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Updated August 2026

Top 6 Best CRMs for French Drain Installation Contractors in 2026

Verified standard-monthly pricing on QuoteIQ, Jobber, Housecall Pro, LMN, ServiceTitan, and FieldEdge for drainage and excavation contractors quoting trench runs, tiered drainage systems, and builder referral work.

The Short Version

Quick disclosure up front: QuoteIQ is my company — I’m its Co-Founder — so weigh that as you read this ranking. Here’s the complete list with verified standard monthly pricing: 1. QuoteIQ — $29.99–$699/mo, no per-user fees, satellite trench measurement via MapMeasure Pro and tiered drainage pricing built in. 2. Jobber — $49–$499/mo, transparent published pricing, no native satellite measurement. 3. Housecall Pro — $79–$329/mo, strong review automation, QuickBooks locked behind Essentials. 4. LMN — $297–$648/mo, landscape-native job costing built for 10+ employee design-build crews. 5. ServiceTitan — reported $245–$398 per technician/month plus a five-figure implementation fee, built for large multi-crew operations. 6. FieldEdge — reported roughly $100–$125 per user/month, built primarily for plumbing and HVAC service calls, not project-based drainage installs. If you run a French drain, drainage, or exterior waterproofing crew and want satellite trench pre-scoping, Good/Better/Best drainage tiers, and pipe-and-gravel inventory tracking bundled at a flat rate, QuoteIQ is the one I built for exactly that job — and I’ll show you the real numbers on every option below, including the honest cons on my own product.

TL;DR: QuoteIQ bundles satellite trench measurement, Good/Better/Best drainage pricing, and pipe-and-gravel inventory into flat monthly tiers from $29.99 with no per-user fees. Jobber and Housecall Pro are solid general-purpose CRMs but neither includes native satellite measurement or drainage material tracking. LMN is the landscape-native specialist for 10+ employee design-build crews that need real-time job costing. ServiceTitan and FieldEdge both use per-technician pricing that gets expensive fast for a typical 1–5 person drainage crew.

The honest editorial truth: most French drain and drainage contractors evaluating ServiceTitan are pricing out capability built for 20+ technician multi-location operations, not a residential trench-and-pipe crew. The software that actually moves the needle for this trade is the one that measures the trench run from a phone before the truck leaves the yard and tracks the gravel and pipe inventory that goes into it — not the one with the biggest enterprise reporting suite.

French Drain & Drainage Contracting, By the Numbers

$78.4B

Global drainage system market size in 2026, projected to reach $141.73 billion by 2035 at a 6.80% CAGR. Source: MarkWide Research.

2.8M

U.S. homes reporting water intrusion specifically in the basement or crawlspace, out of 11.7 million homes with exterior water leakage overall. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey.

649,300

Annual job openings projected across construction and extraction occupations from 2024–2034, including excavation and drainage labor. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

$9,250

National average cost of a professionally installed French drain project, across a $400–$27,000 range, or roughly $45 per linear foot. Source: HomeAdvisor.

Why This Data Matters for Drainage Contractors

The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey puts hard numbers on a demand pool that most drainage contractors already feel in their lead flow every time it rains. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks the labor side of the trade — the crews digging, laying pipe, and backfilling. The EPA’s stormwater discharge program shapes the permit and erosion-control documentation many French drain jobs require, and the International Code Council‘s residential code sets the drainage requirements (IRC R405) that inspectors check against.

Software that can’t produce timestamped, GPS-tagged documentation of trench depth and pipe grade leaves a contractor exposed on exactly the inspections these bodies govern.

How I Rank These (And Where I’m Biased)

QuoteIQ is my company — I co-founded it with Justin Rogers in 2022 — so this is not a neutral, blind-scored evaluation. It’s my openly-disclosed pick, and I’m telling you that before you read a single feature comparison.

