GorillaDesk vs Skimmer: Pool Service Software Compared

As of Oct 30, 2026 · Prices and features read from each vendor's public pages (sources at the bottom) · How we check prices

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Quick verdict

Pool-only company: start with Skimmer. It is priced per pool ($1.00 per serviced location on Getting Started, from $49/mo; $2.00 per location on Scaling Up, from $98/mo), has unlimited technicians and lists pool-specific tools such as an LSI and dosing calculator and a LaMotte integration. Pool plus pest control or lawn: GorillaDesk. It is priced per route (Basic $49/mo for one route, Pro $99, Growth $149) with unlimited users.

Which is cheaper depends on how many pools each route serves. Under about 50 pools on one route they are close; at 100+ pools on one route GorillaDesk is cheaper, and on many routes with few pools each Skimmer can be cheaper.

GorillaDesk vs Skimmer at a glance

	GorillaDesk	Skimmer
Pricing basis	Per route (schedule); unlimited admin, manager, sales and crew users	Per serviced location; unlimited technicians and admins
Entry price	Basic $49/mo (1 route)	Getting Started $1.00 per location, starts at $49/mo (includes 49 locations)
Mid plan	Pro $99/mo (1 route)	Scaling Up $2.00 per location, starts at $98/mo (includes 49 locations)
Top plan	Growth $149/mo (1 route)	Enterprise: custom pricing (over 1,000 pools/month)
Free trial	14 days, no credit card	First month of Scaling Up free (promotion on the pricing page)
Routing	Basic: up to 25 stops; Pro: drive-time routing	Route Builder on all plans; Route Optimization on Scaling Up
Pool-specific	Material tracking and reporting (chemical use records); also pest and lawn	LSI and dosing calculator (Orenda) and LaMotte integration on Scaling Up; Heritage integration
Customer portal	Pro and up	All plans
Quotes and estimates	Included (Basic lists estimates and work orders)	Scaling Up
Texting	$5/mo SMS subscription plus credit packs	$0.029 per message on Getting Started; unlimited service texts included on Scaling Up

Skimmer is not one of the 18 tools in our main pricing table, so there is no TradeStack Watch page for it yet; its details come from its pricing page, fetched Oct 30, 2026. Prices are USD list prices before tax and processing.

Cost examples

Both vendors publish enough to price a few realistic routes. These are our arithmetic from the published rates, so confirm on each pricing page. Sources: GorillaDesk pricing and Skimmer pricing.

Business	GorillaDesk (monthly)	Skimmer (monthly)
40 pools, 1 route	Basic $49 or Pro $99	Getting Started $49 (minimum; includes 49 locations)
100 pools, 2 routes	Basic $99 (route 2 is +$50) or Pro $149 (+$50) or Growth $249 (route 2 +$100)	Getting Started about $100 or Scaling Up about $200
200 pools, 4 routes	Basic $179 (route 1 $49, routes 2 and 3 +$50 each, route 4 +$30)	Getting Started about $200 or Scaling Up about $400

GorillaDesk's pricing page works through three routes as $149 (Basic), $199 (Pro) and $299 (Growth) per month, and five routes as $209, $299 and $399. Skimmer's per-location pricing scales smoothly but climbs with pool count, which is why a large single route favors GorillaDesk. Skimmer also lists add-ons: AI Phone $99/mo, Marketing Suite $150/mo and bookkeeping from $198/mo.

Pool-specific depth

Skimmer is a pool-service product, and its pricing page reflects it: chemical and visit service reports, a shopping list, Heritage integration, an LSI and dosing calculator powered by Orenda, and a LaMotte integration on Scaling Up. If your techs test water and you want that data inside the product, this is the main reason to choose it.

GorillaDesk is a multi-trade route product: pest control, pool and lawn. It lists material tracking and reporting for chemical use records, triggered automations, subscriptions billing through Stripe and Square, QuickBooks Online sync (Pro), GPS device tracking and map estimation tools (Growth). It does not market a water-chemistry calculator, so a pool-only company that wants one should look at Skimmer first.

One thing to check with both: how you will move your customer list. GorillaDesk says its team imports contact information, addresses, notes and a starting balance for free, but you cannot import complete past service or billing history. Ask Skimmer the same question.

Which should you pick?

Pool-only, fewer than ~60 pools per tech: Skimmer. Start on Getting Started at $49 minimum and move to Scaling Up when you want route optimization, quotes and unlimited service texts.
Pool plus pest control or lawn: GorillaDesk, because one route-based system covers all of them.
One route with 100+ pools: compare GorillaDesk Pro ($99) with Skimmer Scaling Up (about $200).
Pool plus remodeling, repairs or handyman jobs: consider a general tool such as Jobber. See our best pool service software guide for all the options.

Both products can be tried for free: GorillaDesk 14 days with no credit card, and Skimmer's first month of Scaling Up is free for new users.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Skimmer cost?

Skimmer's Getting Started plan is $1.00 per serviced location per month and starts at $49/mo (including 49 locations). Scaling Up is $2.00 per location and starts at $98/mo. Enterprise (over 1,000 pools a month) is custom priced. Add-ons include AI Phone ($99/mo), Marketing Suite ($150/mo) and bookkeeping (from $198/mo).

How much does GorillaDesk cost?

GorillaDesk's plans are priced per route: Basic $49/mo, Pro $99/mo and Growth $149/mo for the first route, with unlimited admin and crew users. Extra routes cost more, for example Basic routes 2 and 3 are +$50/mo each and route 4+ is +$30/mo each.

Is Skimmer or GorillaDesk better for pool service?

Skimmer is pool-specific and lists LSI and dosing tools and a LaMotte integration. GorillaDesk is better when you also service pest control or lawn routes. Both publish prices.

Does GorillaDesk have a free trial?

Yes. GorillaDesk's pricing page says there is a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, month-to-month terms, no setup fees and no contracts.

What about Pool Brain?

Pool Brain is another pool-specific option, but we could not verify its current prices because its pricing page loads them with a calculator. Check its site directly.

Can Jobber or Housecall Pro run a pool route?

They can schedule and invoice recurring pool visits, and Jobber lists pool service as an industry, but neither lists pool-chemistry tools on its pricing page.

Sources

Every price and plan detail above was read from these vendor pages on Oct 30, 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.

GorillaDesk pricing (fetched Oct 30, 2026)
Skimmer pricing (fetched Oct 30, 2026)

Pricing pages for the tools in this guide

GorillaDesk pricing and plans