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Handyman scheduling, from the estimate to the last visit.

Patcher is simple scheduling software for handymen and small outfits: send an estimate, book the approved work at the length it takes, leave room for the drive and fill cancelled jobs from customers booked later. It’s $29 a month for 1–2 people.

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Handyman adjusting a cabinet door hinge in a residential kitchen.
An example day

A Wednesday for a two-person handyman outfit.

Jobs from 45 minutes to three hours, an estimate visit, day two of a drywall repair and the drive between each one. Then Luis’s 9:15 cancels.

Kessler Home Repair · Wednesday

Cancellation filling

Luis’s 9:15 cancelled. Here’s how it got filled.

  1. A customer cancels

    Mr. Pryor calls last night to cancel his 9:15 door repair with Luis. That leaves one hour: too short for Hollis’s three-hour tile return visit.

    9:15–10:15 with Luis Open

  2. Patcher finds who fits

    Customers booked later who fit the opening, closest fit first.

    • Burke · Smoke alarms & light fixture, 60 min

      Booked Thursday 2:00 with Luis

      • Same length: 60 minutes
      • Luis is free at 9:15
      • Drive 9 min from Fitzgerald, 11 to Weiss

    • Daniels · Floating shelves, 45 min

      Booked Monday 11:00 with Luis

      • Shorter: 45 of the 60 minutes
      • Luis is free at 9:15
      • Drive 12 min from Fitzgerald, 8 to Weiss

  3. You approve who gets asked

    You see who’s on the list and choose who gets asked: Burke, then Daniels. Burke already has his fixture and alarms in the garage, so his job is ready to go.

  4. Burke accepts

    Burke gets one text, sees Thursday 2:00 next to today at 9:15 and taps Accept. Daniels is never texted.

  5. The schedule updates

    Luis goes from Fitzgerald to Burke at 9:15, then on to Weiss, and Burke’s Thursday 2:00 opens up for another job.

    9:15–10:15 with Luis · Burke Filled

    Thursday 2:00 with Luis Open for someone else

You stay in control

  • Nothing goes out until you approve.
  • Offers go out one at a time. Unanswered ones close on their own.
  • The customer chooses: the earlier time or theirs.
  • Outreach stops once someone accepts.
  • Pause it anytime with one switch.
  • Customers can reply STOP to opt out.

See how cancellation filling works

How it works

How does Patcher work for handymen?

Handyman work rarely fits one size. Here’s how a job goes in Patcher, from the first look to the last visit.

  1. 01

    Estimate first, then book

    Look at the job, then text an estimate with options, like repair versus replace. When the customer approves, book the approved work onto your calendar.

  2. 02

    Write the scope on the job

    Put the details in the appointment notes: which doors, what finish, who supplies the fixture. A job that takes two visits is two appointments, each with its own notes.

  3. 03

    Fit small jobs around the drive

    With “we visit customers” on, suggested times account for the job, the drive from your last stop and your hours, so three small jobs across town don’t turn into a late night.

What’s included

Does Patcher do what handymen need?

Every plan includes every feature.

Can customers request a job online? Yes
Customers pick a service and a time. Small set-price jobs book instantly; bigger work comes in as a request. How online booking works
Does it send automatic appointment reminders? Yes
Reminder texts go out before each appointment, plus confirmations for online bookings.
Can I set up recurring appointments? Yes
Book a repeating appointment once and your regulars stay on the schedule.
Can I see my whole crew’s jobs side by side? Yes
One calendar with a column for each person, their openings and blocked time like lunch.
Will it stop me booking two jobs at once? Yes
Every time is checked against the day before it saves. If you mean to overlap, Patcher asks first. How booking works
Can a cancelled job be filled? Yes
Customers booked later are lined up for the opening. You approve, and they’re texted one at a time. How cancellation filling works
Does it leave time to drive between small jobs? Yes
With “we visit customers” on, suggested times leave room for the drive between jobs. How travel-aware scheduling works
Can I check my next job from my phone? Yes
Patcher works in your phone’s browser, with a day view made for a small screen.
Can I switch from a notebook or a spreadsheet? Yes
Free help organizing your customers and booked jobs. Your subscription is priced separately. How switching works
Good fit

Who Patcher suits best.

  • Solo handymen and outfits of two or three.
  • Owners who send an estimate before they book the work.
  • Handymen running several small jobs a day across town.

  • Keeping Jobber or Housecall Pro?

    Patcher Connect fills cancellations in the scheduler you already use. See Patcher Connect

  • Coming from paper or another system?

    Setup and switching help is free. We agree what comes over, then handle the transfer. See how switching works

  • More than ten people taking appointments?

    Let’s talk it through first. Book a call

Pricing

How much does Patcher cost for handymen?

One price for your team, by how many people take appointments. You and a helper are two people, so most small outfits start on the smallest plan.

  • 1–2 people

    $29 /month

    Total for your team

  • 3–6 people

    $79 /month

    Total for your team

  • 7–10 people

    $149 /month

    Total for your team

Every feature. Every plan. Free to try for 14 days.

Monthly billing. Cancel anytime.

See everything every plan includes

Questions handymen ask about Patcher

My jobs run from 30 minutes to a full day. Can it handle that?

Yes. Each service has its own length, so a faucet swap and a day of trim work take up the right amount of the calendar. Suggested times only show slots with room for the whole job plus the drive to the customer, so a long job doesn’t run into the next one.

How much is it for a handyman and a helper?

Patcher is $29 a month for 1–2 people taking appointments, so a handyman and a helper are on the smallest plan. Price goes by how many people take appointments, not by jobs or estimates, and every plan includes every feature. There’s a 14-day free trial.

Can I send an estimate before I book the job?

Yes. Text an estimate with options, like patching the drywall versus replacing the sheet. The customer approves or declines from a link, with no account to create, and you book the approved work from there. Estimates still waiting on an answer show up in one list, so you know who to follow up with.

How do I book a job that takes two visits?

Book each visit as its own appointment, like day one to hang and tape the drywall and day two, once the mud has dried, to sand and paint. Put the scope in each visit’s notes so the second one picks up where the first stopped, and each visit gets the right length and room for the drive.

If a job cancels the night before, who gets offered the time?

Customers already booked later whose job fits it: the same length or shorter, with someone free then and time for the drive before and after. You choose who gets asked and in what order, so a job that’s ready to go can go first. Everyone keeps their current time until someone accepts, and anyone who says no keeps theirs while the next person you approved is asked.

More for handymen

  • Cancellation filling

    Offer a cancelled time to customers booked later, after you approve the lineup.

  • Estimates

    Text an estimate with options and book the approved work.

  • Travel-aware scheduling

    Suggested times that leave room for the drive when you visit customers.

  • Customer link

    The appointment page your customer opens from a text, and the reschedule link you send.

  • House cleaning

    For cleaners and small crews: standard, deep and move-out lengths, entry and alarm notes, estimates and refilled Friday cleans.

  • Solo service business

    For one-person businesses: online booking while you work, one place for the day, and free help moving off paper or texts.

See Patcher for other businesses

See Patcher with a sample business.

Try the live demo, no signup required, or set up your own day.

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