Paythepoolman bills on a headcount meter. Skimmer bills on a location meter. Those units are not interchangeable, so this page does not name a cheaper product or a winner. Figures are from vendor pages checked 2026-09-06. We have not tested either app.
Two different meters
Verified fact: Paythepoolman publishes a homepage calculator of $50/mo base + $15/mo per technician. One technician is $65/mo on that calculator (2026-09-06). Technician count is the meter. Location count is not.
Verified fact: Skimmer pricing bills per serviced location per month, not per visit and not per technician. Multiple bodies of water at one address count as one location. The page states unlimited technicians and admins on Getting Started and Scaling Up.
You cannot subtract a technician dollar from a location dollar and get a breakeven. The meters count different things.
Paythepoolman published prices
Verified fact: Public Paythepoolman homepage calculator, 2026-09-06.
| 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| Processor percentage | Unpublished |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 | Custom pricing |
| Support | Mon–Fri 8:00am–4pm EST, free |
Worked examples use only $50 + $15 × technicians. They omit Pool Junction, the convenience fee, and payroll.
| 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 Those fetched pages do not publish a separate Plus price.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.
Skimmer published prices
Verified fact: Public Skimmer pricing, 2026-09-06.
| Plan | What the page publishes |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | $49/mo including 49 serviced locations, then $1/mo per additional location |
| Scaling Up | $98/mo including 49 serviced locations, then $2/mo per additional location |
| Enterprise | Custom |
| Seats | Unlimited technicians and admins on both public plans |
| Processor percentage | Unpublished |
Worked examples on Scaling Up use only the published formula $98 + (locations − 49) × $2. Getting Started at 1–49 locations is $49. Getting Started above the floor is $49 + (locations − 49) × $1.
| Serviced locations | Plan used | Published math | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–49 | Getting Started | Floor price | $49 |
| 1–49 | Scaling Up | Floor price | $98 |
| 80 | Getting Started | $49 + (80 − 49) × $1 | $80 |
| 80 | Scaling Up | $98 + (80 − 49) × $2 | $160 |
| 150 | Getting Started | $49 + (150 − 49) × $1 | $150 |
| 150 | Scaling Up | $98 + (150 − 49) × $2 | $300 |
Verified fact: The Skimmer help FAQ (updated 2026-08-25) confirms the same floor formula at 80 locations: about $80 on Getting Started and about $160 on Scaling Up. That is confirmation of the published math, not a third promo.
The pricing page advertises a free first month on Scaling Up. It also advertises a 30-day risk-free refund guarantee. The help FAQ describes a first month at $49, then standard pricing. Those are three different offers. This page does not merge them.
Units side by side
| Paythepoolman | Skimmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Billable unit | Technician (base + per-tech). Headcount meter. | Serviced location / month. Location meter. |
| What counts as one unit | One technician on the homepage calculator | One address (multiple bodies still one location); not per visit |
| Published rate | $50/mo + $15/mo per technician ($65 at 1 tech) | Getting Started $49/mo for 1–49 locations, then $1/location. Scaling Up $98/mo floor including 49, then $2/location |
| Office / admin seats | Not separated on the fetched calculator | Unlimited admins stated on both public plans |
| What does not move the bill | Location count | Technician count |
| Processor percentage | Unpublished | Unpublished |
Feature lists, savings pitches, and review scores are omitted here. See each Paythepoolman and Skimmer profile for documented functions, still without a field test. Public operator-review volume for Paythepoolman is thin; that profile does not invent a Capterra or G2 score.
Same-shop cells
These cells apply the published formulas to the same technician and location counts. Skimmer’s total does not change when technician count changes. Paythepoolman’s total does not change when location count changes. Optional Pool Junction (+$25/mo) and card fees are excluded.
| Shop | Paythepoolman software | Skimmer Getting Started | Skimmer Scaling Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tech / 49 locations | $65 | $49 | $98 |
| 1 tech / 80 locations | $65 | $80 | $160 |
| 3 techs / 80 locations | $95 | $80 | $160 |
| 5 techs / 150 locations | $125 | $150 | $300 |
Editorial judgment: Read the cells as unit arithmetic, not a ranking. Getting Started at 49 locations is $49; Paythepoolman at 1 tech is $65; Scaling Up at 49 is $98. At 5 techs / 150 locations the Paythepoolman calculator is $125 and Skimmer is $150 or $300 depending on plan. Chemistry gates, offline docs, and QuickBooks copy still differ. Get both quotes.
Documented feature gates
These are published claims, not a field test.
Verified fact: Skimmer puts the Orenda LSI calculator, LaMotte, and the route optimizer on Scaling Up and above, not Getting Started (pricing). The same page puts a route builder on Getting Started.
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: Paythepoolman home and features pages advertise GPS tracking, a built-in timeclock, route optimization, contactless bidding, and invoice SMS. Payroll is listed at custom pricing. The optional Pool Junction customer app is $25/mo.
Verified fact: Skimmer documents offline field use on its offline Q&A and help FAQ. We have not confirmed every workflow (photos, invoices, signatures) while offline.
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.
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. Ask for a written quote and see the QuickBooks guide.
Verified fact: Skimmer QBO help documents one-way Skimmer to QBO. Invoices and payments sync only when paid.
Verified fact: The features page advertises a “Skimmer Customer Importer.” That is a published marketing claim. It is not a field test of migration quality.
Editorial judgment: If daily work is readings, LSI, and a stop list with weak cell service, Skimmer publishes those claims on Scaling Up and documents offline; Paythepoolman publishes Orenda/LaMotte on Plus with no public Plus price and does not claim offline. If the constraint is a rising technician count with a flat location count, Paythepoolman’s published $50 + $15/tech formula is the one that moves. Confirm chemistry, offline, and QuickBooks in a trial.
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?
- Skimmer: at my serviced-location count, am I on Getting Started or Scaling Up, and is a location still one address if I visit weekly?
- Skimmer: which first-month offer is on my quote, Scaling Up free, the $49 help-FAQ month, or the 30-day refund, and what is month two?
- Both: which offline workflows (photos, invoices, signatures) work without cell service?
- Paythepoolman: what does the Skimmer Customer Importer actually move, and what is lost?
- Both: what is included in that total (texts, payments, GPS), what is the processor percentage, and what happens to my data if I cancel?
What we are not claiming
This page does not rank a winner. We have not tested either app. We are not publishing a Capterra or G2 score. We are not using homepage promo codes as list price. We are not using Paythepoolman’s “avg competitor $160” savings pitch. We are not confirming a QuickBooks sync. We are not confirming Paythepoolman offline. We are not inventing a Plus price. We are not inventing a processor percentage for either product. We are not treating the Skimmer importer as a tested migration. We do not earn commissions from these vendors.
Ask for written totals at your technician count and your location count. Then trial the chemistry step, the offline stop, and the QuickBooks objects on the same week of invoices. Profiles and buying notes: Paythepoolman, Skimmer, solo-operator guide, small-team guide, QuickBooks guide, chemical tracking guide. Other meters: Skimmer vs Pool Brain, Jobber vs Skimmer, Poolside vs Skimmer, Jobber vs Paythepoolman, Paythepoolman vs Pool Brain, Poolside vs Paythepoolman, Pool Office Manager vs Skimmer, Pool Office Manager vs Paythepoolman.