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The Moment You Realize You Need a CRM
Your painting business has probably gone through a few phases. First, you're just hustling. You're estimating jobs on the back of a napkin, relying on your memory for follow-ups. Eventually, you adopt an estimating software and suddenly you're quoting faster and winning more jobs. Great.
But then your schedule fills up. Your lead list explodes. Your team grows. And suddenly you're drowning in "I'll call them back later" promises that don't happen, estimates sent that you forget to chase, and a nagging feeling that leads are slipping through the cracks.
That's when a CRM (Customer Relationship Management system) stops being a "nice to have" and becomes essential.
Deep Dive Comparison
Let's examine six platforms that painting companies actually use. We'll evaluate each on what matters to your business: how well it fits your industry, integration with estimating tools, lead and sales management, automation capabilities, user experience, and pricing.
1. PaintScout CRM
PaintScout CRM is the only platform built exclusively for painting contractors. It combines a powerful estimating engine with modern CRM features, so your entire workflow from lead to booked job lives in one place.
How It Actually Works:
The integration between estimating and CRM is seamless here. You're not hacking together Zapier workflows or manually copying quote numbers between apps. When you create an estimate in PaintScout, it automatically ties to the lead record, tracks where it is in the pipeline, and reminds you when to follow up. The sales pipeline stages are built around how painting contractors actually sell and are customizable: "New Lead", "Qualified" "Estimate Booked", "Estimate Sent", "Estimate Accepted", "Project Scheduled", "In Production", "Project Complete", "Paid & Closed", "Lost" and not generic sales stages from some enterprise CRM designed for a different industry.
The estimating tool itself is purpose built for painting. You can break down jobs by room, specify surface types (drywall, trim, exterior, brick, etc.), select paint types and finishes, and apply customizable pricing logic. A client with a 2,000sqft interior repaint? You can build that estimate in minutes.
Follow-up automation is baked in. Set a rule: "If an estimate is sent, create an SMS reminder 3 days later" or "Send an automated email asking if they have questions." It just works. No complicated workflows to build.
Payments and financing are part of the flow, not an afterthought. You can take deposits, progress payments, or final payments right from the estimate or invoice, using ACH or credit cards for convenience. If you’d like to offer financing, you can present it inside the same experience so the homeowner sees price, scope, and payment options together. Everything syncs back to the job so you always know what’s been invoiced, what’s been collected, and what’s still outstanding.
The mobile functionality is genuinely useful. Check your pipeline from the job site, see customer history while you're on a site visit, send a follow-up text or email without going back to the office.
What You Should Know:
PaintScout CRM isn't a full project management system. You're not managing crew schedules, tracking labor hours post sale, or coordinating complex job workflows. If you need that level of production control, you'll still need another tool for scheduling and dispatch. It's also painting specific, which is a feature if you're in painting, but a limitation if you've diversified into other services (carpentry, deck work, etc.).
The learning curve is minimal. Most painting contractors get productive within a day. But if you're running a massive operation with dozens of team members and complex multi-phase workflows, you might outgrow it eventually (though most painting companies don't hit that ceiling).
What It Costs and What You Get:
Straightforward per user pricing with no hidden add-ons. You pay for what you use, and there are no surprise fees when you add team members.
Best For: Painting contractors who want one integrated system for lead tracking, estimating, and sales management. Contractors with 1 to 30 people on the team who want to focus on sales efficiency.
2. Jobber
Jobber is a comprehensive field service management platform used by thousands of service contractors including plumbers, electricians, HVAC, and painting contractors. It handles scheduling, dispatch, invoicing, payments, and customer communication.
How It Actually Works:
Jobber's visual scheduling calendar allows you to drag jobs onto crew members' schedules with automatic phone notifications. Crews can access job details, take before/after photos, mark work complete, and collect payments from mobile devices. Clients automatically receive appointment reminders via text or email.
Customer records include comprehensive job history, invoices, quotes, and notes all organized in one place. The quote builder creates and sends estimates with line items, labor, materials, and tax calculations. Invoicing integrates with estimates, allowing you to send invoices automatically, accept online payments, and track payment status.
The mobile app allows field crews to access everything they need on the go, including updating job status, communicating with customers, and processing payments. Jobber also includes a client hub where customers can view service history, make payments, and request quotes through a branded portal.
What You Should Know:
Jobber's CRM pipeline includes lead tracking with customizable stages, providing basic sales pipeline functionality. The platform is primarily designed around service delivery and operations management. The quote builder works well for service packages but for complex painting estimates with detailed room-by-room breakdowns and multiple surface types, many painting contractors create estimates in specialized software and enter final numbers into Jobber.
What It Costs and What You Get:
Mid to high range pricing with different plan tiers. Pricing increases based on the number of users on your account.
