Plumbing apps: the ones a small plumbing shop actually uses

This guide is written by the Plumbo team, and Plumbo is one of the quoting apps listed, so read that section with that in mind. Every other app here was checked on its company's own website or its App Store page on October 6, 2026, and is linked in the sources. Prices change; check each pricing page for today's numbers. The order within each category is not a ranking.

Ask ten plumbers for the best app and you'll get ten answers, because they're answering different questions. A solo plumber doing service calls needs fast quotes and a way to get paid. A shop with three trucks needs scheduling. Everyone needs the code book and the supply house.

So this guide goes by job, not by brand: what each kind of app does, which ones exist, what they cost, and how to pick.

At a glance

Quoting and invoicing

This is the app you'll open most, and the one that most affects your income: a slow quote loses the job, and a forgotten line loses the margin.

Plumbo

Plumbo is our app, so here are the plain facts. It's available now on the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android, and it's built for residential plumbers who run their own shop. You say the job; it asks only the questions your note didn't answer, as one-tap choices; and it builds the quote from your own price book, never from a made-up price. Quote Guard checks for plumbing items that are easy to forget, like the expansion tank, shutoff valves, the permit and an after-hours fee. The customer signs on your phone, and one tap turns the approved quote into an invoice. It records cash, check, card, Zelle and Venmo payments but doesn't process payments. It works in English, Spanish and French, and a quote can be in a different language from the app. There are no per-job or payment fees. It does not have team accounts, dispatch, online booking or integrations.

Jobber

Jobber is a full field-service platform for home service businesses: quotes, scheduling, invoicing, online payments, a client hub and integrations, on iOS, Android and the web. Higher plans add automations and QuickBooks sync; extra users are $29/month each. We compared it with Plumbo in detail in Plumbo vs Jobber.

Housecall Pro

Housecall Pro's Basic plan includes online booking, scheduling and dispatching, quotes, invoices and payments, and review management. Its pricing page lists card processing rates "as low as 2.59%," a 1% fee on bank payments, and no fee for check deposits through the mobile app. Essentials ($149/month billed annually) includes 5 users.

Joist

Joist is an estimate and invoice app for contractors, with online payments and homeowner financing. The Pro plan removes the Basics plan's 5-documents-a-month limit and adds your logo, photos and work orders. Its pricing page says the free plan is no longer offered; new users get a 14-day free trial with no credit card.

Invoice Simple

Invoice Simple isn't built for trades, but it's quick for sending estimates, invoices and receipts and taking online payments. Watch the monthly invoice limits on the cheaper plans: a plumber doing several calls a day will need Premium.

Code books

You'll want the code on your phone when an inspector or a customer asks "why?" Which one depends on what your jurisdiction adopted.

• ICC Digital Codes (International Code Council) hosts the IPC, IRC and other I-Codes. When we checked, the 2021 IPC and IRC chapters could be read on codes.iccsafe.org without a subscription. Premium adds tools such as notes and advanced search; Premium Complete for one user is listed at $97/month for non-members ($72.75 for ICC members). The ICC Digital Codes Premium app is free to download from the App Store and is for Premium subscribers.
• IAPMO Codes (IAPMO) is the publisher's app for its own codes, including the UPC. Its App Store page says it shows the IAPMO codes you've purchased, with annotations and offline viewing.
• UpCodes is a code research website covering building codes across many jurisdictions. Its Essentials plan is listed at $39 per user per month billed annually, with a 2-week free trial.

Calculators and tool apps

• Pipe Trades Pro Calc (Calculated Industries) does offsets, rolling offsets, take-outs and pipe data. It's free to download with a try-before-you-buy trial.
• Watts Expansion Tank Sizing Calculator is a free web tool, no login, that sizes a potable expansion tank from heater size, pressures and temperatures. See our guide to the water heater expansion tank requirement.
• RIDGID Link and Milwaukee Pipeline Inspection are free companion apps for each brand's tools. Milwaukee's app connects to its M12 and M18 inspection reels to view, record and share camera footage; RIDGID Link connects to RIDGID tools with Bluetooth and has manuals and videos for all RIDGID products.

