ServiceM8 vs Tradify UK 2026: Which Job Management App Is Worth Paying For?

Written by Tom Ellis · Senior Trades Editor

Last updated: July 2026

Quick Answer

ServiceM8 vs Tradify UK 2026. ServiceM8 has a free plan (30 jobs a month), then £25 to £269 a month by job volume with unlimited users. Tradify £34 to £44 per user a month (prices as of October 2026). Compare scheduling, invoicing, GPS tracking, mobile apps and integrations for UK tradespeople.

Tradesperson comparing two job management apps on smartphones side by side

Both ServiceM8 and Tradify are popular job management apps for UK tradespeople. Both offer scheduling, invoicing and mobile job cards. But their pricing models, strengths and ideal user profiles are quite different. ServiceM8 charges by job volume, with unlimited users on its paid plans: cheap at low volume, dearer at high volume. Tradify charges per user, regardless of how many jobs you run.

This comparison cuts through the marketing and helps you decide which one is actually worth paying for based on the size of your operation, how you work and what you need from your software day-to-day.

Pricing: The Critical Difference

ServiceM8 uses tiered job-volume pricing, published in GBP (prices as of October 2026). The Free plan covers 30 jobs a month for one user. Starter is £25 a month for 50 jobs, Growing £59 for 150, Premium £119 for 500 and Premium Plus £269 for 1,500 or more. Paid plans include unlimited users, so adding staff does not change the price.

Tradify charges per user instead: Lite £34, Pro £37 or Plus £44 a month for each person, with unlimited jobs. There is no per-job cost escalation, but the bill grows with every user you add.

For a one-person business the break-even point sits at about 50 jobs a month. Below that, ServiceM8 is cheaper (free up to 30 jobs, £25 up to 50). Above it, a single Tradify licence wins on pure cost: a busy electrician or plumber running 80 to 100 jobs a month would pay £59 a month on ServiceM8 versus £34 to £44 on Tradify. Add a second person and the sums flip, because two Tradify users cost £68 to £88 a month while ServiceM8's price stays the same.

Feature Comparison

Feature	ServiceM8	Tradify
Pricing model	Job-volume tiers, unlimited users	Per user, per month
Starting price	Free (30 jobs, 1 user); paid from £25/month	£34/user/month (Lite)
Unlimited jobs	No: £269/month covers 1,500+ jobs	Included
Free plan	Yes (30 jobs a month, 1 user)	No (14-day trial)
GPS tracking	Yes	No
Timesheets	No	Yes
Job scheduling	Advanced	Standard
Invoicing	Yes	Yes
Customer reviews	No	No
Homeowner marketplace	No	No
iOS & Android	Yes	Yes
Integrations	Xero, Stripe, others	Xero, QuickBooks, others

ServiceM8 Strengths

GPS dispatch and map view. ServiceM8 shows your field staff on a live map, making it easier to assign the nearest available person to a job. This is a genuine advantage for multi-van businesses.
Advanced job status workflow. Jobs move through clear stages: unscheduled, scheduled, on-site and complete. Staff get push notifications at each transition and the office can see real-time status without phoning anyone.
Low entry price point. At 30 jobs or fewer per month, the Free plan is hard to beat, and Starter is £25 for up to 50 jobs. Occasional traders or businesses in early growth can use professional job management software without a large monthly commitment.
Good fit for multi-van operations. The combination of GPS, job dispatch, job status tracking and client communications tools makes ServiceM8 well-suited to businesses with multiple field technicians.

Tradify Strengths

Simple, clean interface. Tradify is consistently praised for being easy to pick up without training. The job card, schedule view and invoice flow are straightforward and do not require you to configure much before getting started.
Built-in timesheets. Tradify includes timesheet functionality that ServiceM8 lacks. For businesses that need to track staff hours accurately — whether for payroll or client billing — this is a meaningful difference.
Predictable per-user pricing. However many jobs you run, you know exactly what you are paying for each user. No tier upgrades mid-month.
Strong UK accounting integrations. Tradify connects with both Xero and QuickBooks, supports GBP natively and handles UK VAT settings correctly — making it a natural fit for UK contractors already using these tools.

