If you've searched for "contractor lead follow-up software," you've probably come across Hatch. It's a solid platform — built specifically for home service companies, with multi-channel messaging, sales coaching, and AI-powered conversation tools.
FollowFire is newer and simpler: automated 60-second text-back + 3-touch follow-up sequence, built specifically for small contractors who don't need a sales platform — they just need to stop losing leads to slow response times.
Here's the honest comparison so you can pick the right tool for where your business is today.
What Hatch Does
Hatch is a conversational sales platform for home service companies. Its core features include:
- Multi-channel outreach: text, email, voicemail drops, and ringless voicemails
- AI-generated message suggestions for sales reps
- Campaign management for follow-up sequences
- CRM integrations (JobNimbus, MarketSharp, Leap, Improveit360, etc.)
- Performance reporting and sales coaching dashboards
- Lead scoring and prioritization
Hatch is built for companies with a dedicated inside sales or customer service team — typically $1M+ revenue businesses with sales reps whose job is to work leads all day. It's a powerful tool, and for the right company, it's worth every dollar.
What FollowFire Does
FollowFire solves one problem with extreme focus: when a homeowner submits a lead, they get a text-back within 60 seconds, then a structured 3-touch follow-up sequence over the next 3 days.
- Instant text-back (under 60 seconds, automatic)
- 3-touch follow-up: text + text + email
- Works on any lead source (contact form, Google LSA, Angi, etc.)
- No sales rep required — runs fully automated
- Built for 1–5 person operations
- $49/month flat
FollowFire doesn't have CRM integrations, AI coaching, or voicemail drops. It's intentionally simple — because most small contractors don't need a sales platform, they just need their phone to respond faster than they can.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hatch | FollowFire |
|---|---|---|
| Instant text-back (<60s) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Core feature |
| Multi-channel (text + email + voicemail) | ✅ Yes | ⚡ Text + email (no voicemail drops) |
| AI message suggestions | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (pre-built sequences) |
| Sales rep / CSR workflow tools | ✅ Built for this | ❌ No — built for solo/small teams |
| CRM integrations | ✅ 10+ integrations | ❌ Not yet |
| Campaign management | ✅ Full campaigns | ⚡ Fixed 3-touch sequence |
| Reporting / dashboards | ✅ Advanced | ⚡ Basic tracking |
| Setup time | Days to weeks (onboarding required) | 10 minutes |
| Target company size | $1M+ revenue, team of 3+ | 1–5 person contractor |
| Price | $200–600+/mo (custom pricing) | $49/mo flat |
When Hatch Is the Right Choice
Hatch makes sense when:
- You have a dedicated inside sales rep or CSR team whose job is to work leads — Hatch makes that team dramatically more effective
- You're doing $1M+ in revenue and can absorb $200–600/month for the platform
- You need CRM integrations with tools like JobNimbus, Leap, or MarketSharp
- You run lead campaigns across multiple channels and need performance analytics by rep
- You're a home services company with multiple verticals (roofing, windows, HVAC) and want centralized communication management
When FollowFire Is the Right Choice
FollowFire makes sense when:
- You're a 1–5 person operation and you are the sales rep — you just can't respond in 60 seconds while on a job
- You want to set it up in 10 minutes and have it run in the background without managing anything
- $200–600/month for Hatch doesn't make sense at your current revenue level
- You don't have a CRM and just want to stop losing leads to faster competitors
- You're running Google LSA, Angi, or website forms and want instant text-back without hiring someone to watch the inbox
The Honest Take
Hatch is genuinely excellent — for the company it's built for. If you have a real inside sales function and revenue to match, it will make your team significantly more productive.
But most contractors reading this aren't there yet. You're a plumber or roofer or HVAC tech with 2–4 people, you're doing $400K–$900K a year, and you're losing jobs because you can't answer your phone while you're under a sink. Hatch is overkill for that problem — and at $49/month, FollowFire is purpose-built for exactly that stage.
The question isn't "which is better?" It's "which is right for where my business is today?" Start with what fits. Upgrade when you outgrow it.
The Math on FollowFire at $49/Month
A roofing contractor getting 20 leads a month closes 30% manually — that's 6 jobs at an average of $8,500. With FollowFire's instant follow-up, close rate jumps to 50–55% — that's 10–11 jobs from the same leads.
Four to five additional jobs per month × $8,500 = $34,000–$42,500 in additional revenue. FollowFire costs $49. That's an 700x return before the second month even starts.
At that ROI, the question isn't whether you can afford FollowFire. It's whether you can afford not to have it.
Bottom Line
If you're a small contractor losing jobs because you're slow to respond, FollowFire solves that problem in 10 minutes for $49/month.
If you've got a sales team, $1M+ in revenue, and need CRM integrations and multi-rep dashboards — Hatch is worth the investment.
Most contractors should start with FollowFire and not overthink it. Fix the conversion problem first. The rest can wait.