Joinery Core vs Jobber — Field Service Software Won't Run a Workshop
Jobber is built for home service businesses — landscapers, cleaners, HVAC techs. It excels at dispatching workers to customer sites, sending quotes, and processing payments on the doorstep. But if you run a joinery workshop where products are built before they're installed, Jobber's model doesn't fit. Here's why.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Joinery Core | Jobber |
|---|---|---|
| Production Gantt chart | ✓ Multi-project timeline | ✗ No production view |
| Workshop-specific phases | ✓ Cutting, spraying, glazing... | ✗ Generic visits/jobs |
| Stock / timber control | ✓ With alerts | ✗ No inventory |
| Quoting | ~ Coming soon | ✓ Strong quoting |
| Invoicing | ~ Coming soon | ✓ Built-in payments |
| Client communication | ✓ Client records | ✓ Client hub + SMS |
| Scheduling | ✓ Gantt per worker | ✓ Calendar dispatch |
| Timesheets & wages | ✓ Monthly & weekly | ✓ Time tracking |
| Project financials | ✓ Per project P&L | ~ Job costing |
| GPS tracking | ✗ Workshop-based | ✓ Built-in |
| Price | From £49/month flat | From $49/month (1 user) |
| Built for | Workshop production | Field service |
Two Different Business Models
Jobber's workflow: quote → schedule visit → dispatch worker → complete job on-site → invoice. It's a linear, one-job-at-a-time flow. Perfect for a plumber fixing a boiler.
A joinery workshop's workflow: eight projects in production → ten phases per project → materials allocated → workers assigned across projects → quality control → delivery → installation. This is a multi-project, multi-phase operation that needs a production timeline, not a dispatch board.
Where Jobber Wins
If your joinery business is primarily installation and on-site work — fitting kitchens at customer homes, hanging doors, installing shopfronts — Jobber's dispatch and GPS features are valuable. Its quoting and invoicing tools are also more mature. For a one-person joiner who works on-site with no workshop, Jobber may be the better choice.
Choose Joinery Core if
- Your products are built in a workshop before installation
- You run multiple projects simultaneously
- You need timber and materials stock tracking
- You want per-project financial visibility
- Your team is workshop-based, not always on the road
Price Comparison
Jobber starts at $49 USD/month for a single user. Their "Growing" plan for teams is $149/month for up to 15 users. Joinery Core starts at £49/month for up to 5 users, and the Professional plan is £249/month with unlimited users. Both are competitively priced — the question is which tool matches your actual workflow.
The Bottom Line
Jobber is excellent for businesses that go to the customer. Joinery Core is built for businesses where the customer's product comes to the workshop first. If you have a bandsaw, a spray booth, and eight jobs on the go — you need workshop software, not field service software.
Workshop-first software for workshop-first businesses
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