Best Fergus alternatives for UK trades in 2026

Fergus is a capable app. It has AI quote building, variations and a live Xero sync, so if you're looking for an alternative it's usually for one of three reasons: you're tired of paying per user, you need UK construction tax (CIS and reverse charge) handled in the app, or you're a builder who needs contracts and accounts as well as job cards.

Here are eight alternatives, each with what it's best for and the catch. We make EstiMate, so it's first, but every entry gets an honest "watch out" line, ours included.

The shortlist

Prices checked October 2026, per month: EstiMate, Tradify, ServiceM8, Powered Now, YourTradebase, Jobber, Commusoft and Simpro. ServiceM8, Powered Now and YourTradebase show prices ex VAT. We couldn't confirm Tradify's or Fergus's VAT basis, and Jobber's prices are in US dollars, excluding sales tax where applicable. EstiMate's prices are what you pay, with a VAT receipt. For comparison, Fergus is from £39 per full user (Fergus pricing).

1. EstiMate

Built by Dave Groom, a tradesman turned contracts manager, for UK construction. You price the job, the client accepts online, and the quote becomes a contract with e-signature. Variations become signed addenda, invoices take card payments through Stripe, and the Accounts tab shows P&L, VAT return figures and the CIS register. Reverse-charge invoices carry the required wording. Pro (£39.99) adds the AI quote writer, AI take-off from drawings, retention, valuations and snagging. TenderPilot turns councils' planning applications into local leads.

Watch out: no native Android app (it works in the browser), no live Xero or QuickBooks sync (it exports files in their formats), and it doesn't file VAT returns to HMRC. It's not a dispatch tool for big service teams, and separate team seats with roles are on Corp, from £249.

Best for: builders and contractors who quote, contract, run and account for projects.

2. Tradify

The UK's Access Group agreed to buy it in October 2024 (Tradify). Lite is £34, Pro £37 and Plus £44 per user a month. It has a scheduler with horizontal, vertical and month views (Tradify help), timesheets, and links to Xero, QuickBooks and Sage. On Pro and Plus, customers tick optional sections on the quote link before accepting (Tradify help).

Watch out: Tradify's help centre says it has no native reverse VAT or CIS options, and you need Xero or Sage Business Cloud for CIS invoices (Tradify help). It's per user too, so it won't fix that problem.

Best for: small trade teams who want simple scheduling and already run Xero or Sage.

3. ServiceM8

Australian, and the most different pricing here: it charges by job volume, not by user. Free covers 30 jobs a month for one user and doesn't run out. Paid plans are £25 for 50 jobs, £59 for 150, £119 for 500 and £269 for 1,500 or more, all with unlimited users, plus 15p per extra job (ServiceM8 pricing). Auto-Quote drafts a description and a materials and labour list from your past invoices, though it needs at least 100 completed jobs to give reasonable results (ServiceM8 help). Clients sign on acceptance, and the Proposals add-on lets them pick optional sections.

Watch out: we couldn't find CIS. Reverse charge works through tax rates you sync from Xero or QuickBooks or set up yourself, and you add the wording through a separate invoice template (ServiceM8 DRC help). ServiceM8's own pages say the Android app has almost all the iPhone app's features, but also recommend iPhones or iPads for full management (ServiceM8 Android), so check if your team is on Android.

Best for: busy service firms doing lots of short jobs with a team on iPhones. Ten engineers doing 150 jobs a month pay £59 ex VAT on Growing, or £40 on Starter plus 100 extra jobs at 15p. More in our ServiceM8 pricing guide.

4. Powered Now

UK-made, from Teignmouth in Devon (Powered Now terms). Business is £28 for one user, Professional £32 and Premium £40 per user, ex VAT, with two months free on annual billing (Powered Now pricing). It's the strongest rival here on UK tax: native CIS that estimates the deduction on sales invoices, plus a CIS 300 report for contractors (Powered Now CIS), a reverse-charge tax rate per line, and Making Tax Digital VAT returns submitted to HMRC on Professional and Premium (Powered Now MTD). It also has over 80 forms and certificates (Powered Now forms) and a RAMS form.

Watch out: we couldn't find variations (the nearest is editing and reissuing the quote), or optional items the customer can tick: the quote link has Accept and Reject buttons (Powered Now help). The pricing page and help centre disagree on how extra users work, so ask.

Best for: gas, heating and electrical firms who want certificates and VAT filing in the same app. It files VAT to HMRC. EstiMate doesn't.

5. YourTradebase

UK-made, run by Forty Two Ltd in Surrey. £29 a month or £290 a year, plus extra users at £15 a month each, ex VAT (YourTradebase pricing). There's a 30-day trial with no card, then a free account with usage limits (we couldn't find what the limits are). CIS deductions at 0%, 20% or 30% work out from the labour total on the invoice (CIS help), reverse charge is built in, and the Xero sync carries CIS across. Customers can sign when they accept a quote (signature help).

Watch out: we couldn't find AI features, a variation workflow or built-in accounts.

Best for: small UK trade firms who mainly need tidy quotes and invoices with CIS and reverse charge, plus Xero.

6. Jobber

Canadian, with 100,000 customers by its own count in May 2026 (PR Newswire). Prices are in US dollars, in team bands: Core is $29 a month billed annually or $49 with no commitment, for one user. "Draft for me" drafts quotes with AI (Jobber AI), and clients can tick optional line items in its Client Hub before approving (Jobber help).

Watch out: we couldn't find a sterling price, CIS, reverse charge or change orders. Our Fergus vs Jobber comparison goes deeper.

Best for: home-service teams who want a polished client portal.

7. Commusoft

London-based, strong in heating and plumbing, with certificates such as CP12 (Commusoft). It charges per licence per month on a 12-month contract, office staff and engineers each need a licence (Commusoft FAQs), and prices are on request (Commusoft plans). Customers can accept quotes, pay deposits and download certificates in its portal, there's a reverse-charge option in the VAT dropdown (Commusoft blog), and it links to Sage, QuickBooks, Xero, FreeAgent and KashFlow.

Watch out: it's a 12-month contract, and some Trustpilot and Capterra reviewers describe trouble cancelling or cutting licences mid-contract (Trustpilot).

Best for: established service firms with office staff and a team of engineers.

8. Simpro

Australian, founded in Brisbane in 2002, and built for bigger contractors. It handles progress claims, retentions and variations (Simpro), reads PDF drawings with Simpro Takeoffs, and has a UK reverse-charge invoice report. Pricing is a custom quote with setup and onboarding fees.

Watch out: existing customers moving to its 2026 Lightning platform were offered a 15% uplift until 31 May 2026, with a 25% rate after that, plus a price lock capping yearly rises at CPI plus 3% (Simpro press release). Ask what applies to new customers.

Best for: mid-size electrical, plumbing, HVAC and security contractors.

How to choose

• You like Fergus but hate per-user pricing: ServiceM8 (per job) or EstiMate (per business).
• You want VAT filed to HMRC from the same app as your invoices: Powered Now.
• You need CIS on invoices, a small team and Xero: YourTradebase.
• You run a big service team with engineers and an office: Commusoft or Simpro.
• You quote, contract and run building projects with CIS subbies: EstiMate.

If you're not sure which camp you're in, our piece on job management apps vs construction software will help.

What to do next

Pick two from the list that match how you work, put the same real job through both, and compare the quote the client sees, the paperwork after acceptance and what the bill comes to with your actual team. EstiMate's free plan has no time limit, so it's an easy one to include.

Start free and run your next quote through it.