Dispatch software draws the board. Somebody still decides who goes.
Four crews, nine jobs, one of them a callback, and it's raining in the northwest. It's 6:30 am, you're on the phone moving people around, and the whiteboard in the shop is already wrong.
The short answer
Dispatch software puts every job, crew and truck on one board, and the better ones re-plan the routes when the day changes.
- Jobber puts crew scheduling on its Plus plan, US$399 to US$449 a month billed annually for 2 to 10 people1.
- Housecall Pro puts trucks on its dispatch map for US$20 a vehicle a month2,3.
- Rundo, from Cochrane, prices in Canadian dollars, $49 to $179 a month4.
- None of them decides who goes when a crew calls in sick.
- Calgary's median dispatcher wage is $30.00 an hour5.
- At that wage, the person costs more than any app here that shows its price.
Which one depends on how often your day changes
A shared calendar and a group text, if one person dispatches and the week rarely moves.
Software earns its keep when the day changes after it starts.
The detail
If yours doesn't, keep the whiteboard and photograph it each morning.
Jobber Plus if you already quote and invoice in Jobber and run more than one crew.
It groups people into named crews6 and re-optimizes routes when a job is cancelled or added7.
Housecall Pro if you want the trucks and the phones in the same app.
Its vehicle GPS add-on feeds the same map you dispatch from, with no contract2.
The detail
It lists a built-in phone system among what it has and Jobber doesn't8.
Rundo if you'd rather pay in Canadian dollars and you're 15 people or fewer.
It says it's built in Cochrane for shops of 1 to 154.
The detail
It lists scheduling, two-way texts, estimates and invoices in one app4.
Dispatch (dispatch.me) if you're a brand sending work to a network of contractors.
It says it's built for enterprises9.
The detail
It names manufacturers, home warranty providers, insurers, retailers and franchises9.
What each one says it does for dispatch, and what it costs
| App | For dispatch, by its own account | Price a month | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber | Routes for a day or a week, re-optimized when plans change; "on my way" texts in one click7; a job assigned to a whole crew in one action6 | Plus: US$399 for 2 to 5 people, US$449 for 6 to 101 | Crews already quoting and invoicing in Jobber |
| Housecall Pro | Vehicle GPS on the dispatch map, US$20 a vehicle, though the add-on's page doesn't mention Canada2,3; a built-in phone system8 | Essentials US$149 (5 users), Max US$299 (8 users)3 | Teams that want calls and trucks in one app |
| Workiz | Fleet tracking and team location tracking on all three plans10 | Not shown: "Request pricing"10 | Anyone willing to ask for a quote first |
| Rundo, Cochrane | Job scheduling and two-way texts in the same app as estimates and invoices4 | CA$49 to CA$1794 | Shops of 1 to 15 people4 |
| Dispatch (dispatch.me) | Tracks each job from acceptance to completion across a brand's contractors9 | Not shown; book a demo9 | Enterprises with contractor networks9 |
A year for eight people and four trucks
Example
Jobber Plus for 6 to 10 people: US$449 × 12 = US$5,3881.
The detail
Housecall Pro Max, 8 users, plus GPS on four trucks if the add-on is offered here: US$299 × 12 = US$3,588, and 4 × US$20 × 12 = US$960, so US$4,5483,2. At the Bank of Canada's rate of 1.4038 on 27 October 202612: US$5,388 × 1.4038 = CA$7,563.67 for Jobber, and US$4,548 × 1.4038 = CA$6,384.48 for Housecall Pro. Rundo's top plan: CA$179 × 12 = CA$2,1484. The US-dollar bills move with the rate every month, and your card may add a conversion fee.
The board doesn't decide who goes
Job Bank puts dispatchers in the Calgary Region at a median $30.00 an hour, from $21.00 to $46.005.
The detail
Software moves the pins; somebody still takes the 6 am call and decides who covers it.
Example
- A full-time dispatcher at the Calgary median: 40 hours × 52 weeks × $30.00 = $62,400 a year in wages5.
- That's before CPP, EI and WCB.
The detail
Jobber Plus for 6 to 10 people is CA$7,563.67 a year at the 27 October rate1,12. $62,400 ÷ $7,563.67 = about 8.25, so the person costs more than eight times the app. If the dispatcher is you at 6 am, an app saves you the whiteboard, not the phone call. Our cost calculator adds the payroll costs on top of the wage.
Export the customer list in month one
Where we fit
The third route is a week built around your crews: jobs, crews and changes on one board in the system that also holds your quotes, invoices and customer list, run for you in your name.
The detail
When a customer texts to ask if you're still coming, Otto answers in your name with the time from today's schedule, and the call on who goes stays yours. We don't publish a price, because every system is scoped to the business it runs; if Jobber or Rundo fits your week, we'll say so.
Sources
- Pricing (team-size views), Jobber. Read 2026-10-27.
- Track and Manage Company Vehicles with GPS Fleet Software, Housecall Pro. Read 2026-10-28.
- Pricing, Housecall Pro. Read 2026-10-27.
- Home page, Rundo. Read 2026-10-27.
- Wages for Dispatchers (NOC 14404), Government of Canada, Job Bank, 2025-11-19. Read 2026-10-28.
- Scheduling, Jobber. Read 2026-10-27.
- Top-Rated Service Routing Software | Jobber, Jobber. Read 2026-10-28.
- Housecall Pro vs Jobber: 2026 Comparison (Housecall Pro's own comparison), Housecall Pro. Read 2026-10-27.
- Field Service Dispatch Software | Dispatch, Dispatch (dispatch.me). Read 2026-10-28.
- Workiz Pricing and Plans for Field Service Teams, Workiz. Read 2026-10-28.
- Pricing, Jobber. Read 2026-10-27.
- Daily exchange rates: USD/CAD (Valet), Bank of Canada, 2026-10-27. Read 2026-10-27.
- Export client information, Jobber Help Center. Read 2026-10-27.
- How to import/export jobs and customers, Housecall Pro Help Center. Read 2026-10-27.
Checked on 2026-10-28.