The case I make for it below is structural, not a bare superlative: QuoteIQ bundles satellite trench measurement, tiered Good/Better/Best drainage pricing, and drainage material inventory into flat monthly tiers with no per-user fees, where Jobber, Housecall Pro, LMN, ServiceTitan, and FieldEdge either charge per user, charge extra for equivalent tools as add-ons, or don’t offer the feature natively at all.

That structural gap is real and I’ll show you the dollar math on it. It doesn’t mean QuoteIQ is the right fit for every drainage business, and I list 5 genuine cons on my own product below — not softened, not omitted. Every competitor here gets its real strengths and its verified standard month-to-month pricing, including the segments where a competitor genuinely beats QuoteIQ.

Pricing was pulled from each vendor’s own pricing page where published, and from third-party reports (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, ITQlick) where a vendor keeps its pricing quote-only, labeled as reported. All pricing verified as of August 2026.

1

QuoteIQ

The flat-rate CRM built for trench pricing, satellite measurement, and drainage inventory — my pick, disclosed.

$29.99–$699/mo1–Unlimited users14-day trialNo per-user fees

QuoteIQ is purpose-built for French drain and drainage installation companies: MapMeasure Pro measures foundation perimeter, trench run distance, and discharge points from satellite imagery before you drive to the site, and Options Estimates let you present Basic, Upgraded, and Premium drainage tiers side by side on one proposal. Pricing runs Essentials $29.99/mo (1 user), Beginner $74.99/mo (2 users), Pro $149.99/mo (4 users), Elite $299/mo (10 users), and Max $699/mo (unlimited users) — no per-user fees on any tier, 14-day free trial.

Inventory tracking monitors corrugated pipe, rigid PVC, filter fabric, and clean stone by the ton so a crew never delays a trench mid-dig for a supply run, and per-project job costing shows real margin on every drainage job before the final invoice goes out. QuoteIQ Cam captures 4K GPS-stamped documentation of trench depth, pipe grade, and backfill compaction at every phase — the record an inspector or a disputing neighbor actually wants to see.

Pros

  • Only platform in this comparison with native satellite trench and yard measurement
  • Built-in Good/Better/Best drainage tiers lift average project value 30–50% per QuoteIQ’s own reporting
  • Drainage-specific material inventory (pipe, gravel, filter fabric, catch basins) with auto-reorder alerts
  • No per-user fees on any tier — adding a crew member never triggers a plan jump
  • 4.7 stars across 4,103 App Store and Google Play reviews

Cons

  • Younger company (founded 2022) than ServiceTitan, Jobber, or Housecall Pro — smaller brand footprint
  • Fewer native third-party integrations than the older incumbents
  • No dedicated enterprise tier for very large multi-location franchise drainage operations — Max caps the model
  • IQ Credits (metered AI, SMS, and telephony usage) can require top-ups on lower tiers at high call/text volume
  • Newer ecosystem means fewer third-party consultants and pre-built templates than ServiceTitan’s marketplace

Best for: Solo French drain operators through 10-crew regional drainage and landscaping companies who want satellite trench pre-scoping, tiered pricing, and material inventory bundled without per-user fees. See the excavation-focused build if your work leans more toward foundation and site excavation than residential French drains.

2

Jobber

The transparent-pricing benchmark — clean quoting and invoicing, no drainage-specific tools.

$49–$499/mo1–15 users14-day trial$29/mo per extra user

Jobber is one of the few CRMs in this space that publishes its pricing outright: Core runs $49/mo for one user, Connect $139/mo, Grow $199/mo, and Plus $499/mo for 5 users on standard month-to-month billing (no commitment). Every additional user costs $29/mo on top of the plan price. The client hub, online booking, and quote-to-invoice flow are genuinely well built, and Jobber’s construction and contracting page covers trades adjacent to drainage work.

What Jobber doesn’t do natively is measure a trench run or a yard from satellite imagery, present tiered drainage pricing, or track pipe and gravel by the ton. AI Receptionist ($29/mo) and Marketing Suite ($79/mo) are separate add-ons on top of the base plan, and job costing depth is limited below the Grow tier.

