IRONGRID vs Pool Brain

IRONGRID is a field-management platform for contractors and trade professionals. It combines work orders, crew scheduling, time tracking, materials, and invoicing. Work orders can include photos, notes, statuses, priorities, target dates, and recurring schedules. Teams can assign staff and subcontractors, define Admin, Manager, and Employee roles, and control access. Job costing records labor hours and material purchases, with invoice calculations for labor rates and material markups. Clients can approve or decline emailed quotes without an account, and approved quotes can become work orders automatically. QuickBooks Online integration is available on Pro and Business, with automatic or one-click invoice synchronization. Payments support cards, ACH transfers, and checks; electronic processing fees apply. IRONGRID runs as a Progressive Web App on web, iOS, and Android, works offline, and installs without an app-store download. Data is tenant-isolated, encrypted in transit and at rest, and uploaded files remain private to the company account. Plans are billed annually: Starter is $39.00 per month ($468/year), Pro $129.00 ($1548/year), and Business $199.00 ($2388/year). A 14-day trial is offered, with no free plan.

Pool Brain is pool service management software for companies, including larger businesses and teams that want to grow. Staff can create quotes on the web or in the app, and approved quotes automatically become jobs. The platform supports automatic or manual invoices and payments, with flat-rate or per-visit billing and advance or arrears billing. Route tools include one-click optimization, drag-and-drop stops, and real-time progress. Custom guided workflows can require technicians to complete tasks in a set order and at set times. The app calculates chemical dosage recommendations from technician-entered readings and tracks chemical use and costs; the Orenda Calculator supports automatic dosing and LSI calculations. The technician app works without a cell signal and syncs job data when connectivity returns. Pool Brain also supports two-way QuickBooks Online synchronization, though invoice edits containing bundle line items do not sync back. A customer portal shows past job and route-stop details. It runs on the web, iOS, and Android, and offers a 30-day free trial. The pricing page does not display a subscription price.