Best Restoration Software in 2026
A comparison of 19 platforms for restoration businesses, ranked by fit for the trade, then by Fit Score, then by name.
The short answer
For restoration businesses in 2026, Albi and Encircle tie at the top of our ranking on trade fit and Fit Score (ties are listed alphabetically). Picks are ordered by fit for the trade, then by our independent Fit Score (vertical fit, pricing transparency and integration coverage), then by name, and no vendor pays for placement. Full ranking, pricing and trade-offs below.
WrenchStack analysis of 19 restoration platforms · pricing verified August to October 2026 · free to cite with attribution
Top picks at a glance
| # | Tool | Trade fit | Score | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Highest trade fit | 10/10 | 10.0 | From $60/mo | 3-200 techs |
| #2 | Highest trade fit | 10/10 | 10.0 | From $261/mo | 2-500 techs |
| #3 | Highest trade fit | 10/10 | 9.0 | Custom quote | 10-500 techs |
| #4 | Highest trade fit | 10/10 | 9.0 | Custom quote | 5-200 techs |
| #5 | Highest trade fit | 10/10 | 9.0 | Custom quote | 5-150 techs |
Order: trade fit first, then Score, then name. Score combines vertical fit (60%), pricing transparency (20%), and integration coverage (20%). Full methodology →
Which restoration software should you choose?
The top four picks in brief; full reasoning in the reviews below.
Watch-out: $6,000 minimum yearly spend with 4 seats required.
Watch-out: A documentation and scoping tool, not a full job-management or accounting system.
Watch-out: No published pricing (demo and quote only).
Watch-out: No published software pricing (demo and quote only) and no published contract, cancellation or refund terms.
What does restoration software actually cost?
Across the 19 platforms we track, 2 offer a free tier and the other published monthly starting prices run from $25/mo to $261/mo, with a median of $60/mo. 6 of 19 publish no price and quote only on a sales call. Pricing verified August to October 2026.
| Tier | Entry price | Options |
|---|---|---|
| Free / freemium | $0 to start | busybusy, Contractor+ |
| Budget | under $100/user/mo | Albi, Encircle, CompanyCam, Housecall Pro, Jobber, Tradify +5 more |
| Custom quote only | sales call required | DASH, PSA, Restoration Manager, Workiz, ZenFire, KnowHow |
Bands compare the lowest published tier per user per month; a flat company plan is split across a 5-person team, so a $300/mo flat plan counts as $60 per user. Plans can add per-user or higher-tier costs above this (see each review for the full tier breakdown). How we verify pricing →
All 19 restoration platforms, ranked
The complete list behind the picks above, ordered by the Fit column (how well the product suits restoration work specifically, not how good it is generally), then by Fit Score, then by name. Pricing verified August to October 2026.
| # | Platform | Entry price | Fit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albi | From $60/mo | 10/10 | Restoration and insurance-repair contractors that want CRM, job management, field documentation, drying logs and invoicing in one platform, and can meet a $6,000 minimum annual subscription on a one-year term |
| 2 | Encircle | From $261/mo | 10/10 | Restoration contractors that want fast, consistent field documentation (photos, moisture readings, drying logs, contents and floor plans) and a path from that documentation to an Xactimate estimate |
| 3 | DASH | Custom quote | 10/10 | Established restoration contractors that want a configurable, workflow-driven job-management system with equipment tracking, mobile apps, XactAnalysis notes sync and QuickBooks or Sage accounting integrations, and are fine with quote-only pricing |
| 4 | PSA | Custom quote | 10/10 | Property restoration contractors, including franchise groups, that want job management, CRM and full accounting (general ledger, payables, receivables, payroll and work-in-process) in one system tied to Xactimate and XactAnalysis |
| 5 | Restoration Manager | Custom quote | 10/10 | Restoration contractors that work carrier and program jobs in Xactimate and XactAnalysis and want work orders, scheduling, equipment tracking and job financials tied to those estimates |
| 6 | busybusy | Free tier available | 7/10 | Construction and trades crews that want easy, accurate GPS time tracking with job costing and equipment tracking, including a genuine free tier |
| 7 | CompanyCam | From $63/mo | 7/10 | Contractors needing structured photo documentation for insurance claims, customer trust, or marketing portfolios |
| 8 | Contractor+ | Free tier available | 7/10 | Solo contractors and small trades teams that want a free, all-in-one estimating, invoicing, and job-management app on mobile |
| 9 | Housecall Pro | From $59/mo | 7/10 | Home service businesses that want payments, consumer financing, online booking and review requests built into one platform |
| 10 | Jobber | From $29/mo | 7/10 | Small and mid-size home service businesses (1-30 people) that want quoting, scheduling, invoicing and payments in one app |
| 11 | Tradify | From $47/mo | 7/10 | Small trade businesses needing a quote-to-invoice flow with published per-user pricing |
| 12 | MrTask (formerly Field Complete) | From $33.25/mo | 7/10 | Small and mid-size service businesses that want field service management, with the option to join a job-sharing network |
| 13 | Kickserv | From $60/mo | 7/10 | Small service businesses (1-15 employees) that run their books in QuickBooks and want simple scheduling and invoicing |
