ServiceM8 vs Tradify vs the alternatives: an honest 2026 comparison

ServiceM8 vs Tradify comes down to how each one charges. ServiceM8 bills per account based on jobs created each month, from $29 AUD including GST, with unlimited users. Tradify bills per user, $48 to $62 ex GST every month. Solo on an iPhone, check the job caps. Running a crew, do the per-seat maths first.

This is the most common software decision in Australian trades, and most comparisons of the two are written by people who have never had to pick one with their own money. We have. Here is the honest version: what each costs once you count everything, where each genuinely shines, the catches nobody leads with, and where the cheaper alternatives fit. All prices were checked against the official Australian pricing pages in early July 2026. Both companies move their prices, so re-check before you commit.

The short version (who each one is for)

If you only read one section, the fit comes down to your crew size, your phone, and your job volume. In plain terms:

• Solo operator on an iPhone with steady job volume: ServiceM8. The free plan covers 30 jobs a month, and Starter is $29 including GST for 50.

• Two to four person crew that wants predictable per-seat pricing and timesheets built in: Tradify. You pay for every login, but everyone gets the full app on any phone.

• Busy field team creating lots of jobs: ServiceM8's unlimited users can be great value, but watch the job caps, because a flat-out month pushes you up a tier.

• Crew on Android phones: Tradify, or one of the alternatives. ServiceM8's full app is Apple-only, which we cover below.

• Solo or tiny team that mostly needs quote-to-invoice on a budget: look at the cheaper, simpler options near the end of this article, including our own, honestly labelled.

ServiceM8 vs Tradify: the pricing, side by side

The two tools charge on completely different models, and that difference matters more than any feature list. Think of it like a phone plan versus a per-call charge. Tradify is the per-handset plan: you pay for every person who picks up. ServiceM8 charges by how many calls you make: your bill tracks job volume, not headcount.

Prices checked on the official Australian pricing pages, July 2026.

Two things to sit with. ServiceM8 is cheap to start, but the bill tracks your job volume, and the free plan is one user only. Tradify's maths is simpler and harsher: the number of people, times the plan price, every month, plus GST on top because the listed prices exclude it. A three-person crew on Tradify Pro is 3 x $52, which is $156 ex GST, roughly $172 a month once GST is in.

Where ServiceM8 shines (and the catches)

ServiceM8 is a genuinely polished field-service tool, and for the right business it is excellent. The strengths are real: deep field workflow, forms, asset management, proposals, job costing, a well-regarded Xero integration, and unlimited staff logins at no extra seat cost. That last one is the sleeper. A six-person crew pays the same account price as a two-person crew on the same tier, which per-user competitors cannot touch. It also has a genuine free plan, not a trial: one user, 30 jobs a month, free indefinitely.

The catches. First, the per-job model can sting in a high-volume trade. Have a flat-out month, blow past your tier's cap, and you are shopping for the next tier whether you planned to or not, and the jump from Starter at $29 to Growing at $79 is steep. Second, the platform question: ServiceM8's full app runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac only. Android users get ServiceM8 Lite, a cut-down companion app for field staff that cannot quote or invoice. That is per ServiceM8's own help centre, checked July 2026. If you run the business from an Android phone, this one fact probably decides the whole comparison.

Where Tradify shines (and the catches)

Tradify is the mature all-rounder, and it earns that reputation. It is genuinely easy to use, the scheduling and job tracking are strong, timesheets are built in rather than bolted on, it syncs with Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks, and the full app runs properly on both iPhone and Android. Around 20,000 trade businesses use it, and it has been at this since 2013. For a small crew on mixed phones, it is the safe pick of the two.

The catches are all in the maths. Per-user pricing means a three-person team pays three times, every month, and the listed prices are ex GST, so the real number is about 10 per cent higher than the page says. There is no free tier, only a 14-day trial. The AI features sit on the top Plus plan at $62 per user, and on the entry Lite plan your quotes go out with Tradify's branding on them, not yours. One more thing worth knowing: Tradify was acquired by The Access Group, a UK software company, in October 2024. Nothing wrong with that, but the "small NZ company that gets tradies" story is now a division of a large overseas group.

