Best job management software in Australia for tradies (2026)

On this page

1. What is job management software?
2. Best job management software in Australia compared
3. How to choose job management software
4. Is ServiceM8 still iPhone-only?
5. The best job management apps for tradies
6. Other job management software worth a look
7. Job management software cost, including card fees
8. Who owns each job management app
9. Which job apps Australian trade businesses use
10. How to trial job management software
11. Job management software in New Zealand
12. Job management software FAQs
13. How we compared job management software

Short answer

Small team doing lots of short jobs ServiceM8. You pay by the number of jobs, not by staff, so a third or fourth person costs nothing extra, and it works fully offline.

Sole trader or small crew that wants it simple Tradify. The easiest to learn and the best-rated by its users. Priced per user, and it doesn’t work without mobile reception.

Plumbers and electricians with a crew buying lots of materials Fergus. Supplier invoices land on the right job, and it shows job and business profit together.

Established contractor with office staff, projects or maintenance contracts Simpro or AroFlo. More powerful, sold through a sales team, with setup fees.

Residential builders running staged projects Look at NextMinute (or Buildxact if estimating comes first) as well.

We’ve tested ServiceM8, Tradify and Fergus hands-on, running the same job through each. Simpro and AroFlo aren’t tested yet, and we say so in their sections. Prices checked 26 October 2026 on each vendor’s own site. How we compare apps.

What is job management software?

Job management software runs the work side of a trade business in one app: the enquiry, the quote, the schedule, the job card your crew uses on site (photos, notes, forms, time), the invoice and the payment. It sends invoices and payments to your accounting software, like Xero or MYOB, but doesn’t replace it. You’ll also see it called field service management software.

Best job management software in Australia compared

How to choose job management software

1. How many people need a login?

This decides more of the price than anything else. Tradify, Fergus and AroFlo charge per user. ServiceM8 charges per business and every paid plan has unlimited users; the price goes up with the number of jobs you create each month instead.

For a three-person business doing about 120 jobs a month, this is the monthly subscription on each vendor’s published prices. It’s ex GST, which is what a GST-registered business pays after claiming GST credits:

The extras our trials showed you’d need. We haven’t paid for any of the three we’ve tested, but the trial billing screens show where the base price grows.

• ServiceM8:
  • one job credit per job number, however many times you quote, schedule or invoice it, so an accepted quote doesn’t cost a second credit;
  • texts come from “ServiceM8” until the Growing plan (A$79), which adds texts under your business name and the Email Inbox that website enquiries land in;
  • the trial doesn’t show how many job credits you’ve used, so check your volume against the plan limits.
• Tradify:
  • you’ll want Pro (A$52 a user) rather than Lite, because Lite has no job photos, online quote acceptance, timesheets or logo on your quotes;
  • staff who never log in are A$11 a month each;
  • texts are 20c each, and they’re switched off during the trial;
  • the Instant Website is A$19 a month if you want it.
• Fergus:
  • automatic supplier imports, forms, SWMS, purchase orders and phone support are on Professional (A$77 a user), not Essentials;
  • certificates are an A$30 a month add-on, and texts A$15 per 100;
  • the premium Reece and Tradelink links showed no price in our trial, so ask;
  • you’re billed in arrears, so you’ll get one more invoice after you cancel.
• All three: card fees, if customers pay through the app, usually cost more than the subscription. See job management software cost, including card fees.

2. Do you work out of mobile range?

If your crew works in basements, new estates or out bush, check offline support before anything else:

• ServiceM8: works fully offline and syncs later, it says (though you need signal to send emails and texts). We haven’t tested this one ourselves yet.
• Simpro: “operates predominately offline”, with limits: no job search or new purchase orders offline, and timesheets only for the current week.
• Fergus: time entries, notes and photos queue offline (since August 2026). In our test that worked on a job we already had open, but reopened with no signal the app couldn’t show any jobs. Quotes and invoices need signal.
• AroFlo: view jobs and add notes offline. Its own FAQ answers “Will AroFlo work offline?” with “Not really.”
• Tradify: no offline mode at all.

3. Do you run projects or maintenance contracts?

If your work is mostly call-outs and small jobs, the lighter apps (ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus) handle quoting, scheduling, job cards and invoicing well. Tradify Pro also does progress invoicing with retentions. If you run multi-stage projects with Gantt charts, or maintenance schedules across hundreds of sites and assets, that’s where Simpro and AroFlo earn their price.

