simPRO alternative for small UK builders: EstiMate vs Simpro

Simpro (spelt simPRO for years, Simpro now) is serious kit. It does quoting, jobs, projects, stock, progress claims and take-offs, and it's built for trade contractors in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, security and solar (Simpro). Of all the field service platforms we've compared, it comes closest to what a contractor running projects needs.

So the honest answer depends on your size. If you're a mid-size commercial contractor with an office, stock to control and a team in the field, Simpro deserves a demo. If you're a small builder (a few people doing extensions, refurbs and fit-outs) and you want a published monthly price and CIS sitting in the same app as your quotes, EstiMate is the better fit.

Credit where it's due

On Simpro's own pages:

• Progress claims, retentions and variations are built in (Simpro), and site variations can be captured with client approval recorded in the field (Simpro).
• Simpro Takeoffs reads uploaded PDF drawings, sets the scale, and counts and measures, using a symbol recognition tool (Simpro marketplace).
• Quotes can carry several options, and clients accept online with a typed-name e-signature (Simpro).
• There's a UK-only reverse charge customer invoices report (Simpro help).
• It integrates with Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB and Sage (Simpro, Simpro marketplace).

It's also big. Simpro started in Brisbane in 2002 (Wikipedia), and Simpro Group, which also owns AroFlo, ClockShark and BigChange, says it serves more than 22,000 businesses (Security Sales). Its flagship is Simpro Premium. From everything we've read, it's built for contractors with an office team behind them, not a builder with two vans.

Price on application

Simpro doesn't publish prices. Its own blog says pricing is tailored to your operation, that you contact Simpro for a quote, and that one-time setup and onboarding fees apply (Simpro blog). The only figures we found were Simpro's own rough estimates in US dollars, in that same blog: about $150 to $300 a month for one to five users, and $600 to $1,500 or more for 10 to 25 users, plus onboarding. Treat those as ballpark figures, not a price list.

Prices checked October 2026: Simpro blog, Simpro press release and EstiMate pricing. We couldn't find Simpro's VAT basis. EstiMate is monthly with no contract, cancel any time, and its prices are what you pay. Pro is one office login, with the site team on the Site Crew app from a job link; several office logins with roles are on EstiMate Corp, from £249 a month.

Then there's 2026. When Simpro launched its Lightning AI platform on 13 May 2026, its press release said existing contracts were offered a "15% uplift" until 31 May 2026, with a "post-promotional rate" of 25%, plus a Price Lock that caps annual increases at CPI plus 3% for the life of the agreement (Simpro press release). Price rises are also a recurring theme in Capterra reviews (Capterra). It's worth knowing before you sign.

Same boxes ticked, different weight to carry

Here's the feature comparison for a building job. "Not found" means we searched Simpro's site and help guide in October 2026 and found nothing. Ask Simpro if it matters to you.

Take-off: both do it, aimed differently

Simpro Takeoffs is aimed at counting and measuring fixtures, such as lights, wiring, piping and flooring areas, which suits an electrical or plumbing contractor pricing a commercial job (Simpro UK blog). We couldn't confirm whether it's a paid add-on.

EstiMate's AI take-off on Pro reads architect PDFs and shows which sheet each quantity came from. The quantities go straight into the quote, which becomes the contract, then the invoices, then the accounts, all in the one app. Check what it picks up, as you would with any take-off, human or machine. Our explainer on how AI take-off from drawings works shows what to look for.

CIS is the gap to check

If you're a main contractor paying subbies, or a subbie yourself, CIS is the question to ask Simpro first. We couldn't find anything on CIS deductions in its published material (October 2026). In EstiMate, CIS deductions go into a register in the Accounts tab, next to your P&L and VAT figures, ready for your accountant. It prepares the figures; it doesn't file to HMRC.

Who Simpro suits

Simpro is the stronger pick for:

• commercial electrical, plumbing, HVAC, security and solar contractors;
• firms with stock and inventory to control across many jobs;
• businesses with an office team and the time to run a proper rollout;
• groups that want the wider Simpro family, which also includes BigChange, AroFlo and ClockShark.

On G2 it scores 4.2 out of 5 from 457 reviews, and the common grumbles there are a steep learning curve, a complex setup and too many clicks for simple tasks (G2). For a big contractor, depth is worth some clicks. For a three-person building firm, it's a lot of system to carry.

Who EstiMate suits

Small builders and contractors doing domestic and light commercial projects: extensions, loft conversions, kitchen fits, refurbishments, office fit-outs. You get the quote, contract, programme, variations, site records, invoices and accounts in one app. Pro adds retention, valuations and subcontracts, plus purchase orders and cost control, so you can keep an eye on job costing while the job's still running.

It started as the quoting spreadsheet of a design-and-build firm in Altrincham, and it's priced like a builder would price it: per business, monthly, cancel any time.

Trying EstiMate next to Simpro

1. If you're mid-conversation with Simpro, ask for the full figure in writing: users, onboarding, and how increases work after year one.
2. Open a free EstiMate account (no card, no time limit) and price the same job.
3. Upgrade to Pro, which has a free trial when you upgrade, and run the same drawings through the AI take-off. Compare the quantities with your own.
4. Decide on the numbers and the fit, not the demo.

Simpro Group also owns BigChange. If that's on your shortlist too, read our BigChange alternative post.

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