Painter's Log vs DripJobs
Both products are used by painting contractors. DripJobs leads with its sales pipeline and automated follow-up, and offers job costing as an add-on. Compare how each records crew time, materials and labor burden, and what each plan includes.
Free forever — 1% on payments while you're free, 0% on Pro.
DripJobs documents a sales workflow built for painting and home-service contractors:
Painter's Log connects estimates, crew time and materials so painting contractors can review what each job actually costs.
Recorded job time and materials contribute to actual costs alongside the estimate, so you can review the job while work is in progress.
Job-site geofences can help associate time with jobs when location tracking is enabled. Shift segments split a worker's time between jobs; review those assignments and keep wage rates current for usable job costs.
Run a small operation on the free plan indefinitely: 2 users (owner + 1), 5 jobs, 20 documents and 25 receipts a month, every feature included. We make money when you do — 1% on payments while you're free, 0% on Pro.
Each user runs Painter's Log in English or Spanish — crew screens, the office, and the estimate and invoice editor. What you write on an estimate reaches the customer as written; the document's own labels are in English.
Painter's Log runs the operational back office — estimates, scheduling, the jobs, invoicing, job costing. QuickBooks stays for accounting. Confirm the accounting workflow and any required exports separately.
| DripJobs | Painter's Log | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Painting and home-service contractors across 14+ trades, with a sales-first CRM | Painting contractors only |
| Pricing model | Monthly subscriptions, with production rates and job costing as paid add-ons; check current prices and user allowances using the source below | Free forever (usage-limited), or one Pro plan: $179/mo including 4 users (owner + 3), + $29/mo per additional active worker |
| Free tier | No free plan; their pricing page states there is no free trial | Free forever — 2 users (owner + 1), 5 jobs/mo, 20 documents/mo, 25 receipts/mo, 1% on payments collected through the app (0% on Pro). No credit card. |
| Job costing (estimate → actual) | Paid add-on: tracks labor, materials and overhead per job and reports gross profit | The core of the product — estimate vs. actual, per job, as the hours and receipts come in |
| Labor burden setup | A wage burden percentage for taxes and employee insurance, plus an overhead burden, set in job costing settings | Effective wage rates plus a configurable company labor burden percentage |
| Online payments | Card and ACH payments through Stripe, with customer financing through a partner | Yes — deposits, schedules, and online payment; 1% fee on free, 0% on Pro (Stripe's standard processing rates apply either way) |
Sources checked . Features and plans can change.
Run one painting job through both tools: send the proposal, record crew hours and a paint purchase, then read the job's gross profit. Check which plan and add-ons each step requires; DripJobs lists job costing as a separate add-on. This comparison is published by Painter's Log, not an independent review.
See how job costing works in Painter's LogEnter what you quoted, your hours, and your spend — and see your real cost and true margin. Free, no signup.
Try the free “Did I make money?” calculatorYes. Both serve painting contractors. DripJobs leads with its sales pipeline and automated follow-up, and offers job costing with wage and overhead burden as an add-on. Painter's Log includes job costing on every plan and costs crew time from clock-in, with job-segment allocation, configured labor burden and weekly overtime. Test both against one of your own jobs.
Yes — and you don't have to switch all at once. Start on the free plan (no credit card), upload estimate PDFs from DripJobs to convert them into job records, and run a job or two side by side before you commit.
Keep it. Painter's Log runs the operational back office around your painting jobs — estimating, scheduling, running the work, invoicing, and job costing. QuickBooks stays for accounting. Confirm the accounting workflow and any required exports separately.
Painter's Log is free forever for small operations — 2 users (owner + 1), 5 jobs, 20 documents and 25 receipts a month, with a 1% fee on payments you collect through it. Pro is $179/month including 4 users (owner + 3), plus $29/month per additional active worker, and the payment fee drops to 0%. DripJobs offers monthly subscriptions, with production rates and job costing as paid add-ons; check its linked pricing page for current prices and included users.
Run your whole business on it. We only make money when you do: 1% on payments you collect through Painter's Log while you're free, 0% on Pro.
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