Skimmer vs Pool Brain: price and features, side by side.
Two pool service tools that charge in two different ways. Skimmer bills for every location you service. Pool Brain bills for every field technician. This page sets out what each one's own website lists, checked October 6, 2026.
compared with
- Skimmer
- $1 or $2 a month for each serviced location
- Pool Brain
- $65 a month for each field technician, plus an office fee
- PoolStack
- $79 a month flat, every feature
Side by side
What each website lists.
| |  PoolStack | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | SkimmerPool and spa service companies of any size | Pool BrainMedium to large pool companies | PoolStackPool service and pool construction |
| Plans | SkimmerThree: Getting Started, Scaling Up and Enterprise. The feature list grows with the plan. | Pool BrainOne price. Its pricing page says all features are included. | PoolStackOne tier, every feature |
| What you are charged for | SkimmerEvery location you service: $1 a month each on Getting Started, $2 on Scaling Up. Enterprise is priced on request. | Pool BrainEvery active field technician: $65 a month each, on top of a monthly office fee. | PoolStack$79 a month flat. It does not go up as you add pools, techs or users. |
| Minimum or base fee | Skimmer$49 a month on Getting Started and $98 on Scaling Up. Each covers 49 locations. | Pool BrainNot checked | PoolStack$79 a month |
| Example: 300 locations, 5 technicians | Skimmer300 locations at $1 is $300 a month. At $2 it is $600. | Pool Brain5 technicians at $65 is $325 a month, before the office fee. | PoolStack$79 a month |
| Users | SkimmerUnlimited technicians and admins on every plan | Pool BrainUnlimited office users. Each field technician is charged. | PoolStackAdding a tech or a user does not change the price |
| Routes | SkimmerRoute Builder on every plan. Route Optimization is listed in Scaling Up. | Pool BrainRouting with drag and drop and one click optimization | PoolStackRoute optimization |
| Water chemistry | SkimmerReadings and dosages. The LSI and dosing calculator is listed in Scaling Up. | Pool BrainDosing calculated in the app when the technician enters readings | PoolStackEvery reading against its range, LSI and a suggested dose |
| Checklists on the visit | SkimmerService checklists. Required checklist items are listed in Scaling Up. | Pool BrainGuided workflows | PoolStackGuided checklists, with required steps and photos |
| Billing | SkimmerInvoicing and online payments on every plan. AutoPay is listed in its plan table. | Pool BrainInvoices and payments in the app. Automatic or manual billing, per visit or flat rate. | PoolStackInvoices, any day Auto Pay and dual pricing |
| Quotes | SkimmerQuotes and estimates are listed in Scaling Up | Pool BrainQuotes sent from the app or the web | PoolStackQuotes and estimates the customer approves on a phone |
| Customer portal and QuickBooks | SkimmerCustomer portal on every plan. QuickBooks Online sync is listed in its plan table. | Pool BrainCustomer portal. Two way sync with QuickBooks. | PoolStackCustomer portal. QuickBooks Online sync, in the one price. |
| Mobile app | SkimmerA mobile app is listed in its plan table | Pool BrainOn the App Store and Google Play. Its site says the app works with no cell signal. | PoolStackTechnician app on iPhone and Android |
| Trying it first | SkimmerA 30 day refund guarantee. The first month of Scaling Up is free for new users, as a limited offer. | Pool BrainA 30 day free trial, with free setup | PoolStack30 days, with your data brought over |
| Pool construction | SkimmerNone in any Skimmer plan | Pool BrainNone listed on its website | PoolStackGantt scheduling, daily logs, permits, inspections and build draws |
Each company's column repeats what its own website said on October 6, 2026. "Listed" means a page on its site names the tool. Not checked means we could not read the figure. Card processing is a separate cost, so compare software plus processing.
The two products
What each one is.
What Skimmer is
Built for
Pool and spa service companies of any size
Skimmer is pool service software for routing, scheduling and billing. Its website says it is for pool and spa service companies of any size.
Its pricing page has three plans. Getting Started is described as for businesses servicing up to 49 pools a month, Scaling Up for 50 to 1,000, and Enterprise for more than 1,000.
Getting Started lists Route Builder, invoicing and online payments, service reports and a customer portal. Scaling Up adds quotes and estimates, recurring work orders, Route Optimization and an LSI and dosing calculator.
The same page lists add ons: service texts at $0.029 a message on Getting Started, an AI phone line at $99 a month, a marketing suite at $150 a month and bookkeeping from $198 a month.
No Skimmer plan lists construction tools.
What Pool Brain is
Built for
Medium to large pool companies
Pool Brain is pool company software. Its website says it is for medium to large businesses.
Its features page lists quotes, jobs and route stops, invoices and payments, routing, guided workflows, custom alerts, multiple bodies of water, chemical use and dosing, filter clean scheduling, technician pay, equipment tracking, a customer portal and QuickBooks sync.
Its pricing page shows one price in two parts: a monthly fee that covers unlimited office users, and $65 a month for each active field technician. The page says all features and setup are included.
Its app is on the App Store and Google Play. Its site says the app works with no username, password or cell signal.
Its website lists no construction tools.
The differences
Where the two differ.
What the bill grows with
Skimmer charges for each location you service: $1 a month on Getting Started, $2 on Scaling Up. Its pricing page says a location is billed once a month however many visits or bodies of water it has, and is not billed in a month with no service. Pool Brain charges for each active field technician: $65 a month, plus an office fee. Past the minimums, each Pool Brain technician adds as much to the bill as 65 Skimmer locations on the $1 plan, or about 32 on the $2 plan.
