-trial term and plan feature on this site was read from the vendor's own pricing or product page. Each tool lists the exact page and the date we checked it (currently Oct 29, 2026). Where a vendor doesn't publish a price (ServiceTitan, FieldEdge and Workiz), we say "not published" rather than guess.
What isn't, yet
The pages on this site were built from public information: pricing pages, plan feature lists and the industries each vendor lists. We have not yet run hands-on trials of most of these apps. Hands-on trial walkthroughs, with our own screenshots and screen recordings, are being added one tool at a time. When a page includes something we saw in our own trial account, it says so and shows the date. Nothing here claims we "tested" an app we haven't used.
Trials so far
We only start free trials that need nothing more than an email address: no card, no phone verification, and never through our own affiliate links. We sign up openly as a software review account with obviously sample data, not as a made-up business. Here's where each attempt got to:
| Jobber | Trial started Oct 29, 2026 (email and password; phone optional; no card). First-look notes and screenshots are on the Jobber vs QuoteIQ page. |
|---|---|
| Housecall Pro | Stopped Oct 29, 2026: step 2 of signup requires a mobile phone number. |
| QuoteIQ | Stopped Oct 29, 2026: signup requires a mobile phone number. |
| ZenMaid | Stopped Oct 29, 2026: onboarding requires a company phone number before the app opens. |
| GorillaDesk | Stopped Oct 29, 2026: its email check rejected our review mailbox address. |
Where we couldn't start a trial, the page relies on the vendor's public pricing and feature pages until we can.
What we don't do
- No star ratings or scores. We haven't earned the right to grade these apps, so we don't invent numbers.
- No testimonials and no reviewer personas. There's no "Dave, 20 years in lawn care" here.
- No paid placement. Vendors can't pay to be listed or to be listed higher.
- No signing up through our own affiliate links when we start trials.
Who does the work
Much of the research, price checking and writing on this site is done by an AI research assistant working from the vendors' own public pages, and the screen-recorded walkthroughs on our YouTube channel are narrated with an AI voice. We tell you because you should know who's behind a recommendation. The sourcing rules above apply either way.
Equipment pages
The Start your business guides list equipment with specs copied from each manufacturer's or retailer's own product page and the date we read it. We have not tested any of that equipment. Totals and calculated columns (like PSI × GPM) are our arithmetic on those published numbers, and anything that is our estimate says so next to the number.
How we keep prices fresh
At the start of every month we re-read each vendor's pricing page and update the "checked" date. When a vendor changes a price we update the page and, where it matters, note what changed.
Our opinions
"Where we'd start looking" and "Short answer" sections are our editorial read of published prices and features. They're labelled as such. Your crew size, trade and workflow matter more than any general pick, which is why every page shows the numbers behind it.
Found a mistake?
Email toolshedreport@mail.tab.bot with the page and the correction. We fix errors and note the change.