Free service dispatch apps in 2026: 8 honest options for small Canadian service teams

If you run a heating, plumbing, electrical, cleaning, or any other field service business, you already know the daily reality: jobs come in throughout the day, your team is scattered across town, and every minute you spend coordinating by phone or text is a minute not earning revenue.

Field service dispatch software solves this, but most established platforms (Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, Workiz, FieldEdge) charge a monthly subscription and often add per-technician fees on top. For a 30-engineer heating firm with a dedicated dispatcher and a marketing budget, that can be reasonable. For a 1-to-10-person service crew where the owner is also the dispatcher and the schedule fluctuates with the season, it is two scales above what the operation actually needs.

The eight options below are the ones small Canadian service teams actually look at. Six have genuine permanent free plans in 2026 — not 14-day trials, not feature-crippled demos, but working software with published limits. Kickserv and MrTask no longer publish a permanent free tier on their pricing pages; they stay on the list so you can skip them on purpose. Prices checked August 2026 and shown in the currency each vendor publishes.

Zelos Team Management

Small service team, billing handled elsewhere

Zelos takes a signup-board approach to dispatch. Admins post jobs (location, time, skills required, notes), team members get push notifications, and whoever is available and qualified claims the job first. No algorithmic assignment, no per-person fees. By design. The model runs on the principle that the person doing the work is the best person to decide if they can take it.

Built-in chat is part of the product, not a bolt-on. Each task has its own conversation thread, so the customer address, gate code, and parts list stay attached to the job rather than getting lost in a group chat. Member contact information is hidden from other members by design, which keeps the workspace professional and admin-supervised.

• Free plan: Unlimited team members and admins, 25 concurrent active tasks, last 100 tasks in the archive, 10,000 chat messages.
• What’s paid: Bulk CSV upload, dynamic member segments that update automatically as profiles change, full task archive, custom team URL. Pro at US$99/month billed annually (US$119/month billed monthly), flat regardless of team size. Enterprise from US$999/month billed annually.
• Communication: Built-in team chat (per-job threads plus direct messages), admin-supervised. Member contact information hidden by default. No customer-facing SMS.
• Best for: An established small service business with employees (a heating firm, cleaning crew, plumbing or electrical team, landscaping outfit) that already handles billing, routing, and payments through other tools, and wants a free dispatch and team chat layer that doesn’t charge per seat as you hire. The 25-active-task ceiling covers normal day-to-day operations comfortably.
• Watch out for: No GPS routing, no integrated invoicing, no built-in payment processing. Zelos is the dispatch and communication layer; if you want one app that handles everything (quoting, invoicing, payments, routing), look at ServiceM8, Plannit, or Orcatec instead.
• Platforms: Native iOS, Android, and web. EU-built and GDPR-compliant by default.

ServiceM8

Solo iPhone tradesperson

ServiceM8 is the polished option if you’re a sole trader and your phone is your office. The UK pricing page is in pounds. The free plan is genuinely usable for an owner-operator and includes scheduling, dispatching, quoting, invoicing, mobile payments, and accounting integrations with Xero and QuickBooks. The full app is iOS-only (a lighter Android version exists), so it suits Apple-first sole traders specifically.

The free tier caps you at 30 jobs per month, which sounds restrictive but works for the target audience: sole-trader plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, and similar trades doing a handful of jobs per day. There’s a built-in incentive to take card payments through their Stripe integration. Every paid invoice earns a bonus job credit, so a busy month of card-paying customers extends your effective job limit.

• Free plan: 1 user, 30 jobs per month, bonus jobs when you take card payments, all essential features.
• Paid plans: From £25/month (Starter: unlimited users, 50 jobs per month). Growing at £59/month (150 jobs), Premium at £119/month (500 jobs). Paid plans are tiered by job volume rather than per team member. Prices are the vendor’s published currency, taxes extra; ServiceM8 issues reverse-charge invoices.
• Communication: Built-in team instant messaging between staff, plus 2-way customer SMS, email, and a live team activity feed. Customer replies sync back to the job diary.
• Best for: Sole traders running professional invoicing and quoting from their iPhone, especially if the books already live in Xero.
• Watch out for: iOS-only for the full experience. If your one helper uses Android, the free plan probably won’t stretch.
• Platforms: iOS (full), Android (lite version).

