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Redline vs Zuper: a crew board you run by chat.

Redline starts free for one person and adds a dispatch board on Team, with 3 seats for $129 a month. Zuper is field service software for multi-technician companies, priced per user, with a customer portal, timesheets and asset management. If your customers expect a portal or you run payroll off timesheets, Zuper has things Redline doesn't.

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The short version

Redline is built for the owner who still dispatches from the truck. The Free plan covers the chat, contacts, pipeline and calendar. Solo adds invoicing. Team ($129 a month, 3 seats) and Team+ ($299 a month, 10 seats, extra seats at $29) add the crew board, a tech app with checklists and crew chat, and assigning jobs by message. Techs tap their own status; there's no GPS.

Zuper is a field service management platform for multi-technician companies, with pages for roofing, HVAC, plumbing, electrical and solar. It covers scheduling, dispatching and work orders; techs share estimates and invoices from the mobile app and customers accept or reject quotes; a customer portal lets customers manage service requests, approve quotes and track job status; and it adds timesheets, job checklists and asset management.

Zuper prices per user, so the bill rises with each tech, and its own blog describes Starter, Core and Premium tiers, with rules-based dispatch board settings on Premium. We couldn't confirm current prices on a Zuper pricing page, so we don't list them; see Zuper's site.

Where is everybody?

Where's everyone at?

Marco: On job at the Walsh shingle repair.

Lee: En route to the Pike gutters in Cohasset.

Sam: Idle. Nothing booked until 1pm.

That's what they've tapped in the tech app. Redline doesn't track location.

Put Sam on the Dolan leak call at 11.

Done. Sam has the Dolan leak at 11am in Hingham. His phone and the board are updated.

The crew board, tech app and assigning by chat are on Team ($129, 3 seats) and up.

Redline and Zuper, side by side

	Redline	Zuper
How you use it	Chat first. You message it ("invoice Sullivan for the roof job") and it updates contacts, jobs, the calendar and invoices, asking you to confirm before it changes customer records. Web and iPhone.	Office screens for scheduling, dispatch and work orders, with a mobile app for techs.
Free plan	Yes. $0 with no end date: AI chat, contacts, pipeline, calendar, scheduling assistant, Quick-Sort and a Pro Page. 1 seat and 4,000 AI credits that don't refill.	No free plan. Zuper mentions a free trial.
Starting price	Solo at $29 a month, or $23 a month billed yearly. 7-day free trial on the web.	See Zuper's site. Priced per user.
Seats	Free and Solo: 1. Team ($129 a month): 3. Team+ ($299 a month): 10, plus extra seats at $29 each.	Per user, so each tech adds to the bill.
Quotes	Itemized quotes by chat, including from a site photo, with an optional deposit %. Good, better and best options and tax are in the Quote composer (Solo and up). Saved as drafts; you email the customer from your own Gmail. No quote link, online approval or e-sign today.	Techs share estimates from the mobile app; customers accept or reject quotes.
Invoicing and payments	Solo and up. Branded card pay links on your own Stripe account, no Redline fee on top. Card only, US dollars. Overdue flags at day 3, 7 and 14.	Techs share invoices from the mobile app. See their site for payment options.
Scheduling	Every plan. Suggests up to 3 open slots, groups visits in the same town, sets up repeating visits with one save. No calendar sync, no online booking.	Scheduling and work orders.
Dispatch	Team and up. Dispatch board, tech app, assign jobs by chat, crew chat. Techs tap their status; there's no GPS.	Dispatching, with rules-based dispatch board settings on its Premium tier.
What Zuper has that Redline doesn't	Not in Redline today.	A customer portal for service requests, quote approval and job status. Customer quote acceptance. Timesheets. Asset management.
What Redline has that Zuper doesn't	A Free plan. Seats bundled by plan (3 on Team, 10 on Team+) instead of priced per user.	No free plan. Priced per user.

Zuper details come from Zuper's own website, checked October 2026. Plans and prices change, so confirm on their site before you decide.

Who should pick which

Pick Zuper if

Customers expect a portal to request service, approve quotes and follow the job
You need timesheets from the field for payroll
You service equipment at customer sites and want asset records for it
A dispatcher runs the board and wants rules on how jobs get assigned
You have a full-time dispatcher and a tech team that keeps growing

Pick Redline if

The owner dispatches from a phone between jobs
You're 2 to 10 people and want a flat price, not a per-tech one
Techs only need their day, their checklists and crew chat, with no prices showing
You want to start free before you hire anyone
You'd rather type "put Sam on the Dolan leak" than drag cards around

Questions contractors ask

How does Redline price a crew?

By plan, not per tech. Team is $129 a month with 3 seats, and Team+ is $299 a month with 10 seats plus extra seats at $29 each. Every member holds a seat, the owner included. Techs get the app at no extra cost. See team accounts.

Does Redline track tech time or location?

No. There are no timesheets, clock-in or GPS. Techs tap Idle, En route or On job, and the board shows it. If you run payroll off field time, that's a Zuper feature Redline doesn't have.

Can customers approve quotes in Redline?

Not today. Redline builds itemized quotes with a deposit % (options and tax in the Quote composer on Solo and up), and you email them from your Gmail. There's no customer portal or online approval.

Can techs see job prices?

No. Techs never see job values, quotes or invoices in Redline; that's enforced in the database. See crew dispatch and Zuper alternatives.

Run the board from your phone.

Start free on your own, then switch on Team when the first tech starts.