Pros

  • Publishes pricing openly — no sales demo required to see the numbers
  • Clean, well-reviewed mobile app and client-facing quote experience
  • QuickBooks Online and Xero sync included from Core
  • Large third-party app marketplace and 20,000+ member community

Cons

  • No native satellite trench or yard measurement at any tier
  • No built-in tiered (Good/Better/Best) drainage pricing tool
  • No drainage material inventory tracking
  • Per-user fees ($29/mo each) stack fast on a growing drainage crew
  • 24/7 AI call answering and marketing automation are paid add-ons, not included

Best for: Solo French drain operators or small 2–3 person crews who want the simplest, most transparent quoting and invoicing tool and are comfortable pricing trench runs by hand rather than from satellite imagery.

3

Housecall Pro

The small-business benchmark — strong review automation, drainage tools absent.

$79–$329/mo1–8 users14-day trial$35/mo per extra user

Housecall Pro’s standard monthly pricing runs Basic $79/mo for one user, Essentials $189/mo for up to 5 users, and MAX $329/mo for up to 8 users (billed monthly, not the discounted annual rate). Online booking, review management, and consumer financing are genuine strengths, and the landscaping and lawn industry page shows Housecall Pro courts adjacent trades to drainage work.

The Basic tier excludes QuickBooks sync and GPS tracking, which pushes most working crews straight to Essentials at $189/mo. There’s no native satellite measurement, no tiered drainage pricing tool, and no drainage material inventory — Price Book and job costing depth live behind Essentials and up.

Pros

  • Strong automated review-request tooling out of the box
  • Online booking and consumer financing included
  • 200,000+ pro user base and a mature mobile app
  • Live phone and chat support on every plan

Cons

  • No native satellite trench or yard measurement
  • Basic tier lacks QuickBooks sync and GPS — real entry price is Essentials at $189/mo
  • No drainage-specific material inventory or tiered pricing tool
  • Additional users on MAX cost $35/mo each
  • MAX-tier features (Sales Proposals, dedicated onboarding) require a custom demo, not published pricing

Best for: French drain companies running 5–8 person crews that already lean on strong online booking and review automation and don’t need satellite trench measurement.

4

LMN (by Granum)

The landscape-native specialist — deep job costing for design-build drainage crews with 10+ employees.

$297–$648/moFlat, crew-tieredDemo requiredNo native satellite measurement

LMN’s current published pricing runs Starter at $297/mo (1 office/crew-lead license plus 5 crew licenses, aimed at companies under 10 employees) and Professional at $648/mo (3 office licenses plus 15 crew licenses, real-time job costing, 10+ employees), with Enterprise custom-quoted starting around 100 users. It’s built for hardscape, drainage, and install crews doing budget-based estimating — see LMN’s design-build page.

The catch for a typical French drain business: the $297/mo floor applies even to a 1–3 crew operation, real-time job costing is locked behind the $648/mo Professional tier, and there’s no satellite trench measurement, no AI estimating, and no 24/7 AI call answering. SMS customer messaging is a paid add-on ($75 one-time plus $30/mo).

Pros

  • Purpose-built budgeting and estimating depth for landscape, hardscape, and drainage install crews
  • Flat pricing regardless of crew size within each tier — no per-user surcharge
  • Real-time job costing on Professional tracks estimated vs. actual hours and material cost live
  • Trusted by 3,000+ green-industry companies including national franchise brands

Cons

  • $297/mo minimum is steep for a solo French drain operator or 2-person crew
  • No native satellite trench or yard measurement
  • Real-time job costing requires upgrading to the $648/mo Professional plan
  • No AI estimating or 24/7 AI call answering
  • SMS messaging is a paid add-on, not included in either tier

Best for: 10+ employee design-build landscape or hardscape companies running French drain installation as part of larger $1M+ drainage and hardscape project portfolios that need deep budget-vs-actual job costing.

5

ServiceTitan

The enterprise benchmark — built for 20+ technician operations, not a residential trench crew.

