Paythepoolman bills a $50 base plus $15 per technician. Pool Brain bills per active field technician. Those meters are not interchangeable, so this page does not name a cheaper product or a winner. Figures are from vendor pages checked 2026-09-10. We have not tested either app.
Two different meters
Verified fact: Paythepoolman is pool-native software. It publishes a homepage calculator of $50/mo base + $15/mo per technician. One technician is $65/mo on that calculator (2026-09-10). Technician count is the meter. Location count is not.
Verified fact: Pool Brain markets pool company software: scheduling, billing, chemicals, alerts, and technician management. Public pricing bills per active field technician at $65/tech. That is the only HTML-locked dollar amount on the fetched page. The page does not define “active.” It states unlimited office users. Office-user and base totals are unpublished in the HTML.
Both products say “technician.” A Paythepoolman technician on the homepage calculator is not a Pool Brain active field technician. You cannot subtract one published number from the other and get a breakeven.
See each Paythepoolman and Pool Brain profile for documented functions, still without a field test. Third-party operator snippets already on those profiles are not new quotes and not a PoolProStack test.
How you pay
Verified fact: Public Paythepoolman homepage calculator, 2026-09-10.
| Line | What the page publishes |
|---|---|
| Base | $50/mo |
| Per technician | $15/mo |
| 1 technician total | $65/mo |
| Pool Junction customer app | $25/mo optional |
| Convenience fee | $1.50/transaction advertised |
| Processor percentage | Unpublished |
| Trial | 30-day free trial advertised |
| Payroll | No public dollar amount on the fetched pages |
| Support | Mon–Fri 8:00am–4pm EST, free |
Worked examples use only $50 + $15 × technicians. They omit Pool Junction, the convenience fee, and payroll. Ignore third-party pages that still say $10/tech. The homepage calculator is $15/tech.
| Technicians | Published math | Monthly software |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50 + $15 | $65 |
| 3 | $50 + $15 × 3 | $95 |
| 5 | $50 + $15 × 5 | $125 |
Unverified: The homepage says the Orenda calculator is included FREE with Plus. The features page repeats Orenda free with Plus. Those fetched pages do not publish a separate Plus price. Ask the vendor what Plus costs on your quote.
Verified fact: Pool Brain pricing bills per active field technician at $65/tech. That is the only HTML-locked dollar amount on the fetched page. The page does not define “active.” It states unlimited office users. Office-user and base totals are unpublished in the HTML.
Verified fact: The public picker labels start at 5, 10, 15, and continue through 50. There are no 1–4 technician presets on the fetched page. The heading is ALL FEATURES + FREE SETUP.
| Field techs | What is published | What this page will not treat as the monthly plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unit price $65/tech. No preset. Total unpublished. | $65 as a 1-tech monthly plan |
| 3 | No 3-tech preset. $65 × 3 = $195 is line arithmetic only. | $195 as a published monthly plan |
| 5 | Picker includes 5. $65 × 5 = $325 is line arithmetic only. | $325 as the published monthly plan |
Editorial judgment: Use $65/tech as a unit, not as a checkout total. Do not treat $65 as a solo plan. Do not treat $195 or $325 as published monthly plans. Ask Pool Brain for a written quote at your actual tech count, including how they define “active” and what office users cost.
