Meridian Cloud vs. Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro is a capable field-service app. The complaints are about the business model: per-user pricing, "Pro" features locked behind higher tiers, and a steady drumbeat of upsell calls. We put everything in one free app.
Pick Meridian Cloud if
You want the full workflow plus payroll, accounting, and AI in one free app, with no per-seat metering and no upgrade calls from a sales rep.
Pick Housecall Pro if
You're a one or two-person shop on its lowest tier, the gated features don't affect you yet, and you like its consumer-facing booking network.
Pick neither if
You're a 50+ staff multi-state operation. That's ServiceTitan's lane, much heavier and pricier than either of us.
Side-by-side.
Honest call on every row. Where Housecall Pro is strong, we say so.
| Capability | Meridian Cloud | Housecall Pro | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduling + dispatch | Tied. HCP is purpose-built for this. | ||
| Estimates + invoicing | Tied. Both are solid. | ||
| Payment processing | We use Stripe Connect; HCP runs HCP Money. | ||
| Built-in payroll | HCP has no native payroll; you bolt one on. | ||
| Built-in accounting + general ledger | HCP integrates with QuickBooks; we keep the books in-house. | ||
| AI quote drafting | HCP AI is thin and gated to higher tiers. Ours is included for everyone. | ||
| Customer portal | Both ship a portal. Ours is fully branded. | ||
| Branded booking site at your domain | HCP booking pages allow only limited customization. | ||
| Review management | Tied. Both help you collect and respond to reviews. | ||
| No per-user fees | HCP charges per user above one. Meridian is free with unlimited users. | ||
| Unlimited inventory items | HCP limits inventory in lower tiers. | ||
| Multi-location | HCP requires a higher tier; we treat it as first-class. |
Where Housecall Pro is strong
Don't pretend otherwise.
- Purpose-built FSM. HCP was designed for home services from day one. The dispatch and scheduling flow is genuinely good.
- Consumer booking network. Its booking and the consumer-facing side give some shops a real lead channel.
- Established brand. Large user base, plenty of reviews, and a mature support and training library.
- Low entry tier. HCP Basic starts at $79/mo for one user if you only need the essentials.
Where we beat Housecall Pro
The actual pitch.
- No per-user tax. No subscription at all. HCP charges for every additional user. Meridian is free with unlimited users. Grow the team without watching the bill climb.
- No "Pro" feature gating. Marketing, AI, accounting, and payroll are all included, free. No upgrade call required to unlock the thing you need.
- Payroll + accounting in-house. Run payroll and keep a real general ledger inside the app instead of syncing a separate stack.
- Branded surface at your domain. A full mini-site and portal on your own domain, not a lightly-customizable booking page.
- Modern, fast, reliable. Faster loads, fewer bugs, and an architecture that ages better than a decade-old codebase.
- Transparent pricing. Free to run. You keep 100% of every invoice — your customer covers a small checkout fee (our 1% plus card processing). No subscription to renew.
Pricing, plainly
HCP Basic is $79/mo for one user; Essentials is $189/mo for two; and MAX, with the full feature set, starts around $349/mo, with seats metered on top. Meridian Cloud is free, with unlimited users and full features included. You keep 100% of every invoice — your customer covers a small checkout fee (our 1% plus card processing). AI and messaging usage is billed at cost plus a small margin.
Early access
Switcher stories are coming soon.
Meridian Cloud is in early access. When operators move over from Housecall Pro, we'll share their stories here. Only the real ones.
See it in your own demo workspace.
Free to run. Bring your customer list. We import from Housecall Pro.
Sign up Monday. Take payments Tuesday.
Run payroll Friday.
Free, with everything included and no credit card to sign up. Coming from Jobber, Housecall Pro, or Zoho? We'll work the migration with you.
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