Price
Skimmer bills per serviced location, so the bill grows every time you add a pool. Past 49 locations the rate steps from $1 to $2. Ours is flat by tier and stops climbing - the same software at 40 pools or 400.
PoolBoss and Skimmer are both pool-specific software with routes, chemical tracking, and proof-of-service reports. The main difference is pricing: Skimmer charges per serviced location, PoolBoss charges a flat rate by pool-count tier with a free plan. Skimmer is more established; PoolBoss is cheaper and simpler to predict.
| Feature | PoolBoss | Skimmer |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat by pool-count tier | Per serviced location |
| Entry price | $0 (20 pools), then $29 (100 pools) | $49/mo min ($1/pool) |
| Price with route optimization | $0 (20 pools) | $98/mo min ($2/pool) |
| Free plan | Yes | No - first month free, then $49+/mo |
| Chemical tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Route management | Yes | Yes |
| Route optimization | Every plan, including free | Scaling Up tier only |
| Offline mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Customer portal | Yes | Yes |
| Full API access | Every plan, including free | Enterprise tier only |
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
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 |
Pricing is the real difference
Skimmer bills per serviced location with a monthly minimum. PoolBoss bills a flat rate by pool-count tier, so your price is predictable and stops climbing as the route grows. For a growing route, flat pricing is usually the cheaper path.
What Skimmer does better today
Skimmer's advantage is maturity, not feature count. PoolBoss matches it on offline sync and a customer portal. What Skimmer has is the longer track record, the bigger installed base, and the years of first-mover polish that come with being the established name.
Where they're even
On the day-to-day, they're close: both do recurring routes, structured chemical readings, and proof-of-service. The decision usually comes down to whether you'd rather pay per pool or a flat rate.
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
Is PoolBoss cheaper than Skimmer?
Usually, yes. Skimmer charges per pool with a $49-98 minimum, so the bill grows with your route. PoolBoss is a flat rate by tier, from free up to 20 pools and $29 for up to 100.
Does PoolBoss track chemicals like Skimmer?
Yes. Both log structured chemical readings to each pool's history and produce service reports. Chemical tracking is included on every PoolBoss plan, including Free.
What does Skimmer have that PoolBoss doesn't yet?
On capabilities, the two match up: PoolBoss ships offline sync and a customer portal alongside routes and chemical tracking. What Skimmer brings is maturity, a longer track record and a larger installed base from being first to market.
Which is easier to use, PoolBoss or Skimmer?
Both are built for pool operators rather than IT departments. Skimmer is known for ease of use; PoolBoss is built around the same simple route-and-readings workflow with flat pricing.
Can PoolBoss replace Skimmer for a small pool company?
For most small companies, yes. You get routes, chemical tracking, service reports, invoicing, online payments, offline sync, and a customer portal at a flat price with a free tier. The capabilities are there; Skimmer's edge is its longer track record.
Is Skimmer's autopay easier to set up than PoolBoss's?
Public reviews describe the opposite: Skimmer's autopay setup runs through a separate work order per customer, and per-payment processing fees aren't visible. PoolBoss's autopay is a single enrollment - the customer saves a card once from a portal link you send, and every invoice after that charges automatically with no repeat setup per customer.