A worked example
Take 300 locations and 5 technicians. Skimmer: 300 at $1 is $300 a month, and 300 at $2 is $600. Pool Brain: 5 at $65 is $325 a month, before the office fee. Pool Brain's own comparison page prices 3 technicians at $245 a month. Three at $65 is $195, so that figure is $50 more than the technician charge alone.
Plans or one price
Skimmer's features depend on the plan. Route Optimization, the LSI and dosing calculator, quotes and estimates, recurring work orders and live phone support are listed in Scaling Up, the $2 plan. The Getting Started list does not include them. Pool Brain's pricing page says all features come with its one price.
What neither lists
No Skimmer plan lists construction tools, and Pool Brain's website lists none. If you build or remodel pools, neither list covers that work.
With PoolStack
Where PoolStack fits.
PoolStack runs weekly pool service and pool construction in one app. It is $79 a month flat, with one tier and every feature. It does not go up as you add pools, techs or users.
The build side has Gantt scheduling, daily logs, permits, inspections and build draws. The trial is 30 days, and we bring your data over.
Route optimization
Build the week in minutes. Rebuild it when a tech calls out.
Guided checklists
The same steps at every stop. Make a step required, or ask for a photo.
Chemical tracking
Every reading against its range, and what the chemicals cost.
Any day Auto Pay
Pick the billing day for each recurring service. Auto Pay collects on it.
Dual pricing
Show the card price on every quote and invoice. Bank, cash and check pay your regular price.
Customer portal
Customers see their visits, invoices and build, and pay online.
Gantt scheduling
Every phase of the build on one chart, with the jobs that depend on each other linked.
Build draws
Bill the build by milestone, and see what's paid.
How to choose
Five things to check.
Count locations and technicians.
Multiply your serviced locations by $1 or $2 for Skimmer. Multiply your field technicians by $65 for Pool Brain, then add its office fee.
Check the plan, not only the product.
On Skimmer, look at which plan lists the tools you need. Route Optimization and the LSI and dosing calculator are listed in the $2 plan.
Add up both costs.
The subscription is one. Card processing is the other. Compare the two added together.
Will you ever build or remodel?
If you will, look for build scheduling, permits and draws in the same app as your routes.
Ask how your data gets in.
A good switch brings your customers, routes and service history over, and lets you run both side by side.
Method
How this page was made.
PoolStack publishes this page. We make software for pool service and pool construction companies, so read it knowing that.
Every fact about Skimmer comes from Skimmer's own website. Every fact about Pool Brain comes from Pool Brain's own website. We read each page on October 6, 2026.
Where a website does not list something, we say it is not listed. That is a statement about the website, not about the product. Where we could not read a figure, the table says Not checked. One line is marked that way: the amount of Pool Brain's monthly office fee, which its pricing page works out in a calculator.
We did not use review sites, ratings or anything one company says about the other. Prices and plans change.
What this page says about Skimmer comes from Skimmer's own website, checked October 6, 2026: getskimmer.com, getskimmer.com/pricing. If something has changed, tell us and we will fix it.
What this page says about Pool Brain comes from Pool Brain's own website, checked October 6, 2026: poolbrain.com, poolbrain.com/features, poolbrain.com/pricing, poolcompanysoftware.poolbrain.com/skimmer-vs-poolbrain. If something has changed, tell us and we will fix it.
Questions, straight answers.
The price, who each is for, and what each website lists.
More questions? Email us
Is Skimmer or Pool Brain cheaper?
It depends on how many locations you service and how many technicians you run. Skimmer is $1 or $2 a month for each serviced location. Pool Brain is $65 a month for each active field technician, plus an office fee (checked October 6, 2026). At 300 locations and 5 technicians, Skimmer is $300 or $600 a month and Pool Brain is $325 before the office fee. Card processing is a separate cost, so compare software plus processing.
How does Skimmer pricing work?
Skimmer's pricing page lists Getting Started at $1 a month for each serviced location, starting at $49 a month, and Scaling Up at $2 a month for each serviced location, starting at $98 a month. Each minimum covers 49 locations. Enterprise is priced on request. A location is billed once a month however many times you visit it (checked October 6, 2026).
How does Pool Brain pricing work?
Pool Brain's pricing page shows a monthly fee that covers unlimited office users, plus $65 a month for each active field technician. It says all features and setup are included. The page works the office fee out in a calculator, and we did not check that amount. Pool Brain's own comparison page gives $245 a month for 3 technicians (checked October 6, 2026).
Is Skimmer for small companies and Pool Brain for large ones?
Here is what each website says. Skimmer says it is for pool and spa service companies of any size, and describes its plans by pools serviced a month: up to 49, 50 to 1,000, and more than 1,000. Pool Brain says it is for medium to large businesses (checked October 6, 2026).
Do both have route optimization and chemical dosing?
Both websites list them. Skimmer lists Route Optimization and an LSI and dosing calculator in its Scaling Up plan, and Route Builder in every plan. Pool Brain's features page lists routing with one click optimization, and dosing calculated in the app when the technician enters readings (checked October 6, 2026).
Does Skimmer or Pool Brain handle pool construction?
No Skimmer plan lists construction tools, and Pool Brain's website lists none (checked October 6, 2026). PoolStack has Gantt scheduling, daily logs, permits, inspections and build draws in the same app as service routes.
Can I try either one before paying?
Skimmer's pricing page has a 30 day refund guarantee, and a limited offer of a free first month on its Scaling Up plan for new users. Pool Brain's website offers a 30 day free trial with free setup (checked October 6, 2026). PoolStack's trial is 30 days and includes bringing your data over.
Book a demo.
Give us a little context about your operation. We'll show how PoolStack fits your routes, field team, construction work, and current software.
- 01No generic sales deck
- 02Migration questions answered directly
- 03A clear next step, even if PoolStack is not the fit
Tell us where to reach you.
Six quick fields. Then you will see the available times.