Tradify vs Fergus vs EstiMate: which suits a UK builder?

If you're choosing between Tradify and Fergus, the honest answer is that they're close. Both are job management apps for trades, and both charge per user. Tradify is a few pounds cheaper per head and has far more Trustpilot reviews behind it. Fergus has variations, progress invoicing by quote section, cheaper timesheet-only users, and a new AI assistant that builds quotes.

If you're a builder rather than a service trade, there's a third option. EstiMate is priced per business, not per user, and is built around the way a building job runs: price it, contract it, manage the variations, invoice in stages, and handle CIS and reverse-charge VAT without a separate accounting app.

The table first, then the detail.

Three apps, one table

Prices checked October 2026 on Tradify's UK pricing page, Fergus's UK pricing page and EstiMate's pricing page. Fergus's pricing page shows Essentials from £39, but some of its own comparison pages still say £35 (Fergus page), so check the live figure. We couldn't confirm whether Tradify's or Fergus's prices include VAT; EstiMate's pricing page says the price shown is what you pay. EstiMate's Yes and Built in features are on the £15.99 plan and above. "Not found" means we searched the vendor's website and help centre and couldn't find it.

Tradify vs Fergus: the head-to-head

Price

For three full users, Tradify Pro is 3 × £37 = £111 a month. Fergus Essentials is 3 × £39 = £117, and Fergus Pro is 3 × £45 = £135. So far, Tradify is cheaper.

Fergus changes the sum if your team is mostly on the tools. It sells timesheet users from £12 a month (some pages say £11) and contractor users at £2 a day, charged only on days they're active (Fergus pricing). One office user plus four lads who only log hours comes to £39 + 4 × £12 = £87 a month on Fergus Essentials. Five users on Tradify's cheapest plan, Lite, is 5 × £34 = £170. Both sell month to month with a 14-day trial.

Quoting and AI

Tradify's SmartWrite writes quote and invoice descriptions from the line items you've added, in a professional, friendly or direct tone, and SmartRead pulls job details from documents and captures bills (Tradify SmartTools). Fergus went further in 2026. Fergus Assistant can build and review quotes, including turning a supplier's PDF into a quote, and waits for your approval before changing records. Fergus AI, launched on 13 September 2026, prepares quotes, invoices and follow-ups (Fergus AI). If AI quoting matters to you, Fergus is ahead of Tradify.

On the customer's side, Tradify Pro and Plus let the customer tick optional sections and accept online (Tradify help). Fergus added Quote Options, with good, better and best versions and optional add-ons, in April 2026 (Fergus release notes). We couldn't confirm whether the Fergus customer ticks the add-ons themselves.

Variations and stage payments

Fergus handles a variation as a linked child job with its own number, quoted and invoiced on its own or with the parent job (Fergus variations). It invoices by percentage of the quote, by quote section or for the remainder, and takes deposits (Fergus invoicing). We couldn't find a variations feature on Tradify's website. For anyone doing staged work, that's a real point to Fergus.

Reviews

Tradify scores 4.7 from 152 reviews on Capterra and 4.8 from about 612 on Trustpilot. Fergus scores 4.6 from 155 on Capterra and 3.8 from 14 on Trustpilot. The complaints differ. Tradify reviewers on Capterra, G2 and Software Advice mention shallow reporting and per-user costs for bigger teams. A recurring complaint in Fergus's Trustpilot reviews is price rises and features moving to higher tiers (Trustpilot UK).

Who each one suits

• Tradify suits sole traders and small service teams (electricians, plumbers, maintenance) who want a simple, well-rated app with a good scheduler, and are happy for their accounting app to handle the tax (for CIS invoices, Tradify needs Xero or Sage).
• Fergus suits plumbing, heating and electrical firms with staff on timesheets, supplier price books and regular variations, who want AI quoting now.
• EstiMate suits builders and contractors who quote, contract, run and account for projects: extensions, loft conversions, refurbs and fit-outs.

Where EstiMate pulls ahead, and where it doesn't

We couldn't find a contract builder with online signing, take-off from architect drawings or a built-in P&L on either Tradify's or Fergus's website. EstiMate turns the accepted quote into a contract the client signs online, reads drawings with AI on Pro, and gives you a P&L, VAT figures and aged debtors in its Accounts tab.

CIS is the sharpest difference. Tradify's help centre says it has no native reverse VAT or CIS and needs Xero or Sage (Tradify help). Fergus's help centre says to manage tax adjustments in your accounting package (Fergus help). EstiMate does the CIS deduction, the reverse-charge wording and the CIS register itself. It prepares the figures and doesn't file to HMRC. See how variations work in EstiMate, from site to signed addendum.

Now the other side. Both Tradify and Fergus sync live with accounting software; EstiMate exports files in Xero and QuickBooks formats. Both have proper team scheduling; EstiMate has a planner and a programme but isn't a dispatch tool. Both have dedicated mobile apps; EstiMate runs in the browser on any device and as an iPhone app, with no native Android app. And both have years of public reviews.

What to do next

If you're a service trade, trial Tradify and Fergus for 14 days each on a real week of work, and count your timesheet-only staff before you compare prices. If you're a builder, price your next job on EstiMate's free plan alongside them and see which one gets you from drawings to a signed contract fastest. Our separate guides compare EstiMate with Tradify and EstiMate with Fergus in more depth.

Try it on your next extension or refit: start free.