# Affordable Software



## JovanMira425 (Jan 30, 2020)

Does anyone know of decent tree care or business management software that can create, attach pictures while out on a site? And also something that has a mobile application, can be installed on an Ipad?

I have inquired with Jobber but I don't think it is what I am looking for.


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## KingBeee (Jan 30, 2020)

We used ArboStar, pretty happy with it!


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## JovanMira425 (Jan 30, 2020)

Thanks for your recommendation.
I will check them out! How was the price point though? 
Having a lot of options freaks me out!


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## ATH (Jan 30, 2020)

I've been looking at Treezi. Just not convinced I will use it in the field to make it worth the cost. $45 per month for 1 or 2 crews.


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## JovanMira425 (Jan 31, 2020)

KingBeee said:


> We used ArboStar, pretty happy with it!



Hi, do they have competitive pricing? I hope they have a feature to map trees and do an estimate on-site and can attach photos on it too.
What feature stands out with ArboStar?


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## JovanMira425 (Jan 31, 2020)

ATH said:


> I've been looking at Treezi. Just not convinced I will use it in the field to make it worth the cost. $45 per month for 1 or 2 crews.



Lemme know how it was. Would appreciate it!


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## Ted Jenkins (Jan 31, 2020)

I have been using Quick Books since they started and continued buying programs until they went online. I set up a computer for just QB and have a payroll service. Now that I am not so involved with employees I would not know how to start over. I had Peach Tree many years ago, but not sure if they are still active. Thanks


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## JovanMira425 (Jan 31, 2020)

Ted Jenkins said:


> I have been using Quick Books since they started and continued buying programs until they went online. I set up a computer for just QB and have a payroll service. Now that I am not so involved with employees I would not know how to start over. I had Peach Tree many years ago, but not sure if they are still active. Thanks



How many systems you have for Quickbooks? Does it help you with scheduling and equipment too?
I am looking for something that has like all access to everything. Been eyeing on this site ArboStar, looks promising..
But I wanted to see what's on the trend now..


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## jefflovstrom (Jan 31, 2020)

Arbor Note has everything you want,
Jeff


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## TreeDoctorsoftheWorld (Feb 3, 2020)

We've been using ArboStar for a year now, never failed us so far!


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## KingBeee (Feb 3, 2020)

I knew someone who uses ArboStar already. Do you like it so far?


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## JovanMira425 (Feb 3, 2020)

TreeDoctorsoftheWorld said:


> We've been using ArboStar for a year now, never failed us so far!



What feature stands out for you?


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## Ted Jenkins (Feb 3, 2020)

JovanMira425 said:


> How many systems you have for Quickbooks? Does it help you with scheduling and equipment too?
> I am looking for something that has like all access to everything. Been eyeing on this site ArboStar, looks promising..
> But I wanted to see what's on the trend now..



Quick Books realized that they could make tons more money by being 100% on line. That is that you pay a monthy service fee to keep your accounting active. In years past you would buy the latest version and take it home and use it unlimited, not any more. As mentioned there are some Arbor related programs that seem great however I do not have much experience with them. When it comes to payroll and depreciation there is no substitute for a savy operator. Thanks


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## TreeDoctorsoftheWorld (Feb 3, 2020)

so in Quickbook, am I only going to log in on one system for everything? accounting, schedule, estimate? or it has several log in depending on which work you need


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## ATH (Feb 3, 2020)

For payroll, I like ZPay - very easy to use. It is pretty cheap...$90 for first time and $45 per year.


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## JovanMira425 (Feb 4, 2020)

ATH said:


> For payroll, I like ZPay - very easy to use. It is pretty cheap...$90 for first time and $45 per year.



Is that for multiple


ATH said:


> For payroll, I like ZPay - very easy to use. It is pretty cheap...$90 for first time and $45 per year.



users already?


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## JovanMira425 (Feb 4, 2020)

I've heard with ArboStar, everything is in there already. I like it when I can oversee everything in one system, payroll, scheduling, creating estimates, invoicing..


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## ATH (Feb 4, 2020)

JovanMira425 said:


> Is that for multiple
> users already?


