Best software for electricians in the UK

Electricians need two things from software: a way to run jobs (quotes, diary, invoices) and a way to issue BS 7671 certificates. We compared the main options for both, with £ prices checked on 12 October 2026.

What does an electrician need from software?

An electrician's admin is heavier than most trades because every notifiable job ends in a legal document. Before you look at any app, be clear about which of these jobs you need it to do.

BS 7671 certificates: EIC, Minor Works and EICR

You need to issue an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for new circuits and rewires, a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC, usually called a Minor Works) for small jobs like adding a socket, and an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) when you inspect an existing installation. Paper pads are slow and easy to get wrong. Certificate software fills in the test results, checks for gaps and emails a PDF.

We confirmed A4:2026 forms on iCertifi (App Store listing), Tradecert, EasyCert and NAPIT FastTest. Tradify, Powered Now and Fergus name electrical certificates and EICRs, but their pages did not state which amendment their forms follow, so ask them during the trial.

Landlord EICRs every 5 years

For you, that means steady EICR work, and every report is a reminder five years later. Software that stores the due date and nudges you or the landlord turns one inspection into repeat business.

Quoting rewires and consumer unit changes

Rewires and board changes are your biggest tickets, and customers may compare several quotes. You want saved price kits (a consumer unit change bundled with the board, RCBOs, labour and certificate), the ability to send a good-looking quote that the customer accepts online, and staged invoices for a full rewire. Tradify includes online quote acceptance and progress invoicing from its Pro plan.

Scheme membership: NICEIC or NAPIT

If you are registered with a competent person scheme, your scheme may expect or offer its own certificate system. NICEIC runs its online certification system (no platform fee, you pay per certificate) and sells Clik's NICEIC Cert Software. NAPIT, a separate rival scheme, sells FastTest. Both NICEIC products are only for NICEIC-certified businesses.

Electrician software compared: price, certificates, accounting and mobile

The first four are job management tools. The rest are certificate-only apps you might pair with one.

Our top picks for electricians

Should you use your scheme's own software?

If you are NICEIC-certified, the NICEIC Online Certification System has no platform fee: you pay for each certificate or notification you use. It can also notify Building Control for you, which saves a separate step on notifiable work. The per-certificate prices sit behind the members' area, so we could not confirm them. The alternative from NICEIC's shop is Clik's NICEIC Cert Software at £280 ex VAT (£336 inc VAT), which includes the first year of updates and support.

If you are with NAPIT, FastTest costs £195 ex VAT (£234 inc VAT) as a subscription and is on BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. It runs on Windows, Android, iOS and most browsers, but not on Mac OS, so check that before buying if your office runs on a Mac.

Our take: scheme software makes sense if you do a lot of notifiable work and value the Building Control link. If you mainly do EICRs and Minor Works and want one price you can predict, an independent app is simpler. Do not pay for both.

Other certificate tools we checked

EV chargers, solar PV and fire alarms

If you install EV chargers or solar, check the certificate list carefully. iCertifi lists EV charger and Solar PV forms. Tradecert lists four EV charger forms, Solar PV, 15 fire alarm forms and 4 emergency lighting forms. EasyCert and NAPIT FastTest also cover fire alarms, emergency lighting and Solar PV. The job management apps (Tradify, Powered Now, Fergus) talk about electrical certificates in general terms, so ask for the full form list during the trial if specialist work matters to you.

What does electrician software cost? Two worked examples

Example 1: self-employed electrician doing domestic work and landlord EICRs

Verdict: a part-timer can get by on ServiceM8's free plan plus iCertifi. A full-time sole trader is better off with one app: Powered Now if MTD is your priority (compulsory from 6 April 2026 above £50,000 qualifying income, from 6 April 2027 above £30,000), Tradify if you want the stronger all-round app.

Example 2: electrical contractor with 5 people

Verdict: ServiceM8 plus iCertifi is the cheapest route for a bigger team, but your engineers juggle two apps and you lose the link between job and certificate. Most 5-person firms will save more admin time with Tradify or Powered Now.

Which features matter most for electricians?

Worth paying for

• Certificates on the current amendment. Non-negotiable after mid-October 2026.
• Re-inspection reminders. Five-year EICR reminders are free future work.
• Timesheets and job costing once you employ anyone.
• Your accountant's software. If they use Sage, Tradify is the job tool here that lists it.
• Offline working for lofts and basements with no signal. Tradecert, NICEIC Online (for its most recent forms) and Powered Now say they work offline.

One app or two?

This is the biggest choice an electrician makes. One app (Tradify, Powered Now or Fergus) means the customer, the job, the certificate and the invoice all live together, so an EICR can become a remedial quote in a couple of taps. Two apps (a job tool plus iCertifi, Tradecert or your scheme's software) usually gives you deeper certificate features and sometimes a lower bill, but you type customer details twice. Our rule of thumb: if more than about a third of your work is testing and inspection, a specialist certificate app is worth the extra login. If certificates are the tail end of installation work, one app wins.

Usually safe to skip

• Fleet tracking and dispatch boards for under 5 vans.
• AI add-ons on top plans, unless they save you real typing.
• Paying for both your scheme's software and a separate certificate app. Pick one.

What mistakes should electricians avoid when switching?

1. Not checking the amendment. Ask in writing whether the forms are BS 7671:2018+A4:2026.
2. Losing old certificates. Landlords must keep reports until the next inspection. Export your old certificates and store them before you cancel.
3. Choosing an Apple-only tool for an Android team. iCertifi Cloud Pro is Apple only; NAPIT FastTest does not run on Mac OS.
4. Buying the cheapest plan without certificates. Tradify Lite and Powered Now Business do not include them.
5. Forgetting MTD. If your income is over the limits, your job software or accounting software must handle it. See our guide to job management software for trades for the wider picture.