Timely analysis of the software, AI, and tools shaping the trades — written for contractors who don’t have time to track every vendor launch. When a new AI feature ships, a platform changes its pricing, or a major tool gets discontinued, we cut through the marketing and tell you what it actually means for a shop your size. No hype, no recycled press releases — just what’s worth your attention and what you can safely ignore.
This week: federal Pell money opens for short trades programs, insurers discount premiums for jobsite monitoring, copper whipsaws ahead of a tariff decision, and Jobber ships three quiet field updates.
If you’ve ever lost an evening rebuilding a material list across spreadsheets, texts, and three different project tools, this one’s worth knowing about. The Home Depot — a supplier almost every contractor already uses — now has free AI tools that turn a plain-language project description, or even a single-family blueprint, into a grouped, priced … Read more
A lot moved in the trade-software world this week, and the honest through-line is a useful corrective to the hype. The trade press has started reviewing “AI-native” platforms as the new normal, the most genuinely useful thing that actually shipped wasn’t AI at all, and the cost of all this software is about to climb. … Read more
If you run your trade business on QuickBooks Online, your subscription is about to cost more. Intuit has confirmed that monthly prices for QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, and Advanced are increasing starting August 1, 2026 (per Intuit’s official pricing-change notice). Here’s exactly what’s changing, who it hits, and what to do before the new rate … Read more
In peak season the calls you miss are the ones you most want. Here’s what an AI voice agent actually does for an HVAC shop — and which one fits your setup.
Roofing-specific tools like AccuLynx and JobNimbus, or a general platform like Jobber or ServiceTitan? The honest answer depends on whether you chase insurance work or run residential service — here’s how to decide.
Housecall Pro’s new AI-focused CEO, ServiceTitan and Avoca’s billion-dollar bet on missed calls, Jobber’s big tease, and Meta paying to train the trades — what this week’s moves mean for your shop.
There are now twenty-six software tools we’ve researched and written about across seven trades — and if you’re a contractor trying to pick one on a Tuesday night after a full day on the tools, that’s not a library, it’s a wall. So we built something to fix it: the Augmented Trades Tool Finder. Seven … Read more
Housecall Pro and Jobber just shipped photo tools that overlap with what CompanyCam has always done. Here’s an honest, trade-by-trade read on which contractor photo app you actually need — and when paying for two makes sense.
Two reports landed this spring that, read together, say something uncomfortable: being excellent at the actual trade is now the price of entry, not the advantage. Most contractors can’t be found by the AI tools homeowners are starting to ask — and most aren’t yet using AI to run faster. A weekend read on the gap that’s quietly separating shops in 2026.