Best job management software for UK trades (2026)

By Software for Tradespeople Editorial Team · Updated 12 October 2026 · Prices checked 12 Oct 2026 · 16 min read

Quick answer

For most UK trade teams of 1 to 10 people, Tradify is the best job management software: £34 to £44 per user per month, UK gas and electrical certificates from the Pro plan, and Xero, Sage and QuickBooks on every plan. ServiceM8 is the best value (free for 30 jobs a month, then £25 with unlimited users).

On this page

Which job management software should you pick?
What does job management software actually do?
How do the 12 apps compare on price, certificates and accounting?
Why is Tradify the best overall for small UK trade teams?
Why is ServiceM8 the best value and best free plan?
Why is Powered Now best for UK certificates and Making Tax Digital?
Why is Fergus best for job costing and purchase orders?
Why is Commusoft best for heating firms with 6+ staff?
Why is Joblogic best for maintenance and compliance contractors?
What about Jobber, simPRO, BigChange, YourTradebase and Tooltime?
How do you choose? Six questions to answer first
What does it really cost for a 1, 3 and 8 person team?
Which software is best for your trade?
FAQs

We compared 12 job management apps sold to UK tradespeople on real £ prices, UK certificates, accounting links and how the bill grows as you hire. Every price below comes from the vendor's own pricing page (or, where a vendor publishes no price, a named third-party listing), checked on 12 October 2026, and every pick comes with a clear "choose it if" and "skip it if".

Which job management software should you pick?

Start with the row that sounds most like your business. The reasons and the catches are further down the page.

Our picks by business type. Prices checked 12 Oct 2026
Your business	Our pick	Entry price	Why
Small trade team, 1 to 10 people	Tradify	£34 per user per month	UK certificates from Pro, Xero, Sage and QuickBooks on every plan, London office
Tight budget, or many people but few jobs	ServiceM8	£0 (30 jobs), then £25 a month	Priced by jobs, unlimited users on paid plans
Certificates and Making Tax Digital in one app	Powered Now	£28 a month ex VAT (1 user)	Nearly 100 trade forms, HMRC-recognised for MTD, Windows and Mac apps
Plumbers and builders who live on supplier invoices	Fergus	£39 a month list price	Job costing and purchase orders
Heating and plumbing firm with 6+ staff	Commusoft	Quote only (about £59 per user per Capterra UK)	Built for 6+ staff, service contracts, stock, fleet tracking
Planned maintenance and compliance contractor	Joblogic	£45 per user per month, billed annually	Assets, planned maintenance, F-Gas and gas certificates
Cleaning, gardening or domestic services	Jobber	$49 a month (USD shown on UK page)	Strong online booking and client follow-up; certificates not needed

What does job management software actually do?

Job management software is one app that takes a job from the first phone call to the paid invoice. On a phone in the van, your team sees today's jobs, the address, the notes and the photos. In the office, someone sees who is where and which quotes have not been answered.

A good one covers six things, and they are the baseline every app below is judged against:

Quoting: build a quote from a price list, send it by email or text, and let the customer accept it online.
Scheduling: a shared diary showing who is on which job, with drag-and-drop changes.
Job sheets and certificates: notes, photos, signatures, checklists and, for UK trades, forms such as an EICR (electrical installation condition report) or CP12 (landlord gas safety record).
Invoicing and payments: turn the job into an invoice on site and take card or online payment.
Mobile apps: iPhone and Android apps that work on site, ideally offline too.
Accounting link: invoices and payments flow into Xero, QuickBooks or Sage so you do not type them twice.

What it replaces: the duplicate-book job sheets, the whiteboard, the Word quote template, the spreadsheet of who owes what, and a lot of evening admin. What it does not replace is your accounting software. Most trades still need Xero, QuickBooks or Sage for the books and tax returns, and the job app feeds them. See our guide to the best apps for tradesmen for the full stack.

If you run 20 or more engineers on planned maintenance contracts, you may need heavier field service management software instead. That is covered on its own page.

