Which app should your trade business pay for?
Dated prices, a calculator that uses them, and a "who should not buy this" section on every page. Written for Australian tradies, in Australian dollars, with GST sorted out.
Every comparison here answers the same three questions: what it costs at your size, what it will not do, and who should walk away. Prices were last checked on 13 September 2026 and every page says so. When we could not verify a number, the page says "not verified" rather than guessing.
Answer five questions, get a pick
The comparisons
Tradify vs ServiceM8
The question every one-van business asks in its first year. The phone you carry decides most of it.
Best job management app for a solo sparkie
ServiceM8, Tradify and Fergus at 20, 40 and 80 jobs a month, plus the compliance forms question.
Best quoting and invoicing app for a solo plumber
QuoteMate, Xero Ignite, ServiceM8 and Tradify for the tradie who quotes standing in a bathroom.
ServiceM8 vs simPRO
Five signs you have actually outgrown ServiceM8, and why simPRO's price is not on this site.
Cheapest way to run a one-van trade business
Three complete stacks at A$0, A$37 and under A$53 a month, and what each one gives up.
How we make money
Which vendors pay us, how much, and what we do about it.
Prices at a glance
| Tool | Cheapest paid plan | Priced by | Free plan | Full Android app |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | A$29 (50 jobs a month) | Business, by jobs a month | Yes, 1 user, 30 jobs | No (Lite only) |
| Tradify | A$48 ex GST per user | Per user | No, 14-day trial | Yes |
| Fergus | From A$53 | Not fully published | No, 14-day trial | Yes |
| simPRO | Not published | Quote only | No | Yes |
| Xero | A$37 (20 invoices a month) | Business, by plan | No, one month free | Accounting only |
| QuoteMate | A$49 | Business, flat | Yes, unlimited invoices | Yes |
Checked on 13 September 2026. ServiceM8, Xero and QuoteMate print prices inc GST. Tradify prints ex GST. Fergus does not say. The full research notes, with source links, are on each comparison page.
What it actually costs a month
Type your numbers. Prices come from one file we checked on 13 September 2026. One invoice per job is assumed for the Xero row.
How we decide
By price at your size first, because that is the thing the vendors' own pages make hardest to see. Then by the phone you carry, because one of the big two does not run its full app on Android. Then by what you actually need this year, not what you might need in three. We recommend the free plan when the free plan is right, even though a free plan pays us nothing.