I honestly don't know...I only need it on 1 machine. I'm guessing you need a license for each install, but they have been really good at responding on their support forum they few times I've had questions.


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## KingBeee (Feb 4, 2020)

It's great to have that kind of support if you'll be spending in a good software.


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## Ted Jenkins (Feb 5, 2020)

TreeDoctorsoftheWorld said:


> so in Quickbook, am I only going to log in on one system for everything? accounting, schedule, estimate? or it has several log in depending on which work you need



In the current version of Quick Books you can set up as many accesses as you want. The system works by allowing the QB website to hold data and the program in their possession until you decide you no longer want to use it. You pay a monthly fee to maintain it. The older systems allows you to have the entire program in your possession, but some features are not as up to date. I have heard that there are some great programs that could meet every ones needs. Several AS people have made recommendations. Thanks


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## KingBeee (Feb 5, 2020)

Thank you so


Ted Jenkins said:


> In the current version of Quick Books you can set up as many accesses as you want. The system works by allowing the QB website to hold data and the program in their possession until you decide you no longer want to use it. You pay a monthly fee to maintain it. The older systems allows you to have the entire program in your possession, but some features are not as up to date. I have heard that there are some great programs that could meet every ones needs. Several AS people have made recommendations. Thanks



Thank you so much for the input. Appreciate it!


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## JovanMira425 (Feb 6, 2020)

I just had a demo with ArboStar. I must say it's like there tag line, everything under one roof! 
You can create-send estimate on-site, you can attach photos, schedule work, payroll- a lot of things the usual tree company does is there already!
You guys have to check it out! 

They specifically cater to tree care businesses!


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## ATH (Feb 6, 2020)

Cost?


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## TreeDoctorsoftheWorld (Feb 6, 2020)

it really depends. they will ask you what you're looking for and they will put together an estimate for you.
I strongly agree for you to get schedule a demo


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## ATH (Feb 6, 2020)

It depends like $150 per month to $500 per month....or like $20-50?


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## TreeDoctorsoftheWorld (Feb 7, 2020)

ATH said:


> It depends like $150 per month to $500 per month....or like $20-50?



somewhere between $150-$300 again, depending on how many users


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## ATH (Feb 7, 2020)

Thanks...that is helpful. Probably a little more than I can justify for a 1 crew operation at this time.


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## KingBeee (Feb 11, 2020)

ATH said:


> Thanks...that is helpful. Probably a little more than I can justify for a 1 crew operation at this time.



Understood, you may contact them just so you can get a much accurate quote. Their customer service is great based on my experience.


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## BossTreeCare (Feb 16, 2020)

I just switched to ArborApp.org's SMS PRO from JOBBER.com. SMS does everything we need including invoicing and it's dirt cheap compared to everything else I researched. Jobber is great software but ended up being too expensive for my size company and I didn't use most of the Jobber features. We are only a 1 crew operation. There are tons of options out there, do some research before deciding. Good luck!


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## JovanMira425 (Feb 18, 2020)

BossTreeCare said:


> I just switched to ArborApp.org's SMS PRO from JOBBER.com. SMS does everything we need including invoicing and it's dirt cheap compared to everything else I researched. Jobber is great software but ended up being too expensive for my size company and I didn't use most of the Jobber features. We are only a 1 crew operation. There are tons of options out there, do some research before deciding. Good luck!



How much are you paying for them now?


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## BossTreeCare (Mar 4, 2020)

JovanMira425 said:


> How much are you paying for them now?


I'm paying .99 per week for ArborApp.


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## KingBeee (Mar 9, 2020)

BossTreeCare said:


> I'm paying .99 per week for ArborApp.



How long have you been using it? And what are the features you like the most?


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## JovanMira425 (Aug 4, 2020)

I thought to post an update regarding my experience with Arbostar.
It has been great by far, we used it for admin, payroll, accounting and creating and sending estimates.
It's true that everything is all in one system. We ended our subscription with Zoho Books and Zoho subscription since the accounting side of Arbostar handles it all.
Customer service has been great with us too since they will answer your questions immediately.


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## ATH (Dec 1, 2020)

I'm back to looking at options. Would like to finalize something this winter.