| 14 | QuoteIQ | From $25/mo | 7/10 | Solo operators and small home service crews, including painters, who want estimating, scheduling, invoicing and payments in one app priced per company with a paint calculator and AI tools |
| 15 | Workiz | Custom quote | 7/10 | On-demand service businesses (locksmiths, garage door, junk removal, appliance repair) |
| 16 | ZenFire | Custom quote | 7/10 | Fire protection contractors, from solo inspectors to multi-company groups, that want NFPA forms, recurring inspections, scheduling and invoicing in one system and want to trial it before buying |
| 17 | KnowHow | Custom quote | 7/10 | Restoration companies and multi-location trade franchisors that want to turn their procedures into mobile, multilingual training and on-the-job answers for field crews |
| 18 | JobTread | From $159/mo | 6/10 | Home builders, remodelers and specialty contractors that want estimating, job costing, selections and client portals in one system |
| 19 | Estimate Rocket | From $139/mo | 6/10 | Service and trade contractors, including painters, remodelers and franchise systems, that want estimating, proposals, scheduling, job costing and invoicing in one web app for a small office team plus field crews |
No vendor pays for placement or for a score. How we rank →
What restoration software does
Software for restoration businesses covers some or all of the steps from first contact to a paid invoice, such as booking, scheduling, dispatching, quoting, invoicing and taking payment, and some tools cover design, proposals or project management instead. Tools differ in which steps they cover, so check each review's feature list against the way your business works.
Of the 19 tools on this page, 13 publish an entry price and 2 of those list a free tier; among tools with no free tier, the lowest monthly starting price is $25/mo. What an entry plan includes differs from tool to tool, so the useful question is which platform fits your team size and the way you work.
The How to choose section below uses three sizing brackets: solo (1-3 techs), growing (4-15 techs), and established (more than 15 techs).
The Restoration software market
Restoration covers water, fire, mold and storm damage, and when a job is paid by insurance, that shapes the software. An insurance job needs evidence the carrier and adjuster will accept: photos, moisture readings, drying logs and contents lists. Xactimate (Verisk) is estimating software used by insurance carriers and adjusters, so its integrations matter across the category. Jobs also follow a mitigation-then-repair sequence and include emergency calls at any hour.
The tools split into two roles. Encircle is a field documentation tool: photos, moisture maps, drying logs and contents captured on a phone and organized into carrier-ready reports. Albi, DASH, PSA and Restoration Manager are job-management platforms that run scheduling, equipment tracking, Xactimate or XactAnalysis links, accounting and job financials. Some restorers run a documentation tool and a job-management platform together; Encircle's integration list includes Albi and PSA.
Detailed reviews
#1 Albi
Fit Score
Restoration job-management software with CRM, field documentation and built-in call tracking
- Starting price
- From $60/mo
- Best for
- Restoration and insurance-repair contractors that want CRM, job management, field documentation, drying logs and invoicing in one platform, and can meet a $6,000 minimum annual subscription on a one-year term
- Key features
- crm · job management · scheduling · photo documentation · moisture mapping · equipment tracking
- Integrations
- xactimate · xactanalysis · quickbooks online · quickbooks desktop · xero · companycam · encircle · eagleview · clean claims · kahi · zapier
- Watch out for
- $6,000 minimum yearly spend with 4 seats required; one-year term that renews automatically unless cancelled in writing at least 60 days before renewal, with the full first-year license owed if you terminate during the initial term; office features such as calling, invoicing and estimates need the $100 Pro seat; onboarding and the Analytics and Automations packages cost extra; built for restoration only
#2 Encircle
Fit Score
Field documentation and scoping software for restoration contractors
- Starting price
- From $261/mo
- Best for
- Restoration contractors that want fast, consistent field documentation (photos, moisture readings, drying logs, contents and floor plans) and a path from that documentation to an Xactimate estimate
- Key features
- photo documentation · moisture mapping · contents tracking · estimates quotes · reports · esignature
- Integrations
- xactimate · zapier · stripe · albi · psa · irestore · xcelerate · jobdox · tramex · kahi
- Watch out for
- A documentation and scoping tool, not a full job-management or accounting system; priced by annual job volume on a 12-month term; the Scope to Estimate plan and add-ons such as Floor Plan and Encircle Edge cost extra; built for restoration only
#3 DASH
Fit Score
Restoration job-management platform from Cotality (formerly CoreLogic), originally built by Next Gear Solutions
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Best for
- Established restoration contractors that want a configurable, workflow-driven job-management system with equipment tracking, mobile apps, XactAnalysis notes sync and QuickBooks or Sage accounting integrations, and are fine with quote-only pricing
