Price
Past 49 serviced locations, Skimmer moves you to Scaling Up - $2.00 per location, $98 a month minimum, climbing with every pool you add. Ours is flat by tier ($29, $79, $249) and it stops climbing. Same software at 40 pools or 400.
The best Skimmer software alternative for most independent pool companies is PoolBoss. Skimmer charges per serviced location, so the bill climbs as you add pools, and route optimization and quotes sit on their $98/mo Scaling Up tier. PoolBoss charges a flat monthly rate by pool-count tier, starts free up to 20 pools, and puts every feature on every plan.
| Feature | PoolBoss | Skimmer |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat rate by pool-count tier | Per serviced location ($1-2/pool) |
| Starting price | $0 (up to 20 pools) | $49/mo minimum (0-49 locations) |
| Price with route optimization | $0 (up to 20 pools) | $98/mo minimum |
| Cost at 100 pools | $29/mo | About $200/mo |
| Free plan | Yes, up to 20 pools | No - first month free, then $49+/mo |
| Chemical tracking | Yes, on every plan | Yes |
| Proof-of-service reports | Yes, on every plan | Yes |
| Offline mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Route optimization | Every plan, including free | Scaling Up tier only |
| Quotes & estimates | Every plan, including free | Scaling Up tier only |
| Full API access | Every plan, including free | Enterprise tier only |
| Feature differences by tier | None - every feature on every plan | Lower tier has fewer features |
What’s behind the paywall
What the cheaper Skimmer plan leaves out
You have to pay more to unlock these
You do get them on Skimmer — on Scaling Up, at $2 per serviced location, $98/mo minimum
- Route optimizationScaling Up
- Quotes & estimatesScaling Up
- Job managementScaling Up
- SchedulingScaling Up
- Required checklistsScaling Up
- Broadcast emailsScaling Up
- Live phone supportScaling Up
Then there are the add-ons. Their phone-answering product is a separate $99/mo line item on top of your subscription. We'd rather put that money into software you use every day.
Included on every PoolBoss plan
Including Free — up to 20 pools, no card
- Route optimization
- Quotes & estimates
- Job management
- Schedule
- Dosing calculator
- Customer emails
- Chemical tracking
- Offline mobile app
- Customer portal
- QuickBooks sync
Everything in that second column is on the free plan. You can have it running this afternoon.
Join the waitlistWhat you’d pay as you grow
PoolBoss is flat by pool count and never charges per tech or per seat, so the bill flattens out. Here is the same growth on each tool, from a starter route to a large fleet.
| Pools | Skimmer | PoolBoss |
|---|---|---|
| 20 pools | $98/mo | Free |
| 50 pools | $100/mo | $29/mo |
| 100 pools | $200/mo | $29/mo |
| 250 pools | $500/mo | $79/mo |
| 500 pools | $1,000/mo | $249/mo |
| 1,000 pools | $2,000/mo | $249/mo |
Why pool companies look for a Skimmer alternative
Skimmer is the established name and it's a capable product. The reason operators shop around is the price. Skimmer charges per serviced location, so the bill grows every time you add a pool. In 2024 Skimmer split its single all-inclusive plan into tiers and moved capabilities like route optimization, quotes & estimates, and live phone support behind the new $2-per-location Scaling Up tier - so for a company servicing 50 or more pools, the effective rate went from $1 to $2. Go further up and the gating continues: full public API access is reserved for an Enterprise plan above Scaling Up.
PoolBoss charges a flat rate by pool-count tier instead. A 100-pool company pays one predictable price, not a per-pool tab. See the pricing by pool count.
What Skimmer does well
Credit where it's due: Skimmer is easy to use, its offline mode is solid, and its proof-of-service emails are a genuine strength. If you're already on Skimmer and the per-pool cost doesn't bother you, it's a fine product.
Skimmer's real edge is maturity. It's been in the market longer, with a bigger installed base and more years of polish behind it. PoolBoss matches it on offline sync and a customer portal; what Skimmer has is the head start.
Where PoolBoss is the better fit
If the per-pool meter is what's bothering you, PoolBoss is the cleaner deal: flat pricing, a real free tier, and the same pool-specific basics like route management and chemical tracking on every plan with nothing stripped out of the cheap tier. See what each tier covers.
Not a promise — the actual screens
Your Monday, in PoolBoss
You already know what Monday looks like in Skimmer. Here is the same day in ours, start to finish — including the tools they put on the higher plan. Nothing on this page is on a paid tier.
5:45 AM
Open the laptop. The day's already built.
Routes are assigned, stops are in driving order, and anything that needs a decision is sitting at the top. You're not planning the day - you're glancing at it and pouring coffee.