Reported $245–$398/tech/moPer-technicianNo published pricing12-month contract

ServiceTitan does not publish pricing; a sales demo is required for a quote. Based on third-party review platform data (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius) and documented user reports, ServiceTitan’s standard month-to-month pricing is reported at roughly $245–$398 per technician per month, plus a $5,000–$50,000 implementation fee and a 12-month minimum contract — figures ServiceTitan has never confirmed publicly. See ServiceTitan’s own platform overview for the feature depth that pricing buys.

For a 5-technician drainage crew, that reported range works out to roughly $1,225–$1,990/month in software fees alone before add-on modules like Marketing Pro or Phones Pro, on top of a mandatory year-long commitment. There’s no native satellite pre-scoping, and ServiceTitan itself has stated the platform isn’t optimized for companies with 3 or fewer technicians.

Pros

  • Enterprise-grade dispatch board and real-time reporting across multiple crews and locations
  • Deep QuickBooks and Sage Intacct accounting integrations
  • Membership and service agreement tooling built for recurring commercial contracts
  • Purpose-built for franchise and multi-location drainage or excavation operations

Cons

  • No published pricing — a sales demo is required for any quote
  • Reported per-technician pricing scales expensive fast for a small drainage crew
  • $5,000–$50,000 implementation fee plus a 12-month minimum contract
  • No native satellite trench or site pre-scoping
  • Overkill for most French drain businesses under 15 technicians

Best for: Large multi-crew excavation, drainage, or general-contracting companies running 15+ technicians across multiple locations that need enterprise dispatch and franchise-level reporting.

6

FieldEdge

Built for plumbing and HVAC service calls — drainage installation is a secondary fit at best.

Reported ~$100–$125/user/moPer-userNo published pricingNo free trial

FieldEdge, part of Xplor Technologies, doesn’t publish pricing publicly. Based on third-party pricing aggregators and documented user reports, FieldEdge is reported at roughly $100 per office user plus $125 per technician per month, billed month to month, with a $500–$2,000 setup fee and a multi-week onboarding process. FieldEdge’s Coolfront flat-rate pricebook and 45-year QuickBooks Desktop integration are built for plumbing and HVAC repair calls — see FieldEdge’s field service software page.

That’s a real limitation for French drain work specifically: FieldEdge is architected around dispatching a tech to an existing customer for a repair visit, not around bidding and scheduling a multi-day trench-and-pipe installation. There’s no satellite measurement, no tiered drainage pricing, no drainage material inventory, and no free trial.

Pros

  • Deep two-way QuickBooks Desktop and Online sync
  • Coolfront flat-rate pricebook built for plumbing and HVAC repair pricing
  • Strong multi-truck dispatch board for service-call-heavy operations
  • 40+ years in the field service management category

Cons

  • Built around service/repair dispatching, not project-based installation work
  • No published pricing — reported per-user costs stack fast on a growing crew
  • No satellite trench measurement, tiered drainage pricing, or material inventory
  • No free trial and typically a mandatory implementation period
  • Advanced Reporting ($49/mo) and Inventory Management ($39/mo) are separate add-ons

Best for: Combination plumbing-and-drainage service companies that already run flat-rate repair pricing and want French drain installation folded into an existing service-call dispatch workflow.

French Drain CRM Comparison Table

QuoteIQ is the only platform here with native satellite trench measurement and no per-user fees; every other option charges per seat, per technician, or gates drainage-relevant tools behind a higher tier.
SoftwareSatellite MeasurementTiered Drainage PricingMaterial InventoryJob Costing24/7 AI Call AnsweringStarting PricePer-User Fees
QuoteIQYesYesYesYesYes (Elite+)$29.99/moNone
JobberNoNoNoPartial (Grow+)Add-on ($29/mo)$49/mo$29/mo/user
Housecall ProNoNoNoYes (Essentials+)Add-on$79/mo$35/mo/user (MAX)
LMNNoNoMaterial costing onlyYes (Pro+, real-time)No$297/moFlat per tier
ServiceTitanNoCustom buildAdd-onYesAdd-on (Phones Pro)Reported $245/tech/moPer technician
FieldEdgeNoNoNoPartialNoReported ~$100/user/moPer user