- Key features
- job management · custom workflows · workflow automation · scheduling · equipment tracking · photo documentation
- Integrations
- quickbooks online · quickbooks desktop · sage 100 · matterport · xactanalysis · docusketch
- Watch out for
- No published pricing (demo and quote only); Xactimate estimate import is not described on the current DASH pages; moisture mapping is not listed on the current DASH pages; Cotality sells several related restoration products, so the scope of a quote needs checking; restoration only
#4 PSA
Fit Score
Restoration job management, CRM and built-in construction accounting from Canam Systems
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Best for
- Property restoration contractors, including franchise groups, that want job management, CRM and full accounting (general ledger, payables, receivables, payroll and work-in-process) in one system tied to Xactimate and XactAnalysis
- Key features
- job management · job costing · crm · insurance xactimate integration · invoicing · payroll
- Integrations
- xactimate · xactanalysis · symbility · quickbooks · encircle · matterport · docusketch · moisture mapper · adp · paychex · twilio · mailchimp · magicplan · tramex
- Watch out for
- No published software pricing (demo and quote only) and no published contract, cancellation or refund terms; a broad system with accounting, payroll and job costing takes real setup and training; switching means replacing more than a job tracker; restoration focused, so not a fit for other trades
Fit Score
Restoration job-management software from Verisk, the company behind Xactimate
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Best for
- Restoration contractors that work carrier and program jobs in Xactimate and XactAnalysis and want work orders, scheduling, equipment tracking and job financials tied to those estimates
- Key features
- job management · work orders · scheduling · equipment tracking · customer portal · analytics dashboards
- Integrations
- xactimate · xactanalysis · quickbooks desktop · quickbooks online · sage 100 contractor · sage 300 cre
- Watch out for
- No published pricing (licensed per company, quote only); built around the Verisk and Xactware ecosystem, so shops that rarely use Xactimate get less from it; QuickBooks and Sage integrations appear in a 2022 Verisk brochure but not on the current product page, so confirm them in a demo; restoration only
Which features matter most for restoration businesses
Features to test for restoration work:
Field documentation: photos, moisture mapping, drying logs and contents capture that a carrier will accept. Encircle is built around this, and Albi lists moisture mapping and drying logs.
Xactimate and XactAnalysis: Encircle's Scope to Estimate drafts an Xactimate estimate from field data, Albi and Restoration Manager list Xactimate and XactAnalysis integrations, PSA lists both, and DASH syncs XactAnalysis notes but does not describe an Xactimate estimate import on its current pages.
Job management: scheduling crews through mitigation and repair, plus emergency dispatch.
Equipment tracking: air movers, dehumidifiers and air scrubbers on a job are billable and easy to lose. Albi, DASH, PSA and Restoration Manager list equipment tracking.
Accounting and job financials: Albi and DASH list QuickBooks integrations (DASH also Sage 100 and Sage 300), a 2022 Verisk brochure lists QuickBooks and Sage for Restoration Manager, and PSA includes full accounting.
Mobile and offline: documentation happens on site, so test the mobile app where the signal is weak; Encircle says its app works fully offline.
Dig deeper into Restoration software
How to choose the right restoration software
Each tool counts in every bracket that its stated best team size range overlaps, so a tool listed as best for 1-30 techs counts in all three. Tools with no stated team size are left out.
If you're solo or have 1-3 techs
15 of the 19 tools on this page list a best team size range that overlaps 1 to 3 techs; the first 3 in the ranking are:
- Albi: From $60/mo, best for 3-200 techs
- Encircle: From $261/mo, best for 2-500 techs
- busybusy: Free tier available, best for 2-200 techs
Don't pay for enterprise features you won't touch.
If you have 4-15 techs and are growing
19 of the 19 tools on this page list a best team size range that overlaps 4 to 15 techs; the first 3 in the ranking are:
- Albi: From $60/mo, best for 3-200 techs
- Encircle: From $261/mo, best for 2-500 techs
- DASH: Custom quote, best for 10-500 techs
Check whether each plan is priced per user or per company, because that decides how the bill changes as you add techs.
If you have more than 15 techs
15 of the 19 tools on this page list a best team size range that goes past 15 techs; the first 3 in the ranking are:
- Albi: From $60/mo, best for 3-200 techs
- Encircle: From $261/mo, best for 2-500 techs
- DASH: Custom quote, best for 10-500 techs
Get any quote in writing before you sign.
Mistakes to avoid when picking restoration software
1. Buying for the team you have, not the one you plan to have
If you plan to hire, check that the tool handles dispatching and team management before you need them. Switching platforms later means moving job history, customer records and recurring service agreements, so ask each vendor what its import and export carry over. Buy for the team size you plan to have, not only the one you have today.