4. How do you do your books?

All five connect to Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online. The difference is what comes back the other way. ServiceM8, Tradify and Fergus mark invoices paid when you reconcile the payment in Xero. Simpro and AroFlo run on an accounting link you trigger, rather than a live sync. If you live in Xero, read job management software that works with Xero.

5. Do your leads come from your website or Google Ads?

Most job apps can take enquiries from your website, but they do it in different ways. Few let you track the leads your ads bring in.

If you run Google Ads, keep the form on your own website. None of the built-in forms we tested supports Google Ads enhanced conversions, which match leads to ads using the customer’s email or phone. ServiceM8’s booking page can report leads to GA4. Tradify’s form can’t be tracked at all.

Use your own form, where your tags work as normal, and send each enquiry into the app by email or through its API. In our tests, emailed enquiries arrived in both ServiceM8 and Tradify within a minute. ServiceM8 picked the customer’s name out of the email; Tradify left the details in the description.

Is ServiceM8 still iPhone-only?

That changed on 18 September 2026. ServiceM8 15 replaced its cut-down “Lite” Android app with a full one that ServiceM8 says has “almost all the same functionality as the iOS app”. Four things are still iPhone-only: Room Scan and AR measuring, drawing diagrams, editing PDFs from attachments, and automatic in-camera photo tagging.

Plenty of comparison pages still say otherwise. Android users are still less happy than iPhone users, though: ServiceM8 rates 3.76 on Google Play against 4.54 on the Australian App Store.

The best job management apps for tradies

ServiceM8: best for small teams doing lots of short jobs

Job cardNo. 0001

ServiceM8

TestedOCT 2026

Best for

Small teams doing lots of short jobs

Not ideal for

Project work needing progress claims or Gantt charts; deep stock control

Price from

Free (30 jobs/mo), then A$29–349/mo inc GST

Free trial

14 days, no card, no lock-in

Runs on

iPhone, Android, web. Works offline

Accounting

Xero two-way (contacts, items, payments). MYOB, QuickBooks

Try ServiceM8→Read the review

Details checked 25 Oct 2026

ServiceM8 is Australian and prices by how many jobs you create, not by how many people use it. There’s a free plan for one person doing up to 30 jobs a month, and paid plans run from A$29 to A$349 a month including GST, unchanged since 2019. It has the lowest card fees of the small-team apps on its paid plans (1.69% down to 1.19% plus 30c). ServiceM8 15 added an AI office assistant, a new staff schedule and the full Android app. It doesn’t do purchase orders or stock control.

From our test (SFT score 8.1/10).

• The core job is quick. We took a made-up plumbing job from quote to accepted quote, booking, job on the phone and invoice. The customer saw a professional online quote, an “on the way” text with live tracking, and an invoice link. The phone app tracked travel and job time without us doing anything.
• Setup is where it trips you up. A new account charges no GST, prints a “Your Company Logo Here” box on quotes, and has templates that call your quote an estimate. Each takes a minute to fix once you know.
• Xero was fast. Our invoice reached Xero in under a minute, and a part payment came back in under five.
• Android is now the full app, minus AR measuring and Room Scan.
• Support was chat only, but quick. It answered in about seven minutes, at 9:30 pm on a weeknight.

Read our full ServiceM8 review.

Tradify: best for sole traders and small crews who want simple

Job cardNo. 0002

Tradify

TestedOCT 2026

Best for

Sole traders and crews up to about 20 who want simple

Not ideal for

Crews often out of mobile range; anyone needing an API or Zapier

Price from

A$48 per user/mo ex GST (no GST charged if you're GST-registered)

Free trial

14 days, no card, no lock-in

Runs on

iPhone, Android, web. No offline mode

Accounting

Xero two-way (invoices, payments). MYOB, QuickBooks

Try Tradify→Read the review

Details checked 26 Oct 2026

Tradify is the easiest of the five to learn and has the best ratings of any job app we track: 4.73 on the Australian App Store from 4,108 ratings, and 4.77 on Google Play. You pay per user, from A$48 a month, with no GST charged if you’re GST-registered. It has no offline mode and no API or Zapier. Tradify was founded in New Zealand and has been owned by The Access Group (UK) since October 2024.

From our test (SFT score 7.2/10).

