Icey and CrewNest are Canadian snow tools, and both have a free plan you can start on yourself. Pick CrewNest if you run several trades, want customers to pay by card, or want one low price for a whole crew; pick Icey if you work only snow and ice, your crews lose signal, or you want a free plan that covers a small crew.
We make Icey Software, so read this with that in mind. CrewNest is field service software from Oakville, Ontario, for pressure washing, lawn care and snow removal businesses. The real question is which free plan fits your business, and what each one costs once you outgrow it.
Every CrewNest fact below is from CrewNest’s own website, checked on October 27, 2026. Plans change, so confirm on their site before you decide.
The short answer
Pick CrewNest if you run more than one trade, such as pressure washing or lawn care alongside snow, if you want customers to pay invoices online by card, or if you want a whole crew on one low price: CrewNest Pro is $29.99 USD a month or $290 a year with unlimited team members. Its Free plan is for one user.
Pick Icey if your crews work where the signal drops, if you sell per-event rate cards with de-icing as its own visit, with the salt included in the price or listed separately, or if you want a free plan for a small crew. Icey is free forever for up to 10 sites and 5 crew, with every feature, and its paid plans include every driver.
Side by side (as of October 2026)
| Icey Software | CrewNest | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free forever up to 10 sites and 5 crew. Every feature. Unlimited admin and office users and unlimited clients. | Free Forever: one user, up to 3 estimates and 10 satellite measurements a month, unlimited customers and jobs |
| What the free plan limits | Sites and crew; your customer web pages carry a “Powered by Icey” footer | Users (one), estimates and satellite measurements |
| What the free plan includes | Every feature | Invoicing and online card payments, an online booking page and a customer portal, recurring jobs and route planning, service-specific tools, and the installable mobile app |
| Paid plans | Priced by sites, from $119 CAD a month for 11–35 sites, every driver included — see the pricing page | Pro, $29.99 USD a month or $290 a year: unlimited estimates and satellite measurements, unlimited team members, and roles and permissions; texts from your own number are “coming soon, pending carrier approval” |
| Before you pay | Every feature is on Free, so there is nothing to unlock first; paid plans have a 60-day money-back guarantee | A 14-day Pro trial that asks for a card (cancel before day 14 and you are not charged); a 14-day money-back guarantee on your first payment |
| Currency | Prices are in CAD; companies in the United States pay USD prices | No currency on the price card; the page’s price data says USD |
| Getting started | Sign up yourself, no credit card, no demo call | Sign up yourself and choose Free; its pricing calculators work with no account |
| Trades | Snow and ice | Pressure washing, lawn care and snow removal |
| Quotes and contracts | Per-event rate cards (plowing and de-icing priced as separate visits) or a seasonal contract paid in monthly instalments, with the salt included in the price or listed separately; each site’s service area drawn on satellite imagery; the client reviews and signs on their phone from the email | Estimates measured on satellite imagery; seasonal, annual or per-visit contracts at a flat rate or per event, with a price for each service; the customer signs from an emailed link on a phone or computer, and CrewNest records when and from what IP address |
| Billing | Invoice drafts from the visits your crews logged | Per push (each visit), per event (per storm or 24-hour period) or seasonal; on a per-event contract, logging a service creates the invoice at the contract rate, and flat-rate invoices you send yourself |
| Proof of service | GPS, one-tap job timers and photos at every site from the crew app, and a site report for every completed visit | A Snow Log entry for each visit, with start and finish times, a weather snapshot, up to five photos and the material applied; a logged visit can be exported as a service affidavit PDF |
| Salt and de-icing | A material log per site: what went down, how much and when, kept in your own records; a free Salt Quantity Calculator for the season’s order | The material type and pounds applied on each Snow Log entry; material purchases can be logged as expenses; a free salt and de-icer calculator for each application, by temperature, surface and conditions |
