Section 1
TL;DR
| Feature | Pooly | Pool Office Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Pool native software | Yes | Yes |
| Embedded payments | Native, owned stack | Routed through Stripe |
| Consumer financing | Native, in the quote flow | Not offered |
| Quote builder | Good / Better / Best tiers | Single tier |
| Routing and tech dispatch | AI assisted | Manual |
| AI recommendations | Yes, pool size driven | None |
| Chemical tracking + LSI | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Web at beta, native coming soon | iOS + Android with offline capability |
| QuickBooks integration | Standard | Deep, two way sync |
| Customer billing portal | Built in | Built in (Biller Genie partnership) |
| Customer support | Direct, founder led | Tiered support |
| Free trial | 30 day | 30 day |
| User base | Beta (small) | Established (long history) |
Section 2
At a glance
Pooly
Pooly is software first, payments native, and finance enabled, built for pool service companies running 1 to 50 routes. AI assisted routing, AI chemical recommendations, Good / Better / Best quote tiers, native payments on rails we own, integrated consumer financing inside the quote.
POM has accounting and operations covered. Pooly wedge is the parts of the operating model POM does not address: payment economics that do not pay rent to Stripe, financing in the quote that closes upgrade jobs, and quote tiers that increase ticket size.
Pool Office Manager
POM has been serving pool service companies for years. Deep two way QuickBooks integration. Stripe powered payment processing. Biller Genie customer portal for autopay and card on file. Native iOS and Android apps with offline capability.
Where POM is strong: deep QuickBooks two way sync; native iOS and Android apps that work offline; stable mature platform with established workflows; 30 day free trial; Biller Genie partnership for the customer facing billing portal.
If your books run clean through POM, your team is fluent in the workflow, and you do not sell upgrade jobs that need financing in the quote, you do not need to switch.
Section 3
Feature by feature
Routing
POM is traditional and manual. Pooly is AI assisted with recommended sequencing. For dense routes, real time saved per week.
Quote builder and Good / Better / Best
Pooly ships GBB tiers natively. Customer sees three options at three price points. POM is single tier by default.
Chemistry
Both handle chemistry. POM is solid. Pooly adds AI chemical recommendations from readings and pool size, automated LSI calculation, trend analysis.
Customer facing
Pooly portal with one way texting built in. POM Biller Genie portal handles autopay and invoice viewing well; one way texting more limited.
Embedded payments
POM routes payments through Stripe under the hood. Stripe takes a cut, POM takes a referral cut on top. Pooly owns the rails directly. Three operator differences: timeline control, processing rate transparency, auto pay enrollment in single flow.
Consumer financing
POM does not offer it. Pooly financing is native, in the quote and portal, single integrated flow.
Accounting / QuickBooks
POM strongest area. Two way QBO sync is mature and handles the entire financial workflow. Pooly integrates with QuickBooks but the depth is not at POM level.
Mobile
POM ships mature native iOS and Android apps with offline capability. Pooly is web based at beta with native coming. POM has the edge today.
Section 4
Embedded payments: native vs partner routed
POM payment product runs on Stripe under the hood. Stripe takes a processing cut, POM takes a referral cut on top. Two layers of margin.
Pooly owns the payment rails directly. No Stripe middleman. The operator pays one rate to one platform.
If you process $500K+ per year in card volume, run the math against your current POM Stripe statement.
Architecture comparison
Pooly: native rails
- One platform, one relationship
- Operator owns the rate
- Auto pay + financing in one flow
Pool Office Manager: routed through Stripe
- Two layers of margin
- Funding timeline set by third party
- Separate processor portal handoffs
Section 5
Consumer financing
POM does not offer integrated consumer financing. Operators who want financing on heaters, equipment, or renovations have to use a third party financing partner outside the software.
Pooly financing is native. The application lives inside the quote and the customer portal. Customer applies, gets a decision, signs, and the operator gets paid by the lender.
If you sell anything beyond weekly chemical service, financing in the quote changes your average ticket. POM does not do this. Pooly does.
Section 6
Pricing and economics
Pricing is being finalized. Reach out for current pricing and a TCO walk through that includes payment processing economics.
Section 7
Who picks which
Pick Pooly if
card volume material; sell upgrade jobs and want native financing; want AI routing and chemistry recommendations; want Good / Better / Best built in; can use web on mobile until native ships.
Stay on Pool Office Manager if
complex books and POM two way QuickBooks sync is core; techs need native mobile day one; office team is fluent in POM and switching cost is real; do not process much card volume; do not sell upgrade jobs.
Where Pool Office Manager wins
- QuickBooks integration depth. Two way QBO sync handling the entire financial workflow.
- Native mobile apps. iOS and Android with offline capability that techs use daily.
- Maturity and reliability. Years of iteration ahead of Pooly.
- Established user base. Long operator history, peer support.
- Biller Genie customer portal. Mature billing and autopay portal.
Section 8
Migrating from Pool Office Manager to Pooly
We do not make migration hard. Pooly comes with a 30 day free trial. During the trial, we import your customer records, route assignments, service history, and chemical readings. Run both systems through the trial if you want.
At the end of 30 days, you decide. If Pooly works for your business, cancel Pool Office Manager and you are fully running on Pooly. Setup is done. No cutover weekend. No double billing period. If it does not work, walk away. No charge.
Most operators are fully set up on Pooly within the first week of the trial and use the rest of the time to stress test it against their current workflow before committing.
POM has years of operator data and deep QuickBooks integration. Migration is more involved than switching from a newer platform. The 30 day trial gives you time to import and validate including QuickBooks reconciliation.
Talk to the founders directly
Real reply, no auto responder. Same people who build the product.
Section 9
FAQ
Is Pooly cheaper than POM?
Pricing is in finalization. TCO includes payment processing economics.
Can Pooly import my POM data?
Yes. Records, routes, service history, and chemical readings during the 30 day free trial. POM has years of accumulated data, more involved migration. The trial gives time to validate.
Does POM offer customer financing?
No. POM does not offer integrated consumer financing. Pooly does, natively.
How does Pooly payments compare to POM?
POM runs on Stripe under the hood. Stripe takes a cut, POM takes a referral cut on top. Pooly owns the rails directly.
Is POM accounting better than Pooly?
POM has deeper QuickBooks integration today, mature two way sync. For complex books, POM has an edge.
Does Pooly have a mobile app like POM?
Not yet. Pooly is web at beta. POM ships native iOS and Android with offline capability. POM has the edge on mobile today.
Migration time from POM to Pooly?
30 day free trial. Most operators fully set up within the first week. Cancel POM at the end of the trial if Pooly works.
Beta safety?
Iterating, not unstable. Direct founder access.
Want the short version?
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