Housecall Pro is a general home-service platform with plans of about $79 a month for one user, $189 for up to five and $329 for up to eight (less if billed annually); AI call answering is a separate add-on. PipedHQ is plumbing-only, at a flat $79 a month for one truck or $199 for 2 to 5, with an AI front desk that answers and books calls included, plus photo quotes, an offline tech app and builder billing with retainage.
| PipedHQ | Housecall Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it’s for | Plumbing shops with 1 to 5 trucks | Home-service businesses in many trades |
| Price, month to month | $79 Solo, $199 Shop (up to 5 techs) | About $79 Basic (1 user), $189 Essentials (up to 5), $329 MAX (up to 8) |
| Phone answering | AI front desk included: answers, books, texts confirmations | AI and live answering sold separately |
| Rules for the AI | Plain English, read back to you before saving | Configured in its settings |
| Quotes | Drafted from job photos, good/better/best from your pricebook | Good/better/best built by hand |
| Tech app with no signal | Everything works offline and syncs later | Mobile app; check offline limits for your workflow |
| Builders and new construction | Lots by phase, inspections, retainage, backcharges | Not built in |
| Track record | Early access, 2026 | Since 2013, large user base |
Competitor prices are list prices as published or widely reported in November 2026, before taxes and add-ons. They change often; check each vendor’s pricing page before you decide.
What Housecall Pro does better
- A long track record and a large community of home-service pros.
- Customer financing, marketing tools and a review-request engine.
- Works for many trades, not just plumbing.
- Native apps in the app stores today.
Where PipedHQ is different
- The AI front desk is the product, not an add-on. It answers calls and texts day and night and books into your open arrival windows under rules you write in plain English.
- Hard limits. It never books an emergency (they go to your cell), never quotes a job price you haven’t set, and never charges a card without a tap.
- Flat per shop, no per-seat fees. $79 a month for one truck, $199 for 2 to 5.
- Built for 1 to 5 trucks, including builder and new-construction billing with retainage, which is rare at this price.
Switching from Housecall Pro
Export your customers, price book and jobs as CSV files and import them in a few minutes. Step-by-step guide.
Questions
Is PipedHQ cheaper than Housecall Pro?
For a 2 to 5 truck shop, PipedHQ Shop is a flat $199 a month with the AI front desk included, against about $189 a month for Housecall Pro Essentials before any answering add-on.
Do I have to start over if I leave Housecall Pro?
No. Export your customers, price book and past jobs from Housecall Pro as CSV files and import them into PipedHQ. You see exactly what will happen before anything is saved, duplicates are merged instead of doubled, and any import can be undone.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. You forward your existing business number to PipedHQ.
Can I try it before I switch?
Yes. The live demo is a full sample shop with no sign-up, and every new shop starts with 14 days of dry run, free, where the AI front desk shows what it would have booked without touching your calendar.
Last updated November 2, 2026.
See it with a real shop’s worth of data
No sign-up. The demo opens a sample plumbing shop with a year of jobs.