Many pool service professionals have been able to grow their businesses by ditching pen and paper and switching to pool software like Skimmer.
Skimmer is designed to help pool businesses manage their work more efficiently. But what does it do? What other software should you consider? And how do you pick the right software for your business?
We’ll answer all your questions in this article. Keep reading and learn how your pool and spa service business can run even more smoothly.
Everything you need to know about Skimmer pool software:
What is Skimmer pool software?
Skimmer pool service software is a popular tool that helps pool cleaners and spa maintenance technicians manage their businesses more efficiently.
This software offers features designed for technicians and back office staff, like work scheduling, route management, customer communication, and billing.
READ MORE: How this pool service business grew 9x in under 5 years
What can you do with Skimmer pool service software?
Skimmer software allows technicians to talk to customers, manage work schedules, and get paid. Skimmer helps pool service business owners and field techs complete tasks like:
- Build and optimize routes for your pool service technicians throughout the week
- Manage schedules for techs, track daily progress, and make adjustments as needed
- Communicate with customers by sending text messages and service emails as proof of service completion
- Create work orders for one-time service and repair jobs with their own unique tasks
- Run LSI calculations and get recommendations for chemical doses
- Create a shopping list for parts, products, and chemicals and see if they’re on the truck
- Customize checklists for every type of job and service location
- Send quotes to customers for proposed products and services
- Bill for work, track invoice status, send payment reminders, and view payment reports
- Accept payments online using debit, credit, or ACH
- Offer a login portal so customers can see their service history and pay online
- Send email marketing to customer groups based on custom tags
How much does Skimmer pool software cost?
Instead of charging per user, Skimmer’s monthly pricing starts at $1 per serviced location per month for their basic plan, with a minimum cost of $49/month.
The more your company grows, the higher your subscription fees will be. If you have 100 customers, you’ll pay $100/month for Skimmer’s basic features. Expect to spend more if you have more customers or want more features.
Skimmer pool software reviews
We’ve gone through Skimmer reviews on third-party review websites to identify the platform’s pros and cons from real users. Check out these Skimmer pool service technology reviews:
Overall
Many reviewers feel Skimmer is designed specifically for the pool industry’s needs, is easy for techs to use and understand, and helps pool businesses manage their work efficiently.
However, some customers have complaints about increasing monthly subscription fees and unnecessary features.
Scheduling
Some reviews mention using Skimmer’s scheduling feature to keep the workday organized. Users generally agree that this is a helpful feature, but one review mentions wanting a calendar view, not just a list.
Quoting
Quoting and estimating isn’t mentioned often in online reviews, but feedback is mixed. While the feature itself seems to work well, it’s only included in the mid-tier plan for a higher subscription fee.
Invoicing and billing
Skimmer’s invoicing feature is a popular one, with numerous people using it to manage their customer billing. That said, you can’t send invoices through the mobile app, and auto-billing doesn’t seem to be intuitive.
5 Skimmer pool service software alternatives
Pool software can help you run a pool cleaning business more efficiently—but you don’t have to use Skimmer. Here are a few Skimmer pool software alternatives to consider:
1. Jobber
Pricing: Starts at $29/month with 14-day free trial
Jobber pool service software makes it easy to schedule work, manage your technicians, send invoices, and get paid for your work.
It has a long list of features to help you manage your pool service business efficiently, which you can test out during the 14-day free trial:
| Both Skimmer and Jobber have: | Only Jobber has: |
| • Schedule management • Route management • Customer communication • Service checklists • Quoting, invoicing, and payments • Customer login portal • Email marketing | • Client management with information about every property and pool • Technician GPS and progress tracking • Chemical tracking • Website design with online booking forms • Automated quote and invoice follow-ups • Financial reporting, expense tracking, and job costing • Employee time tracking • Built-in consumer financing for pool installation jobs • Integrations with 60+ tools, including • QuickBooks, Stripe, and Docusign |
Immediately it was clear that Jobber was going to be a good fit.
Jobber was part of the reason why we were able to grow from three [techs] to 35 in less than five years.
2. Pool Brain
Pricing: Starts at $65/month ($10 + $55 per field technician)
Pool Brain is advertised as “all-in-one” pool software. From quoting to job management to payments, it offers many of the features that pool service technicians prefer to use:
| Both Skimmer and Pool Brain have: | Only Pool Brain has: |
| • Schedule management • Route management • Customer communication • Inventory management • Service checklists • Quoting, invoicing, and payments • Customer login portal | • Guided workflows • Chemical use, cost, and dosing • Detailed job, profit, and issue reporting • Technician payroll and scorecards • Offline sync |
3. Pool Service Software
Pricing: Free plan available—lowest paid tier $49.50/month
Pool Service Software (PSS) is another popular Skimmer pool software alternative. Here’s how this leading platform compares to Skimmer:
| Both Skimmer and PSS have: | Only PSS has: |
| • Schedule management • Route management • Customer communication • LSI calculator • Inventory management • Shopping lists • Quoting, invoicing, and payments • Email marketing | • Technician GPS tracking • Integrations with Orenda, LaMotte, QuickBooks, and Stripe |
4. Paythepoolman
Pricing: Starts at $60/month ($50 + $10 per pool tech)
Paythepoolman has several features in common with Skimmer, like customer communication and inventory management. It also has features that are new to the pool service industry, like AI integration.
| Both Skimmer and Paythepoolman have: | Only Paythepoolman has: |
| • Schedule management • Route management • Customer communication • Inventory management • Shopping lists • Quoting, invoicing, and payments • Email marketing | • Invoice reminders and statements • Technician GPS tracking • Integrations with Orenda, LaMotte, and QuickBooks • Contactless bidding • Technician payroll • AI service trend identification |
5. Pool360 PoolService
Pricing: $1 per pool serviced per month
Pool360 is a retail brand that distributes pool supplies and equipment to pool service companies worldwide. Their software, Pool360 PoolService, is affordably priced but has fewer features than other platforms.
| Both Skimmer and Pool360 have: | Only Pool360 has: |
| • Schedule management • Route management • Customer communication • Quoting, invoicing, and payments | • SuperPro Test Strip integration • Integration with QuickBooks |
How to choose the best pool service software
When you’re shopping for pool business software, choose your new platform based on important factors like:
- Features: Prioritize which features you need, which ones you want, and which ones you don’t really care about. This will help you figure out which pool software is best for your business.
- Pricing: The software needs to be within your budget. If possible, start with a free or basic subscription with just the essential features. You can always upgrade later on.
- Customer Support: Make sure the software you choose is backed by an experienced customer support team who can answer any questions.
- User Reviews: Talk to real product users and learn about their experiences using the software. This will tell you what your own experience could look like.
- Free Trial: Look for pool software that lets you test it out for free before committing to a full subscription. That way you don’t have to request a return if the software doesn’t work for you.