ServiceM8 Weaknesses

No timesheet feature. If tracking staff hours is important to you, ServiceM8 does not cover this natively. You would need a separate tool or workaround.
Job-volume costs step up quickly. A busy sole trader doing 80 jobs a month would need the Growing plan at £59 a month, and 150+ jobs means Premium at £119. The free entry point is misleading if you do significant volume.
Android app is still catching up.ServiceM8's full app is on iPhone; on Android it offers ServiceM8 Lite for field tasks, with a rebuilt Android app in beta. Mixed-phone teams should check what their Android users can do.
No lead generation or homeowner marketplace. Like most job management tools, ServiceM8 helps you manage existing work but does nothing to help you find new customers.

Tradify Weaknesses

No GPS tracking. Tradify does not show field staff locations. If dispatching multiple vans efficiently matters to your operation, this is a real gap.
No homeowner marketplace. Tradify manages jobs but will not help you find new work — it is purely an operations tool.
£34-44/month is steep for low-volume sole traders.If you are only doing 15 to 20 jobs a month, the per-user fee is not great value compared to ServiceM8's free plan.
14-day trial only. Tradify does not offer a permanent free tier. You have two weeks to evaluate before you must commit.

ServiceM8 vs Tradify: Our Verdict

Choose ServiceM8 if you run a multi-van operation that needs GPS dispatch, live job tracking across field staff and advanced job status workflows. ServiceM8 is built for businesses with multiple field technicians who need coordination tools, not just invoicing.

Choose Tradifyif you are a sole trader or run a small crew of 2-5 people, want simple scheduling and invoicing, need built-in timesheets and prefer a predictable monthly cost with no volume surprises. For a one-person business doing 50+ jobs a month, Tradify's per-user pricing is the better deal; for larger teams, ServiceM8's unlimited users can work out cheaper.

One important gap:both apps now have some AI. ServiceM8's Office Agent drafts quotes and invoices for your approval, and Tradify's SmartWrite (Plus plan only) drafts descriptions from your line items. But neither lets a customer send photos for a quote without a visit, finds material prices or keeps your books in the same app. If you want the whole office in one app, consider Sleepless Tradesman , where you describe a job by voice, text or photos and get a professional itemised quote, with UK labour rates and material markup built in, alongside remote quotes, invoices, books, material price lookup, regulations help and a local listing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ServiceM8 or Tradify better for UK tradespeople?

ServiceM8 suits trade businesses with multiple field staff who need GPS dispatch, advanced job status workflows and per-job billing. Tradify suits small teams (1-5 people) who want simple scheduling, invoicing and timesheets at a predictable monthly cost. ServiceM8 starts cheaper (it has a free plan) but for one user its job-volume pricing exceeds Tradify's per-user rate once you pass 50 jobs a month. For a sole trader, Tradify's simplicity often wins.

How much does ServiceM8 cost in the UK?

ServiceM8 publishes GBP prices by job volume (as of October 2026). The Free plan allows 30 jobs a month for one user. Starter is £25 a month for 50 jobs, Growing £59 for 150, Premium £119 for 500 and Premium Plus £269 for 1,500 or more, with unlimited users on paid plans. For a busy tradesperson doing 100 jobs a month, that means £59 a month.

Does Tradify work in the UK?

Yes — Tradify is widely used in the UK, particularly in construction, plumbing, electrical and HVAC. It supports GBP, UK VAT settings, and integrates with Xero and QuickBooks which are popular accounting tools in the UK. Tradify's job card, scheduling and invoicing workflow is straightforward for UK sole traders and small crews.

What is the cheapest job management app for UK tradespeople?

At low job volumes (up to 30 jobs a month, one user), ServiceM8's Free plan costs nothing, and Starter is £25 a month for up to 50 jobs. For a single user doing more than 50 jobs, Tradify's Lite plan at £34 a month works out cheaper. Sleepless Tradesman offers a free tier with AI quoting built in, which covers the quoting and invoicing side without a monthly subscription for sole traders getting started.

Is there a better alternative to both ServiceM8 and Tradify?

It depends on what you need. Both apps have some AI: ServiceM8's Office Agent drafts quotes for your approval and Tradify's SmartWrite (Plus plan) drafts descriptions. Sleepless Tradesman puts the whole office in one app for UK tradespeople: itemised quotes from a job description, voice note or photos, remote quotes, invoices, books, material price lookup, regulations help and a local listing. For pure scheduling and job management without quoting, Tradify remains one of the cleanest options for small UK trade businesses.