Kickserv

Two-person shop on Xero or QuickBooks

Kickserv has been in the market since 2006 and is now owned by Xero, which is already a UK-relevant stack. The public pricing page no longer lists a permanent free plan. What it does list is Start at US$60/month for 5 users, Run at US$119/month for 10 users, and Scale at US$199/month for 20 users, with a 30-day trial on paid plans. Start includes QuickBooks Online as the accounting integration — and QuickBooks exists in the UK. Kickserv’s own help centre still documents a Flex plan at US$19/month for 3 users, which can be waived in a given month if you hit Kickserv Kickback payment-processing minimums.

The interface is straightforward rather than polished. Reporting is basic. The mobile app works but feels dated compared to Jobber or Housecall Pro. None of this matters much if your alternative is sticky notes and group texts, and you already run Xero or QuickBooks.

• Free plan: None on the public pricing page. 30-day trial on paid plans. Flex (US$19/month for 3 users) is documented in Kickserv’s help centre, not on the main pricing page.
• Paid plans: Start at US$60/month (5 users), scaling to Scale at US$199/month (20 users). Kickserv publishes in US dollars.
• Communication: Shared job notes that team members can comment on (functions as threaded job discussion rather than dedicated chat). Customer messaging centre via email and the customer portal. No built-in standalone team chat interface.
• Best for: A husband-and-wife shop or two-person crew already using Xero or QuickBooks that wants estimates, invoices, and a customer portal in one place, and is willing to pay a small monthly fee.
• Watch out for: No permanent free tier on the pricing page. Dispatch mapping and GPS check-ins start on Run, not Start, so you’ll still be assigning jobs by judgement on the cheapest paid plan.
• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.

Plannit

Home services with recurring contracts

Plannit is purpose-built for home service businesses: cleaning, gardening, pest control, grounds maintenance, pool, heating, electrical, plumbing, painting, roofing. The free plan is narrower than older write-ups suggested. It includes 2 users, 25 jobs per month, scheduling, job tracking and work orders, quotes, invoices, online payments, and a customer portal where clients can view appointments and pay invoices without phoning you.

Paid plans add users and automation. Recurring-visit scheduling, team dispatch beyond the free seat cap, GPS and routing, and accounting sync sit on paid tiers. Two-way customer SMS is a paid add-on.

• Free plan: 2 users, 25 jobs per month, scheduling, work orders, quotes, invoices, online payments, customer portal.
• What’s paid: Pro at US$49/month billed annually (US$59/month billed monthly) with 3 users included; extra users US$10/month. Premium from US$109/month billed annually adds QuickBooks or Sage sync, routes and GPS, and contract renewals. Two-way SMS around US$25/month. Recurring visit scheduling is paid-only. Plannit’s page states prices display in local currency; the figures above are the US dollar amounts the vendor page returned in this check.
• Communication: In-app team chat and notifications. Inbound customer calls, texts, emails, and web inquiries flow into the customer record automatically. Two-way customer SMS is a paid add-on.
• Best for: A home service business that wants real CRM and invoicing in the free tier for a two-person crew, and is willing to add paid features only when needed.
• Watch out for: The free plan is 2 users and 25 jobs per month, not unlimited seats. Two-way SMS and automated workflows add up. Recurring-visit scheduling being paid-only matters specifically for businesses with recurring service contracts.
• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.

Orcatec

Small crew, want a free starter

Orcatec offers a free version with the core dispatch toolkit: drag-and-drop scheduling, real-time dispatching, customer database, proposal builder, properties management, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. The vendor homepage promotes “get started free” with no credit card and no contract. The dedicated pricing URL currently leads to a contact form, so published paid figures from older roundups are not repeated here.

Paid plans, when you talk to them, add management dashboards, faster payment processing, QuickBooks integration, AI route optimization, and employee GPS tracking. Treat the upgrade path as modular until you see a live quote.