How do the 12 apps compare on price, certificates and accounting?

This is the full table. "Pricing basis" matters more than the headline price: per-user pricing grows with every hire, per-job pricing grows with every booking.

Job management software for UK trades compared. Prices checked 12 Oct 2026
App	Entry price	Pricing basis	VAT	UK certificates	Accounting	MTD	Apps	Contract
Tradify	£34 (Lite), £37 (Pro), £44 (Plus)	Per user	Not stated on pricing page	Yes, from Pro (EICR, gas and oil)	Xero, Sage, QuickBooks Online (all plans)	Not found	iPhone, iPad, Android	Month to month
ServiceM8	£0 (30 jobs), £25, £59, £119, £269	Per account, by jobs a month; unlimited users on paid plans	Not stated on pricing page	Generic PDF forms only	Xero, QuickBooks	Not found	iPhone, iPad, Android (a few features iPhone only)	Not stated
Powered Now	£28 (Business), £32 (Professional), £40 (Premium)	Business 1 user; others per user	Ex VAT	Yes, nearly 100 forms (Professional and up)	Xero, QuickBooks (Professional and up)	Yes, VAT and Income Tax	iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows	Monthly or annual
Fergus	£39 (Essentials), £45 (Pro) list price	Not stated for base price	Not stated on pricing page	Yes, stores EICR and gas safety certificates	Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB	Not found	iPhone, Android	Monthly, no lock-in
Commusoft	Quote only (Capterra UK: from £59 per user)	Per user	Ex VAT	Yes, digitised certificates	Xero (vendor); Sage 50, FreeAgent (Capterra)	Not found	iPhone, Android	12 months
Joblogic	£45 (Standard, billed annually)	Per user	Not stated on pricing page	Yes, including CP12 and F-Gas	Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, KashFlow, FreeAgent	Not found	Mobile app plus office	Usually 24 or 36 months
Jobber	$49 (Core, USD)	Per plan with user tiers	"Exclude sales tax"	Not found	QuickBooks Online; Xero one-way	Not found	iPhone, Android	Monthly, 1-year or annual
YourTradebase	£29, plus £15 per extra user	Account plus per user	Ex VAT ("subject to VAT")	Not found	Xero, QuickBooks	Not found	iPhone, Android	Monthly or annual
Tooltime	£59 per office user, plus £29 per field user	Per user (office and field)	Not stated on pricing page	Not found	No UK link found	Not found	iPhone, Android	"12 month term" shown
WorkPal	£45 per user, minimum 4 licences	Per user	Not stated on pricing page	Digital forms (named certificates not confirmed)	QuickBooks, Sage, Xero (Capterra UK)	Not found	Offline mobile app	Not stated
simPRO	Quote only	Per user (Capterra UK)	n/a	Digital forms add-on	QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, MYOB	Not found	iPhone (Simpro Mobile); Android not confirmed	Not stated
BigChange	Quote only	Not published	n/a	Not confirmed	Sage, Xero	Not found	Mobile app	Not stated

"Not found" means we did not find the feature on the vendor's pages on 12 October 2026. It does not prove the feature is missing, so ask the vendor if it matters to you.

Why is Tradify the best overall for small UK trade teams?

Best overall for small teams (1 to 10 people)

Tradify

From £34 per user per month (Lite); £37 Pro; £44 Plus

Tradify gets the UK basics right without making you pay for a bigger system. The Pro plan adds compliance certificates, and the UK site names EICRs, gas and oil safety certificates and service maintenance records. Xero, Sage and QuickBooks Online are included on every plan, and there is a London office at 8 Devonshire Square. Pricing is simple: one fee per person, month to month, with no contract.

