The short answerA 3-person Christmas light crew pays $397 a year at the low end (LightQuoter Annual, seat count not published) and $2,388 at the high end (Service Autopilot Pro, before a sign-up fee it does not publish). Jobber Connect is $1,788.
The gap between $397 and $1,788 is $1,391 a year. For scale, Jobber's holiday-lighting bidding guide cites an Angi 2025 average of $442 for one installation, so LightQuoter Annual costs less than one average job and Jobber Connect costs about four. The part no ranking listicle shows is the off-season: LightQuoter drops to $9 a month from February to August, while Jobber and Housecall Pro stay at $149.
The year-one billA 3-person crew: owner plus two installers
Yearly software cost for a 3-person Christmas light installation crew by tool| Tool and plan | How the 3 people are counted | Billed annually | Billed monthly |
|---|
| LightQuoter | Seats not published; page mentions up to 5 crews | $397 a year
Annual plan | Season plan $79/mo Sep to Jan, then $9/mo
$458 if kept all 12 months |
|---|
| Tinsel CRM | 10 users included, extra users $7.50/mo | $828 a year
$69/mo equivalent | $89/mo pay-as-you-go
$1,068 a year |
|---|
| Markate | Owner Operator base plus $5/mo per active employee; seats included in the base are not published, so Worthd adds 2 employees | $45.95/mo yearly plus $10
$671.40 a year | $49.95/mo plus $10
$719.40 a year |
|---|
| QuoteIQ | Beginner includes 2 users, extra user $25/mo | Not priced here: extra-user cost on annual billing is not stated | $99.99 + $25 = $124.99/mo
$1,499.88 a year |
|---|
| Jobber Connect | 3 users fit the 5-user bundle | $149/mo
$1,788 a year | $199/mo no commitment
$2,388 a year |
|---|
| Housecall Pro Essentials | 3 users fit the 5 included | $149/mo
$1,788 a year | $189/mo
$2,268 a year |
|---|
| Service Autopilot Pro | 1 business user and 2 mobile users | $199/mo, all pricing is annual-rate
$2,388 a year plus a sign-up fee | Not published |
|---|
Worthd arithmetic from each vendor's pricing page, read Nov 6, 2026, and from Worthd's own Jobber and Housecall Pro pages. LightQuoter's rates and plans sit in the pricing section of its homepage (its /pricing address does not load), and Tinsel CRM's sit on its homepage. Tinsel's annual price is $828 against a struck-through $1,068 ("Save $240"). Markate's page prints no per-seat allowance, so the $10 is an assumption that both employees need a paid seat. Setup fees are not published at LightQuoter, Tinsel or Service Autopilot. Strandr is not priced here: its page does not print a price Worthd could read.
What the listicles leave outOff-season cost, from February
What each tool costs after the installation season ends| Tool | February to August (7 months) | What the vendor says |
|---|
| LightQuoter Season | 7 x $9 = $63 | $9 a month February through August; paid plans renew until cancelled in Settings |
|---|
| LightQuoter Annual | $0 more (prepaid $397) | Cancel anytime |
|---|
| Tinsel CRM | $89 a month, or already paid on the $828 plan | Pay-as-you-go can be opted out anytime; what happens to data is not stated |
|---|
| Markate | Not quantified | "Pause your account when the season ends, and restart"; pause price not stated |
|---|
| Jobber Connect or Housecall Pro Essentials | 7 x $149 = $1,043 on annual billing | Same price all year |
|---|
From the vendors' pages, read Nov 6, 2026. The $1,043 is 7 x $149 on the annual-billing price of each tool; month-to-month options are higher (see the table above) and have no seasonal discount. A crew that runs lawn care in summer would use Jobber or Housecall Pro all year anyway: see Lawn care software cost.
Card ratesWhat a $750 installation costs to collect by card
Card processing cost on a 750 dollar installation by tool| Tool and plan | Printed rate | Fee on $750 |
|---|
| LightQuoter free tier | about 4.9% + 30c | $37.05 |
|---|
| LightQuoter Season | about 3.4% + 30c | $25.80 |
|---|
| LightQuoter Annual | about 2.9% + 30c | $22.05 |
|---|
| Jobber (all plans) | 2.9% + 30c | $22.05 |
|---|
| Housecall Pro, online invoice | 2.99%, no fixed fee listed | $22.43 |
|---|
| Tinsel CRM, Markate, QuoteIQ, Service Autopilot | Not published | Ask in writing |
|---|
$750 is the low end of the $750 to $5,000 full-package range in Jobber's holiday-lighting bidding guide, which cites Angi 2025 figures (guide last updated Oct 23, 2025). Fees are Worthd arithmetic: 750 x 4.9% + 0.30 = $37.05; 750 x 3.4% + 0.30 = $25.80; 750 x 2.9% + 0.30 = $22.05; 750 x 2.99% = $22.43. LightQuoter prints its rates as "about", and its Annual plan lists a 0% LightQuoter fee on card payments.