• Free plan: Free starter version with scheduling, dispatch, customer database, proposal tools, and mobile apps. Exact seat and storage limits are not clearly published on the pricing page, so confirm at signup.
• Paid plans: Pricing on request. The public pricing URL did not list readable plan figures in this check.
• Communication: Built-in messaging centre for team chat between dispatchers and field workers. Customer SMS is typically a paid add-on.
• Best for: A growing service operation that wants to try real dispatch features at no cost before speaking to sales about routing or payments.
• Watch out for: Free-tier limits are less clearly documented than ServiceM8 or Plannit. Confirm seats, storage, and what happens to photo-heavy job records before you commit the crew to it.
• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.

MrTask

Field service plus property maintenance

MrTask (rebranded from Field Complete) covers field service management and property maintenance in one platform. The product handles estimating from a price book, converting quotes into projects, dispatching your own technicians or subcontractors, before-and-after photos, GPS timestamps, and built-in approvals with not-to-exceed amounts. The property management side adds vendor dispatch and tenant communication. QuickBooks Online sync is included on paid plans.

The public pricing page does not list a permanent free plan. Every plan starts with a 14-day trial and no credit card required. After that, Solo starts at US$39.99/month for an owner-operator (1 user plus a bonus seat). Extra users are US$19.99/month each.

• Free plan: None on the public pricing page. 14-day trial, no credit card required.
• Paid plans: Solo from US$39.99/month. Business from US$199.99/month. Additional users US$19.99/month. Enterprise custom. MrTask publishes in US dollars.
• Communication: Built-in Messenger for team-to-team communication on work orders. Customer notifications by email and SMS for job status (on-the-way, completed). Integrates with QuickBooks for accounting.
• Best for: A field service operation that also handles property maintenance (heating, plumbing, electrical, handyman) where the same platform needs to coordinate vendors and tenants alongside your own technicians — and you are ready to pay after the trial.
• Watch out for: This is not a permanent free dispatch tool. Treat the trial as a test, not a running cost of zero.
• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.

Dusk FSM

Unlimited staff, capped on completed jobs

Dusk FSM is the most configurable of the free options. Built by Dusk Mobile (Melbourne, with offices in the US and UK), it uses job-volume pricing rather than per-seat fees. The Launch plan is free and includes 25 completed jobs per month, unlimited staff and contractors, unlimited integration connectors (including Xero and QuickBooks Online), scheduling and dispatch, field mobile apps, timesheets, and core FSM tools.

The platform is more configurable than the others on this list, which is its strength and its weakness. If you have time to invest in setup, it scales further than several other free options here. If you want something running by lunchtime, it is more than a sole trader needs. Invoicing sits on the Growth tier, not on Launch.

• Free plan: Launch: 25 completed jobs per month, unlimited staff and contractors, unlimited integration connectors, scheduling and dispatch, mobile apps, timesheets. No overage billing — you upgrade once you hit 25 completed jobs.
• Paid plans: Essentials at US$199/month (150 completed jobs). Growth from US$699/month (300 completed jobs). Enterprise custom. Dusk publishes in US dollars. Pricing is by completed-job volume, not per person.
• Communication: Real-time status updates between office and field. SMS to customers is an add-on on paid plans. No dedicated internal team chat interface; communication runs through job updates and notifications rather than a chat-style thread.
• Best for: A growing service business or contractor-coordination operation that wants unlimited people on the free plan and is happy to be capped on completed jobs rather than headcount.
• Watch out for: Steeper learning curve than ServiceM8 or Zelos. Launch does not include quoting and invoicing (those start at Growth). 25 completed jobs per month is a hard stop on free — not a staff cap.
• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.

Zoho FSM

Already running other Zoho products

Zoho FSM is the field service product in the broader Zoho suite. Zoho Books, Zoho Invoice, and Zoho CRM are already used by UK small businesses, so the ecosystem argument is real here. A short premium trial with full access comes first; when the trial expires, the account downgrades to the free plan rather than locking you out. The free plan includes up to 30 appointments per month and up to 20 users, with the core service workflows (requests, estimates, work orders, parts and service tracking) included.