2. Underestimating implementation time
Setup time depends on how much customer data and how many recurring contracts you bring over, and on how much training your team needs. Ask each vendor for a written onboarding plan, and don't sign a contract that locks you into a go-live date you can't realistically hit.
3. Skipping the QuickBooks integration deep-dive
17 of the 19 tools on this page list a QuickBooks integration. If you keep your books in QuickBooks, verify these before signing:
- QuickBooks Desktop vs Online support: confirm the tool supports the version your accountant uses; support for one does not mean support for the other.
- Sync direction: one-way push (FSM → QuickBooks) vs two-way sync. Two-way matters if your accountant adjusts entries in QB.
- Sync frequency: ask whether changes sync in real time or on a schedule. This matters more if you reconcile daily than if you reconcile weekly.
- Customer record merge behavior: when a customer exists in both systems with slightly different addresses, ask whether the tool merges the records or creates a duplicate.
4. Over-indexing on price at the entry tier
Check what the entry tier leaves out (for example dispatch optimization, automated reminders or recurring service tracking) before you compare prices. Compare the tier you'd realistically use, not the marketing "starting at" price.
5. Ignoring the team-adoption tax
Software only pays off if the team uses it. A polished app doesn't help if your senior tech won't enter job notes in it. Before committing, get your most software-resistant team members on a demo. If they push back hard on basic workflows, keep shopping.
Glossary: terms used in this guide
- FSM (Field Service Management)
- Umbrella category for software that manages dispatching, scheduling, invoicing, and customer communication for businesses with technicians in the field. Used interchangeably with "field service software."
- Dispatching
- The process of assigning jobs to specific technicians based on skill, location, and availability. Some dispatch tools also suggest routes or match technician skills to jobs; check each review's feature list.
- Service agreement
- A recurring contract where customers pay annually or monthly for scheduled maintenance + priority service. Common in HVAC and commercial plumbing.
- Pricebook
- A standardized catalog of services and prices used to generate quotes consistently across techs. Some platforms package it as a named feature, such as ServiceTitan's Pricebook Pro.
- Flat-rate pricing
- Quoting the same price for the same job regardless of how long it takes, using set prices such as those in a pricebook. Opposite of time-and-materials billing.
- AIA billing
- An invoicing standard used in commercial construction and large contracting projects. Progress billing on standard AIA payment-application forms, which bill the share of work completed against a schedule of values. If your customers require it, check that your software supports it.
- Two-way QuickBooks sync
- Bidirectional data flow between FSM software and QuickBooks. Changes in either system propagate to the other. Critical if your accountant makes adjustments directly in QB.
- Consumer financing
- Financing offers (such as Wisetack, GreenSky or Synchrony) that let customers pay for large repairs over time. Some field service platforms connect a lender to estimates and invoices: Wisetack's site lists Housecall Pro and Jobber among its partners.
- GLS (Google Local Services Ads)
- Google's "Local Services" ad placement (with the green check). Of the tools on this page, Housecall Pro, Jobber and Workiz list a Google Local Services integration.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best restoration software in 2026?
Ranked first by fit for the trade, with our independent WrenchStack Fit Score (vertical fit, pricing transparency and integration coverage) breaking ties and then name, the top of our 2026 restoration software ranking is: 1. Albi; 2. Encircle; 3. DASH; 4. PSA; 5. Restoration Manager; 6. busybusy; 7. CompanyCam; 8. Contractor+. Albi is listed first of 2 tools tied on trade fit and Fit Score (From $60/mo), but the right choice depends on your team size and budget; see the decision guide on this page for size-specific picks.
What software do restoration companies use?
Restoration platforms come in two kinds, and some restorers run one of each: a field documentation tool such as Encircle for carrier-ready photos, moisture maps and drying logs, and a job management platform such as Albi, DASH, PSA or Restoration Manager for scheduling, equipment tracking, Xactimate or XactAnalysis links, accounting and job financials. Encircle's integration list includes Albi and PSA.
How much does restoration software cost?
Albi charges $60 a month per field seat and $100 per office seat, with a $6,000 minimum annual subscription. Encircle prices documentation by jobs per year on a 12-month contract, with unlimited users; on Oct. 22, 2026 its pricing calculator showed Field Documentation at $261 a month billed annually or $285 billed monthly for up to 200 jobs a year, with higher prices for larger bands. Restoration Manager, DASH and PSA publish no prices, so you need a quote. If you pay for both a documentation tool and a job management platform, compare the combined cost.
Why is documentation so important in restoration software?
Because insurance carriers pay claims on evidence: photos, moisture readings and drying logs support the claim. Field documentation tools such as Encircle capture that evidence on site, and integration with Xactimate, the estimating software carriers and adjusters use, links the documentation to the estimate.
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