Best For: Painting contractors whose primary challenge is coordinating field crews and keeping operations running smoothly. Companies where scheduling and dispatch are the biggest bottleneck rather than top-of-funnel sales processes.
3. DripJobs
DripJobs is a CRM platform built for contractors, offering pipeline management, automated messaging, and work order features.
How It Actually Works:
The automation capabilities are comprehensive. Set up drip campaigns that trigger based on lead source, service type, or customer actions. For example: "If a lead comes in from Facebook, send them a welcome email, then send a second email in 2 days with case studies, then a third email in 5 days asking if they want to schedule a site visit." Once configured, these sequences run automatically.
You can customize messaging based on service type, lead source, and customer segment, creating different communication paths for interior, exterior, or commercial jobs. The visual pipeline uses contractor-focused stages like Inquiry, Site Visit Booked, Estimate Sent, Approved, and Scheduled. Lead capture tools integrate with your website, Facebook Ads, and Google Ads.
DripJobs includes scheduling functionality, work order management, and customer messaging tools. You can schedule jobs, assign them to crews, and communicate updates to customers throughout the project lifecycle.
What You Should Know:
The estimating capabilities are template-based rather than highly detailed, designed for quick estimates using preset pricing structures. For complex painting projects where pricing varies significantly based on surface types, square footage calculations, and room-specific details, many contractors create detailed estimates elsewhere and use DripJobs primarily for its CRM and automation features.
DripJobs includes scheduling and work orders, but contractors running larger crews or needing sophisticated production planning may need additional tools. SMS messaging is available with per-message pricing and certain advanced automation features are an additional cost beyond the base subscription.
What It Costs and What You Get:
Base pricing is competitive with additional costs for SMS credits and certain automation features.
Best For: Painting contractors who struggle with consistent follow-up and lead nurturing. If your challenge is remembering to follow up with prospects and staying in touch throughout the sales cycle, DripJobs addresses those specific needs.
4. HubSpot CRM
HubSpot is one of the most widely-used CRM platforms globally, serving companies across virtually every industry. It offers comprehensive tools for contact management, sales pipeline management, email marketing, and business analytics.
How It Actually Works:
HubSpot's contact database tracks every interaction, calls, emails, meetings, deals, website visits, in one centralized, searchable system. The pipeline visualization uses drag-and-drop functionality and can be extensively customized with custom fields, multiple pipelines for different service lines, and configurations to match your specific business processes.
The platform includes powerful email marketing tools with templates, campaign builders, A/B testing capabilities, and detailed performance analytics. You can create landing pages, forms, and automated email sequences directly within the platform. The automation builder allows you to create workflows that trigger based on virtually any customer action or data point.
The reporting and analytics capabilities are enterprise-grade with custom dashboards, conversion rate tracking, marketing channel analysis, and sales forecasting. The platform integrates with hundreds of other business tools.
What You Should Know:
HubSpot is designed as a general-purpose CRM rather than specifically for contractors. You won't find painting-specific features built in and will need to configure custom fields and properties to capture painting-specific information. There is no native estimating functionality, you'll need to create estimates in separate software and manually enter information into HubSpot or set up integrations.
The platform offers a free tier with basic functionality, but the features that make HubSpot powerful, advanced automation, custom reporting, email marketing campaigns, are available in paid tiers. Setup and configuration require significant time investment, and many businesses hire consultants to help with initial setup.
What It Costs and What You Get:
Free tier with limited functionality. Professional tier starts around $500 per month for one user. Enterprise tier begins at $1,200+ per month. Additional users increase monthly costs. Many businesses work with consultants for initial setup which can range from $2,000 to $5,000 or more.
Best For: Larger painting companies (50+ employees) with dedicated sales and marketing personnel. Companies running sophisticated marketing campaigns across multiple channels who need detailed attribution and analytics.
5. Estimate Rocket
Estimate Rocket positions itself as an all-in-one solution for service contractors, combining estimating, CRM, project management, and invoicing in a single platform.
How It Actually Works:
The estimating engine is designed with contractors in mind, offering template libraries for common job types, line-item estimates, and the ability to apply labor rates and material costs. You can store pricing for different services and quickly assemble estimates by selecting from your saved items. Customizable proposal templates can be branded with your company logo and sent digitally for client review and approval.
The CRM functionality provides lead tracking with pipeline stages, allowing you to see which leads are in which stage of your sales process, set reminders for follow-ups, and track sales activity. The system stores customer contact information, communication history, and notes.
Once a job is sold, project management features allow you to track job progress, assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and manage project timelines. The invoicing system connects to your estimates, allowing you to convert estimates to invoices and track payment status with online payment acceptance.
