Ratchly vs ServiceTitan for HVAC contractors
Where each platform fits, what to check before you sign, and the cases where ServiceTitan is the better answer.
ServiceTitan is the enterprise end of the market. If you have a call center, several branches, dedicated dispatchers and an ops manager who owns the system, that depth pays for itself. Ratchly is the opposite bet: a small crew, no dedicated admin, and software that has to be usable the day it is bought.
This is not a close comparison and we will not pretend it is. The right question is not which is more powerful — it is whether your shop has the people to operate the more powerful one.
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 ServiceTitan if
- You have multiple locations, a call center, or dedicated dispatch staff
- You need deep reporting, capacity planning and enterprise integrations
- You have someone whose job includes administering the software
Ratchly vs ServiceTitan, 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 | ServiceTitan |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is designed around | Owner-operators and shops with up to about ten technicians. | An enterprise-grade platform built for large contractors with call centers, multiple locations and dedicated operations staff. |
| Setup effort | Self-serve. Import customers, add techs, dispatch the same day. | Varies by plan and company size — confirm onboarding scope with ServiceTitan before you commit. |
| Field workflow | One job record carries notes, photos, parts, estimate, signature, invoice and payment. | ServiceTitan 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 a ServiceTitan alternative?
- For small HVAC shops, yes. For a multi-branch contractor with a call center, no — the enterprise feature set exists for real reasons and we do not replicate it.
- What do I give up by choosing the smaller platform?
- Enterprise reporting depth, call-center tooling and heavy configurability. What you gain is setup in an afternoon and a technician app your crew will actually open.
- Can Ratchly grow with us?
- Up to roughly ten technicians it is a comfortable fit. Beyond that, an enterprise platform becomes the sensible move and we will tell you so.