Trenchless is a method, not a diagnosis. A liner coats a pipe that still has its shape. A pipe burst pulls a new pipe through a line that is too far gone to line. An open trench is still the right job when the pipe has a long belly, a collapsed section, or no clean path.
None of that is knowable from the toilet that backed up. The camera comes first, typically $250-$550, and you should keep the recording. A spot repair on a single broken joint often runs $1,500-$4,500. Replacing a full residential lateral often runs $6,000-$15,000, trenchless or open, depending on length, depth, and what sits on top of the line.
Roots from ficus and other yard trees are common in San Diego. Cutting them with a cable buys time. It does not close the joint they entered through. If the video shows a separated joint, plan on a repair, not another annual cable.
The city owns part of the path to the main. The plumber should say which side of the property line the defect is on before you pay to dig the city’s pipe. We match you to someone who will film the line first.