Best Tradify alternatives for UK tradespeople in 2026

The right Tradify alternative depends on why you're leaving. If it's the per-user bill, look at tools that charge per business or per job. If it's CIS and reverse-charge VAT, look at the UK-built apps that do it on the invoice. If you've moved from call-outs to building projects, you need software built around contracts, variations and stage payments, not a better scheduler.

Here are eight worth a look, with what each is best for and where each one falls short. We make EstiMate, so it's first, but every other entry is drawn from the vendor's own pages and public reviews. Tradify itself is a well-rated app (4.7 from 152 reviews on Capterra) at £34 to £44 per user a month (Tradify UK pricing), so you're comparing against a decent baseline.

The shortlist

Prices checked October 2026 on each vendor's own page: EstiMate, Fergus, ServiceM8, Powered Now, YourTradebase, Jobber, Joblogic and Simpro. Where a vendor doesn't say whether VAT is included, we haven't guessed. EstiMate's pricing page says the price shown is what you pay.

1. EstiMate: best for builders who quote, contract, run and account for projects

EstiMate is priced per business: free with no time limit (3 jobs a month, watermarked PDFs), £15.99 a month for unlimited jobs, or £39.99 for Pro. The £15.99 plan covers the quote link (client accepts, declines, picks optional extras or asks for amendments), contracts with e-signature, variations, invoices with card payments, RAMS and COSHH, and an Accounts tab with P&L, VAT figures and a CIS register. Pro adds the AI quote writer, AI take-off from drawings, retention and valuations, and snagging with pins on drawings. TenderPilot, which finds tenders and planning applications as leads, is free to search on any plan and an add-on for Pro.

The catch: it runs in the browser on Android rather than as a native Android app, it exports to Xero and QuickBooks as a file rather than syncing live, and it doesn't file VAT or CIS returns to HMRC. Separate team logins with roles are on Corp, from £249 a month. More on quoting in EstiMate.

2. Fergus: best for plumbing, heating and electrical teams that want AI and variations

Fergus is the closest like-for-like swap. Essentials is from £39 per full user a month and Pro from £45, with timesheet users from £12 and contractor users at £2 a day when active (Fergus pricing). Some of Fergus's own pages still show £35, so check. It has variations as linked child jobs (Fergus help), progress invoicing by quote section (Fergus invoicing), and Fergus AI, launched on 13 September 2026, which prepares quotes and invoices (Fergus AI).

The catch: it's still per user, and we couldn't find CIS or reverse-charge VAT in its help centre. A recurring complaint on Trustpilot is price rises and features moving to higher tiers (Trustpilot). Our three-way comparison puts Tradify, Fergus and EstiMate side by side.

3. ServiceM8: best for small service teams doing lots of short jobs

ServiceM8 doesn't charge per user at all. It charges by job volume: a free plan for 1 user and 30 jobs a month, then Starter at £25 (50 jobs), Growing at £59 (150), Premium at £119 (500) and Premium Plus at £269 (1,500+), all with unlimited users and all excluding VAT (ServiceM8 pricing). Extra jobs are 15p each. Its Auto-Quote drafts materials and labour from past invoices once you've done at least 100 jobs (Auto-Quote help), and clients can pick optional items through its Proposals add-on (ServiceM8 help).

The catch: it started on iPhone and iPad, and a common complaint in Capterra reviews is that the Android app does less (Capterra). We couldn't find CIS, and for the reverse charge the tax rates sync from Xero or QuickBooks Online or you create them by hand, and you add the wording yourself through an invoice template (ServiceM8 DRC help).

4. Powered Now: best for UK heating and electrical firms that want certificates, CIS and VAT filing in one app

Powered Now is UK-built and strong on paperwork: over 80 digital forms and certificates (Powered Now forms), a RAMS form (RAMS help), native CIS with a CIS 300 report (CIS help), and a reverse-charge tax rate on invoices (reverse charge). On Professional and Premium it submits Making Tax Digital VAT returns to HMRC (Making Tax Digital), which EstiMate doesn't do. Business is £28 a month for one user; Professional £32 and Premium £40 are listed per user, all ex VAT, with two months free on annual billing (Powered Now pricing).