Dashboard — every plan, including free
app.poolboss.app/today
Today
Monday, March 17
Search customers, pools…
Ray Tolliver
Owner
Stops today
38
▲ 4 vs last Monday
Techs out
3 of 4
Tomas starts 7:00
Needs review
2
1 chemistry · 1 overdue
Collected this week
$4,180
▲ $610 vs last week
Routes in progress
View all routes →| Technician | Route | Progress | Est. finish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Marcus BellTruck 2 | Westside Monday | 2 / 12 | 2:40 PM | ON ROUTE |
Dana ReyesTruck 1 | North Loop | 5 / 14 | 3:15 PM | ON ROUTE |
Tomas KineTruck 3 | Commercial — East | 0 / 8 | 4:50 PM | STARTS 7:00 |
Ray TolliverTruck 4 | Fill-ins & callbacks | 3 / 4 | 11:20 AM | ON ROUTE |
Needs your attention
!The Alvarez Pool — pH 8.4Second high reading in a rowREVIEW
$Holloway Residence — $468.93Invoice 1038 · 14 days overdueREMIND
Unassigned stops0
Quotes awaiting approval2
Reports sent today36
6:10 AM
Twenty-two minutes, found before anyone leaves the yard.
Optimizing shows you the new order first and tells you what it saves. Keep it or throw it away - nothing reorders behind your back, because you have reasons for your order that the software doesn't know about.
Route optimization — on Skimmer's higher tier; on ours, every plan, including free
app.poolboss.app/routes/westside-monday
Routes › Westside Monday
Westside Monday
Optimized order saves 22 minutes and 9.4 miles4 stops moved. Time windows and gate codes were respected.DiscardKeep this order
12 stops
Marcus Bell · Truck 2 · starts 7:00 AMPreview on map →| # | Customer | Address | Window | Service | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jennifer Reyes | 412 Catalina Dr | — | Weekly clean | COMPLETED |
| 2 | The Alvarez Pool | 88 Saguaro Way | — | Weekly clean | COMPLETED |
| 3 | Marco's Cantina▲ moved up 2 | 1500 Gulf Blvd | Before 11:00 | Commercial | IN PROGRESS |
| 4 | Holloway Residence▲ moved up 1 | 27 Mesa Verde Ct | — | Weekly clean | 11:40 AM |
| 5 | Sandra Whitfield | 9 Palm Hollow Ln | Gate code 4417 | Weekly clean | 12:05 PM |
| 6 | Bayview Condos▼ moved down 3 | 2200 Shoreline Dr | After 12:00 | Commercial | 12:45 PM |
| 7 | Priya Raman | 18 Ocotillo Ct | — | Weekly clean | 1:20 PM |
| 8 | Dale Ferris | 705 Ironwood St | Dog on site | Bi-weekly | 1:55 PM |
9:14 AM
Your tech logs the stop with one bar of signal.
Readings go in, the dose comes back, the photo attaches. If the phone drops signal behind a gate the visit still saves and syncs when it comes back. Nobody re-enters anything at the end of the day.
Mobile app — iPhone and Android, works offline
9:14
‹ Westside Monday · Stop 3 of 12
The Alvarez Pool
88 Saguaro Way · 18,000 gal · Salt
Working offline — saves when you reconnect
Free chlorine2.4ppm
pH8.1
Alkalinity110ppm
Salt3200ppm
Water temp78°F
Add 14 oz muriatic acidBrings pH to 7.5 on 18,000 gal. Based on today’s alkalinity.
+
Complete visit
9:15 AM
It's already on your screen.
The visit lands the second it saves - readings, photos, time on site, who was there. When a customer calls asking whether anyone came out, you're not calling the tech to ask. You're reading them the answer.
Customer record — every plan, including free
app.poolboss.app/customers/alvarez
Customers › The Alvarez Pool
The Alvarez Pool
88 Saguaro Way, Tempe AZ18,000 galSaltPebble finishWeekly — MondayGate code 2210
Service historyPoolsInvoicesPhotosNotes
Service history
Export →Marcus Bell · Today, 9:14 AM · 24 min on siteCOMPLETED
Weekly clean · 2 photos
FC 2.4 · pH 8.1 · TA 110 · CYA 48 · Salt 3200 — added 14 oz muriatic acid
Marcus Bell · Mar 10, 9:22 AM · 21 min on siteCOMPLETED
Weekly clean · 1 photo
FC 3.0 · pH 8.0 · TA 105 · CYA 46 · Salt 3150 — added 12 oz muriatic acid
Dana Reyes · Mar 3, 10:05 AM · 27 min on siteCOMPLETED
Weekly clean + filter rinse
FC 2.8 · pH 7.6 · TA 100 · CYA 44 · Salt 3180
Marcus Bell · Feb 24, 9:31 AM · 19 min on siteCOMPLETED
Weekly clean
FC 3.2 · pH 7.5 · TA 98 · CYA 44 · Salt 3200
Chemistry trend
pH · 8 wksLatest8.1 — trending up
Account
ContactElena Alvarez
Phone(480) 555-0142
Billing$145 / month
Balance$0.00
Customer sinceAug 2022
4:30 PM
Quoted from the truck. Paid before he's out of the lot.