Did a demo with ArboStar yesterday. Minimum pricing is $250 per month. Not sure I see where it is worth 5x Treezi or Jobber.


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## TreeDoctorsoftheWorld (Dec 12, 2020)

ATH said:


> I'm back to looking at options. Would like to finalize something this winter.
> 
> Did a demo with ArboStar yesterday. Minimum pricing is $250 per month. Not sure I see where it is worth 5x Treezi or Jobber.


How many crew you got in your business?


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## KingBeee (Dec 12, 2020)

ATH said:


> I'm back to looking at options. Would like to finalize something this winter.
> 
> Did a demo with ArboStar yesterday. Minimum pricing is $250 per month. Not sure I see where it is worth 5x Treezi or Jobber.


How was it?


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## ATH (Dec 12, 2020)

TreeDoctorsoftheWorld said:


> How many crew you got in your business?


Just 1 crew right now


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## ATH (Dec 12, 2020)

I did an online demo with an ArborStar rep. Seems like it does some good things, but I can't justify the price. For a company with 4-5 crews, I can see it being a better option.

I also did a free trial of Treezi. Was thinking that would be the one...however, one of the things they say makes their stuff better is the inventory capabilities built into the software. The thing that was a deal breaker for me is that their inventory is set up to put in diameter _ranges_, not actual diameters. That seems like a weak option. Knowing actual diameters is important for 2 reasons:
1) A lot of treatments we do are based on diameter. So, I need to know that the tree is 13 inches DBH, not 12-16". It makes a difference in ordering chemical and in invoicing clients.
2) Diameter growth can be a good indicator of tree health. So the 12-16" tree...was that 12" 2 years ago and 16" now? Or was it 12.2" in 2018 and 12.3" this year?


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## KingBeee (Dec 17, 2020)

ATH said:


> I did an online demo with an ArborStar rep. Seems like it does some good things, but I can't justify the price. For a company with 4-5 crews, I can see it being a better option.
> 
> I also did a free trial of Treezi. Was thinking that would be the one...however, one of the things they say makes their stuff better is the inventory capabilities built into the software. The thing that was a deal breaker for me is that their inventory is set up to put in diameter _ranges_, not actual diameters. That seems like a weak option. Knowing actual diameters is important for 2 reasons:
> 1) A lot of treatments we do are based on diameter. So, I need to know that the tree is 13 inches DBH, not 12-16". It makes a difference in ordering chemical and in invoicing clients.
> 2) Diameter growth can be a good indicator of tree health. So the 12-16" tree...was that 12" 2 years ago and 16" now? Or was it 12.2" in 2018 and 12.3" this year?


you need to keep an eye open for dsicounts on arbostar
they had a pretty sweet black friday deal with 50% off


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## MitchBarron68 (Dec 26, 2020)

I wanted to share my experience with ArboStar. I have a small company- 2 crews. Well one and a half, anyway, I had a demo with ArboStar few weeks ago. I liked it but the price was a bit steep- $250 per month. It had 2 office and 3 field users included in the price. I was able to negotiate it down a bit and signed up. They offered me a two months full money back guarantee so I though it's pretty safe. Implementation took sometime. They actually designed nice looking templates for my estimates and so on. The training was one on one with screen sharing which was nice. Also they didn't charge anything extra for design work, data import from Quick books and training. Anyways, I've been using it for about a month now and so far pretty happy. I really like a tree inventory feature, simple but versatile. Estimated calculator is pretty cool. I haven't seen something like that in any other software and app. I think the app is my favorite part. It's really fast, allows me to do lots and has an offline mode for estimate creating and so on. I'm still pretty new to ArboStar and still learning but so far I'm pretty impressed. So yeah I suggest everyone to give it a shot. The demo is about an hour and they show most of the features on it.


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## TreeDoctorsoftheWorld (Dec 28, 2020)

Do you like it so far?


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## MariHer75 (Apr 4, 2022)

It is always good to do some research before choosing software to manage your business. Our company has been using ArboStar for estimating, invoicing, and follow-ups. These are the main features that made us stick with ArboStar simply because they are automated and accurate.


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