A price that movedQuoteIQ is about a third higher than its own article says
QuoteIQ's May 28, 2026 holiday-lighting article prints Beginner at $74.99 and Pro at $149.99. Its pricing page on Nov 6 prints $99.99 and $199.99: $25 and $50 more, 33% on each. Elite barely moved, $299 to $299.99. QuoteIQ publishes no notice of the change, so check the pricing page, not the article. Markate shows the same gap the other way: QuoteIQ's listicle says $39.95, Markate's page says $49.95.
What the quote leaves outNumbers none of the six prints
Service Autopilot's sign-up fee and extra-user price, LightQuoter's and Tinsel's setup fees, Tinsel's trial length, and card rates at four of the six tools. Service Autopilot also lists two-way texting and QuickBooks integration as "Call for Pricing". Ask for each in writing before you commit to a season.
Who it fitsHoliday lighting is most of your revenue: LightQuoter Annual at $397 or Tinsel CRM at $828, both built for this work and cheap in the off months. You run lawn care or other jobs the rest of the year: Jobber Connect or Housecall Pro Essentials at $1,788, both month-to-month if you do not want the annual term. You want a no-contract tool and are fine adding seats: Markate at about $670 to $720 with two employees.
Who it is wrong forService Autopilot for a crew that only hangs lights: $2,388 plus a sign-up fee is $1,991 over LightQuoter Annual. QuoteIQ for a crew that read its May article: the mid tiers are a third higher now. Any tool here for an owner who has not confirmed how many installers the plan includes: LightQuoter and Markate do not print it.
Frequently askedChristmas light software questions
What does Christmas light installation software cost for a 3-person crew?
From vendor pages on Nov 6, 2026: LightQuoter Annual is $397 a year and its Season plan is $79 a month from September to January then $9 a month ($458 if kept all year), Tinsel CRM is $828 a year or $89 a month, Markate is $671.40 to $719.40 a year with two employees at $5 each, QuoteIQ Beginner with one extra user is $1,499.88, Jobber Connect is $1,788 and Service Autopilot Pro is $2,388 plus a sign-up fee it does not publish. Seat counts are not published for LightQuoter.
What does LightQuoter cost in the off-season?
Its Season plan is $79 a month from September through January and $9 a month from February through August, so a crew that keeps it all year pays 5 x $79 + 7 x $9 = $458. Its Annual plan is $397 a year, $61 less over twelve months. The free tier covers one signed job per season.
Did QuoteIQ raise its prices?
QuoteIQ's own May 28, 2026 holiday-lighting article prints $74.99 for Beginner and $149.99 for Pro. Its pricing page on Nov 6, 2026 prints $99.99 and $199.99, about a third higher. Elite is $299 in the article and $299.99 on the pricing page. QuoteIQ publishes no price-change notice, so Worthd treats the pricing page as current.
Which Christmas light software lists its card processing rate?
Only LightQuoter prints its rates: about 4.9% + 30c on the free tier, 3.4% + 30c on Season and 2.9% + 30c on Annual, with a 0% LightQuoter fee on card payments on Annual. Jobber lists 2.9% + 30c and Housecall Pro 2.99% on an online invoice. Tinsel CRM, Markate, QuoteIQ and Service Autopilot do not publish processing rates.
Does Markate pause over the summer?
Markate's holiday-lighting page says you can pause your account when the season ends and restart. It does not say what a paused month costs, so the $719.40 monthly figure assumes you pay for all twelve months. Its pricing page says there is no contract and no refund for early cancellation within a billing period.
Is Tinsel CRM per user?
Not for the first ten. Tinsel's homepage lists $89 a month pay-as-you-go or $828 a year with 10 users included, and $7.50 a month for each additional user. Its setup fee, trial length and card rates are not published.
Vendor pages checked Nov 6, 2026
Prices are US list prices in dollars before sales tax. Totals are Worthd arithmetic. Seat counts are assumptions where the vendor does not publish them; the vendor's quote controls. Report a correction.
Next stepPrice your own crew
Run the cost calculator with your crew size and card volume (it models Jobber, Housecall Pro and Tradify, not the holiday-lighting tools above) · Lawn care software cost · Jobber pricing by team size · Housecall Pro pricing by team size · Software price tracker · Jobber price changes · Email updates are paused. Read software price updates on the site
More trades cost pages: Tree service software cost · Cheapest scheduling software for a 2-person lawn care business · Junk removal software cost · Pool service software cost.
Affiliate disclosure: the Jobber button may earn Worthd a commission. LightQuoter, Tinsel CRM, Markate, QuoteIQ, Service Autopilot and Housecall Pro links are plain, unpaid links; Worthd has no referral arrangement with them. It does not change the prices or the verdicts above.
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