| Routes and dispatch | Storm board to dispatch the storm; routes optimized for traffic with priority sites first | Stops put in an efficient driving order with Google Maps; it doesn’t plan around per-property deadlines, so you put priority properties first; each driver sees their jobs on their phone; with crew tracking on, a map shows where each crew is |
| Weather | Weather Center: the forecast for your service area, and a “Notify me” alert you can switch on for when the forecast crosses your snowfall trigger | A weather snapshot on each logged visit; it doesn’t read forecasts or start dispatch from them |
| No signal | Field Mode keeps recording with no signal | “Full offline mode is not available”: the app needs a connection to load and save jobs |
| Customer updates | You email each site report with a tap, or switch on a once-a-day email | Review requests by email after each job; an online booking page and a customer portal; “On My Way” texts are coming soon, pending carrier approval |
| Payments | Recorded by hand; card payments are not built in | Customers pay invoices online by card through Stripe, on Free too; the invoice is marked paid when Stripe confirms; Stripe’s fee (2.9% + 0.60 on a US or Canadian dollar invoice) comes out of your payout |
| Accounting | CSV export in the format QuickBooks imports; no direct sync | A sync with QuickBooks Online is in beta, with a waitlist; until it opens, invoices and customers export as CSV |
| Phones | iPhone app on the App Store; Android crews use the web app (the Android app is in testing) | An installable web app (PWA) for any phone; none of the pages we read links an App Store or Google Play app |
| How new | Self-serve since July 2026 | Calls itself “an early-stage product” (its About page) |
| Based in | North Vancouver, BC | Oakville, Ontario (1001545511 Ontario Limited, operating as Kinetic Labs) |
Where CrewNest is stronger
- One low price for a whole crew. CrewNest Pro is $29.99 USD a month or $290 a year with unlimited team members, customers and jobs. Icey’s paid plans are priced by sites, from $119 CAD a month for 11–35 sites, with every driver included. A company past Icey’s Free plan pays less on CrewNest Pro.
- Card payments built in. Customers pay any invoice online by card through Stripe, on CrewNest’s Free plan too, and the invoice is marked paid when Stripe confirms the charge. Stripe’s fee comes out of your payout. In Icey you mark an invoice paid by hand when the money arrives.
- More than snow. CrewNest covers pressure washing and lawn care as well as snow removal, with calculators for each trade, and customer records carry over between seasons. Icey is for snow and ice work only.
- Customers can book themselves. CrewNest’s Free plan has an online booking page and a customer portal, and review requests go out by email after each job. In Icey you email each site report with a tap, or switch on a once-a-day email.
Where Icey is stronger, or simply different
- It keeps recording with no signal. Icey’s Field Mode crew app keeps recording with no signal. CrewNest’s own FAQ says its app “needs an internet connection to load and save jobs. Full offline mode is not available.”
- A free plan for a small crew, with no feature held back. Free forever up to 10 sites and 5 crew. Every feature. Admin and office users and clients are unlimited. CrewNest’s Free plan is one user, with up to 3 estimates and 10 satellite measurements a month; team members, roles and unlimited estimates are on CrewNest Pro. A paid Icey plan adds room for more sites and every driver, not features, and takes the “Powered by Icey” footer off your customer web pages.
- De-icing priced as its own visit. Icey’s per-event rate cards price plowing and de-icing as separate visits, with the salt included in the price or listed separately, and each site’s service area drawn on satellite imagery. Accepting the quote makes the site active for the season.
- Storm dispatch, with the forecast in front of you. Icey’s storm board dispatches the storm, and routes are optimized for traffic with priority sites first. CrewNest orders stops for the least driving and says to put priority properties first yourself. Icey’s Weather Center shows the forecast for your service area, with a “Notify me” alert you can switch on for when the forecast crosses your snowfall trigger; CrewNest says it does not read forecasts.
- An iPhone app on the App Store. CrewNest is an installable web app on any phone. On Android, both run in the phone’s browser: Icey’s Android app is still in testing.
- The currency on the price, and a longer guarantee. Prices are in CAD; companies in the United States pay USD prices. Icey’s paid plans have a 60-day money-back guarantee; CrewNest’s covers 14 days.