• A good setup, with a checklist. GST was right from the first quote, and a checklist on the home screen walked us through the rest. Two things caught us out:
  • the labour rate starts at A$0, and we sent a A$0 invoice before we noticed;
  • emails stay blocked until you turn on two-step login.
• Quoting and the customer side were simple. The customer accepts a quote in one click.
• Xero was instant. Invoices reached Xero the moment we approved them. Connecting Xero also overwrote our business name, ABN and time zone with Xero’s.
• It stopped working without signal. With no connection the app wouldn’t open, and a note we’d typed wouldn’t save.
• Per-user pricing adds up. A three-person crew pays about twice what it would on ServiceM8.
• Support reached out first. Tradify called and texted us within half an hour of starting the trial. Its chat took 11 minutes to answer our question, during business hours on a weekday.

Read our full Tradify review.

Fergus: best for plumbers and electricians with a crew

Job cardNo. 0003

Fergus

TestedOCT 2026

Best for

Plumbers and electricians running crews of 1–20

Not ideal for

Stock-level inventory; quoting or invoicing offline

Price from

From A$53 per user/mo + GST (Essentials), A$77 (Professional)

Free trial

14 days, no card, no setup fee

Runs on

iPhone, Android, web. Partial offline (time, notes, photos on jobs already open)

Accounting

Xero (invoices out, payments back). MYOB, QuickBooks

Try Fergus→Read the review

Details checked 26 Oct 2026

Fergus was started by a plumber in New Zealand and says it mostly serves crews of 1 to 20; over 10 staff you’ll get an Enterprise quote. Prices are from A$53 per user a month on Essentials and A$77 on Professional, plus GST, with cheaper timesheet-only users for apprentices. Its prices have risen about 20% since mid-2025. Supplier links cover Reece, Tradelink and the Rexel Group brands in Australia, with deeper links in NZ. It was running a “90% off til December” offer when we checked; the terms aren’t published, so budget on full price.

From our test (SFT score 7.0/10).

• The best setup of the three. Getting Started asked for our ABN, bank details and logo in one step, and GST, time zone and a A$110 labour rate were right from the start. Example jobs let you click around before you start.
• Quick to quote. The same job took about three minutes from blank to quote emailed, against about eight in Tradify. The invoice hides the line items from the customer unless you split them.
• Supplier invoices are the reason to pick it. Our test supplier PDF was read line by line in about 15 seconds with nothing typed, and the job’s profit updated straight away.
• Weaker in the field. There’s no “on my way” text, and offline it only helps on a job you’d already opened.
• Xero was mixed. Invoices reached Xero in 15 seconds, with materials and labour split. A payment made in Xero only showed in Fergus after we pressed Refresh Data, and Fergus wouldn’t connect to Xero’s demo company at all.
• The dearest for a crew. Three people on Professional pay A$231 a month ex GST, about three times ServiceM8.
• Support not yet tested. Fergus messaged us within minutes of signing up, but we haven’t put a question to its support yet.

Read our full Fergus review.

Simpro: best for established contractors with office staff

Job cardNo. 0004

Simpro

Best for

Established contractors, roughly 5–200+ staff, with office staff

Not ideal for

Sole traders and small crews wanting self-serve signup and monthly pricing

Price from

Quote only (setup fee extra)

Free trial

No free trial; demo only

Runs on

iPhone, Android, web. Field app works offline

Accounting

Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks (data pushed from Simpro)

Try Simpro→

Details checked 25 Oct 2026

Simpro started in Brisbane and sells to contractors from about 5 to 200+ staff doing service, project and maintenance work. There’s no published price and no free trial; you book a demo and get a quote. In May 2026 it launched Lightning, a set of AI tools, and offered it to existing customers at a 15% uplift on their contract to 31 May and 25% after, with yearly rises capped at CPI plus 3%. It’s the job app Australian employers name most in job ads. See Simpro pricing.

Not tested yet. Simpro has no free trial, so testing it means going through a demo and a sales quote. Everything above comes from Simpro’s own pages, customer reports and our job-ad data. We’ll add what we find when we’ve been through it.

