Skimmer vs Pool Brain
A side-by-side record of published pricing, fees, and features for Skimmer and Pool Brain. Facts only — every row links to the source and the date we checked it.
Both products checked through
We do not pick a winner. This page puts the researched facts side by side so you can; where a cell says unknown, we have not verified it either way.
Side by side
| Skimmer | Pool Brain | |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | From $49/month | $50/mo + $65/mo per technician |
| Pricing visibility | Published on the vendor site | Published on the vendor site |
| Free trial | 1 month, Scaling Up plan only | 30 days |
| Contract | unknown | unknown |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, United States | unknown |
| Founded | 2017 | unknown |
Skimmer pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting Started | $1 per location/month [src] Minimum: $49/month, includes 49 serviced locations | For businesses servicing 0-49 pools/month. Unlimited technicians, admins, customers, and service locations; route builder, one-time work orders, invoicing, online payments, customer portal, service reports; 5 photos per visit, 20 photos per location. | |
| Scaling Up | $2 per location/month [src] Minimum: $98/month, includes 49 serviced locations | For businesses servicing 50-1000 pools/month. Everything in Getting Started plus quotes/estimates, job management/scheduling, consumer financing (Sunbit), recurring work orders, unlimited service texts, route optimization, broadcast emails, live phone support; 20 photos per visit, 40 photos per location. | |
| Skimmer for Enterprise | custom pricing [src] | For businesses servicing over 1000 pools/month. Everything in Scaling Up plus 30 photos per visit, 50 photos per location, custom reports, custom integrations, priority support, dedicated success manager. |
| Fee | Amount | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Credit/debit card processing | 2.9% + $0.25 per transaction (additional 0.5% for keyed or recurring transactions) [src] | |
| ACH / bank draft processing | 1% + $0.25 per transaction, capped at $10 per transaction [src] | |
| Service Texts (Getting Started plan add-on) | $0.029/message (included/unlimited on Scaling Up and Enterprise) [src] | |
| AI Phone add-on | $99/month [src] | |
| Instant payout | 1% for funds within 30 minutes (optional; standard payouts are not charged this) [src] |
Pool Brain pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Plan (Office Users) | $50/month [src] | Unlimited office/admin users. This base fee is required and combines with the per-technician fee below to make the total monthly plan. | |
| Field Technician | $65 per technician/month [src] Minimum: The pricing calculator defaults to and starts at 5 active field technicians, selectable in increments of 5 up to 50. Not confirmed whether the per-tech rate changes at higher technician counts — only the 5-technician example ($325/month = 5 x $65) was verified. | Per active field technician, added to the $50/month base fee. Site example: 5 technicians = $325/month + $50/month base = $375/month total. |
| Fee | Amount | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Setup fee | Free — page headline states "ALL FEATURES + FREE SETUP" [src] | |
| Card payment processing | 3.2% + $0.25 per transaction (3.5% + $0.25 if the card is manually keyed; additional 1% of the transaction amount for international cards) [src] | |
| ACH payment processing | 1% + $0.25 per transaction ($15 maximum per transaction) [src] | |
| Pool Brain Payments monthly fee | $20/month, prorated upon activation and billed with the monthly Pool Brain subscription renewal (only applies to customers enrolled in Pool Brain Payments) [src] |
Feature comparison
| Feature | Skimmer | Pool Brain |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring route scheduling | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Route optimization | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Mobile technician app | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Offline mode | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Chemical readings and dosing | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Service verification photos | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Work orders and repairs | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Invoicing | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Recurring / automatic billing | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Integrated payment processing | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| Customer portal | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
| QuickBooks sync | Yes [src] | Yes [src] |
Sources
Skimmer
- Skimmer Pricing — Pricing page, checked · screenshot on file
- Skimmer homepage — Product page, checked
- Skimmer - Technician features — Product page, checked
- Skimmer - Billing & payments — Product page, checked
- Skimmer - Back office features — Product page, checked
- Skimmer - Client features — Product page, checked
- Skimmer - Scheduling — Product page, checked
- Skimmer - About us — Company page, checked
- How Time Tracking Works (App) — Documentation, checked
- Introducing Service Texts: Streamline Communication and Strengthen Trust — Documentation, checked
- Skimmer Billing FAQ — Documentation, checked
- Best Pool Service App: Manage Your Pool Business From Your Phone — Other, checked
Pool Brain
- Pool Brain Pricing — Pricing page, checked · screenshot on file
- Pool Brain homepage — Product page, checked
- Pool Brain Features — Product page, checked
- Pool Brain Payment Services Fee Schedule — Documentation, checked