Units side by side
| Paythepoolman | Pool Brain | |
|---|---|---|
| Billable unit | Technician (base + per-tech). Headcount meter. | Active field technician |
| What counts as one unit | One technician on the homepage calculator | “Active” is not defined on the fetched page |
| Published 1-unit rate | $50/mo + $15/mo per technician ($65 at 1 tech) | $65 per active field technician. 1-tech monthly total unpublished |
| What moves the bill | Each additional technician | Each additional active field technician |
| What does not move the bill | Location count | Customer count; extra stops at one account; extra office users as stated |
| Office / admin seats | Not separated on the fetched calculator | Unlimited office users stated; HTML totals unpublished |
| Public calculator presets | Technician stepper. No location meter | Picker starts at 5, 10, 15 … 50. No 1–4 presets |
| First-month offer | 30-day free trial advertised | Home: 30-day free trial. Pricing CTA: “Start free trial” with no day count. Do not merge those. |
| Feature gate on price | Orenda free with Plus; Plus dollars unpublished | Pricing heading: all features + free setup |
| Processor / payment fee | $1.50/transaction advertised. Processor percentage unpublished | Features claim card or ACH auto-pay with a decline retry. Processor percentage unpublished |
| Support hours | Homepage: Mon–Fri 8:00am–4pm EST, free | Not locked from the fetched home, features, or pricing HTML |
Same-shop cells
These cells apply published formulas to the same field headcount. Paythepoolman “technicians” and Pool Brain “active field technicians” are different units. Optional Pool Junction (+$25/mo), card fees, and unpublished office-user dollars are excluded.
| Shop | Paythepoolman published | Pool Brain published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person in the field | $65 ($50 + $15) | Gap. No 1-tech preset. Monthly total unpublished. Not $65 as a plan. |
| 3 people in the field | $95 ($50 + $15 × 3) | Gap. No 3-tech preset. $195 is $65 × 3 line arithmetic only. Not a published plan. |
| 5 people in the field | $125 ($50 + $15 × 5) | $325 is the $65 × 5 tech component only. Not the monthly plan. |
Editorial judgment: Read the cells as unit arithmetic, not a ranking. At one person, Paythepoolman publishes $65 and Pool Brain does not publish a checkout total. At three people, Paythepoolman publishes $95 and Pool Brain does not publish a 3-tech checkout. At five people, Paythepoolman publishes $125 and Pool Brain’s public page only locks the $325 tech line. Chemistry, offline, payments, and QuickBooks copy still differ. Get both quotes.
Chemistry, offline, payments, and accounting
These are published claims, not a field test.
Verified fact: Paythepoolman’s homepage and features page advertise the Orenda calculator as free with Plus. The features page claims LaMotte SpinTouch integration in the Plus app. Plus is not separately priced on those fetched pages.
Verified fact: Pool Brain Orenda claims a native Orenda calculator and predicted LSI. Pool Brain LaMotte claims Spin Touch import. Pricing puts those on the all-features $65/tech unit.
Unverified: Paythepoolman offline mobile behavior is not claimed on the fetched home or features pages. Treat offline as unknown until the vendor writes it down.
Verified fact: Pool Brain home and features claim the technician app works offline with no signal. We have not confirmed every workflow (invoices, signatures) while offline.
Verified fact: The Paythepoolman homepage advertises a $1.50/transaction convenience fee. A processor percentage is not published on the fetched home or features pages.
Verified fact: Pool Brain features claim automatic billing via credit card or ACH, with a retry if a card declines. A processor percentage is not published on the fetched home, features, or pricing pages.
Unverified: Paythepoolman QuickBooks copy conflicts. The homepage expense section says “Say Goodbye to QuickBooks.” The features page has “QuickBooks Integrations Beta,” claiming send invoices, customers, payments, and items to QuickBooks Online, plus Desktop import. The homepage feature comparison table also lists “QuickBooks Integrations.” This page does not publish a confirmed sync or a sync direction. Ask for a written quote and see the QuickBooks guide.
Verified fact: Pool Brain features claim two-way QuickBooks Online sync (customers, invoices, payments, refunds, products/services, and more). QBO help documents two-way sync with exceptions, including bundle-line invoices that do not take QBO edits back. The sync fee is unspecified.
Verified fact: Pool Brain home advertises a 30-day free trial. The pricing CTA is “Start free trial” with no day count on that page. Those are different published lines. This page does not merge them.
