February 14, 2023

Tradify alternatives 2024: The 8 best solutions

Laptop with job management software brand logos around it

As one of the most well-known software assistants for tradespeople, many business owners turn to Tradify as a simple solution to their quoting and invoicing and job management needs.

However, since it was founded in Auckland back in 2010, many other alternatives have entered the market offering competitive options that customers can choose from.

If you’ve tried Tradify and are looking for something different, or you’re new to the job management software market and want to know what’s out there, then look no further than our 8 best options.

  1. Payaca
  2. Service M8
  3. Jobber
  4. Fergus
  5. Joblogic
  6. Commusoft
  7. simPRO
  8. Powered Now

Is Tradify worth it?

If you are simply looking for the cheapest software to help you manage your service business, then Tradify might be a good choice for you. However, if you’re looking for a more premium service and want to access more powerful features, then Tradify might not be worth it to you and you should consider other alternatives.

Whatever you go for, we would always suggest trying out a few different software providers, using their free trial, before you commit. Until you’ve tried them for yourself, you won’t know how well they solve your business needs.

1. Payaca

Founded in 2018, Payaca is a British business that is attempting to shake up the job management software industry.

Not content to let tradespeople and service businesses fall behind with poor-quality software, Payaca is challenging some of the dinosaurs in the industry with high-performing software that looks good and delivers on quality.

Serving small to large-scale businesses across multiple continents including customers in the UK, the US, Australia and South Africa, Payaca is a great option for any professional service business.

Price

  • User-based pricing structure
  • £54pm for one user
  • £30 per additional user

Main benefit: Payaca is pioneering many new features that can’t be found anywhere else, such as the sales pipeline view that allows you to more easily manage your workflow and unique automations capabilities designed to save you time.

Main weakness: May find it to be expensive if you’re only using the software for quoting. To get the full value it’s best to take advantage of all the features.

2. ServiceM8

ServiceM8 was founded in 2010 in Australia. As such they developed their software primarily for the Australian and Kiwi markets, however, they have since expanded to Europe, South Africa and the US and Canada.

Price:

  • 5-scale pricing structure
  • £8pm, £25pm, £59pm, £119pm, £269pm
  • Prices are not based per user, but per job
  • Lite: 15 jobs pm / Starter: 50 jobs pm / Growing: 150 jobs pm / Premium: 500 jobs pm / Premium Plus: 1500+ jobs pm

Main benefit: Service M8 have a partner programme you can pay for that will help you to configure and set up your account and build extra add ons.

Main weakness: No android mobile app, you will need an apple phone to use ServiceM8.

For a closer look at how ServiceM8 compares with Payaca, check out our blog on Payaca vs ServiceM8.

3. Jobber

Based in Canada, jobber is a well-established player in the job management software market.

Founded in 2010, they have grown into a large business that provides software for thousands of customers.

With Jobber you can expect good quality, but also be ready to reach for your wallet as they’re not cheap.

Price:

  • 4-scale pricing structure
  • $69pm for one user / $169pm for 2-5 users / $349pm for 6-15 users
  • Additional users are priced at a further $29pm per user

Main benefit: Jobber uses its own payment gateway named jobber payment, meaning all transactions and processes are optimised through the software.

Main weakness: Largely aimed at the US and Canadian markets, they are not optimised for users in non-US or European countries.

4. Fergus

A New Zealand-based company, they recently received funding to support their entry into the UK market.

They offer a range of features including a map view, credit card payments and automatic time sheets.

As a company, their software has been optimised for plumbers and electricians, however, their software can be used by other trade businesses.

Price:

  • 3-scale pricing structure plus additional alternative user profiles
  • Includes a free plan
  • £0pm/ £20pm / £30pm per user
  • Timesheet users: £5 or £8pm depending on the plan
  • Contractor users: £2 per day

Main benefit: Free training and support.

Main weakness: Fergus is new to the UK market meaning their support can be patchy, they also do not have the same range of features as some of the larger competitors.

5. Joblogic

The OG of job management software providers, Joblogic first made an appearance back in 1998 when software options for Tradespeople hardly existed. Since then Joblogic has expanded globally and has established partnerships with many major brands.

For small businesses and sole traders, you might want to look to a cheaper solution, but for large companies, Joblogic has the experience and the infrastructure to support their needs.

Price:

  • 3-scale pricing structure
  • £35pm / £40pm / price not specified - negotiated on a case-by-case basis
  • £5 monthly discount if paid annually
  • Priced per user per month

Main benefit: Offers many different features including offline access for the mobile app, with complete uninterrupted functionality.

Main weakness: As an older software, some customers report issues with the speed and UI of the platform. Updates and bug fixes are few and far between.

6. Commusoft

Commusoft is a UK-based company with offices in the US and India. They are a large, well-established company that has been around since 2006.

As such they are not short on features and capabilities.

Price:

  • 3-scale price structure
  • £80pm / £110pm / £160pm (these are the prices for two licenses, which is the minimum requirement)

Main benefit: An extensive range of features - however you will have to pay for them.

Main weakness: Onboarding is mandatory and can cost anywhere from around £1000 up to as much as £5000 or more (prices vary case by case).

7. simPRO

SimPRO is an international company with a presence in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the US and Canada.

They were founded in 2002 in Brisbane, Australia and offer multiple features to its customers.

Price:

  • £154 pm
  • No free trial

Main benefit: Customisation - the software is adjusted and tailored to your business’s needs, with great features available to you.

Main weakness: Expensive training, with no free trial - if you need customer support you will have to pay for it. Can be slow to make changes.

8. Powered Now

Powered Now was founded by three British software developers in 2013. It is designed to be an affordable software solution for small and medium-sized trade businesses.

Price:

  • 3-scale pricing structure
  • £5pm / £15pm / £25pm per user
  • 2-month discount on annual subscriptions

Main benefit: An extensive library of forms and certificates - particularly valuable to electricians and gas engineers.

Main weakness: To unlock many of their most powerful features, you need to purchase their more expensive premium plan.

How do I cancel Tradify?

To cancel your Tradify subscription, within your account:

  • Go to Settings
  • Go to Subscription and Billing
  • Select Cancelling Your Subscription
  • Select Cancel

Moving across

Depending on what Tradify alternative you go for, will affect how easy it is to switch across to a new provider.

Most job management software companies provide you with the option to download and export your job data and a feature to upload new data. However, the data provided isn’t always in a helpful format, which can make onboarding difficult.

If this is a concern when deciding to leave Tradify, then Payaca might be a good choice for you.

Payaca is specially set up so that you can easily import data from your old Tradify account.

You can rest easy knowing that all your jobs and upcoming projects will be seamlessly moved over to your new Payaca profile.

For more information on this, you can contact the Payaca support team.

Choosing your alternative

Once you’ve decided Tradify isn’t for you, it’s important to make sure you make an informed decision about who to go for instead. Understanding how any software provider will work with your business is crucial.

Don’t let yourself get tied into a long contract and avoid paying heavy onboarding fees. Unless you are very confident, it is always a good idea to use a free trial and try out the software before you go with it.

Payaca provides a free, no strings attached trial, with options to extend if you need more time.

It is important that you understand what options are available to you and that you make sure the software you choose is a good fit for your business.

Ultimately it’s important you have the best tools for the job and making an informed choice is crucial to that.

If you do want to find out more about Payaca, check out the website here.

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