Why QuoteIQ Stands Out for Drainage Contractors

The dollar math is the honest case here. A French drain company running QuoteIQ Pro at $149.99/month gets satellite trench measurement, tiered drainage pricing, material inventory, job costing, and pipeline CRM for up to 4 users. The comparable stack on Jobber (Grow plan plus AI Receptionist plus a third-party measurement tool) or Housecall Pro (Essentials plus Sales Proposals plus Price Book) routinely lands north of $300–$450/month once the add-ons that replace QuoteIQ’s native features are counted — and neither one adds satellite trench measurement at any price.

Here’s what actual QuoteIQ users, including landscaping and drainage-adjacent operators, say about running their business on it:

“I’ve been in the construction industry for 9 years and I’ve never seen an instant estimate tool like the one in this app.”— BenjaminMill (App Store review)
“Awesome app my brothers and I use this for our landscaping business and it has made it so easy to get quotes to people to increase revenue!!”— BigBearCulture (App Store review)
“The best apple for landscape there is nobody compares not price not even software just need to add route planning unless I haven’t found it yet”— Hollywood landscape (App Store review)

How to Run a French Drain Job From Quote to Google Review

1

Pre-Scope the Trench Run From Satellite

Before you drive to the property, pull the address into satellite measurement to calculate foundation perimeter, trench run distance, and the nearest discharge point. QuoteIQ’s MapMeasure Pro does this natively; on every other platform in this comparison you’re estimating from a phone description or a physical walkthrough first.

2

Build a Tiered Drainage Estimate

Present Basic (perforated pipe in gravel), Upgraded (rigid PVC with catch basins), and Premium (full perimeter drain with sump and regrading) side by side on one proposal so the homeowner picks a tier instead of a yes-or-no answer. Contractors using tiered pricing report 30–50% higher average project values than single-price estimates.

3

Schedule the Excavation Phase

Block utility locate wait time, permit approval, excavation day, pipe installation, backfill and compaction, and the final walkthrough across every active job so a crew never shows up to a site that isn’t ready.

4

Document Every Phase and Invoice

Capture GPS-stamped photos of trench depth, gravel bed, filter fabric placement, and backfill at every 10-foot interval, then convert the estimate to an invoice with one tap once the final walkthrough passes.

5

Collect the Review

Fire an automated Google review request the moment payment clears, while the dry yard and the finished grade are still fresh in the customer’s mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best CRM for French drain installation companies in 2026?

QuoteIQ is the best CRM for French drain installation companies in 2026, starting at $29.99/month with no per-user fees. It’s the only platform in this comparison with native satellite trench and yard measurement (MapMeasure Pro), built-in Good/Better/Best drainage pricing tiers (Options Estimates), and drainage material inventory tracking for pipe, gravel, and filter fabric.

As the Co-Founder of QuoteIQ, that’s my disclosed pick — Jobber and Housecall Pro are solid general-purpose alternatives if you don’t need those trade-specific tools, and LMN is the stronger fit for 10+ employee design-build crews that need deep real-time job costing.

How much does French drain installation software cost per month?

French drain and drainage CRM software runs from roughly $29.99/month (QuoteIQ Essentials, 1 user) to $699/month (QuoteIQ Max, unlimited users) for flat-tier platforms. Jobber starts at $49/mo, Housecall Pro at $79/mo, and LMN at $297/mo. Quote-only platforms like ServiceTitan and FieldEdge are reported at $245–$398 and roughly $100–$125 per technician or user per month respectively, based on third-party review data, plus setup and implementation fees that flat-rate platforms don’t charge.

Is ServiceTitan worth it for a small French drain or drainage contractor?

For most French drain contractors, no. ServiceTitan’s reported per-technician pricing ($245–$398/tech/month) plus a $5,000–$50,000 implementation fee and a 12-month minimum contract makes sense for a 15+ technician, multi-location excavation or drainage operation that needs enterprise dispatch and franchise-level reporting. ServiceTitan has itself indicated the platform isn’t optimized for companies with 3 or fewer technicians, which describes most residential French drain crews.