Tomas found a cracked filter housing at a commercial site. He quoted it on his phone, the customer approved it, and it became an invoice with a payment link - no re-typing, no waiting for someone to get back to the office.
Quotes & invoicing — on Skimmer's higher tier; on ours, every plan, including free
app.poolboss.app/invoices/1042
Invoices › INV-1042
Marco's CantinaPAID
Invoice INV-1042
Converted from Quote Q-0217| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filter housing replacementPentair Clean & Clear 150 — cracked lid seat | 1 | $189.00 | $189.00 |
| LaborTomas Kine · 2.0 hrs @ $85/hr | 2 | $85.00 | $170.00 |
| Monthly service — MarchCommercial weekly | 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Subtotal$359.00
Tax (8.0%)$28.72
Total$387.72
Paid in full$387.72
Activity
Today, 6:02 PM
Paid — Visa •••• 4417
Stripe · fee $11.55
Today, 5:47 PM
Invoice viewed by customer
Today, 4:31 PM
Emailed to marco@marcoscantina.com
Today, 4:29 PM
Quote approved by customer
Approved on mobile
Today, 4:12 PM
Quote Q-0217 drafted from the field
Tomas Kine · Truck 3
QuickBooksSynced 6:03 PM
That's the whole day - and every screen on it is on the free plan.
Join the waitlistSwitching from Skimmer
Moving over takes an afternoon, not a season
You don’t have to pick a cutover day, and you don’t have to cancel anything to try it. Run both for a couple of weeks if you want — the free plan doesn’t expire.
1
Export your customers and pools
Pull your customer and pool list out of Skimmer. Save it as CSV. You don't have to clean it up, rename a single column, or match it to a template of ours.
Step one of four2
Upload it and check the preview
We match your columns to ours automatically and show you exactly what we found - row by row, including anything we couldn't read and any column we're about to ignore. Nothing is written until you confirm.
Customers, then pools3
Bring the history over too
Past visits and their chemical readings import the same way, so a customer who's been on your route for three years still looks like it. Then build your routes and you're running.
Same afternoonWhat actually comes over?
Customers, pools and their specs, routes with stop order, and past visits with their chemical readings - chlorine, pH, alkalinity, hardness, CYA, salt and temperature.
Do I have to cancel Skimmer first?
No. Nothing here asks for a card, so you can run both until you're satisfied and cancel on your own schedule.
What if the file is a mess?
Most of them are. The preview flags the rows it can't read and the columns it isn't using, so you fix them before anything is created - not after.
What if I import the same file twice?
Customers, pools and visit history are matched and skipped rather than duplicated, using your old system's record IDs when the export includes them.
Will my customers get emailed?
No. Importing three years of history doesn't send three years of service reports. Historical visits import silently.
What does it cost?
Nothing. The importer is part of the product on every plan, including free.
Grab your Skimmer export and try the import. If it doesn't look right, you've lost twenty minutes.
Join the waitlistCommon questions
What is the best alternative to Skimmer?
For independent pool companies that don't want per-pool pricing, PoolBoss is the closest alternative: flat-rate by pool count, a free plan up to 20 pools, and pool-specific chemical tracking on every tier - including route optimization and quotes, which Skimmer puts on its $98/mo tier.
Why is Skimmer so expensive?
Skimmer charges per serviced location, so the cost scales with your pool count. Past 49 locations you move to their Scaling Up tier at $2 per location, $98/mo minimum - which is also where route optimization and quotes & estimates live. A growing route can hit a meaningful monthly bill. PoolBoss charges a flat rate by tier instead.
Does PoolBoss have everything Skimmer has?
PoolBoss matches Skimmer on the core and beyond: routes, chemical tracking, service reports, invoicing, online payments, offline sync, and a customer portal. Skimmer's advantage is its longer track record and larger installed base, not a feature PoolBoss is missing.
Can I switch from Skimmer to PoolBoss?
Yes. Export your customers from Skimmer, bring them in with PoolBoss's import, add pools, and rebuild your routes. The Free plan covers up to 20 pools with no card, so you can run both side by side before moving the whole route.
Is there a free alternative to Skimmer?
PoolBoss has a free plan for up to 20 pools that includes every feature, which Skimmer doesn't offer. It's a real option for a solo operator who doesn't want a monthly bill yet.
What do pool companies complain about with Skimmer?
The recurring complaints in public reviews are autopay setup requiring a separate work order per customer instead of a single enrollment, no visibility into per-payment processing fees, and Android app stability - reviewers describe crashes and freezes on recent updates, with the iOS app holding up noticeably better. PoolBoss's autopay only needs the customer to save a card once, from a portal link you send them, and every invoice after that charges automatically with no repeat setup. PoolBoss also runs on a single codebase for iOS and Android instead of two separate native apps.
