HVAC Software for Small Contractors
Same day emergency calls and scheduled maintenance on one dispatch board, equipment history in the truck, and invoices that post to QuickBooks on their own. Zebu starts at $39 a month for five users.
An HVAC day is rarely the one you planned. A no heat call comes in at 8am, a maintenance visit runs long, and a install crew needs a part order pushed. The software that runs your shop has to absorb that without a dozen phone calls between the office and the field.
Zebu is built around that reality. One drag and drop dispatch board shows who is free right now, technicians pull equipment history and job notes before they knock, the customer approves the quote and pays the deposit online, and every finished invoice syncs to QuickBooks without anyone rekeying it.
What running an HVAC business actually looks like
A same day emergency call has to land on a board that already has maintenance visits and an install on it.
The dispatch board shows every technician's day as time blocks with real driving routes between stops. Drag the emergency onto whoever is closest and free, and the affected visits shift with it. See how it works
A technician arrives at a unit they last serviced two years ago and needs to know what was done.
Every property keeps its own service history and job notes. The technician opens the job on their phone and sees what was replaced, what was flagged, and the last visit's checklist, before they open the panel.
A maintenance agreement should put its own visits on the schedule without the office rekeying them every quarter.
Recurring Jobs generate real visits on the board automatically, on whatever cadence the agreement calls for, each with its own checklist and technician.
A replacement quote has real equipment cost in it, and you want to know your margin before it goes out.
The quote builder tracks cost and price on every line item and shows live profit margin as you build it. The customer approves online and a deposit is collected on the spot. See how it works
The Zebu features that matter most for HVAC
Drag and drop dispatch board
Every technician's day as proportional time blocks, with real driving routes between stops so the schedule is realistic, not just theoretically possible. Reassign a job by dragging it to another technician.
Recurring maintenance agreements
Quarterly and seasonal service contracts generate their own visits on the board automatically. Every property keeps its own equipment history and treatment checklist.
QuickBooks Online sync on every plan
Customers, invoices, payments, refunds, disputes, processing fee splitting, tax codes, and timesheets sync two ways. No add on, no higher tier required.
Online booking and customer portal
Customers request service on your booking form, approve quotes, pay deposits, and settle invoices online. An AI chat assistant answers common questions on the form itself.
Offline capable technician app
The technician's schedule, checklists, and job notes are cached on the phone. Work in a basement or a mechanical room with no signal, and the updates sync when the connection comes back.
Five users included, then $9 a month per additional user. QuickBooks Online sync, automation, online booking, and a customer portal are on every plan. A 14 day free trial needs no credit card.
Common questions
What is the best HVAC software for a small contractor?
For a small or midsize HVAC crew, the software that covers the full cycle, quoting, scheduling, a dispatch board, invoicing, payments, and QuickBooks sync, at a flat price is usually the right call. Zebu does that at $39 a month for five users, with no setup fee and a 14 day trial that needs no card.
Does Zebu handle HVAC maintenance agreements?
Yes. Recurring Jobs generate real visits on the schedule automatically on whatever cadence an agreement calls for, quarterly, seasonal, or monthly. Each property keeps its own equipment history and service checklist, so a technician always knows what was done last time.
Can technicians use Zebu without a signal?
Yes. The technician app caches the day's schedule, checklists, and job notes on the phone. A technician can start a job, complete a checklist, and add notes with no connection, and it all syncs when the signal returns.
Does Zebu show job costing and margin on an HVAC quote?
Yes. The quote builder tracks cost and price on every line item and shows live profit margin as you build the quote, so you see your number on an equipment replacement before you send it, not after the job is done.
How much does HVAC software cost?
It ranges widely. Enterprise platforms run $250 or more per technician per month with implementation fees. Small business tools run from around $40 to a few hundred a month depending on user count and features. Zebu is $39 a month for five users, then $9 a month per additional user.
Can I move my customer and job history into Zebu?
Yes. Zebu imports your client list, job and invoice history, and quotes from a CSV export of your current software. On the Pro plan, our team runs the whole migration for you at no extra cost.
Does this software work with Xero?
Yes. Zebu syncs with Xero as well as QuickBooks Online. Invoices with tax rate mapping, payments recorded to your bank account, refunds as credit notes, Stripe processing fees, and customers (including an import of your existing Xero contacts) all sync, and technician hours can post to Xero Projects. Xero sync is an $8 per month add on per company on any plan, and a company connects Xero or QuickBooks, one at a time.
The bottom line
If you run an HVAC business with one to thirty people, most of what an enterprise platform charges for is depth you will not use for years. What you need every day is a board that absorbs a chaotic schedule, history a technician can pull from the truck, and invoices that reach your accountant without a second pass.
Zebu covers that for $39 a month with five users included. Start a free trial, put a real week of jobs through it, and see if it fits how your shop actually runs.
Built for other trades too
Same product, framed for how each trade actually runs a job.
