Staxen vs Workiz for service trades
Workiz is field service software tuned for on-demand trades like locksmiths, junk removal, appliance repair, and movers, with dispatch, a built-in phone system, and location tracking. Staxen is three AI employees that write estimates, keep the calendar, and chase invoices for quoted project work. As of September 2026 Workiz no longer publishes plan prices, listing Standard, Pro, and Ultimate behind a request-pricing button, with third-party guides reporting roughly $200 to $270 a month. Staxen publishes $59 a month per AI employee or $149 for all three, first job free.
What Workiz is
Workiz is a field service platform popular with dispatch-heavy trades: locksmiths, junk removal, garage door, appliance repair, and moving companies. It combines scheduling, dispatch, location tracking, a built-in phone system with call tracking, online booking, and QuickBooks integration, with AI answering and scheduling features on its higher plans. Shops that live on inbound calls and same-day jobs get real mileage from it.
Staxen vs Workiz, feature by feature
| Feature | Staxen | Workiz |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $59/month per AI employee, $149 for all three | Not published; request a quote. Third-party guides report roughly $200 to $270/month |
| Free trial or free tier | First job free, no card, no time limit | 7-day free trial, no card; a free Lite tier for two users with monthly job caps has been offered, but is not on the current pricing page |
| Dispatch board and location tracking | No | Yes. Wins here |
| Built-in phone system with call tracking | No; Staxen sets up a dedicated number for texting estimates and invoices | Yes |
| Online booking | No, leads arrive by website form intake | Yes |
| Voice-created estimates | Yes, Eddie drafts priced line items from dictation | No |
| Blueprint takeoff from a plan PDF | Yes | No |
| E-signature and deposit on the estimate | Yes, one link, no client app or login | Estimates with online approval |
| Overdue invoice chasing | Ivy's reminders escalate on their own | Automation rules you configure |
| Change orders approved by text | Yes | Not advertised |
| QuickBooks sync | Yes, push on send, payment status pulls back | Yes, on Standard and above |
| Spanish | Yes, English and Spanish | Not advertised |
As of September 2026, Workiz's pricing page lists Standard, Pro, and Ultimate plans with a request-pricing button instead of numbers, plus a 7-day free trial; third-party guides from this year report base plans roughly between $187 and $270 a month with extra users around $40 each. Staxen publishes its pricing on the page: $59 a month per AI employee, $149 for all three, month to month with no per-user fees. If the reported Workiz numbers are close, all of Staxen costs less than Workiz's base plan.
The honest verdict
These products serve different shapes of work. Workiz is built for jobs that arrive by phone and need a tech dispatched within the hour, which is why its phone system, dispatch board, and location tracking matter. Staxen is built for quoted work: walkthrough, estimate, signature, deposit, staged invoices. If you run a junk removal or locksmith operation with drivers on the road all day, Workiz fits and Staxen does not dispatch anyone. If you quote jobs and your evenings vanish into paperwork, Staxen's Eddie, Josie, and Ivy remove that work for a published $149 with no sales call.
Pick Staxen if
A trade contractor doing quoted project work who wants estimates drafted by voice, invoices chased automatically, and a price they can see before talking to anyone.
Pick Workiz if
An on-demand service business, locksmith, junk removal, moving, or appliance repair, that lives on inbound calls, same-day dispatch, and drivers in the field.
Why contractors move from Workiz to Staxen
A price you can read without a demo
Workiz now quotes pricing through its sales flow. Staxen's numbers are public, $59 per employee or $149 for all three, and the first job is free, so the evaluation is a real job instead of a call.
You quote work, you do not dispatch it
If your jobs start with a walkthrough and an estimate rather than an inbound emergency call, you are paying for a dispatch board and phone system you rarely use. Staxen spends that money on drafting and follow-up instead.
The estimate writes itself on site
Describe the job by voice before you leave the driveway and Eddie hands back priced line items to review. The client gets a text link, signs on their phone, and can pay the deposit on the spot.
Collections without automation setup
Workiz automations are rules you build and maintain. Ivy already knows the playbook: reminders that escalate as an invoice ages, card and ACH on the portal link, and QuickBooks updated when money lands.
Frequently asked questions
Is Workiz or Staxen cheaper?
Staxen, as far as the available numbers show. Workiz does not publish plan prices as of September 2026, but third-party guides report base plans around $187 to $270 a month plus roughly $40 per extra user. Staxen is $59 per month per AI employee or $149 per month for all three, month to month, with the first job free, no card required and no time limit.
Can I switch from Workiz to Staxen?
Yes, with manual steps. Export your client list from Workiz as a CSV and import it into Staxen, then forward any open estimates or invoices in as documents. There is no one-click migration between the two, so the practical path is running your next quoted job through Staxen's free first job while your Workiz billing cycle finishes.
Is Staxen good for locksmith or junk removal businesses?
Usually not, and it is worth being direct about that. Those trades run on inbound calls, instant pricing, and dispatching whoever is closest, which needs a dispatch board, phone integration, and location tracking that Workiz has and Staxen does not. Staxen fits trades that quote first: electrical, plumbing projects, HVAC installs, framing, drywall, remodels.
Does Workiz have a free plan?
Workiz has offered a free Lite plan for up to two users with monthly job caps, and third-party guides in 2026 still describe it, but the current pricing page shows only Standard, Pro, and Ultimate with quote-based pricing and a 7-day trial. If the Lite tier matters to you, confirm it directly with Workiz before counting on it.
What does a dedicated business number do in Staxen?
Staxen sets up a business phone number and texts your estimates and invoices to clients from it, so your personal cell stays out of the paper trail. Clients open the link, e-sign, and pay without an app or login. It is a texting identity for your company, not a full phone system with call routing like Workiz sells.
Start free with Staxen: your first job is on us, no card required.