UK electrical and gas certificates from the £37 Pro plan
Xero, Sage and QuickBooks on all plans, including Lite
Trustpilot 4.8 from 610 reviews (checked 12 Oct 2026)
App Store (UK) 4.8 from 2.7k ratings; Google Play 4.9 from 3.11k (checked 12 Oct 2026)
14-day free trial with all features; free training and phone support

Per-user pricing adds up: 8 people on Pro is £296 a month
Inventory is basic (kit bundles and price lists, no stock control)
AI features (SmartRead bill capture, SmartWrite) are on Plus only
VAT treatment not stated on the pricing page

Try Tradify free (Ad) Read our Tradify review

Pick Tradify if you are a sole trader or a team of up to about 10 who issue certificates, use Xero or Sage, and want one predictable fee per person. Most electricians, plumbers and gas engineers should go straight to Pro, because Lite has no certificates. Skip it if you have lots of staff who rarely log jobs (ServiceM8's unlimited users will cost less) or you need proper stock control.

Why is ServiceM8 the best value and best free plan?

Best value and best free plan

ServiceM8

Free for 30 jobs a month; then £25 to £269 a month

ServiceM8 charges by the number of jobs you do each month, not by headcount. Every paid plan includes unlimited users, so a firm with five people doing 120 jobs a month pays £59 (Growing plan), not five times anything. The free plan covers one user and 30 jobs a month, which is enough to try it properly.

Real free plan: 1 user, 30 jobs a month
Unlimited users on every paid plan
Asset management, online booking and a live "Track My Arrival" map for customers
App Store (UK) 4.5 from 1.2k ratings; Capterra UK 4.5 from 311 reviews (checked 12 Oct 2026)

Certificates are generic PDF forms: we found no named UK EICR or CP12 template
The Android app lacks a few features (room scan, drawing diagrams, editing PDFs from previews)
No Sage link found (Xero and QuickBooks only)
Costs rise fast for high-volume, small-ticket work: 500 jobs a month is £119, 1,500+ is £269

Try ServiceM8 free (Ad) Read our ServiceM8 review

Pick ServiceM8 if your jobs are fewer but bigger, you have several people (including part-timers or apprentices) who need the app, or you want to start free. Skip it if you do lots of quick call-outs, need named UK certificates, or your accountant uses Sage. For the head-to-head, see Tradify vs ServiceM8 compared.

Why is Powered Now best for UK certificates and Making Tax Digital?

Best for certificates and MTD on a budget

Powered Now

From £28 per month ex VAT (Business, 1 user)

Powered Now is UK-built and the only app in our list where we found HMRC recognition for Making Tax Digital, for both VAT and Income Tax. The Professional plan (£32 per user per month ex VAT) adds nearly 100 trade forms, including gas safety, electrical certificates and risk assessments, with automatic annual reminders. It also has Windows and Mac apps, which suits anyone who does paperwork on a desktop.

MTD for VAT and Income Tax built in
Nearly 100 certificates and forms on Professional and above
Prices shown ex VAT; annual billing gives two months free (£320 a year per user on Professional)
Trustpilot 4.7 from 564 reviews (checked 12 Oct 2026)

App Store (UK) score is lower at 4.1 from 243 ratings (checked 12 Oct 2026)
Certificates need Professional; the £28 Business plan does not include them
Xero and QuickBooks links also start on Professional

Read our Powered Now review or visit Powered Now's pricing page

Pick Powered Now if you are a sole trader or small firm who wants certificates, quotes, invoices and MTD in one place without paying for separate accounting software on day one. Skip it if the iPhone app experience is your top priority, or you already run Xero and only need a job app.

Why is Fergus best for job costing and purchase orders?

Best for job costing and purchase orders

Fergus

From £39 per month list price (Essentials); £45 Pro

Fergus is built around knowing whether each job made money. It shows what each job cost against what was charged, adds purchase orders on Pro, tracks materials against each job and can read supplier invoices from email with AI. That suits plumbers and builders who buy materials for every job and lose margin when receipts go missing. It has a UK office in Manchester and stores EICRs and gas safety certificates with the job.

