Arborist software in Australia: 8 options compared for small tree businesses (2026)

Most small tree businesses in Australia don't need dedicated arborist software. ArboStar and LoppersOffice are built for tree work and start at $99 to A$279 a month. For a sole operator or small crew, ServiceM8 and Chippie both have free plans, and Chippie quotes tree by tree. Prices as of 27 October 2026.

Do you need tree software at all?#

If your week is removals, pruning, stump grinding and the odd hedge, probably not. You need a quote that shows the client what each tree costs, a SWMS the crew signs before the first cut, and an invoice that goes out the day the job's finished. A decent job app does most of that.

Tree software starts paying for itself when you look after trees over time. Council and strata contracts, school grounds, inspection cycles, hundreds of trees on a map. That's what ArboStar, LoppersOffice, Arborgold and ArborNote are built for, and that's what the monthly fee is buying.

Chippie is one of the apps on this list. The people behind it run a tree-felling business, so it's built around the same jobs. Every price below came off the vendor's own website on 27 October 2026. Specials come and go, so check the price on the day you sign up.

Prices at a glance#

Software built for tree work#

ArboStar#

ArboStar is an American company with a Sydney office, and it prices in Australian dollars. It does quotes the client signs online, scheduling, an offline app for the crew, tree inventory and mapping, GPS tracking of your crews, and syncs with Xero and QuickBooks.

The cheapest plan is A$209 a month if you pay for the year, or A$279 month to month, for one office login and one crew login. Growing is A$349 (A$466 monthly) for two office and three crew logins. Each extra office login is A$130 to A$174 a month and each extra crew login A$35 to A$47. The site doesn't say whether GST is in those prices. There's no free trial, just a demo and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

It suits a business with someone in the office and a couple of crews out working, where the mapping and crew tracking will actually get used. For a one-ute operation, it's a big monthly bill.

LoppersOffice#

LoppersOffice is Australian and made for tree work. You drop trees on a satellite map with species, condition and size, mark out access and where the truck tips, and the crew does pre-starts and equipment checks on their phones. There's a live crew map, an ISO compliance section, and a "Find an Arborist" directory that sends quote requests to the businesses listed on it.

$99 a month covers up to three users. $249 gets you up to 15 users and Xero. $499 is unlimited users. All in AUD including GST, every plan has a 14-day trial, and paying yearly gets you two months free.

It's the cheapest way into proper tree software for a small Australian crew. Just know Xero is on the $249 plan, not the $99 one.

Arborgold#

Arborgold comes out of Utah and covers tree, lawn and landscape companies. It does estimating, scheduling and routing, iPhone and Android apps, QuickBooks, and tree inventory mapping on its top plan.

You pay in US dollars on a 12-month contract. Starter is US$129 a month paid annually or US$149 monthly, Professional US$299 or US$343, and Enterprise US$499 or US$573. Office and field users are licensed separately. The same page also says "as low as $119 per month", so get the real number in writing.

It's built for bigger American outfits running QuickBooks. Here you'd be paying in US dollars, and the site doesn't mention Xero or GST.

ArborNote#

ArborNote is from California and goes after council, commercial and strata-style work. It's all about inventory: GPS mapping, measuring trunk diameter (DBH) and height with LiDAR, plant health care programs, work orders and invoicing, with QuickBooks.

Essential is $240 a month for one user plus $130 for each extra. Enterprise is $350 plus $150. The crew leader app is another $75 a month per crew leader, and there's 10% off if you sign up for 12 months. The page doesn't say which currency, but it's an American company. There's a free trial.

It's for consulting arborists and contractors managing thousands of trees, not for quoting a gum out of someone's backyard.

ArbM8#

ArbM8 is a UK add-on that turns ServiceM8 into tree software, with risk assessments, method statements, rigging plans, incident reports and Tree Preservation Order tracking. Setup is £720, £1,116 or £1,440, on top of your ServiceM8 plan. The paperwork is written around UK rules, so you'd be reworking it for Australian sites.

General trade apps#

Plenty of tree businesses run on these. There's no tree page on either site, so per-tree quoting comes down to setting up your line items properly.