Supply-house apps

• Ferguson (Ferguson Mobile on the App Store) is free and uses your ferguson.com account. Ferguson says you can check product specs, pricing and availability, scan barcodes to restock, keep reorder lists, place orders, manage quotes and check order status.
• SupplyHouse is free and sells plumbing, heating and HVAC parts online, shipped to you. The app has barcode scanning and lets you reach customer support by call, text, email or chat.

We looked for a Winsupply app in the US App Store on October 6, 2026, and didn't find one, so it isn't listed here. If you buy from a local Winsupply company, ask the counter how they take online orders.

Taking payments

Getting paid on the spot beats mailing an invoice. Two ways to take cards:

• A standalone payments app. Square's Free plan has no monthly fee. On October 6, 2026, Square listed 2.6% + 15¢ for in-person card payments, 3.3% + 30¢ for online and invoice payments, and 3.5% + 15¢ for keyed-in cards.
• Payments inside your field-service app. Jobber, Housecall Pro and Joist all offer online payments, with processing fees. The upside is that the payment is tied to the invoice automatically.

Plenty of shops also take checks, Zelle and Venmo. Whatever you accept, record each payment against its invoice the same day, so you always know who still owes you.

Plumbo is on the App Store and Google Play. Say the job, answer only what's missing, and send a quote built from your own prices and checked for forgotten items. Try the 60-second demo →

How to choose

1. Start with your bottleneck. If quoting eats your evenings, pick the quoting app first. If you're losing track of three trucks, pick scheduling first.
2. Count users. A one-person plan and a five-person plan are different prices. Check what each extra user costs before you hire.
3. Add up the real cost. Subscription plus payment fees plus add-ons, for a year. A percentage on every card payment can cost more than the subscription.
4. Check your prices go in, not theirs. Any quoting app should use your hourly price, service call fee and flat rates. If you don't have them written down yet, start with how to price plumbing jobs.
5. Use the free trial on real jobs. Quote three jobs you actually have this week. The app that's fastest in the driveway is the one you'll keep using.
6. Make sure you can get your data out as spreadsheets or PDFs, in case you switch later.

Common questions

What is the best app for plumbers?

It depends on the job you need done. For a crew, a full platform like Jobber or Housecall Pro. For a solo plumber, a quoting and invoicing app plus a code book and a supply-house app often covers it. We'd rather you pick on fit than on a ranking.

Are there free plumbing apps?

Yes: the supply-house apps, the tool companion apps and the Watts calculator listed here are free. Most quoting and invoicing apps are paid after a free trial, or after a few free documents.

Sources

• Jobber, Pricing, checked October 6, 2026.
• Housecall Pro, Pricing, checked October 6, 2026.
• Joist, Pricing, checked October 6, 2026.
• Invoice Simple, Pricing Plans, checked October 6, 2026.
• International Code Council, What does a Digital Codes Premium subscription cost?, and 2021 IPC, Chapter 6, checked October 6, 2026.
• App Store, ICC Digital Codes Premium, checked October 6, 2026.
• App Store, IAPMO Codes, checked October 6, 2026.
• UpCodes, Pricing, checked October 6, 2026.
• App Store, Pipe Trades Pro Calc, checked October 6, 2026.
• Watts, Expansion Tank Sizing Calculator (Potable), checked October 6, 2026.
• App Store, RIDGID Link and Milwaukee Pipeline Inspection, checked October 6, 2026.
• Ferguson, Mobile app, and App Store, Ferguson Mobile, checked October 6, 2026.
• App Store, SupplyHouse, checked October 6, 2026.
• Square, Pricing (Free plan processing fees), checked October 6, 2026.

Jobber, Housecall Pro, Joist, Invoice Simple, ICC, IAPMO, UpCodes, Calculated Industries, Watts, RIDGID, Milwaukee, Ferguson, SupplyHouse and Square are trademarks of their owners. Plumbo is not affiliated with any of them.