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Restaurant fire protection is a semiannual business. The hood suppression system gets inspected, the links get replaced, the exhaust gets cleaned, and the Class K extinguisher by the fryer gets checked. Some companies do all of it; most specialize. The software market splits the same way, which is the first thing to understand before comparing tools.
Two different jobs, two kinds of software
Suppression service is the NFPA 17A wet-chemical system: nozzles, fusible links, cylinders, the manual pull station and the fuel shutoff, documented on an inspection report. Hood cleaning is NFPA 96 exhaust work: crews, recurring cleanings, before and after photos. Hood cleaning software is excellent at scheduling crews and proving the duct was cleaned; it is usually not built to produce a 17A suppression report. Suppression inspection software is the reverse. The table below marks which side each tool is built for.
Evaluation criteria
- NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A coverage: what each vendor's own site says.
- Built for: suppression service, hood cleaning, or both.
- Field work: mobile apps, photos and offline capture as advertised.
- Pricing model and contract: published or quote-based, and any user minimums.
Competitor details reflect each vendor's own website as checked on October 27, 2026 (sources at the bottom of the page). "Not advertised" means we could not find it on the vendor's site, not that the product lacks it. Confirm features and pricing directly with each vendor. Fire Inspect Hub details are first-party.
Comparison table
| Tool | Built for | NFPA 17A | NFPA 96 | Mobile / offline | Pricing | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect Point | Suppression contractors | Wet-chemical records, semiannual link replacement | Not advertised | Apple devices; offline mode | Quote, not published | Not published |
| ServiceTrade | Kitchen exhaust cleaners | Not advertised | Cleaning with before and after photos, frequency reminders | Mobile app; offline not advertised | Quote by technician count | Not published |
| ZenFire | Fire inspection contractors | Not advertised | Listed among supported standards | Mobile; offline access | Per user, not published | Not published |
| Smart Service | Hood cleaning businesses on QuickBooks | Not advertised; concerns logged as deficiencies | Recurring schedules from NFPA 96 frequency tiers, before and after photos | iPhone and iPad; offline not advertised | Published, per user, 5-user minimum | Monthly, or discounted annual and 3-year |
| QuoteIQ | Exhaust cleaning companies | Not advertised | Before and after photos; NFPA 96 named in its cleaning schedule copy | iOS and Android; offline not advertised | Published tiers by user count | No contracts |
| Fire Inspect Hub | Suppression and fire inspection contractors | 48 items, incl. electric detection and CaptiveAire TANK and CORE | 30-item inspection checklist on the same hood asset | Phone and tablet; installs to the home screen | Published, $54/user/month, free tier | Month-to-month |
The tools, one by one
Inspect Point
Fire protection operations software for contractors with a chemical suppression trade covering dry chemical, wet chemical, clean agent and CO₂. Its sample kitchen hood record is labeled wet chemical, NFPA 17A, semiannual, links replaced. The field app runs on Apple devices, captures photos and has an offline mode for confined sites.
Strength: a mature suppression workflow inside a full contractor platform. One limitation: its suppression page does not name NFPA 96 exhaust work, pricing is not published, and plans start at three technicians.
ServiceTrade
ServiceTrade markets service management software specifically to kitchen exhaust and hood cleaners: before and after photos stored in the app, NFPA inspection forms, service-frequency reminders and job-duration estimates.
Strength: running a cleaning business, from crew scheduling to proof of work. One limitation: its kitchen exhaust page does not mention suppression systems, and pricing is quoted by technician count.
ZenFire
An AI-oriented fire inspection product from ZenTrades that lists NFPA 96 among its supported standards, with offline access, deficiency-to-quote and invoicing.
Strength: one product for inspection through invoice. One limitation: NFPA 17A is not named on its site, and pricing is not published.
Smart Service
Field service software that works with QuickBooks, with a dedicated hood cleaning page: before and after documentation at every stop and recurring schedules generated from NFPA 96 frequency tiers. Suppression concerns are logged as deficiencies rather than run on a suppression checklist.
Strength: published pricing and a cleaning workflow tied to QuickBooks. One limitation: it requires QuickBooks and a five-user minimum, and it does not advertise a suppression inspection checklist; its page mentions suppression concerns among deficiency findings.
