The short version
Skimmer and Pool Brain are mature, pool-specific products with offline technician apps and years of field use. Poolside Pro is newer and runs in the browser, and the dashboard is free. Poolside plans to earn from a platform fee on jobs from its homeowner marketplace, which has not launched, rather than from the software.
We make Poolside Pro. We describe Skimmer and Pool Brain using only what they publish about themselves, and say so where we could not confirm something.
Side-by-side comparison
Scroll the table sideways to see all three products.
| Category | Poolside Pro | Skimmer | Pool Brain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free. No subscription, per-tech or per-pool fee. | Per serviced location per month. No per-user fee. | Per active field technician per month, plus an office plan. |
| Published price | $0 for the dashboard. | Getting Started: $1 per location, from $49/mo (0–49 pools). Scaling Up: $2 per location, from $98/mo (50–1,000 pools). Enterprise: custom. | $65 per active field technician per month. The office-user base price was not shown when we checked. |
| Trial or guarantee | Not needed. The software is free. | First month free on Scaling Up for new users, and a 30-day refund guarantee. | Free trial offered. Length not stated. Free setup. |
| Other costs | Stripe processing fees on payments you collect. A platform fee on marketplace jobs, once the marketplace opens. | Paid add-ons such as AI Phone ($99/mo), Marketing Suite ($150/mo) and Bookkeeping (from $198/mo). Service texts on Getting Started are per message. | Not stated on the pages we checked. |
| Technician app | Web browser today. A native iOS technician app is in development and not yet in the App Store. | Mobile app that works offline and syncs when reconnected. | iOS and Android app with offline use. |
| Route optimization | Yes, with before-and-after distance and miles saved. | Yes, on Scaling Up and above. | Yes, one-tap optimization plus drag-and-drop. |
| Chemistry | Readings, chemical additions, LSI, chemistry alerts and flagged pools. | LSI and dosing calculator (Orenda) on Scaling Up. LaMotte integration. | Dosing calculated automatically from tech readings. |
| Service reports | Reports with photos, notes and chemistry, with sent and viewed status. | Service reports and emails with photos. Photo limits vary by plan. | Photos on line items and photo-required tasks. |
| Invoicing and payments | Single and bulk invoices, card and ACH through your Stripe Connect account, autopay, surcharge rules. | Invoicing, online payments, AutoPay, surcharging, Sunbit financing on Scaling Up. | Automatic invoicing and charging, per-visit or flat-rate billing. |
| QuickBooks | QuickBooks Online sync with rules, a sync log and a conflict queue. | Real-time QuickBooks Online sync. | Listed as an integration. Pool Brain also positions its own billing as a QuickBooks replacement. |
| Bringing your data | CSV import with suggested column matching and row-level validation. | Not stated on the pages we checked. | Free setup. Scope not stated. |
| Homeowner demand | A Poolside marketplace is planned. It is not open yet. | Marketing tools are a paid add-on. No marketplace listed. | No marketplace listed. |
| Track record | New. The Pro dashboard is live and the marketplace has not launched. | Long-established. Skimmer says it is used by 30,000+ pool pros. | Established pool-specific product. |
How the pricing models play out
Skimmer charges per serviced location. A location you don’t service in a month isn’t billed, and techs and office users are unlimited. The bill tracks your pool count. Route optimization, quotes, productivity reporting and the LSI calculator are on Scaling Up, not Getting Started.
Pool Brain charges per active field technician. Its pricing page showed $65 per tech per month with all features included and free setup. The office-user base price did not display, so check their site for the full monthly total.
Poolside Pro doesn’t charge for the software. Stripe’s processing fees apply when you collect card or bank payments through your own Stripe Connect account. Poolside takes no cut of invoices you send your own customers. Marketplace jobs, once that opens, carry a platform fee shown before you accept, and taking them is optional.