Tradify vs EstiMate for UK builders: an honest comparison

If you're looking at Tradify, you probably want quotes, jobs and invoices off scraps of paper and spreadsheets. Both Tradify and EstiMate will do that. The two big differences are how you pay and what kind of work each is set up for. Tradify charges per user. EstiMate charges per business, and it's built around building jobs: take-off from drawings, a contract the client signs online, and CIS and VAT figures from the same jobs.

Tradify's own site lists electrical, plumbing, gas, HVAC and property maintenance. If that's your trade, and every one of your team needs their own login, Tradify may suit you better. If you're a builder pricing extensions and refurbs from drawings, the sums below are worth a look.

Side by side

Tradify's details are as listed on its website on 12 November 2026. EstiMate's are from its own pricing page.

What they both do

There's a fair bit of overlap. Both do quoting and invoicing. Both handle staged payments: Tradify lists progress invoicing with deposits and retentions, and EstiMate lists programme and payment milestones, with deposits paid online on Pro. Both track job costs: Tradify lists costing and bill tracking, and EstiMate lists cost control on Pro. Both sync with Xero, Sage and QuickBooks. So the choice comes down to your trade, how your team is made up, and whether you price from drawings.

What it costs, worked through

As listed on its website on 12 November 2026, Tradify's plans are Lite £34, Pro £37 and Plus £44 per user per month, with Custom on request. EstiMate's EstiMate, Pro and Commercial plans each include one office login. Site staff don't take an office login: they use the EstiMate Crew app, which is a £29.99 a month add-on on Pro and included on Commercial.

A solo builder

• Tradify Lite: £34 a month for one user on Lite.
• EstiMate: £15.99 a month for one office login, with unlimited jobs, branded PDFs, contracts and e-signatures, invoices and the accounts figures.
• EstiMate Pro: £39.99 a month, which adds the AI quote writer, AI take-off from drawings and the AI visualiser.

If AI tools are part of the reason you're shopping, compare the right tiers. Tradify lists SmartTools AI (bill reading and writing help) and purchase orders on Plus, at £44 per user. EstiMate lists its AI tools and purchase orders on Pro, at £39.99. They're different tools, so check which ones you'd actually use.

An office person and two site lads

• Tradify Lite: 3 × £34 = £102 a month, for three Lite users.
• Tradify Pro: 3 × £37 = £111 a month, for three Pro users.
• Tradify Plus: 3 × £44 = £132 a month, for three Plus users.
• EstiMate Pro with Crew: £39.99 + £29.99 = £69.98 a month, for one office login on Pro and the Crew app for the two lads.
• EstiMate Commercial: from £99 a month, with Crew included.

Be clear what that buys. On EstiMate the lads get the Crew app, not an office login. Crew does GPS clock in and out, timesheets that fill themselves from the clock, mileage and travel time while on the clock, receipts, snags, drawings and messages with the office. It works in any phone browser.

It cuts the other way too. If two people need to run the office side, EstiMate's only option is Corp at £249 a month, which includes five office logins, then £29.99 for each extra. Two Tradify Lite users would be 2 × £34 = £68 a month, so Tradify costs less for a two-person office.

Where Tradify is the better pick

If your work is mostly service and maintenance call-outs for a team who each need their own login, Tradify's scheduling and service reminders are built for that. It also lists Google Calendar sync, timesheets and subcontractor scheduling, and quote options with online acceptance. Its 14-day free trial includes all features, so you can run it on real jobs before you pay.

Where EstiMate is the stronger pick

EstiMate was built by Dave Groom, a working builder and founder of Tatton Projects in Cheshire. It's set up for jobs that start from drawings and end with a signed contract and money in.

• AI take-off (Pro). Upload the drawings and it measures and prices the quantities, with the working shown. You check it before it goes on a quote.
• Quote to contract. When the client accepts, the quote becomes a build contract they sign online. Contracts and e-signatures are on the £15.99 plan.
• Accounts from the jobs. P&L, VAT, CIS and year-end figures, with Xero, QuickBooks and Sage kept in step both ways, including wages, PAYE and CIS. EstiMate doesn't file VAT or CIS returns to HMRC: it prepares the figures and your package or accountant files them.
• Site paperwork. RAMS, COSHH, permits and a site document pack, plus variations and warranties, on the £15.99 plan.
• TenderPilot. It finds live UK public tenders and approved planning applications near you. You can search tenders on the free plan.

Which should you pick?

• Pick Tradify if you run service and maintenance call-outs and everyone on the team needs their own login.
• Pick EstiMate if you price building work from drawings, want quotes to turn into signed contracts, and want one office login plus a site app rather than paying per user.
• Not sure? Run a real job through both: Tradify's 14-day trial, or EstiMate's free plan, which has no time limit.

See the full EstiMate vs Tradify comparison, or try EstiMate free: 3 jobs a month, no card.