Purchase orders and automatic supplier integrations (Pro), plus AI reading of supplier invoices from email
Purchase orders, job phases and full reporting on Pro
"Certificates are free", no setup fee and a free one-hour onboarding session
App Store (UK) 4.7 from 133 ratings (checked 12 Oct 2026)

Small Trustpilot sample: 3.8 from 14 reviews (checked 12 Oct 2026)
The "90% off til December" promotion has unclear terms, and the page does not say whether the base price is per user
Phone support is on Pro only

Read our Fergus review or visit Fergus's pricing page

Pick Fergus if materials are a big slice of every invoice and you want to see profit per job. Skip it if you need a firm quote for a team before you sign up: ask Fergus in writing what you will pay once the promotion ends.

Why is Commusoft best for heating firms with 6+ staff?

Best for heating and plumbing firms with 6+ staff

Commusoft

Quote only (about £59 per user per month, per Capterra UK)

Commusoft is a London company that has been around since 2006 and says it is "specifically designed for businesses with 6 or more staff". It adds what bigger heating firms need: service contracts, drag-and-drop dispatch, multi-location stock, a customer portal and live fleet tracking.

Built for office-plus-engineers firms, with service contracts and asset maintenance
Capterra UK 4.7 from 212 reviews (checked 12 Oct 2026)
Prices exclude VAT and are billed monthly by direct debit

No public prices; you must ask for a quote
12-month contract
Not aimed at sole traders or teams under 6

Read our Commusoft review

Why is Joblogic best for maintenance and compliance contractors?

Best for planned maintenance and compliance

Joblogic

From £45 per user per month, billed annually (Standard)

Joblogic is a Birmingham firm founded in 1998 and used by "7,000+ UK businesses". It is strongest where compliance is the job: planned maintenance, assets, F-Gas, gas certificates, customer and subcontractor portals, stock and vehicle tracking.

Deep compliance and planned maintenance tools
Links to Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, KashFlow and FreeAgent
Trustpilot 4.5 from 370 reviews (checked 12 Oct 2026)

Most customers sign 24 or 36 month contracts (12 months is available)
iPhone app rated 1.8 from 201 ratings on the UK App Store (checked 12 Oct 2026)
Billed annually, so you pay up front

Read our Joblogic review

What about Jobber, simPRO, BigChange, YourTradebase and Tooltime?

Jobber

Jobber is an excellent product, but it is built for North America. Its UK pricing page showed US dollars when we checked: Core is $49 a month on monthly billing ($29 billed annually), and extra users are $29 a month each. We found no UK certificates, the Xero sync is one-way (Jobber to Xero), and there is no UK office. It is still a strong pick for cleaning, landscaping, lawn care and domestic services, where certificates do not matter and its client follow-ups and online booking shine. Capterra UK 4.6 from 1,487 reviews (checked 12 Oct 2026). Read our Jobber review or Try Jobber free (Ad)

simPRO and BigChange

Both are quote-only systems for larger multi-trade contractors. Simpro Group bought Leeds-based BigChange in October 2024. simPRO sells add-ons such as a maintenance planner, digital forms and takeoffs; BigChange is strong on fleet and vehicle tracking. Neither makes sense for a team under about 10.

YourTradebase

A UK app for small builders and trades: £29 a month plus £15 per extra user, ex VAT, with a 30-day trial and Xero and QuickBooks links. Trustpilot 4.8 from 62 reviews (checked 12 Oct 2026). A good, simple option for a two or three person team, but we found no UK certificates. See YourTradebase pricing.

Tooltime

A German app that launched in the UK in 2023: £59 per office user plus £29 per field user a month, with a "12 month term" on its pricing page. We found no UK accounting link, and Trustpilot shows 2.1 from 36 reviews (checked 12 Oct 2026). We would look at the picks above first.

WorkPal

A Belfast field service app at £45 per user per month with a minimum of 4 licences. Worth a look for growing teams of 4 to 49, too big a commitment for a sole trader.

