FSM Software Roundup: Week of May 4, 2026

On April 27, 2026, Markate launched Kate AI Estimator, an AI-driven quoting tool that generates customer-ready estimates from job details and photos in roughly one minute. The system analyzes scope, labor, and materials, builds pricing from the contractor’s existing data, and adds upsell suggestions automatically. The estimate flows directly into Markate’s existing lead-to-payment pipeline (lead → estimate → approval → job → invoice → payment).

This is Markate’s second AI agent. The first, Kate AI Receptionist, was repriced to $1 per handled call in February 2026. Markate is positioning the two products together as the foundation of its AI strategy. The pricing for Kate AI Estimator was not disclosed in the launch announcement; contractors should expect it to be a paid add-on to the base subscription, consistent with Markate’s pricing model on similar features.

For pressure washing, carpet and tile cleaning, window cleaning, handyman, HVAC, plumbing, and landscaping contractors — the verticals Markate explicitly named in the launch — this lands AI-generated estimating in the category at a price point well below ServiceTitan or FieldEdge. It is, however, a feature that QuoteIQ has offered for several product cycles via AI Estimator and the closely related Visual Estimates feature shipped in QuoteIQ’s March 2026 release.

Editorial take: AI-generated estimates from job photos used to be a niche capability. As of this week, three platforms in the residential FSM segment now offer some version of it — QuoteIQ (AI Estimator and MapMeasure Pro), FieldPulse (Operator AI estimating workflows), and now Markate. The market is bifurcating between platforms that build AI into the core subscription and platforms that sell each AI module as an additional line item. Contractors should map the total monthly cost including every AI add-on before comparing list prices.

Checklists on Assessments (April 27, 2026)

Jobber rolled out Checklists on Assessments, allowing teams to attach customizable checklists to the assessment phase of a request. Checklists support checkboxes, dropdowns, short and long answer fields, image upload, and signature capture. Teams can attach checklists automatically to standardize how on-site information gets captured before quoting. Notably, Jobber renamed Job Forms to Checklists across the platform — same functionality, new label. Available on select plans.

Net payment terms by client type (April 21, 2026)

Jobber introduced the ability to set different default payment terms based on client type — residential versus commercial, for example. Custom net options can be created beyond the standard Net 15 / 30 / 60, and the default can be overridden at the individual client level. The change is small in scope but eliminates a manual step at the start of every commercial invoice for businesses that work both segments.

Google Business Profile auto-connection (April 20, 2026)

The day our last roundup published, Jobber shipped a native Google Business Profile integration. Once connected, Jobber pulls business name, service categories, address, and service areas from the contractor’s account and pushes them to the GBP listing — and adds a one-click way to embed the Jobber online booking link directly into the listing. For contractors who have either let their GBP go stale or never finished setting it up, this is a meaningful conversion lever. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics continues to project demand growth across the construction and home services trades through 2034, which makes local search visibility increasingly competitive.

Editorial take: Jobber’s release tempo since mid-March has been unusually high — twelve documented updates in roughly six weeks. Checklists on Assessments closes a workflow gap; payment terms by client type is a small quality-of-life win; the GBP integration is the most strategically interesting because it ties Jobber’s SaaS into the most important free local-marketing surface contractors have. Jobber’s per-user pricing remains the structural trade-off — a small team will pay meaningfully more month over month as it grows, regardless of how polished the feature set becomes.

FieldPulse rarely issues press releases for product updates, but its April 2026 release notes show steady shipping. The standout addition is Offline Mode for Material Lists and Timesheets — technicians can now create and edit material lists and clock in or out without an internet connection, with everything labeled “Offline Draft” until the device reconnects and syncs automatically. Useful for HVAC, plumbing, and basement-heavy work where signal drops out repeatedly throughout the day.

Beyond offline mode, FieldPulse added file and photo attachments to SMS and email customer communications (web and mobile), new API endpoints to trigger estimate and invoice sends and to fetch dynamic estimate and invoice links, and PDF customization controls for Custom Forms — including image size selectors and an optional QR code linking to images at the end of the PDF. None of these are individually category-defining updates, but together they show a platform actively iterating.

FieldPulse continues to operate on custom per-technician pricing, which it does not publish on its website. Third-party reviews list approximate Starter pricing around $49 per month for solo operators, with team plans scaling from $99 to $249 per month, though contractors should verify directly with FieldPulse before purchasing.

Nominations for Housecall Pro’s first-ever Trades 40 Under 40 program closed April 30, 2026. Honorees will be selected by a panel of Housecall Pro executives and industry experts based on leadership, craftsmanship and professionalism, customer trust, team building, community impact, and business excellence. The Class of 2026 list goes public on May 20.

Housecall Pro’s most recent product release notes remain its February 2026 update batch, which shipped CSR AI “Tell me more” prompts, Analyst AI improvements on reporting pages, recurring discounts in the Price Book, custom call reasons in HCP Voice, and updated QuickBooks Online sync controls. Route optimization remains absent from all Housecall Pro plans as of May 2026 — a limitation we’ve flagged in every roundup since the platform first started showing up in our coverage. Pricing remains $79 per month for Basic (1 user), $189 per month for Essentials (up to 5 users), and $329 per month for MAX (up to 8 users, with $35 per additional user per month) on monthly billing.

QuoteIQ shipped no major public product releases between April 21 and May 4, 2026 following its March 2026 release of 50+ features. The platform continues to serve over 40,000 home service contractors across more than 50 industries, with pricing unchanged across its five flat-rate plans: Essentials at $29.99, Beginner at $74.99, Pro at $149.99, Elite at $299, and Max at $699 per month. All plans include AI features through IQ Credits, a 14-day free trial, and no per-user surcharges within each tier’s included seat count. A credit or debit card is required to start any trial or subscription.

ServiceTitan ([NASDAQ: TTAN](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001525484&type=10-K)) made no public product or program announcements during this window. Its next major financial moment is the Q1 fiscal 2027 earnings report, expected late May or early June 2026. The company’s flagship customer event, Pantheon 2026, is scheduled for October 5–7 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando — historically the venue where ServiceTitan unveils its biggest product releases of the year.

Workiz published no new product announcements during this window. Its Genius AI suite (Genius Answering, Genius Scheduling, Smart Messaging, and the Hey Genius mobile voice assistant) remains the company’s most recent major product direction. Workiz Pro pricing starts at $198 per month on the Starter plan, with AI features structured as add-ons on some tiers.