When a contractor Googles "automated text follow-up for leads," two names tend to show up: Chiirp and FollowFire. Both send automated SMS messages to leads. Both promise faster response times and more booked jobs.
But they're solving different problems at different price points with different levels of complexity. Choosing the wrong one means either overpaying for features you don't need or underbuilding a system that won't scale.
Here's a straightforward breakdown of what each tool does, who it's best for, and how to decide.
What Chiirp Is
Chiirp is a text message marketing and follow-up platform built for home service businesses. It offers:
- Automated SMS follow-up sequences
- Drip campaigns and broadcast messaging
- Two-way text conversations with leads and customers
- CRM-lite contact management
- Integrations with major FSM tools (Jobber, ServiceTitan, etc.)
- Review request automation
Chiirp is a multi-purpose SMS platform. It handles pre-sale follow-up, post-sale reviews, reactivation campaigns, and broadcast messaging — all within a single dashboard.
Pricing: Chiirp plans typically start around $99–$149/month for small businesses, scaling up based on contacts and message volume. Some plans include conversation credits or per-message fees on top of the base rate.
What FollowFire Is
FollowFire is a lead conversion tool built for one specific problem: responding to new contact form leads before competitors do.
When a homeowner fills out a form on your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, or HomeAdvisor, FollowFire sends a personalized text response within 60 seconds. It then follows up automatically on Day 3 if they don't reply.
FollowFire is not a CRM. It's not a broadcast tool. It's not a review platform. It does one thing — converts new inbound leads faster — and it does it for $49/month flat with no per-message fees and no usage caps.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | FollowFire | Chiirp |
|---|---|---|
| Instant lead text-back (60 sec) | ✅ Core feature | ✅ Available |
| Automated Day 3 follow-up | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Via drip sequences |
| Broadcast SMS campaigns | ❌ Not included | ✅ Full feature |
| Review request automation | ❌ Not included | ✅ Available |
| FSM/CRM integrations | ⚡ Form-based (universal) | ✅ Deep integrations |
| Two-way SMS inbox | ✅ Basic reply tracking | ✅ Full conversation UI |
| Setup time | 5 minutes | 1–3 hours (onboarding) |
| Monthly price | $49/month flat | $99–$149+/month |
| Per-message fees | None | May apply at volume |
| Free trial | 30 days | Demo / trial available |
The Core Difference: Breadth vs. Depth
Chiirp is a broad SMS platform. If you want to run win-back campaigns to old customers, send blast promotions, automate post-job review requests, and manage conversations with hundreds of contacts — Chiirp has the infrastructure for that.
FollowFire is a lead conversion tool. If you want every new inbound lead to get a response in under 60 seconds, automatically, without touching your phone — FollowFire does that faster, simpler, and for less money.
The question isn't which is "better." It's which problem you're trying to solve right now.
When to Choose FollowFire
FollowFire is the right choice if your primary problem is converting new inbound leads — specifically, if you're:
- Missing leads because you're on a job when forms come in
- Losing to competitors who respond faster
- Not ready to invest $99–$150/month in a broader platform
- Wanting something you can set up in 5 minutes and start converting today
- Running a lean operation without a dedicated admin to manage campaigns
FollowFire is purpose-built for the moment homeowners decide to hire — that first 5 minutes after they submit a form. That's where most contractors lose jobs, and that's exactly what FollowFire fixes.
When to Choose Chiirp
Chiirp makes more sense if you're:
- Already converting leads well and want to add post-job review automation
- Running reactivation campaigns to past customers (seasonal promotions, maintenance reminders)
- Using Jobber, ServiceTitan, or another FSM and want deep two-way integration
- Managing a larger contact database with segmentation and broadcast needs
- Willing to invest setup time and a higher monthly fee for a more complete platform
Can You Use Both?
Yes — and for growing contractors, this can make sense.
FollowFire handles top-of-funnel: the instant first response that captures new leads before competitors. Chiirp handles post-sale: review requests, reactivation campaigns, maintenance reminders.
Combined, you'd spend roughly $150/month. If that stack helps you close one additional $5,000 job per year, it pays for itself 33x over. For most contractors, it pays for itself in a single additional job.
That said, if you're early-stage and want to start with one tool, start with FollowFire. The biggest revenue leak in most contractor businesses isn't post-sale retention — it's losing leads that never converted in the first place. Fix that first.
The Sequencing Argument
Here's a useful mental model: Chiirp is great for nurturing customers you've already won. FollowFire is built for winning customers you haven't converted yet.
Most contractors have a leak at the top — leads coming in, not getting called back fast enough, booking with competitors. Plugging that leak with FollowFire adds direct revenue immediately.
Once that's fixed and you're converting a higher percentage of inbound leads, layering in Chiirp for reviews, reactivation, and broadcast campaigns makes sense as the business grows.
Bottom Line
If you're losing leads because you can't respond fast enough — choose FollowFire. It's $49/month, takes 5 minutes to set up, and solves the most expensive problem most contractors have.
If you already respond fast and want a full SMS marketing stack for post-sale automation and campaigns — Chiirp is worth evaluating.
Start with the problem that's costing you the most money. For most contractors, that's not the post-sale funnel. It's the lead they called back too late.