However, not all of them are equally useful or even well-designed. That’s why It’s no surprise that most technicians have a few of them sitting on their phones collecting virtual dust. Indeed, as a business owner, you can’t afford to waste time on an app that won’t benefit you or even give you a decent worth for your money. But how can you possibly decide on the best HVAC app when they all claim to do the same things?
First, let’s review what you need. As a busy HVAC tech, you’re going to need a couple of different types of apps to perform various daily tasks, like managing your jobs, communicating with customers, calculating essential equipment, and learning how to become a better professional.
Currently, not a single app can fulfill all of those needs at once. That’s why It’s essential to have at least a few from each category – so read through this list and write down which ones will help grow your business.
How to choose the best HVAC apps for your needs
Choosing the best HVAC app for your business is not a cut-and-dry process. A lot of thought should go into which tools you use, and everyone needs to be on the same page. Here are a few tips to prepare yourself to make the right choices:
- Think about the issues you struggle with across several categories, like business management, accounting, calculations, learning/training, etc.
- Decide if you want your mobile app to have a desktop version. Some software works better on desktops, but for some, you may also want a portable option while on the go. Choose what’s compatible with your work style.
- Consider purchasing company phones for your team. If you plan on downloading 10-12 of the best HVAC apps, you’ll need to ensure that there is enough storage on each of your technicians’ mobile devices. It’ll be better to have a company phone dedicated to this usage.
- Get buy-in from everyone on the team who will be using the app. That means you’ve tested it out for 1-2 weeks to ensure it has all the features you need and is ideal for everyone. The last thing you want on a day’s work is everyone calling you with technical difficulties.
Check the #1 HVAC service & scheduling software >
21 HVAC apps technicians must download
Business management apps
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Workiz
Workiz is an all-in-one dispatch, scheduling, and management software that can be customizable for HVAC professionals. It’s the best HVAC app to run almost every aspect of your business, including tracking and optimizing your jobs, tracking your leads to growth opportunities, and monitoring your inventory across multiple storage containers and vehicles. Accept payments online and get paid 3x faster with WorkizPay, a card scanning feature that lets you get paid immediately after a job is complete. There are plenty more features to explore, like a CRM, call tracking, invoicing, and estimates! Just tell us what you need, and we’ll see what we can do for you.
Price: $199/month
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QuickBooks for Small Business
QuickBooks is accounting software that is the best HVAC app for home service pros. It’s the #1 most-used tool for small businesses, and if you take one glance, you can see why. QuickBooks gives you the tools to track your income and expenses across several bank accounts to ensure your business is on budget and not wasting money. QuickBooks recommends how much money you should save for taxes, so you don’t overspend during the year and not have enough to pay the IRS at the end of it. And if that’s not enough, Quickbooks can be synced with Workiz, making it the perfect solution for job scheduling and invoicing.
Price: $12.50/month
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Home Depot ProXtra
Home Depot ProXtra is a free loyalty program Home Depot offers to business owners to get discounts or coupons on bulk tools, equipment, and hardware and access to special perks like guaranteed parking. The program also provides a commercial credit card to purchase items on credit and pay a low monthly fee. Best of all, Home Depot ProXtra offers excellent support reps who can source equipment for your business, including hard-to-find tools. It’s the best HVAC app to download today!
Price: free
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CompanyCam
You can’t always please all of your customers, but you should also have the tools to handle a bad review – especially when it’s not justified or can cost you plenty of money in lawsuits.
CompanyCam is a photo app for contractors that prioritizes your safety and reputation on the job. When you start a project, snap a picture of your job site, and it will be stored inside albums that you can share with your team. Take progress photos and keep your customers updated and informed along the way. Most importantly, these photos can be a lifesaver if a customer falsely accuses you of damage, theft, or other liabilities that could cause you to lose money or even get sued!
CompanyCam can also be integrated with Workiz. Check out how by using this link.
Price: free
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RingCentral Video
RingCentral is by far the best premium app for video conferencing and messaging. If you’re currently using Zoom, here are a few reasons why RingCentral beats it when it comes to small businesses. Firstly, the tool offers pre-meeting, in-meeting, and post-meeting features to help you plan a script and send chats to other users. Hosts also get more control over who has the right to speak, invite others, and share screens. Lastly, RingCentral Video doesn’t limit you to a 40-minute meeting as Zoom does. They allow chats for 24 hours at a time with up to 100 users!
Price: $29.99/month
Marketing and sales apps
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My HVAC Events
Are you looking to expand your business with trade shows or networking events? My HVAC Events is the best HVAC app to help you discover local opportunities. With this tool, you will receive a list of events, speakers’ information, attendee lists, and materials to hand over. We highly suggest you take advantage of this information to network with other business owners and get feedback on how to get more customers.
Price: free
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NiceJob
It’s no secret that customers prefer a professional who has high recommendations, preferably on more than one platform. NiceJob is a reputation management software that helps accumulate customer testimonials, website traffic, referrals, and sales. How? The app makes it incredibly easy for anyone to leave a high-quality review within 60 seconds. NiceJob will also distribute the review across all your social media accounts, like Facebook, Yelp, and Google business. The more reviews you have, the higher you’ll rank in search engines, the more traffic you’ll receive, and the more customers and referrals will contact you!
Price: $75/month
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Mention
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘if your ears are ringing, someone is talking about you’? Well, with Mention, a social media monitoring app, you’ll know when your company’s name has been mentioned across social media. What makes this one of the best HVAC apps is that you get to see what people are saying about you and your competitors. This spy tool helps you understand what’s being said in your industry and gives you a starting point to connect with customers.
