The Best Job Management Software for Tradies in 2026

For a one-van operation the honest shortlist is ServiceM8 or Tradify. ServiceM8 charges by the number of jobs you run each month rather than by user, so a solo tradie on a handful of jobs a week sits on the cheapest tier — but the full field app is iOS-only. Android crews get ServiceM8 Lite, which covers viewing the schedule, job cards, photos, checklists and on-site time, but won’t create jobs, quotes or invoices and leaves out the management features on iPhone. Fine for techs and subbies; check it does what your crew needs before committing. Tradify prices per user, which is about as simple as it gets when the user is just you, and it runs on iOS, Android and the web. Fergus is worth a look if you quote constantly and want to see job profitability. simPRO and AroFlo are built for bigger operations and will feel like overkill on your own — you’ll pay for implementation and modules you never open.

Yes — all five connect to Xero, and all five support MYOB in some form, which is why they dominate the Australian market over US-built alternatives. The integration usually pushes invoices and customers one way (job software to accounting) and pulls payment status back, so you can see what’s been paid without opening two systems. That matters at BAS time: your GST is calculated in Xero or MYOB from invoices your job software raised, so if the sync is clean your quarterly lodgement is mostly a review job. Check the direction of sync and whether it handles part-payments and progress claims before you commit, because the depth varies between platforms and plans.

Yes. We integrate directly with ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus, simPRO and AroFlo. When the AI answers a call it captures the customer’s name, mobile, site address and a plain-English description of the work, then creates the job in your platform with those fields populated and the call recording or transcript attached. If the customer texts through photos of the leak, the switchboard or the split system, those land on the job card too. It books into your existing calendar rather than a separate one, so what you see on the tools is the same schedule the AI is booking into — no double entry, no re-typing a voicemail into a job card at nine at night.

Pricing models differ more than the headline numbers, so compare the model first. ServiceM8 bills per account against a monthly job quota, which is unusual and generous if you have a few people sharing a modest job count. Tradify, Fergus, simPRO and AroFlo all charge per user per month, so your bill scales with headcount — every apprentice you put on the system is another seat. The enterprise platforms also carry setup and implementation fees that can dwarf the first year’s subscription. Vendors change pricing regularly, so get a current written quote, ask whether it’s GST inclusive, and confirm what an extra seat or a busy month actually costs before you sign.

Mostly, but plan for it rather than assuming it. Every one of these platforms lets you export customers, jobs and invoices to CSV, and your accounting history stays safe in Xero or MYOB regardless — that’s the record that matters for the ATO, which expects tax records kept for five years. What travels badly is the rich stuff: photos on job cards, signed forms, completed checklists and the notes your crew typed in the field. Most tradies switch cleanly by exporting the customer list, importing it into the new platform, running both in parallel for a month, and leaving the old subscription active in read-only mode for a quarter so old jobs stay reachable.

No. The two solve different problems and neither depends on the other. Job management software organises work you already have; AI call answering makes sure the work reaches you in the first place. If you don’t run a job platform yet, our built-in scheduler handles bookings on its own and the AI texts you the details — plenty of tradies start there. If you already run ServiceM8 or Tradify, we plug into it so booked calls become jobs automatically. Starting with the phone is often the better order: there’s no point paying for a beautifully organised job board if a good share of your calls go to voicemail while you’re under a house.