Loamio vs. WaterMaster

Short answer

Which one is right for your district?

WaterMaster is a mature, modular product backed by Advanced Control Systems with a strong installed base in the Pacific Northwest (Hood River, Vale, SMRID). Pick WaterMaster if you want a long-established vendor with deep configuration depth and you're comfortable contacting sales for pricing. Pick Loamio if you want public flat-rate pricing, a single integrated payment system, and a faster go-live with less configuration.

Head-to-head

Loamio vs. WaterMaster, capability by capability

WaterMaster claims are taken from the sources listed at the top of this page (checked July 2026). The Loamio column reflects Loamio's current offering across its plans (see pricing).

Honest take

Where WaterMaster is the better pick

• You want a long track record and named peer districts you can call. WaterMaster has been deployed at named districts for over a decade and is publicly endorsed by their managers. If your board wants to talk to three sitting managers using the software, WaterMaster can almost certainly arrange that today; Loamio is earlier in its customer journey.
• You need the modular flexibility. WaterMaster sells BillTrack, DitchRider, RideKick, Water Rights, and District Groups as separate modules. If you only want one or two of those and not a full system, WaterMaster's modular pricing may fit better — though you'll need to ask for a quote.
• You're already on an iPad-only workflow you're happy with. RideKick was built iPad-first; if your ditchriders are already on iPads and the workflow is working, the cost of switching may exceed the gain.

Honest take

Where Loamio is the better pick

• You want to know the price before the call. Loamio publishes flat tiers — $99/mo for small mutual companies, $299/mo for established districts, custom for multi-division operations — with no per-user or per-shareholder fees. WaterMaster says "monthly subscriptions, no contracts" but does not publish a price.
• You want billing and payments in one system, not two contracts. Loamio uses Stripe end-to-end: Loamio bills your district, your district uses the same Stripe connection to assess and collect from shareholders by ACH, card, or invoice. No second vendor for patron payments, no spreadsheet reconciliation between billed and collected. WaterMaster's site describes billing but not an integrated patron payment processor.
• You want state-agency data in the app. Loamio reads state gauge data (e.g. Colorado DSS) inside the same screens you use for orders and runs. WaterMaster's public materials do not document a state-agency data integration.
• You want one product, not a six-module assembly. Five Loamio screens cover ordering water, running the ditch, billing assessments, tracking shares, and reading state gauge data. No module selection, no add-on quotes.

Loamio pricing

Flat pricing by district size.

No per-user charges and no per-shareholder fees. Pick the tier that matches your operation.

Migration

Switching from WaterMaster to Loamio

If your board is considering a move, the practical questions are:

1. Data export. WaterMaster's District Groups module supports Excel export. Loamio onboarding includes migration from a legacy system with shares and balances reconciled before go-live.
2. Patron communications. Plan a single combined notice explaining the switch and the new payment options (ACH, card, or invoice via Stripe) so shareholders only hear from you once.
3. Timing. Migrate between the end of one assessment cycle and the start of the next water-order season. Loamio onboarding targets go-live before your next billing run.

Other comparisons: Loamio vs. Watervize · Loamio vs. CVSS Storm · Loamio vs. spreadsheets