Best Free Field Service Management Software

Unless your company lives under a Windows 98-shaped rock, you probably use subscription-based software at work. Most providers charge customers a monthly fee to use their software-as-a-service (SaaS). Some even let you trial it for free.

Several field service management firms now offer their software completely for free, sometimes in app format that you can use on the go. The catch? You have to upgrade to a paid subscription to access its most powerful features.

For some businesses, so-called ‘freemium’ software is fine; for others, free field service management software just won’t cut it.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours researching the best solutions to help you decide whether free field service management software is right for you. Read on for our top five picks, or request quick quotes for paid solutions.

The Best Free Field Service Management Software for Small Business

Our research has found that these are the five best free field service management software programs available:

Loc8 Free Features

• Jobs scheduling and dispatching
• Quoting and invoicing
• Calendar and mapping dashboards
• Pre-built reports

Fun fact: Loc8 Founder and CEO, David Hodges, has 25 years of experience in the software industry. He started asset management firm Smartpath in 2004, laying out the blueprint for what was to become Loc8.

Branch Messenger Free Features

• Unlimited locations, employees and managers
• Private and group chats
• Team activity feed
• 24/7 email support

Fun fact: The Branch Messenger app has tens of thousands of active users from big clients like Walgreens and Domino’s.

UpKeep Free Features

• Unlimited work order creation
• Unlimited assets and spare parts recording
• Barcode scanning for asset and inventory tracking
• In-app messaging

Fun fact: UpKeep sends its customers a special gift for every company they refer that signs up to the service.

Fergus Free Features

• Real-time employee location tracking
• Detailed quoting tools, with customizable templates
• Drag-and-drop job scheduling
• Automatic invoicing

Fun fact: Fergus founder Dan Pollard used to be a plumber. He came up with the idea for the software when he realised how little visibility he had into the financial workings of his plumbing business.

ServiceTrade Free Features

• Daily jobs dispatch board
• Map-based scheduling
• Unlimited electronic quote creation
• Plentiful support documentation

Fun fact: ServiceTrade runs software certification courses to facilitate speedy staff onboarding and outstanding customer service.

Pros of Free Field Service Management Software

You Don’t Have to Spend Money to Make Money

The biggest reason to go freemium is of course that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. In other words, you can enjoy the benefits of better job scheduling or faster client invoicing without paying for them.

Say Goodbye to Buyer’s Remorse

Sometimes a seven-day free trial just isn’t enough time to make up your mind about a product. But with free field service software, you have all the time in the world, meaning you can make a truly informed purchasing decision. If, at any point, you want to turn your free trial into a paid subscription, your supplier will be more than happy to oblige.

Cons of Free Field Service Management Software

Paying Customers Take Priority

The customer is always right; but paying customers are more right than others. That’s why companies that provide free field service management software tend not to provide much by way of ongoing updates or support. Given the choice between replying to a help request from a free user and a paid subscriber, support agents favor the latter every time.

Prepare for Tradeoff(s)…

Look beyond the appealing price tag and you’ll find all free field service software sacrifices something important. The free version of Fergus, for example, offers zero integrations with popular accounting tools like Xero and Quickbooks. HouseCall Pro recently got rid of their free service tier entirely, causing customers to get hit with unexpected charges. Not great.

It Can Kill Growth

Every cash-strapped startup wants to save money, but never at the expense of growth. Yet that’s exactly what can happen if you use free field service software that doesn’t scale with your business. If you need more users or you’re desperate for a certain feature, do yourself a favor and spend the extra few dollars on a paid subscription.

Next Steps

As you can see, free field service management software has its pros and cons. On the one hand, everyone loves a freebie, especially one that can boost your bottom line. But it cuts both ways; freemium software is often free because it offers limited functionality and support. In the long run, not only is this unhelpful for your growth – it may actually stifle it.

What’s great about the free field service software packages highlighted on this page is that there’s an optional paid version of each one. So, you can use the free version for as long as you like, but you’ve always got the option to upgrade if you need to.

Sometimes, the best things in life really are freemium.

Are you in the market for field service software? We can help you find the best deals. Choosing from hundreds of suppliers can be daunting, but if you tell us what you’re looking for, we’ll point you towards the best solutions for your business.