Best Value Job Management Software For 2021

Job management software for tradespeople can be an expensive endeavour. Which of the leading apps is the best value for money?

Most of the job management software apps have more or less similar features. They all include quoting, invoicing, scheduling, reporting, timesheets, and so on. They key is to find the one that matches your business and processes. 

Having said that, depending on the size of your field staff, the cost per month could be a significant factor. In this article we will look at some of the main contenders across several scenarios, showing which app has the best price in each level.

What each app Costs

Lets look at the cost breakdown of some of the job management apps. For the most part I will simply state these in the vendor’s own words. All prices are NZD Excl. GST.

 

Tradify

All features, all the time. Free set-up assistance

1. $39 per user, per month.

• • Free set-up assistance
  • Unlimited everything
  • Free lifetime support
  • Free updates & upgrades

Suggested maximum of 20-ish users.

Fergus

Three price levels. 

1. $0 per user, per month. A simplified job management app with no commitment. Limited to 10 Jobs per month and 3 Invoices per month.
    
2. $40 per full user*, per month: Reduce admin time and double handling. Includes most of the main features
   • $15 per full tradie or apprentice, per month
      
3. $60 per full user*, per month. Get in-depth insights into your business. Includes extra features like GPS tracking, files and photos, purchase orders, checklists, etc.
   • $15 per full tradie or apprentice, per month

Other features are only available on the $60 plan and cost extra, including job sign-offs, certificates, and custom forms. 

Suggested maximum of 50-ish users.

* Full users includes Business Owners, Operation Managers, Site Foremen, Office Managers, and Administrators

iTrade

1. $0 per user, per month for one man bands. Includes all features.
    
2. $20 per user, per month. Once you reach 7 users additional field users are only 
    
3. $10 each/month: Once you reach 7 users additional field users are only $10.
    
4. Admins Always FREE

Unlimited users. 

Aroflo

1. $150 3 user pack: Office and Field login, with phone, email and remote support.
    
2. $50 per month, per additional office and field login. 11th user onward receives a discount. ($45 per user)
    
3. $10 per month, per additional passive user or contractor.

There are other add-ons available, like GPS, integration with Xero, etc for a range of extra charges.

Unlimited users.

ServiceM8

All plans cover the basics.

1. $1 per user, per month: for first 12 months. Limited to 15 jobs per month. 
    
2. $29 per user, per month: Limited to 50 jobs per month. More features added.
    
3. $79 per user, per month: Limited to 150 jobs per month. More features added.
     
4. $149 per user, per month for first 12 months. Limited to 500 jobs per month. All features included.
    
5. 349 per user, per month for first 12 months. Unlimited jobs per month with first 1500 jobs per month free. Additional jobs cost 20c each. All features included.

Unlimited users.

Scenarios

Lets look at some scenarios to see how this compares in real terms. I have tried to be as realistic as possible, and have made the following assumptions:

• SeviceM8 charges relate to the number of jobs per month, rather than the number of staff
• Field staff average 3.5 jobs per day, for 20 days per month
• In larger teams, only half of the managers are also field staff.

Observations

One Man Bands

While four of the vendors are kind to one man bands, iTrade provide incredible value by offering their full suite for free. Given that iTrade app is a full-featured job management app including job costing, quoting, invoicing and job scheduling, the tradie has nothing to lose and everything to gain with this offering.

Best Price: iTrade

Small Teams

All vendors are very affordable for small teams, with prices ranging from iTrade charging $80 for a small team, through to AroFlo charging $250 – more than 3 times more. 

You can view a more complete features comparison of Tradify vs Fergus here.

You can view a more complete features comparison of Tradify vs ServiceM8 here.

You can view a features comparison of Aroflo vs Simpro here. Simpro do not disclose pricing and so have not been included in this review.

Best Price: iTrade

Medium Teams

This is where the prices begin to spread, with Aroflo positioning their app as worth more than double that of Fergus, and more than 3 times that of Servicem8 and iTrade.

Best Price: ServiceM8

Large Teams

In the large teams and medium corporate space, Aroflo roughly double the price of Fergus and SeviceM8, and four times more than iTrade, who is clearly competing on a best price, best value strategy. 

Best Price: iTrade

Large Corporates

Finally, with two vendors unable to support corporate sized teams, there is a country mile between the remaining competitors. Aroflo charge over $5,000 per month, while ServiceM8 and iTrade are both less than $1,500 per month.

Best Price: iTrade