We make Icey Software, so read this with that in mind. Plowdesk is software for snow contractors from New Hampshire, and like Icey it has a free plan you can start without a credit card or a demo call. If you are choosing between two free tools, the real question is which free plan fits your crew, and what you would pay for once you outgrow it.
Every Plowdesk fact below is from Plowdesk’s own website, checked on October 24, 2026. Plans change, so confirm on their site before you decide.
The short answer
Pick Plowdesk if you have more drivers than routes. Its free Operator plan has unlimited users and customers with up to three storm routes, so a bigger crew on a few routes stays free. Icey is free forever for up to 10 sites and 5 crew, and its paid plans include every driver.
Pick Icey if you sell per-event rate cards with de-icing as its own visit, with the salt included in the price or listed separately, need a salt and de-icing log at every site, want a site report for every completed visit, or want every feature on the free plan.
Side by side (as of October 2026)
| Icey Software | Plowdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free forever up to 10 sites and 5 crew. Every feature. Unlimited admin and office users and unlimited clients. | Operator, “Free Forever”: unlimited users and customers, up to three storm routes |
| What the free plan limits | Sites and crew | Storm routes |
| What the free plan includes | Every feature | Site photos and service logging, quotes and invoices, manual customer notifications, Venmo payment tracking |
| Paid plans | Priced by sites, from $119 CAD a month for 11–35 sites, every driver included — see the pricing page | Contractor, $95 a month: unlimited storm routes (“for contractors servicing residential customers”), automated customer notifications, a customer portal, task scheduling, weather and property-data integrations, commercial-service tools and payment integrations; discounts for prepaid subscriptions |
| Currency | Prices are in CAD; companies in the United States pay USD prices | Not named on its site |
| Getting started | Sign up yourself, no credit card, no demo call | Sign up yourself, no card; a 30-minute demo if you want one |
| Quotes | 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; the client reviews and signs on their phone from the email | Seasonal, per-push or tiered pricing with materials and payment schedules; sent by SMS and email; accepted online; quote versions |
| 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 | Site photos linked to each stop, GPS breadcrumbs, check-in and check-out times |
| Salt and de-icing | A material log per site: what went down, how much and when, kept in your own records | Materials appear in quotes; a per-visit salt log isn’t described on its pages |
| Routes | Storm board to dispatch the storm; routes optimized for traffic with priority sites first | Your stop order or route optimization; shared routes for several drivers; route templates that start when you create a storm; live crew locations on the web dashboard |
| No signal | Field Mode keeps recording with no signal | “Plowdesk works offline” |
| Customer updates | You email each site report with a tap, or switch on a once-a-day email | Manual notifications on Free; automated notifications and a customer portal on Contractor; SMS and email updates through AlertRanger |
| Payments | Recorded by hand; card payments are not built in | Venmo payment tracking on Free; payment integrations on Contractor |
| Invoicing | Invoice drafts from the visits your crews logged; CSV export in the format QuickBooks imports | Invoice schedules with automatic invoice emails; accepted quote terms carry into billing |
| Phones | iPhone app on the App Store; Android crews use the web app (the Android app is in testing) | Apps on the App Store and Google Play; glove-friendly |
| Based in | North Vancouver, BC | Newington, New Hampshire |
Where Plowdesk is stronger
- A free plan for a bigger crew. Plowdesk’s free plan counts storm routes, not people, so every driver can use it. Icey’s Free plan covers up to 10 sites and 5 crew; a bigger crew needs a paid plan, which is priced by sites and includes every driver.
- Android. Plowdesk links an app on Google Play. Icey’s Android app is still in testing, so Android crews use Icey in the phone’s browser.
- Customer communication. Plowdesk’s paid plan adds automated customer notifications and a customer portal, and Plowdesk connects to AlertRanger for text and email updates about arrivals, delays, access issues and completed service. In Icey you email each site report with a tap, or switch on a once-a-day email.
- Payments. Plowdesk tracks Venmo payments on its free plan and lists payment integrations on its paid plan. In Icey you mark an invoice paid by hand when the money arrives.
- Shared routes and templates. Several drivers can work the same Plowdesk route, and route templates start when you create a storm.
Where Icey is stronger, or simply different
- Nothing held back on Free. Free forever up to 10 sites and 5 crew. Every feature. A paid plan adds room for more sites and every driver, not features. Plowdesk keeps some features for its paid Contractor plan, weather integrations among them; Icey’s Weather Center and its “Notify me” alert, which you can switch on for when the forecast crosses your snowfall trigger, are on every plan.
- 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.
- A salt and de-icing log at every site. Crews log what went down, how much and when, and it stays in your own records — the client’s site report shows the visit and the photos, not the amounts. See salt tracking.
- A site report for every completed visit, with the time it was completed and the photos, kept on the job. See proof of service.
- The currency on the price. Prices are in CAD; companies in the United States pay USD prices. Plowdesk’s site shows $95 a month without naming a currency, so ask them.
We have not run a storm on Plowdesk, so we can’t tell you how its crew app feels with gloves on or how its offline mode holds up in practice. Both are free to start, so run a real storm on each before you decide.
Who should pick which
- More drivers than Icey’s Free plan covers, on three storm routes or fewer: Plowdesk, free.
- Your crews carry Android phones and want a store app: Plowdesk.
- You want customers to get automated notifications or a portal: Plowdesk’s paid plan.
- A small operation that fits both free plans (Icey: up to 10 sites and 5 crew; Plowdesk: up to three storm routes): either one, free. Try both.
- Per-event rate cards with de-icing as its own visit, the salt in the price or listed separately, and a salt log at every site: Icey.
- You want the currency named on the price: Icey.
Sources
- Plowdesk, checked October 24, 2026: the pricing section (Operator “Free Forever”; Contractor $95 / month; unlimited storm routes “for contractors servicing residential customers”; discounts for prepaid subscriptions), the quoting and billing sections, AlertRanger, the app store links and the Newington, NH address.
- Plowdesk quoting and billing, routing, proof of service and mobile, checked October 24, 2026.
- Icey Software pricing and what Icey does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Plowdesk free?
Yes. As of October 24, 2026, Plowdesk’s Operator plan is “Free Forever” with unlimited users and customers and up to three storm routes. Its Contractor plan is $95 a month.
Which free plan is bigger, Icey’s or Plowdesk’s?
They limit different things. Plowdesk’s free plan limits storm routes and lets everyone in. Icey’s Free plan covers up to 10 sites and 5 crew, with every feature, unlimited admin and office users and unlimited clients. A big crew on a few routes fits Plowdesk’s better; a crew inside Icey’s limits that wants more than three routes, or every feature without paying, fits Icey’s.
Does Icey’s Free plan leave features out?
No. Free forever up to 10 sites and 5 crew. Every feature. A paid plan, priced by sites, adds room for more sites and every driver. On Plowdesk, some features, weather integrations among them, are on the paid Contractor plan; Icey’s Weather Center is on every plan.
Do Icey and Plowdesk both work without cell service?
Both say so. Plowdesk’s mobile page says “Plowdesk works offline”. Icey’s Field Mode crew app keeps recording with no signal.
Which one tracks salt?
Icey logs salt and de-icer per site at every visit and keeps the amounts in your own records. Plowdesk’s quotes include materials; its pages don’t describe a per-visit salt log, so ask Plowdesk if you need one.
Can I move my customer list into either one?
Icey imports clients and sites from a CSV file, so you don’t retype them. Ask Plowdesk how it imports an existing list.
What Icey Software is, does and costs
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