What You Should Know:
Estimate Rocket covers multiple business functions but may not go as deep in any single area compared to specialized tools. The CRM features provide basic pipeline management and lead tracking without sophisticated automation capabilities found in dedicated CRM platforms. Automation features are limited to basic reminders and task creation.
The platform is designed to be competent across estimating, CRM, project management, and invoicing rather than exceptional at any one function. For many contractors, this represents a practical tradeoff, one system that handles multiple needs adequately.
What It Costs and What You Get:
Straightforward pricing without complex tier structures. Generally reasonable cost for access to multiple business functions.
Best For: Contractors who want a single platform for estimating and basic lead tracking without needing advanced CRM automation. Small to medium-sized teams that prioritize simplicity and having one system to learn rather than multiple specialized tools.
6. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM known for its clean, visual interface and straightforward approach to pipeline management. It's used by sales teams across many industries.
How It Actually Works:
Pipedrive's visual pipeline allows you to see all your deals laid out across customizable stages with drag-and-drop simplicity. You can customize your pipeline stages to match your sales process "New Lead," "Site Visit Scheduled," "Estimate Sent," "Negotiating," and "Closed Won."
The automation capabilities include rules like "If a deal sits in this stage for X days, send me a reminder" or "When a deal moves to this stage, create a follow-up task." Pipedrive syncs with your email, so all communication with prospects and customers is logged in the system.
The mobile app is well-designed and functional, allowing you to manage your entire pipeline, update deals, make calls, and send emails from your phone. Activity tracking logs calls, emails, meetings, and other interactions, and reporting features provide insights into conversion rates, bottlenecks, and sales metrics.
What You Should Know:
Pipedrive is exclusively a sales CRM. It doesn't include scheduling, dispatch, crew coordination, project management, or estimating functionality. You'll need to create estimates using other software and manually enter relevant information into Pipedrive.
For painting contractors, this means using Pipedrive specifically for sales pipeline management and lead tracking while handling estimating, scheduling, invoicing, and operations in separate systems. Pipedrive integrates with many other business tools through native connections and Zapier.
What It Costs and What You Get:
Multiple pricing tiers based on features, with affordable per-user monthly costs compared to enterprise CRMs.
Best For: Very small painting companies, solo painters or 2-3 person crews, who need a straightforward way to organize leads and track sales without requiring estimating, scheduling, or operations management in the same tool.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Which CRM Actually Makes Sense for Your Painting Business
Here's the thing: there's no single "best CRM" for painting contractors because it depends on what you actually need in your business right now.
Ask yourself these questions:
What's your biggest pain point right now? Are you losing leads? Forgetting to follow up? Struggling to coordinate your team? Can't figure out where your profitable customers are coming from? Your answer determines which tool actually solves your problem.
How many people are on your team? A solo painter has very different needs than a 10 person crew.
How complex are your estimates? Are you doing simple, commoditized painting, or complex, highly customized projects?
Do you already have tools you love? If you're already using PaintScout for estimating and love it, you probably want a CRM that integrates well. If you're using a different estimating tool, that changes the calculus.
What's your budget? HubSpot costs significantly more than Pipedrive. Is the additional functionality worth it for your size?
How much setup and integration headache can you tolerate? Some platforms require weeks of configuration. Others work out of the box.
Our take
Look, we're biased, not ignorant. For some of you, our competitors will be a better option. What we're trying to demonstrate is when PaintScout is right fit for your business. We built PaintScout because we got tired of hearing painting contractors say things like: "I love my estimating software, but my CRM is a pain" or "I love my CRM, but I have to estimate in three other apps" or "I'm spending $2,000 per month on tools that don't talk to each other."
We thought there had to be a better way, so we built it.
But that's not to say the other platforms are bad. They're not.
Jobber is genuinely great for operations. If your challenge is coordinating crews and keeping clients informed, Jobber excels. DripJobs nails automation. If your challenge is remembering to follow up, DripJobs solves that. HubSpot is a powerhouse if you have the bandwidth and budget to use it. Pipedrive is clean and simple if you just want basic lead tracking on a budget.
They each solve something real for different types of contractors.
The question isn't "which CRM is objectively best?" It's "which CRM solves my specific problem right now, and fits my budget and team size?"
Pick the one that solves your biggest bottleneck first.
Ready to Make a Decision?
You could spend another week reading reviews and watching demos. Or you could just try one and see if it works for your business.
If you think PaintScout CRM might be the fit you've been looking for, or if you're on the fence between two options and want to talk through your specific situation, book a demo. See how it works with your workflow. Talk to a real person about your specific challenges and what you're trying to solve.
If you're leaning toward one of the other platforms after reading this, great. Pick the one that solves your biggest problem first. You can always switch later. Though most contractors who try PaintScout end up staying.