AroFlo: best for maintenance and compliance-heavy work

Job cardNo. 0005

AroFlo

Best for

Teams of 3 to 40+ doing maintenance and compliance work

Not ideal for

Sole traders and 1–2 person businesses

Price from

From A$80 per user/mo, 3-user minimum

Free trial

No free trial advertised

Runs on

iPhone, Android, web. Partial offline

Accounting

Xero (push, payments pulled back). MYOB, QuickBooks

Try AroFlo→

Details checked 25 Oct 2026

AroFlo is Melbourne-based and owned by the same group as Simpro since 2021. It’s one plan with every feature, from A$80 per user a month plus GST with a three-user minimum, and a setup package from A$1,450. It suits businesses managing assets, compliance forms and maintenance across many sites. Its entry price has risen from A$50 a user in 2022. See AroFlo pricing.

Not tested yet. AroFlo doesn’t advertise a free trial, so we haven’t used it. Everything above comes from AroFlo’s own pages and our price history. We’ll add our results when we’ve tried it.

Other job management software worth a look

Job management software cost, including card fees

Card fees can cost more than the subscription. Since 1 October 2026, surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards are banned in Australia, so the fee now comes out of your price. For a three-person business doing 120 jobs and 100 invoices a month at A$700 each, with half paid by card through the app:

Queensland businesses: the state’s Construction Business Advancement Grant offers up to A$5,000 towards business-management software and training. Business Queensland listed it as “opening soon” on 23 October 2026; check the grants schedule for current status.

Who owns each job management app

The market has consolidated. Tradify and GeoOp belong to The Access Group (UK). Simpro, AroFlo, BigChange and ClockShark belong to Simpro Group, which started in Brisbane and opened an international head office in Miami in 2025. ServiceM8 is a private Australian company and Fergus a private New Zealand one.

Switching from GeoOp? The Access Group bought GeoOp and GeoNext in February 2025 and is moving their customers to Tradify; geoop.com now redirects to Tradify. You can move to Tradify on your current per-user price, or pick another app.

Which job apps Australian trade businesses use

We crawled 7,126 Australian and NZ trade business websites from Google Maps and looked for each app’s booking or enquiry form. 249 (3.5%) had one. ServiceM8 was on 174, then Fergus 33, ServiceTitan 17, Tradify 13, Jobber 7, Ascora 4 and Simpro 3.

In Australia ServiceM8 dominated (160 of 189 sites with a visible app). In New Zealand Fergus led with 30, ahead of ServiceM8 (14) and Tradify (13). Plumbers were the most likely to show an app (7.6% of plumbing sites) and builders the least (0.3%).

How to trial job management software

Each of ServiceM8, Tradify and Fergus has a 14-day free trial with no card. Run one real job end to end in two of them in the same week: enquiry, quote, schedule, job on the phone with photos and a signature, invoice, payment, and the invoice landing in Xero. And get someone other than the owner to use the app on site. The person on the tools will find the problems first.

Job management software in New Zealand

Tradify and Fergus were both founded in New Zealand, and all five apps sell there. NZ prices:

Fergus is named in more New Zealand job ads than any app except Simpro, Fergus Go has more NZ App Store ratings than Australian ones, and Fergus’s enquiry form was the most common job-app form on NZ trade websites in our crawl.

Job management software FAQs

What’s the best job management software for a sole trader? ServiceM8 if you do up to 30 jobs a month (free) or 50 (A$29). Tradify if you want the simplest app and always have signal.

Is there a free job management app? ServiceM8’s free plan covers one person and up to 30 jobs a month. Tradify, Fergus and Ascora have free trials but no free plan.

Which ones work offline? By each vendor’s account: ServiceM8 fully, Simpro mostly, Fergus for time, notes and photos, AroFlo only for viewing jobs and adding notes. Tradify not at all. In our tests, Tradify wouldn’t open with no signal, and Fergus only worked on a job we’d already opened.

Do I still need Xero or MYOB? Yes. Job management apps send invoices and payments to your accounting software; they don’t do your GST, BAS or payroll.

Which is cheapest for a crew of three? ServiceM8 Growing at A$79 inc GST (A$71.82 ex) for up to 150 jobs a month.

How we compared job management software

Prices, plans and features come from each vendor’s own website, checked on 25 and 26 October 2026, plus our own data: app-store ratings and reviews, Wayback Machine price histories, a cost model, and current Seek job ads. Each app is then tested hands-on following the same method, and the stamp on each job card shows whether that’s happened yet.

DE

Written by Dan Edwards

Dan sets up job management, call tracking and CRM systems for trade businesses. More about Dan.