The real value of Zoho FSM is for businesses already in the Zoho ecosystem. The platform integrates natively with Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, Zoho Invoice, Zoho Inventory, and Zoho Desk, so customer data, accounting, and inventory don’t need re-entry. If you’re not using other Zoho products, the integration value disappears and other tools on this list will probably suit you better.

• Free plan: Up to 20 users, 30 appointments per month, basic service workflows, mobile access, native integration with Zoho’s other products.
• Paid plans: Appointment-volume based rather than a simple per-seat sticker price. Zoho’s pricing page offers a the vendor’s published currency toggle; the paid figures themselves are calculator-driven and were not readable as a single published rate in this check. Standard allows up to 200 users. Professional adds multi-day appointments and asset maintenance.
• Communication: Customer comms via native WhatsApp integration and SMS/email notifications. Field-to-office collaboration through the mobile app (shared notes, photos, signatures). Integrates with Zoho Cliq if you want internal team chat; the FSM product itself doesn’t include a dedicated chat layer.
• Best for: A small service operation already running Zoho CRM, Books, or other Zoho products that wants the dispatch layer connected to existing customer and accounting data.
• Watch out for: Pricing is volume-based on the number of appointments rather than purely per-seat, which can surprise growing businesses. Unused appointments do not carry over. The mobile app takes time to set up.
• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.

When free dispatch software is actually enough

Most small service operators don’t need to pay for dispatch software. A practical rule of thumb: free is genuinely sufficient when you have fewer than 25 active jobs at any one time, you don’t need algorithmic route optimization, your customers reach you through phone or referral rather than a booking widget, you’re handling invoicing in a separate accounting tool (Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage), and your team can use a phone app without training. That describes a substantial majority of small Canadian service operations.

Specifically, the free tiers on this list fit different small-operator profiles. Zelos is the one with unlimited team members on a permanent free plan, which is useful when your schedule is fluid or you’re regularly bringing in contractors. Dusk FSM also allows unlimited staff, but caps you at 25 completed jobs per month. ServiceM8’s 30-jobs-per-month cap fits sole traders who clear five or six jobs a day. Plannit’s free plan fits a two-person shop at 25 jobs per month. Zoho FSM fits a very small team already in Zoho, at 30 appointments per month. Orcatec’s free starter is worth a look if you confirm the live limits at signup. Kickserv and MrTask are paid after a trial.

The honest test: start free, pilot one full operational week, and see what breaks. If nothing does, you have your tool.

When you’ll outgrow free

Three triggers reliably indicate it’s time to start paying for dispatch software:

Volume. When you’re regularly running more than 25–30 concurrent jobs, the free tier caps on most of these tools start blocking actual operations. Pay attention to the cap that fits your specific tool (Zelos counts concurrent active tasks, ServiceM8 counts monthly jobs, Dusk counts completed jobs, others count team members) and watch for it before you hit it.

Customer-facing competition. When a competitor wins work because they offered branded confirmations, “10 minutes away” notifications, and a self-service booking page (and you didn’t), customer-facing features stop being marketing extras and become competitive necessities. Plannit and ServiceM8 have these features even on free; Zelos and Kickserv don’t.

A dedicated dispatcher. The moment you hire someone whose job is to coordinate the field team (not to do the work themselves), the decision changes. A dedicated dispatcher gets value from features (route optimization, advanced filtering, analytics) that an owner-operator never opens. This is the trigger that justifies a Jobber, Housecall Pro, or ServiceTitan subscription.

If none of those three triggers has hit, free is probably still your best option. Don’t pre-pay for capacity you might need later.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the cheapest service dispatch software for a small business?

Free, if you pick the right one. Zelos is free for unlimited team members with up to 25 concurrent active tasks and includes built-in chat. Dusk FSM is free for unlimited staff with 25 completed jobs per month. ServiceM8 is free for sole-trader use with 30 jobs per month. Plannit is free for 2 users with scheduling, invoicing, and a customer portal. Zoho FSM is free for up to 20 users and 30 appointments per month. For paid all-in-ones, Jobber’s pricing page lists plans starting at US$29/month; Housecall Pro publishes Basic from US$59/month billed annually. Below 25 concurrent tasks, paying anything for dispatch software is usually unnecessary.

