Paythepoolman charges $50/month plus $10 per extra tech. BlueRoute is free forever. Compare features, cost, and how the switch works.
Paythepoolman has been serving pool operators since 2013. It handles billing, routing, and service logging, and its customers consistently say good things about the support team.
It also costs $50 a month before you hire anybody, and $10 a month more for every technician you add.
BlueRoute costs nothing. Not a trial, not a free tier. The software is free permanently, and BlueRoute makes money only when your customers pay you through the platform. If you already accept card or bank payments, you are already paying someone for that. Pay BlueRoute instead and the software comes with it. The full breakdown of how that model works is in our guide to free pool service software.
Pricing verified September 2026 from publicly listed plans.
| Your team | Paythepoolman | BlueRoute |
|---|---|---|
| Solo operator | $50/mo ($600/yr) | $0 |
| You plus 1 tech | $60/mo ($720/yr) | $0 |
| You plus 3 techs | $80/mo ($960/yr) | $0 |
| You plus 5 techs | $100/mo ($1,200/yr) | $0 |
Per-technician pricing means your software bill goes up the month you hire. BlueRoute has no seat limit and no per-tech charge, so hiring costs you nothing on the software side.
A comparison page that pretends the other product does nothing well is an ad. Here is what Paythepoolman brings that BlueRoute currently does not:
Publicly posted user feedback on Paythepoolman mentions the interface feeling dated, the mobile app being slow to load photos, route optimization being weak, and invoice emails landing in customer spam folders. Reviews average around 3.7 out of 5 on Capterra. These are user reports, not our findings; weigh them the way you would weigh any review page.
For contrast, route optimization is one of the things BlueRoute was built around: see the feature list for what is included at $0/month.
Run their own pricing structure against a real route. A solo operator servicing 60 pools at a $180 monthly rate collects $10,800 a month.
| 60 pools, $10,800/mo collected | Paythepoolman | BlueRoute |
|---|---|---|
| Software | $50/mo | $0 |
| Processing, all cards | Billed separately by your processor | $324 (3%) |
| Processing, all bank transfer | Billed separately by your processor | $108 (1%) |
| Software cost per year | $600 | $0 |
Where BlueRoute makes money is payments. Cards run 3%, bank transfers run 1%. If you are already paying Square or Stripe somewhere between 2.9% and 3.5%, your cost does not go up. It goes down on every customer you move to bank transfer, and the software stops costing anything. The full math on processing costs across platforms is in our payment processing breakdown.
Yes. Every feature, no paid tier, no seat limit, no trial clock. Routes, chemistry logs, invoicing, AutoPay, customer texting, the customer portal, and service history are all included at $0 a month.
BlueRoute makes money when your customers pay you through the platform. Cards are 3%, bank transfers are 1%. That is the whole model, spelled out on the pricing page. If you never process a payment through BlueRoute, you never pay anything, and the software still works.
Your customer list, routes, and service history come with you. Export what Paythepoolman gives you and send it in; the data and portability page covers exactly what BlueRoute imports and exports, because switching out should be as easy as switching in.
To see how Paythepoolman stacks up against every other platform, not just BlueRoute, see our comparison of every major pool service platform.
Send me your Paythepoolman export and I will have your route running before your next service day. I do the import myself, and I will tell you honestly before you start what will and will not carry over. There is no onboarding fee, no contract, and no minimum term.
I am the founder and the developer. When you email support, it comes to me.
- TommyYes. BlueRoute is free pool service software: $0/month, every feature included, no seat limit, no trial clock. BlueRoute makes money only on payment processing (3% cards, 1% ACH) when your customers pay you through the platform.
As of September 2026, publicly listed pricing is $50/month base including one technician, plus $10/month per additional technician. A solo operator pays $600/year; five techs push it to $1,200/year. Processing fees are reported separately by users.
Yes. Export your customers, routes, and service history and send it in. The founder does the import personally and will tell you honestly, before you start, what will and will not carry over.
Payment processing only: 3% on cards, 1% on ACH, when your customers pay through BlueRoute Payments. No monthly fee, no seat fee, no contract.
No. No seat limit, no per-technician charge, at any team size. Hiring your next tech costs nothing on the software side.