Both tools log salt at every visit, so the difference is elsewhere. CrewNest’s Snow Log puts the pounds applied, the weather and the photos on one entry. Icey keeps the amounts in your own records, and the client’s site report shows the visit and the photos. See salt tracking and proof of service.
We have not run a storm on CrewNest, so we can’t tell you how its app feels on a long night. Both are free to start, so run a real storm on each before you decide.
Who should pick which
- One person doing pressure washing or lawn care in summer and snow in winter: CrewNest, free.
- A crew bigger than Icey’s Free plan covers that wants one low monthly price: CrewNest Pro.
- You want customers to pay invoices by card online, or book themselves: CrewNest.
- Snow and ice only, with up to 10 sites and 5 crew: Icey, free, with every feature.
- Crews who work where the signal drops: Icey.
- Per-event rate cards with de-icing as its own visit, the salt in the price or listed separately, and storm dispatch from one board: Icey.
Sources
- CrewNest pricing, checked October 27, 2026: the plan lists, CrewNest’s Pro trial and card, the 14-day money-back guarantee, Stripe’s card fees, the pricing FAQ, and the Oakville, Ontario company line.
- CrewNest’s snow pages, checked October 27, 2026: snow removal software, snow removal CRM, for snow plow operators, commercial fleets and HOAs.
- Also checked October 27, 2026: CrewNest’s home page FAQ, snow removal contract template, Stripe and QuickBooks Online pages, snow salt calculator, About and Terms.
- Icey Software pricing and what Icey does.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CrewNest?
CrewNest is field service software from Oakville, Ontario, for pressure washing, lawn care and snow removal businesses. As of October 27, 2026, CrewNest has a Free Forever plan for one user and a Pro plan at $29.99 USD a month or $290 a year with unlimited team members.
Is CrewNest free?
Yes. As of October 27, 2026, CrewNest’s Free Forever plan costs nothing for one user, with up to 3 estimates and 10 satellite measurements a month and unlimited customers and jobs. CrewNest Pro is $29.99 USD a month or $290 a year with unlimited team members.
Is CrewNest a Canadian company?
Yes. Its site says CrewNest is a product of 1001545511 Ontario Limited, operating as Kinetic Labs, in Oakville, Ontario. Icey Software is in North Vancouver, BC.
Which free plan fits a crew?
Icey’s, up to its limits. Icey’s Free plan covers up to 10 sites and 5 crew, with every feature, unlimited admin and office users and unlimited clients. CrewNest’s Free plan is for one user, so a crew on CrewNest means its Pro plan. A crew bigger than Icey’s Free plan covers is on a paid plan with either tool, and CrewNest Pro costs less.
Does CrewNest work without cell service?
Its own FAQ says no: “it needs an internet connection to load and save jobs. Full offline mode is not available.” Icey’s Field Mode crew app keeps recording with no signal.
Which one tracks salt?
Both log it at each visit. CrewNest’s Snow Log records the material type and the pounds applied, with start and finish times, a weather snapshot and photos. Icey logs salt and de-icer per site at every visit and keeps the amounts in your own records; the client’s site report shows the visit and the photos, not the amounts.
Can clients sign online in both?
Yes. CrewNest emails a signing link that stays valid for 90 days and records when and from what IP address the contract was signed. In Icey, the client reviews and signs on their phone from the email.
Can my customers pay by card?
In CrewNest, yes: every invoice has a Stripe payment link, on the Free plan too. In Icey, payments are recorded by hand; card payments are not built in.
Can I move my customer list into either one?
Icey imports clients and sites from a CSV file, so you don’t retype them. CrewNest says you can import your customer list and that its support team can help with the move.
What is a CrewNest alternative for snow and ice work?
Icey is one, and we make it, so weigh that. It is built for snow and ice only: per-event rate cards with de-icing as its own visit, a storm board, and a crew app that keeps recording with no signal, free forever for up to 10 sites and 5 crew. If you also run pressure washing or lawn care, or want card payments built in, CrewNest is the better fit.
What Icey Software is, does and costs
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