Are free dispatch apps actually free, or are they limited trials?

Six of the eight options above have genuine permanent free plans, not 14-day trials. Kickserv and MrTask are the exceptions: they offer trials, then paid plans. Watch out for the distinction. Some tools advertised as “free” are actually trials that downgrade to a feature-crippled tier so limited that nobody can run a real operation on it. The honest test is to use the free tier for one full operational week before any commitment. Several products positioned as “freemium” elsewhere on the market don’t qualify for this list because their free tier is unusable in practice.

Is AI-assisted dispatch worth paying for at small scale?

No. The algorithms in ServiceTitan’s Dispatch Pro, Workiz’s Jessica, Orcatec’s AI routing, and similar tools need a lot of historical volume before the suggestions outperform a human dispatcher who knows the team. Most small operators don’t generate that volume and won’t benefit. AI dispatch is the feature small businesses are most often upsold on and most rarely benefit from in practice.

Should I run dispatch on WhatsApp instead?

At very low volume, yes. Plenty of small operators do, and it works. Past that point, you start losing audit trail (who confirmed what shift), context (the customer note you sent last Tuesday is unfindable), and clean revocation (a former worker still has the group). The transition from WhatsApp to dedicated dispatch software is the most common upgrade small service operators make in their first two years.

Do I need an all-in-one platform that handles dispatch, invoicing, and customer payments?

Usually not at small scale. The all-in-one platforms (Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan) are real products, but they’re built for operations that justify the integration overhead. For a small service team, two focused tools usually run more smoothly and cost less than one bloated platform: a dispatch tool with a worker app and chat, plus your existing accounting tool (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage) connected by CSV export. The exceptions on this list are Plannit and ServiceM8, both of which include real invoicing in the free tier without bloating the rest.

How does free dispatch software handle customer payments?

Varies by tool. ServiceM8 includes Stripe-integrated card payments on the free plan (and rewards them with bonus job credits). Plannit includes online payments via a customer portal on free. Kickserv includes online payments on its paid plans. Zelos, Orcatec, MrTask, Dusk FSM, and Zoho FSM don’t process customer payments as their core job; they leave that to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, or similar. If you take payment on-site at job completion, native processing matters; if you invoice afterwards, integration is enough.

What’s the difference between dispatch software and field service management software?

Dispatch software focuses on assigning and tracking work in real time: the operational layer. Field service management is broader and includes dispatch plus scheduling, CRM, quoting, invoicing, parts inventory, and reporting. Most modern field service platforms include dispatch as one feature within a larger product. For small operators, dispatch is often the only layer that needs dedicated software; the others either fit in your accounting tool or aren’t a concern yet.

What’s the difference between dispatch and scheduling?

Scheduling is long-term planning: building a weekly or monthly schedule of who’s working when. Dispatch is real-time assignment: sending a specific job to a specific person right now. Most platforms include both, but the daily question matters. If your bottleneck is filling shifts a week ahead, you need schedule planning. If your bottleneck is responding to incoming requests within the hour, you need dispatch. Most of the tools on this list lean toward dispatch.

When should I move from free to paid dispatch software?

When you regularly exceed 25–30 concurrent jobs, when customer-facing features become competitive necessities in your market (usually past 10 staff), or when you hire your first dedicated dispatcher. Below any of those triggers, paying for dispatch software is usually paying for capacity you don’t yet need.

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Zelos Team Management is built for the small service operator who’s also the dispatcher. By design. Admins post jobs with location, time, skills required, and notes; team members claim what fits their day from their phones; built-in chat keeps coordination attached to each job. The standard plan is free with no per-person pricing and 25 concurrent active tasks; Pro is US$99/month billed annually, flat regardless of team size. For details on what’s included at each tier, see the pricing page. For broader workforce coordination beyond dispatch, see our roundup of casual staff management apps.