Tradify vs ServiceM8 (UK, 2026): which is better?

Tradify and ServiceM8 are two popular job management apps for UK tradespeople, and they charge in completely different ways: Tradify per person, ServiceM8 per job. We compared their UK pricing pages, features and user reviews on 12 October 2026, with real £ costs for teams of 1, 3 and 8.

Tradify vs ServiceM8 side by side

In short: ServiceM8 is cheaper for most team sizes, while Tradify gives UK trades more for the money where it matters most: certificates, Sage and a UK office.

Is Tradify or ServiceM8 cheaper?

Tradify charges £34 (Lite), £37 (Pro) or £44 (Plus) per user per month. Billing is month to month with no contract. ServiceM8 charges by how many jobs you do in a month, and every paid plan includes unlimited users. Neither pricing page says whether VAT is included.

Worked examples

The last row is the catch. ServiceM8 gets expensive fast for high-volume, small-ticket work, because the price follows the job count. Once you pass 500 jobs a month you jump from £119 to £269. Tradify's bill only grows when you add people.

Add-ons matter too. Tradify charges £0.10 per text message for quotes, invoices and reminders. ServiceM8 includes a monthly text allowance from 100 on Starter, then charges 5p per extra text. For full plan details, see our Tradify pricing breakdown and our ServiceM8 pricing guide.

What a year costs

Neither pricing page showed an annual discount when we checked. Tradify's help centre mentions annual options but gives no figures, so ask if you want to pay yearly.

Other costs to know about

• Tradify: Instant Website add-on £10 a month; text messages £0.10 each; no setup fee listed.
• ServiceM8: extra texts 5p each; extra jobs 15p each on Premium Plus only; ServiceM8 Phone from £15 a month (free for the first month); no setup fee listed.

Which is better for quoting and invoicing?

Both handle the basics well: quotes, invoices and online card payments on every plan.

• Tradify adds online quote acceptance, progress invoicing (useful for staged jobs) and automatic payment reminders from the Pro plan. Bulk invoicing and purchase orders are on Plus.
• ServiceM8 is built around quoting and invoicing on site from the phone, with contactless Tap to Pay. Job costing, markup billing and supplier invoice import are listed as add-ons.

Verdict: a draw for simple jobs. Tradify edges it for staged work like bathroom refits, thanks to progress invoicing.

Which has the better scheduling and mobile app?

Both apps are well rated on the UK App Store: Tradify 4.8 from 2.7k ratings, ServiceM8 4.5 from 1.2k (checked 12 Oct 2026).

• Tradify includes scheduling with Google Calendar sync on every plan, subcontractor scheduling from Pro and real-time staff locations on a map. Recurring jobs start on Pro.
• ServiceM8 is strong on dispatch: scheduling, urgent job dispatch, staff GPS tracking, auto-routing, online booking and a "Track My Arrival" add-on that shows customers a live map. Recurring jobs are an add-on.

ServiceM8 was once known as an iPhone-first app. Its help centre now says the Android app supports most of the same workflows. The features still missing on Android are room scanning and AR measuring, drawing diagrams, editing PDFs from attachment previews, full in-camera photo tagging and first-time Tap to Pay set-up.

Verdict: ServiceM8 for dispatch-heavy service teams, especially on iPhone. Tradify for mixed Android and iPhone teams who want a simple diary.

Which is better for UK certificates?

This is the biggest difference for UK trades.

• Tradify includes compliance certificates from the £37 Pro plan. Its UK site names electrical safety certificates, including EICRs, and oil and gas safety certificates. Its gas page lists the landlord and homeowner gas safety record, service and maintenance records, warning notices, breakdown reports, commissioning, unvented hot water, test and purge and oil forms.
• ServiceM8 can "produce PDF forms, certificates and reports", but we found no named UK EICR or CP12 template on its pages. You would build your own forms or use a separate certificate app.

Verdict: Tradify, clearly.

Which works better with UK accounting software?

• Tradify connects to Xero, Sage and QuickBooks Online on every plan. It is listed on the Xero App Store with a 4.6 rating from 187 reviews.
• ServiceM8 is a Xero Preferred App and an Intuit Platinum App Partner, so Xero and QuickBooks links are strong. It is rated 4.56 from 349 reviews on the Xero App Store. Capterra also lists MYOB. We found no Sage link.

Verdict: a draw for Xero and QuickBooks users. Tradify wins if your accountant uses Sage. Neither mentions Making Tax Digital on its pages, so you would file through your accounts package.

What about AI features and extras?

Tradify's Plus plan (£44 per user) includes SmartRead, which reads supplier bills with AI, and SmartWrite, which helps write job descriptions. They are not on Lite or Pro. ServiceM8 has been reported to offer AI writing and quoting help, but the only source we found was a competitor's blog, so we could not confirm these on ServiceM8's own pages. ServiceM8 does list asset management, online booking and a range of add-ons such as Track My Arrival and recurring job reminders.

Verdict: do not choose either one for AI alone. Both are adding features quickly, and the core job tools matter more day to day.

Which is easier to set up and get help with?

Tradify offers free one-to-one training and phone support, with two UK phone numbers and an office in London. That is a real advantage if you want someone to walk you through moving your customers and price lists across. ServiceM8's help centre is detailed, but we found no UK office or UK phone line on its pages. UK support hours were not published by either vendor.

Verdict: Tradify for anyone who wants a human on a UK phone line. ServiceM8 for confident self-starters.

How do Tradify and ServiceM8 compare on reviews?

These are third-party scores, not our own rating.

Tradify scores higher on every platform where we could compare both, with the biggest gap on Trustpilot. G2 samples are too small to matter.

Which is better for plumbers, electricians, builders and cleaners?

The simplest rule of thumb: divide your monthly job count by your head count. If each person handles about 50 jobs a month or fewer, ServiceM8's per-job pricing usually wins on cost. Well above that, especially for one or two person teams doing quick jobs, Tradify's per-user price is often lower. Then check the fit: certificates, Sage and a UK office all point to Tradify, while unlimited users, a free plan and iPhone-first dispatch point to ServiceM8.

Plumbers weighing up more options should read our guide to the best plumbing software in the UK.

Tradify or ServiceM8: our final verdict