QuoteIQ
A CRM and field app with a commercial exhaust cleaning page: timestamped before and after photos of hoods, ducts, fans and grease traps, and NFPA 96-compliant cleaning schedules named in its copy. Pricing is published in tiers by user count with no contracts.
Strength: low-commitment pricing for small cleaning outfits. One limitation: no NFPA 17A suppression inspection forms are advertised; it is aimed at cleaning, not suppression service.
Fire Inspect Hub
Built for independent and small-to-mid suppression and fire inspection contractors. A kitchen hood asset carries both checklists: the NFPA 17A wet-chemical inspection (nine sections, 48 items, including electric detection and CaptiveAire TANK and CORE systems, shown by system type) and the NFPA 96 inspection (six sections, 30 items covering hood, duct, grease removal, suppression components and cooking equipment). Fusible links are recorded by quantity and temperature rating, and both checklists check for a Class K extinguisher within 30 feet of the cooking equipment.
Every inspection becomes a code-referenced PDF with four compliance levels, the restaurant can pull its record from a customer portal, and finalized deficiencies turn into a priced estimate. The same platform runs NFPA 10, 25, 72 and 101, which covers the rest of a restaurant's fire protection.
Strength: both kitchen standards on one asset at a published, month-to-month price. One limitation: it is built for the inspection and suppression service, not for routing hood cleaning crews.
Which should you choose?
- You run hood cleaning crews → ServiceTrade (several crews), Smart Service (on QuickBooks) or QuoteIQ (small outfits).
- An established suppression contractor servicing many hazard types → Inspect Point.
- Kitchens as one service in a mixed fire shop, inspection through invoice → ZenFire.
- NFPA 17A and NFPA 96 inspections on one asset, plus the rest of the restaurant's systems, at a published price → Fire Inspect Hub.
What to look for in 2027
Your system mix
Wet-chemical systems differ by manufacturer, and some newer systems use electric detection or tank-style designs. Check that the checklist matches the systems on your route rather than forcing every kitchen into one template.
Fusible links and the semiannual cycle
Link replacement is the detail most likely to be missed and most likely to be questioned. Look for links recorded by quantity and temperature rating, and a frequency you can set per kitchen.
The rest of the restaurant
The same restaurant has extinguishers, emergency lights and often a sprinkler system and fire alarm. If you can sell those visits too, a platform that covers them keeps one record per customer. See our restaurant fire inspection software and kitchen hood suppression inspection software pages.
FAQ
What is the difference between NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A?
NFPA 96 covers ventilation control and fire protection of commercial cooking operations: the hood, grease duct, exhaust and cleaning. NFPA 17A covers the wet-chemical extinguishing system that protects the hood and cooking line. A restaurant usually needs both inspected.
Is hood cleaning software the same as hood suppression inspection software?
No. Hood cleaning software (ServiceTrade's kitchen exhaust tools, Smart Service, QuoteIQ) is built around cleaning crews, before and after photos and recurring cleanings. Suppression inspection software is built around the NFPA 17A system checklist and its report. Pick the one that matches the work you sell.
Which kitchen hood software covers both NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A?
Fire Inspect Hub runs both the NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A checklists against the same kitchen hood asset. Inspect Point shows NFPA 17A wet-chemical records on its suppression page, and ZenFire lists NFPA 96. Confirm the other standard with each vendor.
How much does kitchen hood inspection software cost?
Smart Service, QuoteIQ and Fire Inspect Hub publish their prices; Inspect Point, ServiceTrade and ZenFire quote. Confirm current pricing and any user minimums on each vendor's site.
Run your next hood inspection free
Start on the free tier, add a kitchen hood and run the 17A and 96 checklists. Free plan reports are marked as samples and aren't for compliance submission. Upgrade for client-ready reports.
Start For Free Compare all fire inspection softwareSources
Checked October 27, 2026. Product names are trademarks of their owners. This is an independent comparison; none of these vendors reviewed or endorsed it.
- Inspect Point: fire suppression trade, plans
- ServiceTrade: kitchen exhaust cleaning, pricing
- ZenFire: zentrades.pro/zenfire
- Smart Service: hood cleaning software, pricing
- QuoteIQ: commercial exhaust cleaning CRM