Ratchly vs FieldEdge for HVAC contractors
Where each platform fits, what to check before you sign, and the cases where FieldEdge is the better answer.
FieldEdge has deep roots in HVAC and plumbing and is often the incumbent in shops that already have office staff and established accounting workflows. Ratchly is the newer, lighter option for shops that do not have a back office and need the field to close its own paperwork.
If your office already runs smoothly and your pain is in the field, look hard at the technician experience in both. That is where the difference is largest.
The short answer
Choose Ratchly if
- Built for 1–10 technician HVAC shops, not enterprise contractors
- Estimate → signature → invoice → payment on the technician's phone
- Drag-and-drop dispatch board with live technician locations
- Maintenance agreements that auto-generate their visits
- Flat, published pricing with no implementation fee
Choose FieldEdge if
- You have office staff running dispatch and accounting day to day
- You depend on established desktop accounting workflows
- You want a vendor relationship with a long HVAC track record
Ratchly vs FieldEdge, side by side
We only describe our own product in specifics. For the other column we tell you what to verify, because competitor plans change and we will not publish numbers we cannot stand behind.
| What to compare | Ratchly | FieldEdge |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is designed around | Owner-operators and shops with up to about ten technicians. | A long-established HVAC and plumbing platform, commonly used by established contractors with office staff. |
| Setup effort | Self-serve. Import customers, add techs, dispatch the same day. | Varies by plan and company size — confirm onboarding scope with FieldEdge before you commit. |
| Field workflow | One job record carries notes, photos, parts, estimate, signature, invoice and payment. | FieldEdge covers the field workflow; compare how many taps it takes to get from arrival to a paid invoice. |
| Dispatch | Drag-and-drop board, live map, drive-time aware suggestions. | Check whether dispatch and live technician tracking are on the plan you are quoted. |
| Maintenance agreements | Plans generate their own recurring visits and renewal reminders. | Confirm whether agreement visits auto-schedule or have to be booked by hand. |
| Pricing model | Published flat pricing, monthly, cancel any time. | Ask for the all-in number including onboarding, add-on modules and payment processing. |
| Best question to ask on the demo | “Show me arrival to paid invoice on a phone.” | “Show me arrival to paid invoice on a phone.” |
Questions contractors ask
- Is Ratchly HVAC-specific like FieldEdge?
- Yes — equipment history, maintenance agreements and HVAC job types are core, not add-ons.
- What about accounting?
- Ratchly handles invoicing, payment collection and export. Keep your accountant's system for the books and feed it from the exports.