ServiceM8#

ServiceM8 charges by jobs a month, not by users. Free covers 30 jobs and one user. Starter is $29 for 50 jobs, Growing $79 for 150, Premium $149 for 500 and Premium Plus $349, all AUD including GST, with as many users as you like on the paid plans. There are full iPhone and Android apps, Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks connections, and digital forms. The trial runs 14 days.

If you're already on it, it's hard to beat on price, and its add-ons cover a lot. Keep an eye on the job count, because a big storm month can bump you up a plan.

Fergus#

Fergus is based in Sydney and aimed at crews of one to 20, with a mobile app and Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks. Its Australian pricing page lists Essentials from $53 a month and Professional from $77, with timesheet-only users from $26. There's 90% off until December, so work out what you'll be paying once that runs out. The page doesn't make it clear whether plans are per user or whether GST is included. The trial is 14 days, no card needed.

It's a solid pick if you've got a few staff on the books and a bookkeeper. There's nothing in it set up for trees.

Chippie#

Chippie is ours. Two of the founders run a tree-felling business, and it's built around how they quote and run tree work.

Each tree goes on its own line with the work on it. Stump grinding, green waste and access or traffic control go on as separate items, so the client can see why the big gum over the shed costs more than the one by the back fence. The crew ticks the hazards and signs the SWMS on their phones before the first cut, and you end up with a signed PDF. For council, strata or school work there's a tree register with species, tag, DBH, height, condition, risk rating and the next inspection date, and inspections come round again as recurring jobs. Scheduling's included, Xero syncs both ways on Pro and Team, and it runs on iPhone, Android and in a browser. Jobs and quotes you've opened on your phone still open and edit on a bush block with no signal, and upload when you're back in range.

It's free for one user and 20 jobs a month. Pro is $25 a month for two users, and Team is $45 a month for four users plus $10 for each extra, all AUD including GST.

If that sounds like your business, here's how Chippie handles tree work.

Which one to pick#

• Sole operator starting out: a free plan. ServiceM8 and Chippie both have one, and Chippie's includes the SWMS and per-tree lines.
• Two or three of you who want trees on a map: LoppersOffice from $99 a month.
• An office person plus crews, with tracking and inventory: ArboStar from A$209 a month paid yearly.
• Thousands of trees for councils or big sites: ArborNote or Arborgold, priced in US dollars.
• Already on ServiceM8: stay put and look at add-ons first. ArbM8 is written for UK paperwork.
• A bigger crew with a bookkeeper in Xero or MYOB: ServiceM8 or Fergus.

Run a real job through it first#

Before you pay for anything, put one real job through each app on your shortlist.

1. Quote a removal with two trees, a stump grind, green waste and traffic control. Can the client see why it costs what it does?
2. Get the crew to fill out and sign the SWMS on their own phones.
3. If you do council or strata work, put one tree in the register and book its next inspection.
4. Send the invoice to Xero or MYOB and check what your bookkeeper sees.
5. Open the app on a block with no signal and see what still works.

If you're leaning towards a general job app, our job management software roundup and the ServiceM8 vs Tradify comparison go into more detail.

FAQ#

What's the best arborist software in Australia?#

It depends how big you are and what work you do. For tree mapping and inventory, ArboStar and LoppersOffice are built for tree work and price in Australian dollars. For a sole operator or small crew mostly doing removals and pruning, ServiceM8 and Chippie both start free, and Chippie is set up for quoting tree by tree.

Is there free arborist software?#

ServiceM8 (one user, 30 jobs a month) and Chippie (one user, 20 jobs) both have free plans. The tree-specific products here give you a trial or a money-back guarantee instead. Our job management software roundup lists more free plans from general trade apps.

Which arborist software works with Xero?#

ArboStar, ServiceM8 and Fergus all connect to Xero. LoppersOffice includes it from the $249 plan, and Chippie syncs with it on Pro and Team. Arborgold and ArborNote list QuickBooks.

Do I need tree-specific software?#

Only if you manage trees over time. For quoting and invoicing removals and pruning, a general job app with good line items does the job. Tree software earns its price once you're keeping inventories, mapping sites, running inspection cycles and tracking crews across a lot of jobs.

Which arborist software does a SWMS?#

Chippie builds one from a list of tree hazards, the crew signs it on site, and you get a signed PDF. ArbM8 does risk assessments, method statements and rigging plans, and LoppersOffice does pre-starts and equipment checks. For anything else on this list, ask the vendor before you sign up.