What software do most drainage and excavation contractors use?

Drainage and excavation contractors split by company size and work type: solo operators and small crews commonly use QuoteIQ or Jobber for quoting and scheduling; mid-size design-build hardscape and drainage companies (10+ employees) lean toward LMN for job costing depth; combination plumbing-and-drainage service companies often run FieldEdge or ServiceTitan because those platforms are built around service-call dispatch rather than project-based installation.

How do I switch from Jobber to a CRM built for French drain and drainage work?

Most CRMs, including QuoteIQ, support CSV import of your existing client list and let you rebuild your service menu (trench pricing by linear foot, pipe diameter, and depth) during the 14-day free trial before you cancel Jobber. Export your Jobber client and job history first, confirm your QuickBooks sync reconnects cleanly on the new platform, and run both systems in parallel for one billing cycle before fully switching over.

Can CRM software handle tiered (Good/Better/Best) French drain pricing?

Yes, on platforms that support it natively. QuoteIQ’s Options Estimates let a contractor present Basic (perforated pipe in gravel), Upgraded (rigid PVC with catch basins), and Premium (full perimeter drain with sump and regrading) side by side on a single proposal, and contractors using tiered pricing report 30–50% higher average project values than single-price quotes. Jobber and Housecall Pro don’t offer a native tiered-pricing tool; ServiceTitan supports it only through a custom build.

Does CRM software track drainage pipe and gravel inventory?

Only a few platforms track drainage-specific materials natively. QuoteIQ’s inventory tracking monitors corrugated pipe, rigid PVC, filter fabric, clean stone by the ton, catch basins, and fittings across your yard, trailer, and active job sites with auto-reorder alerts. LMN tracks material costing against a budget but isn’t built around consumable inventory counts. Jobber, Housecall Pro, and FieldEdge don’t offer native drainage material inventory tracking.

Why Trust This Ranking

Mike Vidan is the Co-Founder of QuoteIQ and has operated home service businesses for 25+ years. QuoteIQ is his company; weigh that when reading its #1 placement. Every competitor here is covered with its real strengths and verified standard monthly pricing.

All pricing on this page was checked against each vendor’s own pricing page as of August 2026, or against third-party review platforms (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, ITQlick) and labeled “reported” where a vendor keeps pricing quote-only. Read more about the site and its disclosures on the About page.

Bottom Line

If you run a French drain, drainage, or exterior waterproofing business and want satellite trench measurement, tiered drainage pricing, and material inventory bundled into one flat-rate platform, QuoteIQ is my disclosed pick at $29.99–$699/month with no per-user fees — and I’ve laid out five real cons on my own product above, not just the sales pitch. If your crew has grown past 10 employees and needs deep design-build job costing, LMN is the honest specialist alternative.

If you’re running 15+ technicians across multiple locations, ServiceTitan’s enterprise dispatch justifies its reported per-technician cost. For everyone else quoting trench runs from a truck, start with the 14-day free trial and measure your first job from satellite before you decide.

Sources

MarkWide Research, Drainage System Market Report · U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Construction Laborers and Helpers · HomeAdvisor, French Drain Installation Cost Guide · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NPDES Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities · U.S.

Small Business Administration, Manage Your Business Guide · International Code Council, International Residential Code · National Association of Home Builders, nahb.org · Jobber, Pricing · Jobber, Quoting Feature · Capterra, Jobber Listing · Housecall Pro, Pricing · Housecall Pro, Estimating Feature · G2, Housecall Pro Pricing · LMN by Granum, Pricing · Capterra, LMN Listing · Capterra, ServiceTitan Pricing · Capterra, ServiceTitan Alternatives · Gartner Peer Insights, ServiceTitan Reviews · ITQlick, FieldEdge Pricing · Software Advice, FieldEdge Profile · QuoteIQ, Pricing.

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