Sleepless Tradesman vs Fergus
An honest side-by-side comparison — features, pricing, and who each platform suits best. We'll be upfront about where Fergus wins too.
Quick answer: Sleepless Tradesman has a free plan and includes AI quoting and a UK homeowner directory; Fergus is a paid job management tool (~£39–£99/month) with stronger job costing and timesheet features but no AI quoting, no homeowner marketplace, and limited UK CIS compliance support.
- Tradespeople who want a free plan with no time limit
- Finding new homeowner leads via the marketplace directory
- AI-powered remote quoting to reduce unnecessary site visits
- UK sole traders who need CIS compliance features
- ·Businesses that need granular job costing and margin tracking
- ·Teams with detailed timesheet and labour cost requirements
- ·Multi-employee field service businesses
- ·Tradespeople already embedded in the Fergus ecosystem (NZ/AU)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Sleepless Tradesman | Fergus |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee (tradesperson) | Free plan; paid plans from £29.99/month | ~£39–£99/mo (varies by region/plan) |
| Free forever plan | Yes | No (14-day trial only) |
| AI-powered quoting tool | Yes | No |
| Homeowner marketplace / directory | Yes | No |
| Job costing / profit per job | Yes | Yes (strong feature) |
| Timesheet tracking | No | Yes |
| CIS compliance (UK) | Yes | Not built for UK CIS |
| Supplier invoice scanning | Partial | Yes |
| Mobile app (iOS & Android) | iOS; Android beta | Yes |
| Verified customer reviews | Yes | No |
Fergus prices checked November 2026. Fergus pricing may vary by region — check their website for current UK rates.
Pricing: The Key Difference
Fergus charges approximately £39–£99 per month depending on the plan tier and region. For a UK sole trader, that's up to £1,188 per year before you've generated a single new lead. Fergus is a job management and costing tool, so that cost covers scheduling, timesheets, and job costing, but it won't bring you new customers.
Sleepless Tradesman has a free plan with no time limit. You can list your business on the homeowner directory, receive job enquiries, and use core features without paying anything. Paid plans (Starter £29.99 a month, Premium £59.99) raise your AI message allowance and add the Accounting tab; Premium adds material price lookup. On every plan you get the homeowner listing, something Fergus doesn't offer at any price.
| Plan | Sleepless Tradesman | Fergus |
|---|---|---|
| Free / trial | Free forever | 14-day trial only |
| Entry paid plan | £29.99/mo (Starter) | ~£39/mo |
| Full-feature plan | £59.99/mo (Premium) | ~£99/mo (Pro) |
| Annual cost (entry) | £360/yr | ~£468/yr |
| Lead generation | Included | Not available |
| AI-powered quoting | Included | Not available |
| CIS compliance | Included | Not built for UK CIS |
Pricing as of November 2026. Check each provider's website for current rates.
Key figures
Official figures that shape what a UK trade business needs from its software in 2026, with a link to each source.
6 April 2027
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax reaches sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £30,000. It started on 6 April 2026 for income over £50,000.
1,077,000
More sole traders and landlords who must use Making Tax Digital from 6 April 2027, when the threshold drops to £30,000 (HMRC estimate, 5 October 2026).
496,300
Self-employed people among the 861,800 working in skilled construction and building trades in the UK.
Source: ONS Annual Population Survey (Nomis), Jul 2025 to Jun 2026
38 a day
UK businesses that close because of late payment, which the government says costs the economy £11bn a year.
Source: GOV.UK (Department for Business and Trade), July 2025
Last reviewed: . Figures are the latest official releases at that date; follow each link for the full data and any later update.
Common Questions
Is Sleepless Tradesman cheaper than Fergus?
Yes. Sleepless Tradesman has a free plan with no time limit, while Fergus charges approximately £39–£99 per month depending on region and plan tier. For UK sole traders who want to try before committing, the free plan is a significant advantage. Paid plans start at £29.99 (Starter) and £59.99 (Premium), both of which undercut Fergus's entry pricing.
Does Fergus work in the UK?
Fergus does operate in the UK, but it was built primarily for the New Zealand and Australian market. It lacks UK-specific features such as CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) compliance tracking, UK compliance certificate storage, and Gas Safe record-keeping. UK tradespeople who need those features will find gaps that don't exist in UK-native tools.
Which has better job costing?
Fergus has a well-regarded job costing system that lets you track labour, materials, and margins against each job in detail — it's one of its strongest features. Sleepless Tradesman provides profit-per-job insights and tracks job costs, but Fergus goes deeper for businesses that need granular cost analysis across multiple employees and phases.
Does Fergus have AI quoting?
No. Fergus does not offer AI-powered quote generation. Sleepless Tradesman can write an itemised quote from a job description or customer photos, which reduces the need for a site visit before sending a price. If AI quoting is important to your workflow, Fergus does not match this capability.
Can I use both Fergus and Sleepless Tradesman together?
Yes. Some tradespeople use Fergus for its strong job costing, timesheet tracking, and field scheduling, while using Sleepless Tradesman to generate AI-assisted quotes and attract new homeowner leads. The two tools are complementary rather than directly competing on every feature.
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