Zentive vs Jobber (2026): which costs less for a small lawn or HVAC crew?

Small Shop Fit is an independent publisher. Not a software vendor.
Updated 16 Oct 2026 (ET). Prices and features come from zentive.io/pricing, zentive.io and getjobber.com/pricing, checked that day. We have not used either tool on real jobs; this is a pricing and feature-list comparison, not a hands-on test.

Affiliate disclosure. Small Shop Fit is a Zentive partner and may earn a 20% commission if you sign up for Zentive through the Zentive links on this page (marked rel=sponsored). Our comparison stays independent. The Jobber program is still pending, so Jobber links go to Jobber’s official site and earn nothing. Commissions never change the price you pay or the numbers below. Read the full affiliate disclosure.

Key takeaways

1 user: Jobber Core $29 vs Zentive Starter $51.
3 users: Zentive Standard $95 vs Jobber Connect 5 $149.
10 users: Zentive Growth Pro $175 vs Jobber Connect 10 $229.
Lawn routing: Zentive puts “landscaping route planning” on Standard ($95).
Same processing: 2.9% + 30¢ card, 1% ACH on both.
Both: 14-day trial, no credit card, month-to-month option.

Small contractor in a hard hat checking a tablet on a job site — Quotes, routes and invoices checked on site — the daily work both tools are selling to. Photo: Mikael Blomkvist via Pexels (Pexels License).

Who this comparison is for

Owner-operators and crews under 10 people in lawn care, landscaping or HVAC who have narrowed it to Zentive or Jobber. If you also want Housecall Pro in the mix, see lawn care software pricing by crew size or Jobber vs Housecall Pro.

Zentive vs Jobber cost by crew size

Lowest published plan that covers the headcount, billed annually. FACT from each vendor’s pricing page, 16 Oct 2026; year one is our arithmetic (monthly × 12).

Crew size	Zentive	Jobber
1 person	Starter $51/mo ($612/yr)	Core $29/mo ($348/yr)
3 people	Standard $95/mo ($1,140/yr)	Connect 5 $149/mo ($1,788/yr)*
5 people	Standard $95/mo ($1,140/yr)	Connect 5 $149/mo ($1,788/yr)
10 people	Growth Pro $175/mo ($2,100/yr)	Connect 10 $229/mo ($2,748/yr)

*Jobber Core is 1 user. Connect 1 user ($99) plus two users at Jobber’s printed “$29/mo each” is $157, so the 5-user Connect tier ($149) is the lower number for 3 people (our arithmetic).

Per month, billed annually, from zentive.io/pricing and getjobber.com/pricing, 16 Oct 2026.

Month-to-month costs more on both. Jobber prints Core $49, Connect 5 $199 and Connect 10 $299 with no commitment. Zentive doesn’t print monthly prices as text; it says annual billing saves $156, $288 and $528 a year, which works out to about $64, $119 and $219/mo (our arithmetic; confirm at checkout).

Plans side by side

Lowest 2–5 price

Zentive Standard

$95/mo annual

Up to 5 users

Who it’s for: Lawn and landscape crews of 2–5.
- Automated email and SMS
- Landscaping route planning
- QuickBooks integration
Zentive Growth Pro

$175/mo annual

Up to 15 users

Who it’s for: Crews of 6–15 who want job costing.
- Automated SMS notifications
- Real-time job costing data
- Quote follow-up automations
Jobber Connect

$149/mo annual (5 users)

$99 for 1 · $229 for 10 · +$29/user

Who it’s for: Crews automating reminders and payments.
- Automated client reminders
- Automatic payment collection
- QuickBooks Online sync
Jobber Grow

$229/mo annual (5 users)

From $149 for 1 user

Who it’s for: Shops quoting bigger jobs (common in HVAC installs).
- Optional line items and visual quotes
- Job costing
- Two-way SMS and custom automations

Annual-billing prices from each vendor’s pricing page, 16 Oct 2026.

Lawn care worker trimming grass on a sloped lawn — Lawn and landscaping crews: route planning is the feature this comparison turns on. Photo: Rodolfo Gaion via Pexels (Pexels License).