How do you choose? Six questions to answer first

How many people need the app? Count everyone who will log in, including part-timers. Under 4 with steady work: per-user apps (Tradify, Powered Now) are fine. Lots of users but under 150 jobs a month: ServiceM8's unlimited users usually win.
Do you issue certificates? If you do EICRs, CP12s or service records, rule out apps without named UK forms. That means Tradify Pro, Powered Now Professional, Fergus, Joblogic or Commusoft. Electricians should read our electrician software guide.
What does your accountant use? Sage users: Tradify includes Sage on every plan, and Joblogic links to it too. ServiceM8 and Fergus do not list Sage.
iPhone or Android? ServiceM8 keeps a few features for iPhone. Powered Now adds Windows and Mac desktop apps. Check the app rating on the store you use.
Will you sign a contract? Tradify, Powered Now, Fergus and YourTradebase run month to month (or annual by choice), and ServiceM8's pricing page states no contract term. Commusoft is 12 months; Joblogic contracts are usually 24 to 36 months. Only sign long if the software is clearly right after the trial.
What is your real budget? Use the worked costs below with your own headcount and job count, then add VAT if the price excludes it.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax started on 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. It drops to over £30,000 from 6 April 2027 and over £20,000 from 6 April 2028 (GOV.UK). Your job app does not have to be MTD software, but your accounting app does, so check the two link up.

What does it really cost for a 1, 3 and 8 person team?

Headline prices hide how bills grow. Here is the monthly list price for three typical UK trade firms. We assumed about 40 jobs a month per sole trader, 120 jobs for a 3 person team and 350 jobs for an 8 person team (that matters only for ServiceM8). For Tooltime we assumed one office user and the rest in the field. Promotions are ignored.

Monthly cost by team size at list price. Prices checked 12 Oct 2026
App and plan	1 person	3 people	8 people	VAT
Tradify Lite (£34 per user)	£34	£102	£272	Not stated
Tradify Pro (£37 per user, with certificates)	£37	£111	£296	Not stated
ServiceM8 (by jobs, unlimited users)	£25 (Starter, 50 jobs)	£59 (Growing, 150 jobs)	£119 (Premium, 500 jobs)	Not stated
Powered Now Professional (£32 per user)	£32 (or £28 on Business, no certificates)	£96	£256	Ex VAT
YourTradebase (£29 plus £15 per extra user)	£29	£59	£134	Ex VAT
Joblogic Standard (£45 per user, billed annually)	£45	£135	£360	Not stated
Tooltime monthly plan (£59 office, £29 field)	£59	£117	£262	Not stated
WorkPal (£45 per user, 4 minimum)	£180	£180	£360	Not stated
Commusoft (about £59 per user, 6+ staff)	Not offered	Not offered	About £472 (indicative)	Ex VAT
Jobber (USD, monthly billing)	$49 (Core)	$199 (Connect, 5-user tier)	$299 (Connect, 10-user tier)	Excludes sales tax

Worked example 1: a sole trader electrician

You need EICRs, so Tradify Lite and Powered Now Business are out. Tradify Pro is £37 a month (£444 a year). Powered Now Professional is £32 a month ex VAT, or £320 a year on annual billing, which is £384 a year with VAT at 20%. If you also want MTD for Income Tax in the same app, Powered Now saves you an accounting subscription. If you already use Xero or Sage, Tradify Pro is the tidier fit. ServiceM8 Starter is £25 a month, but you would be building certificates from generic PDF forms.

Worked example 2: a 3 person plumbing firm doing 120 jobs a month

ServiceM8 Growing covers all three people for £59 a month (£708 a year). Tradify Pro for three users is £111 a month (£1,332 a year), so ServiceM8 saves £624 a year. What the extra £52 a month buys you with Tradify: named UK gas certificates and a Sage link. YourTradebase is £59 a month too (£29 plus two extra users at £15), but without UK certificates. Our call: if you issue CP12s, pay for Tradify Pro; if not, ServiceM8 wins.

