A sales CRM is built around pipelines and deal stages. If you’re an HVAC contractor, you need something built for people who work with their hands and run their business from a truck. Here’s what actually matters, and what to check on each option.

What HVAC Contractors Actually Need

Forget “pipeline management” and “deal stages.” Here’s what moves the needle for HVAC businesses:

  • Scheduling and dispatch: See who’s where, assign jobs, optimize routes
  • Customer communication: Text customers with appointment reminders, on-my-way alerts, and payment links
  • Quoting and invoicing: Send quotes on-site, convert to invoices, get paid same-day
  • Review collection: Automatically ask every customer for a Google review after each job
  • Mobile-first: Everything has to work from a phone on a job site

The Options

Prices and plans change, so compare each option on its own pricing page at your real team size:

  • ServiceTitan doesn’t publish prices: its pricing page asks you to request them, and it offers a demo rather than a free trial (checked Oct 29, 2026).
  • Housecall Pro’s monthly plans are $79 (Basic, includes 1 user), $189 (Essentials, includes 5 users) and $329 (MAX, includes 8 users), plus $35/month per additional user (its public pricing page, checked Oct 29, 2026).
  • Jobber prices by team size: Core is $49/month for one user, and Connect is $199/month for a team of 2–5 people. Jobber prices checked Oct 30, 2026, regular monthly price.

Crew Rivet

Built for small trades contractors. Every plan includes Good-Better-Best quoting, invoicing with payment links, scheduling, and automatic review-request emails about 24 hours after you mark a job complete (to customers with a working email address on file; it needs your business mailing address), with the review links you’ve added shown to everyone who rates.

The Crew and Boss plans add automated SMS sequences (appointment reminders, payment follow-ups) to customers who have agreed to receive texts and haven’t opted out, once your business number is registered, plus GPS tracking with route optimization and the AI receptionist. Every lead gets a hot, warm or cold score from its activity (quotes, replies, recency), on Crew and Boss AI sorts incoming texts by type, and referral tracking is built in. Starts at $49/month with a 60-day free trial.

What to Look For

1. Does it text?

Customers are far more likely to see a text than an email. If your CRM doesn’t send automated texts (appointment confirmations, on-my-way alerts, payment reminders), you’re leaving money and reviews on the table.

2. Can your techs use it?

If your field techs won’t use the app, the data is useless. Test the mobile experience. Can they update job status in 2 taps? Can they take before/after photos without leaving the app? Is it fast on a phone with one bar of signal?

3. Does it help you get paid?

The best CRM for HVAC isn’t the one with the most features — it’s the one that reduces the time between “job complete” and “payment received.” Look for: text-to-pay links, automatic reminders, and same-day invoicing from the field.

4. What’s the real cost?

Watch for per-user fees, SMS charges, feature gates, and setup costs. Price each tool at your real team size, with the features you’d actually use, not just its starting price.

How to Decide

  1. Sign up for free trials of your top 2-3 picks
  2. Run a real job through each one: create the job, dispatch it, complete it, send the invoice
  3. Have your field tech try the mobile app for a day
  4. Check: did the customer get an appointment reminder? A payment link? A review request?

The CRM that handles all of that without you thinking about it is the right one.

Want to try the CRM built for trades? Start your free 60-day trial of Crew Rivet — no credit card, no setup fees.