Lawn and landscaping crews

Zentive describes itself as serving “landscaping, lawn care, tree removal, and snow removal businesses,” and its Standard plan lists landscaping route planning. Its homepage scheduling demo shows recurring lawn visits by crew and “plan routes between stops.”
Jobber lists Landscaping and Lawn Care among its industries, and its pricing page describes routing: “Optimize daily or weekly routes for your whole team in seconds.” Which Jobber plan includes routing isn’t stated in that section, so check the plan table before you buy.

For a 3–5 person mowing crew, the $54/mo gap ($95 vs $149) is about $648 a year (our arithmetic) on the published annual prices.

HVAC technician testing an air-conditioning unit with a meter — HVAC shops: job costing and proposals matter as much as the dispatch board. Photo: José Andrés Pacheco Cortes via Pexels (Pexels License).

HVAC shops

Both vendors list HVAC as an industry. Zentive shows one HVAC customer on its homepage (Cates Heating & Cooling); most of its examples are lawn and landscape companies.
Jobber’s Grow plan adds optional line items, job costing, two-way SMS and custom automations, which suits good/better/best equipment quotes. Grow is $149/mo for 1 user and $229/mo for 5, billed annually.
Zentive puts job costing on Growth Pro ($175/mo, up to 15 users).

Neither page publishes HVAC-specific features like refrigerant logs or service agreements by plan, so we don’t claim them. For a wider HVAC field, see best HVAC software for small shops.

Fees, trials and contracts

	Zentive	Jobber
Online card	2.9% + $0.30	2.9% + 30¢
Bank (ACH)	1%	1%
Free trial	14 days, full access, no card	14 days on Grow, no card
No-commitment option	Yes, cancel anytime	Yes (monthly, no commitment)
Extra users	Plan caps at 1 / 5 / 15	“Add users for $29/mo each”

Pros and cons

Pros

Zentive: $95/mo covers up to 5 users; $175/mo up to 15.
Zentive: route planning on the $95 Standard plan.
Jobber: cheapest solo plan ($29/mo).
Jobber: deeper plan ladder and add-ons, extra users at $29/mo.

Cons

Zentive: solo Starter ($51) costs more than Jobber Core.
Zentive: customer examples are mostly lawn/landscape, fewer HVAC.
Jobber: crews of 2–10 pay $149–$229/mo on Connect.
Jobber: job costing waits for Grow.

Try both

Start Zentive’s 14-day free trial (partner link; we may earn a 20% commission)
Jobber 14-day free trial (official link)

FAQ

Is Zentive cheaper than Jobber?

For 2–10 users, yes on published annual prices (16 Oct 2026): Zentive Standard is $95/mo for up to 5 users vs Jobber Connect 5 at $149/mo, and Zentive Growth Pro is $175/mo for up to 15 users vs Jobber Connect 10 at $229/mo. For one person, Jobber Core ($29/mo) is cheaper than Zentive Starter ($51/mo).

Which is better for lawn care, Zentive or Jobber?

Zentive is built around landscaping and lawn care and puts landscaping route planning on its $95 Standard plan. Jobber covers more trades, has a bigger add-on list and lists routing among its features. Both offer 14-day trials with no credit card, so run your real route week in both.

Which is better for a small HVAC shop?

Both list HVAC as an industry. Jobber’s published plan lineup goes deeper (Grow adds job costing, two-way SMS and custom automations). Zentive is cheaper per crew but its customer examples are mostly lawn and landscape companies. We have not tested either on real jobs.

Do Zentive and Jobber have free trials?

Yes. Both offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card: Jobber on its Grow plan, Zentive with full platform access.

What are the card processing fees?

Both list 2.9% + 30¢ for online card payments and 1% for bank (ACH) payments.

About this page

Small Shop Fit builds cost tables from current official pricing pages, dated. We do not run fake “we tested” writeups, and we do not invent contractor quotes or prices. Method: About. How links are marked: Disclosure.

Zentive and Jobber are trademarks of their respective owners. Small Shop Fit is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by those companies. The names appear here only to identify the products being discussed.