The catch: we couldn't find variations or a contract builder, and customers accept or reject the whole quote; we couldn't find a way for them to tick extras. A recurring complaint on Trustpilot is auto-renewals and charges after cancelling (Trustpilot). It scores 4.7 from 137 reviews on Capterra.

5. YourTradebase: best for small UK trade firms on CIS who want a low base price

YourTradebase is £29 a month per business, or £290 a year, plus £15 a month for each extra user on its current pricing page (it doesn't say which users that covers), ex VAT (YourTradebase pricing). It calculates CIS on invoices at 0%, 20% or 30% from the labour total (CIS help), applies the reverse charge and adds a reverse-charge note (reverse charge help), and can require a customer signature on quote acceptance (signature help). After a 30-day trial it drops to a free account with usage limits; we couldn't find what the limits are.

The catch: we couldn't find AI features, variations or built-in accounts, and its blog points readers to a separate tool for RAMS (YourTradebase blog).

6. Jobber: best for home-service teams of five or more that want AI to draft quotes

Jobber prices per business in bands by team size, in US dollars: Connect is US$99 for one user and US$229 for ten on annual billing (Jobber pricing), so it gets cheaper per head than Tradify as you grow. It has AI quote drafting (Jobber AI), an AI receptionist add-on, and a Client Hub where clients approve quotes and pay deposits. It passed 100,000 customers in May 2026 (PR Newswire).

The catch: Jobber lists its prices in US dollars and we couldn't find a sterling price, and we couldn't find CIS or the reverse charge in its help centre. See our Tradify vs Jobber comparison for the sums.

7. Joblogic: best for maintenance contractors with planned maintenance work

Joblogic is based in Birmingham (Joblogic) and builds field service software for service and maintenance contractors, with planned maintenance, certificates and compliance forms including risk assessments (Joblogic quoting). Standard is from £45 per user a month billed annually; its example is £225 a month for 5 users (Joblogic pricing), and its own site says UK prices exclude VAT (Joblogic). It syncs live with Xero, QuickBooks and Sage 50 (Joblogic support).

The catch: it's per user, Standard is listed as billed annually (one Joblogic page mentions a rolling monthly contract, so ask), and a common complaint on Capterra is that the mobile app is weaker than the desktop (Capterra).

8. Simpro: best for mid-size electrical and mechanical contractors with project work

Simpro was founded in Brisbane in 2002 (Wikipedia) and is aimed at mid-size and larger service and project contractors. It has its own take-off tool that reads PDF plans (Simpro Takeoffs), progress claims, retentions and variations (Simpro invoicing), and a UK reverse-charge invoices report (Simpro help). Pricing is by quote, and Simpro says one-time setup and onboarding fees apply.

The catch: it's built for bigger firms, and prices aren't published. When it launched its Lightning AI platform in May 2026, Simpro offered existing contracts a 15% uplift until 31 May, with a post-promotional rate of 25%, alongside a price lock capping annual rises at CPI + 3% (Simpro press release).

How to pick

• Leaving over per-user cost? EstiMate (per business), ServiceM8 (per job volume) or YourTradebase (per business plus users).
• Need CIS and reverse charge on invoices without Xero doing it? YourTradebase, Powered Now or EstiMate.
• Need MTD VAT filing inside the app? Powered Now on Professional or Premium.
• Want a free plan? ServiceM8 (1 user, 30 jobs a month) or EstiMate (3 jobs a month, no time limit). YourTradebase also drops to a free account with usage limits after its trial.
• Running building projects with contracts and variations? EstiMate, or Simpro if you're a much bigger firm.

What to do next

Shortlist two, run a real job through each during the trial, and time how long it takes to get from enquiry to signed quote. If you're moving from Tradify, our switch guide covers exporting customers and running both apps for a month.

Try EstiMate on your next job: start free.