Free tool
First Crew Software Stack Builder
Four questions, then a specific stack instead of a top-ten list. If your answers say a free template still covers it, that’s what you’ll get told.
How this decides
The logic is deliberately simple, and it’s written out below so you can disagree with it. Nothing here is weighted by what pays us most.
| Rule | Result |
|---|---|
| No employees yet | No crew software. What you have is a bookkeeping question. |
| You pay anyone on a W-2 | Payroll is the first real purchase. It’s the one with legal deadlines attached. |
| 1 employee, fixed hours, nothing else ticked | Templates. Software wouldn’t save you an hour a month. |
| 2+ employees and scheduling or hours ticked | A crew app earns its place. Retyping texted hours is where payroll errors come from. |
| Dispatch, invoicing, or customer history ticked | You’ve outgrown a crew app. This is field-service software territory. |
| Only forms ticked | A form builder. Much cheaper than a platform, and enough. |
Two caveats. Cheapest isn’t always right, and a $29/month tool you actually use beats a free one nobody opens. And don’t buy two things at once. Fix whatever costs you the most evenings, live with it for a month, then look again.