Worked example 3: an 8 person heating firm doing 350 jobs a month

ServiceM8 Premium is £119 a month for everyone (£1,428 a year). Tradify Pro is £296 a month (£3,552 a year). Powered Now Professional is £256 a month ex VAT, or £2,560 a year on annual billing (£3,072 with VAT). Joblogic Standard is £360 a month billed annually (£4,320 a year), usually on a 24 or 36 month contract. Commusoft, at the roughly £59 per user Capterra UK shows, would be about £472 a month (£5,664 a year) on a 12-month contract. At this size the question is whether you need service contracts, stock and fleet tracking. If yes, get quotes from Commusoft and Joblogic. If not, Tradify Pro or Powered Now cover certificates for much less.

Our verdict

For most UK trade teams of 1 to 10 people, Tradify Pro is the safest choice: UK certificates, every major UK accounting link and no contract. Choose ServiceM8 if you have several people and a modest job count, Powered Now if you want MTD built in, and Commusoft or Joblogic once you pass about 6 to 10 engineers with service contracts.

Want the detail on how we score apps and where these figures come from? Read how we review software.

Which software is best for your trade?

Each trade needs something slightly different, so we have separate guides:

Best plumbing software: job costing, supplier invoices and gas certificates.
Best software for electricians: EICRs, EICs and Minor Works on site.
Best software for builders: staged quotes, variations and progress invoices.
Best cleaning business software: recurring visits, online booking and direct debit.
Field service management software: for firms with 10 to 50+ engineers and maintenance contracts.

Software guides by trade and tool

Free templates, calculators and guides

See all guides

Frequently asked questions

What is job management software?

It is an app that runs the paperwork side of a trade business in one place: enquiries, quotes, the diary, job sheets, photos, certificates, invoices and payments. Your team uses it on their phones on site, and the office (or you, in the evening) uses it on a laptop. It replaces paper job sheets, spreadsheets, a wall calendar and separate invoice templates.

What is the best job management software in the UK?

For small UK trade teams of 1 to 10 people we rate Tradify best overall, because it includes UK gas and electrical certificates from the Pro plan, links to Xero, Sage and QuickBooks on every plan, and has a London office. ServiceM8 is better value if you have several people but a modest number of jobs, and Powered Now suits those who want certificates and Making Tax Digital in one app.

Is there free job management software?

Yes. ServiceM8 has a free plan for one user and up to 30 jobs a month, with no text messages included. YourTradebase drops you to a free account with usage limits if you do not subscribe after its trial. Free plans suit a sole trader testing the idea, but a growing firm will soon pass the limits.

How much does job management software cost for a small business?

Expect £25 to £45 a month for a sole trader and roughly £59 to £135 a month for a three person team, based on the pricing pages we checked on 12 October 2026. Per-user apps such as Tradify, Powered Now and Joblogic grow with headcount. ServiceM8 charges by job count instead, with unlimited users on paid plans.

Which job management apps do certificates like EICR and CP12?

Tradify (Pro plan and above), Powered Now (Professional plan and above, nearly 100 forms), Fergus (stores EICRs and gas safety certificates with the job), Joblogic and Commusoft all handle UK certificates. ServiceM8 offers generic PDF forms, and we found no named UK EICR or CP12 template. We found no UK certificates in Jobber.

Does Tradify work with Xero?

Yes. Tradify's UK pricing page lists Xero, Sage and QuickBooks Online on all plans, including the £34 Lite plan. That makes it one of the few apps here with Sage on the entry plan. ServiceM8 links to Xero and QuickBooks but we found no Sage link.

Do I need job management software for Making Tax Digital?

Not always. Making Tax Digital needs MTD-compatible software to send records to HMRC, which usually means accounting software such as Xero, QuickBooks or Sage. Powered Now is the exception in this list: it is recognised by HMRC for MTD for VAT and Income Tax. From 6 April 2026 sole traders with qualifying income over £50,000 must use MTD for Income Tax.

Sources and checks

Prices, features and ratings were checked on 12 October 2026 against these sources. Software prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.