Painter's Log vs PaintOps
Both products are built for painting contractors. PaintOps focuses on solo painters and small crews. Compare how each estimates the work, records crew time and materials, and what each plan includes.
Free forever — 1% on payments while you're free, 0% on Pro.
PaintOps documents tools aimed at solo painters and small painting companies:
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.
| PaintOps | Painter's Log | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Solo painters and small painting companies of roughly 1–10 people | Painting contractors only |
| Pricing model | A solo plan and a team plan with included seats and paid additional seats, discounted for annual billing; check current prices 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 | 30-day trial, no card required | 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) | Team plan: materials, labor hours and subcontractor costs against the quoted price, with per-job clock-in | The core of the product — estimate vs. actual, per job, as the hours and receipts come in |
| Online payments | Card and ACH listed on both plans; their homepage describes the payments provider as being finalized | 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.
Quote one painting job in both tools, record a day of crew time and a materials purchase, then compare the quoted and actual margin. PaintOps is a newer product; check its current plans and payment setup on its own pages. 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 are built for painting contractors. PaintOps focuses on solo painters and small crews, with job costing and crew time tracking on its Team plan. Painter's Log includes job costing on every plan, including the free one, and costs crew time with a configured labor burden, weekly overtime and job-segment allocation. 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 PaintOps 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%. PaintOps offers a solo plan and a team plan with paid additional seats; check its linked pricing page for current prices.
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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