Price: free
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Facebook Messenger for Business
Facebook is a great place to find leads for your HVAC business. Facebook users must download the Messenger app to DM leads and customers on mobile on the social media platform. You can create and automate pre-written responses (bots) that answer your customers’ questions quickly, follow up with leads, and close the sale, all inside the chat feature. According to one Facebook survey, 69% of users in the U.S. say that contacting a brand makes them feel comfortable.
Price: free
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Google My Business
Google My Business is a tool to create, customize, manage, and optimize your business profile. It’s one of the best HVAC apps, and it lets you be in control of your page on Google Search and Maps. It’s the only way to engage with and respond to your customers’ reviews, answer questions, and enable direct messaging. Flesh out your profile and add your office hours, location, services, pricing, and photos. Use analytics to see which feature, Search or Maps, gets the most hits based on the keywords leads use.
Price: free
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HomeAdvisor powered by Angi
HomeAdvisor is a lead generation site for service pros. It’s the top site to post your HVAC services on and have prospects come to you. The site lets you create an account, post-paid ads, and compete with other HVAC businesses to bid on projects in your local area. When it comes to bidding, the one who responds to the lead first has the best chance of closing the deal, so you’ll want to download the HomeAdvisor app to get notifications so you can bid on jobs and respond to questions fast.
Price: free
Calculation apps
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HVACR Check and Charge
This is the best HVAC app to download if you frequently work on Emerson air conditioning components, thermostats, and heating technology. Their calculator provides refrigerant charges for air conditioning and refrigeration applications. There’s also a superheating, subcooling, and airflow calculator to determine the proper system charge.
Price: free
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HVAC Superheat Calculator
The HVAC Superheat Calculator is a diagnostics calculator to view subcooling and airflow calculations. How will this come in handy? When you visit someone’s home, the most common reasons why their appliances overheat is because of clogged air filters, refrigerant leaks, dirty condenser coils, or just poor overall maintenance over the years. This calculator will help you diagnose these issues quickly.
Price: free
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Duct Calc Elite
Duct Calc Elite is a calculator that determines duct size. When a duct system doesn’t have the proper configuration, it will waste energy and money. When ducts are too large or too small, airflow will be too low, and your customer’s equipment won’t perform as it should. If you want them to always feel comfortable inside their homes, get Duct Calc Elite ASAP to make sure you are calculating air distribution, velocity, and friction correctly and ensure you’re not wasting energy.
Price: free
HVAC Troubleshooting
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Bluon
Have you ever been on the job and wished you had support? Bluon offers troubleshooting, critical information, and support while you’re on-site, 24/7. One might say this is one of the best HVAC apps to have on your phone or iPad. It contains a searchable database of 35,000 HVAC units, their manuals, system control breakdowns, parts, and a discussion forum. You’ll save hours each day researching products and have more time to get work done.
Price: free
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measureQuick HVAC
measureQuick HVAC helps you diagnose systems issues on-site. You’ll use this app daily! Documentation is vital, and it stores all your data and information in one central hub. You can keep track of your projects with pictures, equipment models, measurements, serial number logs, and GPS location maps. Best of all, it can integrate with your Fieldpiece Job Link probes plus many other apps.
Price: free
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Furnace Codes and Diagnostics
Are you looking for a database of furnace troubleshooting information? We’ve found the best HVAC app for the job. Furnace Codes and Diagnostics stores their information by manufacturer and model number, making it easy for you to search for specific issues based on the furnace you’re working on. Ditch your service manuals and get this app instead!
Price: free
HVAC educational apps
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HVAC School
HVAC School is a widely successful podcast hosted by Bryan Orr. This is one of the best HVAC apps and deserves a spot on our list. To date, the business podcast has over 400 episodes from top technicians discussing how to care for your mental health, how to advance your career, how to plan the layouts of your projects, how to get business mentorship, and more. The podcast is available on several streaming platforms, but downloading the app is more convenient. Listen while you work!
Price: free
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HVAC Know It All
This app gives access to a community of technicians who get together to discuss their careers, share tips, and build camaraderie. The group is diverse, with students, seasoned pros, beginners, and small and large HVAC business owners. You’re bound to find relatable discussions to help you out. If you catch yourself feeling alone, stuck, or confused, make new friends with HVAC Know It All to keep your career on track.
Price: free
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HVAC Flashcard
Remember how fun flashcards were as a kid? We don’t either! However, this app is a convenient tool to keep your industry knowledge sharp. Do you have some terms that you can never remember, like annualized fuel utilization efficiency or bioaerosols? Use digital flashcards to memorize their definitions once and for all. HVAC Flashcards offer several modes: study, slide show, matching, learn, and a quiz. Play them to see what mode works best for you.
Price: free
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Complete HVAC Dictionary
This app is brilliant in its simplicity – a dictionary of 3000 heating, ventilation, and air conditioning terms. It’s the best HVAC app in its category. Stop looking on Google for answers and get this app instead. You’ll find terms and definitions of things you haven’t thought of or used in a while – all in one place!
Price: free
Take your career to the next level.
The best HVAC apps are ones that help you grow your business. What does that mean? First, they are affordable and save you money. Secondly, they help your teamwork and learn faster. Finally, what they offer is a better solution than the tools you are currently using. After all, you can always go back to using pen and paper.
You can check out all of these apps, or you could simply give Workiz a try. Workiz is an all-in-one business management tool that combines everything you need to run your HVAC business, from automatic scheduling and dispatching to invoicing and reputation management. Ready to get started? Fill out your details or click here!