The cheaper, simpler alternatives (including ours, honestly)

If you mostly need to quote, invoice and get paid, without the field-service bells and whistles, you do not have to pay field-service prices. A couple of leaner paths do the job for less.

The first honest answer is one you have already met: ServiceM8's own free plan. One user, 30 jobs a month, genuinely free. If you are solo, on an iPhone, and under the cap, it is hard to argue with. Ascora, a Perth-built tool, is the cheapest per-user option of the established players at $45 per user per month, though it charges a one-time implementation fee and is really built for larger teams of 5 to 50.

Then there is Chippie, which we build, so weigh this paragraph accordingly. It does quoting, invoicing, client and job management, scheduling, and card payments, and it runs in the browser on any phone, iPhone or Android, the same full app on both, with a native app in development. The free tier covers 1 user and 20 jobs a month, free forever, no card. Paid plans are tiered per-user: Pro is $25 a month including 2 users, Team is $45 including 4, plus $10 for each extra user, AUD including GST as of July 2026. Where the others still win: ServiceM8 has far more field-service depth, and Tradify has built-in timesheets, a bigger ecosystem and accounting integrations that Chippie does not have yet. If those are must-haves today, pick accordingly.

How to actually choose (a 60-second test)

You can settle this decision in about a minute with five questions, answered honestly about the business you run now, not the one you might run someday.

1. How many people need to log in? One or two, lean toward free tiers or job-based pricing. Three or more, do the per-user maths carefully, ex GST.

2. How many jobs do you create a month? High volume punishes per-job pricing. Low volume makes it cheap.

3. Do you need deep field workflow like asset management, forms and job costing, or mostly quote-to-invoice? Only pay for depth you will use.

4. What phones does your crew carry? Android anywhere in the crew rules out the full ServiceM8 experience. Check the app on the phones you actually own.

5. What is the all-in monthly cost? Seats times price, plus GST, plus SMS and add-ons. Compare that number, never the headline.

If you want the same exercise done on pure price across every major option, we have run the numbers in the cheapest job management software for tradies, and there is a burn-proof checklist for choosing tradie software covering lock-in, data export and the other traps. For the head-to-head against our own product, the Chippie vs ServiceM8 and Chippie vs Tradify pages put every claim side by side with sources.

FAQ

Is ServiceM8 or Tradify cheaper for a solo tradie?

Usually ServiceM8. Its free plan covers 30 jobs a month at $0, and Starter is $29 including GST for 50 jobs, while Tradify's cheapest plan is $48 ex GST, about $53 with GST. The comparison flips if your job volume is high enough to push you up ServiceM8's tiers. Prices checked July 2026.

Does ServiceM8 charge per user?

No. ServiceM8 charges per account, with plans capped by the number of jobs you create each month, and paid plans include unlimited staff logins. That makes it unusually good value for bigger crews, and it means your bill grows with your job volume rather than your headcount.

Is Tradify's price ex GST?

Yes. Tradify's Australian prices are listed ex GST, so Lite at $48 per user is about $53 once GST is added, and Pro at $52 is about $57. Multiply by your headcount for the real monthly figure. ServiceM8's Australian prices include GST.

Is there a free job management app for tradies?

Yes, two genuine free tiers exist among the tools covered here. ServiceM8's free plan gives one user 30 jobs a month on Apple devices, and Chippie's free tier gives one user 20 jobs a month on any phone. Tradify and Fergus offer 14-day trials only, which is not the same thing.

Can I run ServiceM8 or Tradify on an Android phone?

Tradify, yes: the full app runs on Android and iPhone. ServiceM8, only partly: the full app is iPhone, iPad and Mac only, and Android users get ServiceM8 Lite, a companion app for field staff that cannot quote or invoice. Checked against ServiceM8's help centre, July 2026.

Prices and platform details in this article were verified from the official ServiceM8 and Tradify Australian pricing pages and help centres in early July 2026. Both change their pricing from time to time, so confirm on their sites before you sign up. ServiceM8 and Tradify are trademarks of their respective owners; Chippie is not affiliated with either.

If simple quote-to-invoice on any phone is all you need, Chippie's free tier covers 20 jobs a month at chippieapp.com.