Editorial judgment: If daily work is Orenda, LSI, or LaMotte, both vendors publish those claims. Paythepoolman gates them on Plus with no public Plus price. Pool Brain puts them on the all-features $65/tech unit. If the constraint is a published 1-tech or 3-tech checkout, Paythepoolman publishes $65 and $95 and Pool Brain does not publish those totals. If the constraint is documented two-way QBO, Pool Brain publishes a help article with exceptions and Paythepoolman does not. Confirm chemistry, offline, payments, and QuickBooks in a trial.
Who each product is for
These are fit notes against published units and documented claims. They are not awards.
Paythepoolman is for a pool-only shop that can live with a $50 base plus $15 per technician and wants published chemistry tools on Plus. Model the calculator, then ask what Plus costs. Do not treat the $1.50 convenience fee as a processor percentage.
Paythepoolman is not for a shop that needs a confirmed QuickBooks sync in writing tonight, or documented offline field use. Those are unresolved on the fetched pages. Each new technician raises the published formula even if stop count stays flat.
Pool Brain is for a pool-only shop that can live with per-technician billing and wants published chemistry tools, offline field copy, and documented two-way QBO. Model the $65/tech unit, then ask for a written total. Do not treat $65 as a solo checkout.
Pool Brain is not for a shop that needs a published 1-tech or 3-tech monthly plan on the public picker. Each new active field technician raises the published unit even if stop count stays flat.
Headcount versus location: Paythepoolman vs Skimmer. Location versus technician: Skimmer vs Pool Brain. Seat versus headcount: Jobber vs Paythepoolman. Seat versus technician: Jobber vs Pool Brain. Headcount versus technician-and-customer-cap: Pool Brain vs Poolside. Technician-and-customer-cap versus headcount: Poolside vs Paythepoolman. Per-user versus base-plus-tech: Pool Office Manager vs Paythepoolman. Solo-operator notes, forever-free plans, and QBO object lists stay on the solo-operator guide, free software guide, and QuickBooks guide.
Questions for sales or a trial
- Paythepoolman: at my technician count, is the monthly total still $50 + $15 × technicians, and is Plus a separate paid tier for Orenda and LaMotte?
- Paythepoolman: which QuickBooks sentence applies to my account, the homepage goodbye line or the Features Beta, and can I have objects and direction in writing?
- Paythepoolman: what is the processor percentage behind the $1.50/transaction convenience fee?
- Pool Brain: what is the monthly total for my actual number of active field technicians, and how do you define “active”?
- Pool Brain: what do unlimited office users cost on that quote?
- Pool Brain: is the trial 30 days as the home page states, or the uncounted CTA on pricing, and what is month two?
- Pool Brain: what is the processor percentage on card and ACH auto-pay?
- Both: which offline workflows (photos, invoices, signatures) work without cell service, and what happens to my data if I cancel?
What we could not verify
This page does not rank a winner. We have not tested either app. We are not treating a Paythepoolman technician as a Pool Brain active field technician. We are not publishing a Pool Brain 1-tech or 3-tech monthly plan. We are not treating $65 as a solo checkout total. We are not treating $195 or $325 as published monthly plans. We are not inventing an office-user dollar amount. We are not using third-party $10/tech figures. We are not inventing a Plus price. We are not confirming Paythepoolman offline. We are not confirming a Paythepoolman QuickBooks sync or inventing a sync direction. We are not inventing a processor percentage for either product. We are not using the Paythepoolman homepage “avg competitor $160” savings pitch as list price. We are not merging Pool Brain’s 30-day home line with the pricing CTA. We do not earn commissions from these vendors.
Ask for written totals at your technician count on both meters. Then trial the chemistry step, the offline stop, and the QuickBooks objects on the same week of invoices. Buying notes: Paythepoolman, Pool Brain, small-team guide, QuickBooks guide, chemical tracking guide. Other meters: Paythepoolman vs Skimmer, Skimmer vs Pool Brain, Jobber vs Paythepoolman, Jobber vs Pool Brain, Poolside vs Paythepoolman.