Contents
Key takeaways
- ServiceM8 bills by jobs (from $29 a month inc GST, unlimited users); Tradify bills per user ($48 to $62 ex GST).
- What 1, 3 and 10 people pay, and what reviewers report.
ServiceM8 vs Tradify comes down to how each one charges, and usability. ServiceM8 limits each tier by jobs per month. Their first paid tier is $29 for 50 jobs (including GST), and all their tiers have unlimited users. Tradify charges per user; $48 to $62 (ex GST) per month.
Chippie wrote this, and we compete with both, so read our section with that in mind. ServiceM8 and Tradify prices come from their Australian pricing pages and help centres, checked 11 October 2026. Review quotes were read on 28 October 2026. Both companies change their prices, so check again before you sign anything.
The verdict: which one suits your business#
The right pick depends on three numbers: how many user accounts you need, how many jobs you turn over in a month, and how much field-service functionality you require.
Choose ServiceM8 if you want forms, certificates, asset management, job costing -you have several staff who all need an account, and your monthly job count sits comfortably inside one of their tiers. Paid plans include unlimited users. Free version available; one user, up to 30 jobs per month, with fees on texts and card payments. See servicem8.com for inclusions.
Choose Tradify if you want no cap on jobs, timesheets built in (Pro and up), and a bill you can predict from headcount alone. Every person who logs in is a paid user, so budget for that.
Choose Chippie if the work you need software for is quote to invoice, run from your phone or laptop, for a crew of one to ten. Pro is $25 a month including 2 users, and Team is $45 including 4 ($10 per extra user), with unlimited jobs on both paid plans. Free version; one user, up to 20 jobs per month, no hidden costs. See chippieapp.com for inclusions, and the full feature list.
If you only read one more section, read the cost table below. It is where most people get the decision wrong.
What each one costs a year for 1, 3 and 10 people#
Pricing pages list plans. What you need is the bill for your own crew, so here it is. All figures are AUD a year including GST, on monthly billing. Tradify lists its prices ex GST, so we added 10% to compare like with like.
Crew size | ServiceM8 | Tradify | Chippie |
|---|---|---|---|
1 person | $0 (Free, up to 30 jobs a month) or $348 (Starter, 50 jobs) | $633.60 (Lite) | $0 (Free, 20 jobs a month) or $300 (Pro, no job cap) |
3 people | $348 (Starter, 50 jobs a month) or $948 (Growing, 150 jobs) | $1,900.80 (Lite) to $2,059.20 (Pro) | $540 (Team, 4 users) |
10 people | $948 (Growing, 150 jobs a month) or $1,788 (Premium, 500 jobs) | $6,336 (Lite) to $6,864 (Pro) | $1,260 (Team plus 6 extra users at $10) |
ServiceM8 and Tradify prices from their AU pricing pages, checked 11 October 2026. Not counted: SMS (10c a message on ServiceM8 past the included amount, 20c on Tradify), card fees and add-ons.
Two things stand out. Tradify is the dearest at every size, because the bill is people times price. ServiceM8 is the cheapest at every size as long as your job count stays inside a low tier, and the jump from Starter at $29 a month to Growing at $79 is the one that catches busy crews. Chippie sits between them: dearer than ServiceM8 for a crew with a low job count, and cheaper than both for a crew of two to seven that creates more than 50 jobs a month. At ten people with under 150 jobs a month, ServiceM8 Growing is $312 a year cheaper than Chippie.
How the two charge, plan by plan#
ServiceM8 charges per account and caps each plan by jobs created a month. Tradify charges per user, every month, with no job cap.
ServiceM8 (AU, inc GST) | Tradify (AU, ex GST) | |
|---|---|---|
Free plan | 1 user, 30 jobs a month | No, 14-day trial |
Entry plan | Starter $29 a month (50 jobs) | Lite $48 per user a month |
Middle plans | Growing $79 (150 jobs), Premium $149 (500 jobs) | Pro $52 per user a month |
Top published plan | Premium Plus $349 (1,500 jobs, then 20c a job) | Plus $62 per user a month |
User accounts | Unlimited on paid plans | Every account is a paid seat |
Features held back to higher plans | Forms, certificates, asset management on Growing; job costing on Premium | Custom branding and timesheets on Pro; reporting and AI features on Plus |
Prices checked 11 October 2026.
The plan gating matters as much as the price. On ServiceM8 Starter, electronic forms and certificates are not included; they start on Growing. On Tradify Lite your quotes carry Tradify's branding, because custom branding starts on Pro. Check that the plan you priced is the plan that does what you need.
What the reviews say#
When people search "ServiceM8 reviews" or "Tradify reviews", Google sends them to Trustpilot, Capterra and the Xero App Store. We read the one- to three-star Trustpilot reviews of both on 28 October 2026; every quote below is from Trustpilot's Australian site, with the reviewer's country and post date. The complaint that comes up most is support, followed by price and billing.
The star ratings sit well above those complaints, and close together. Apple's Australian App Store gives ServiceM8 4.5 from 5.6K ratings and Tradify 4.7 from 4.1K. The Xero App Store has ServiceM8 at 4.56 from 352 reviews and Tradify at 4.64 from 187. On Google Play, Tradify has 4.8 from 3.14K reviews and ServiceM8 3.8, though many of ServiceM8's Play reviews predate its full Android app of September 2026. Ratings read on 29 October 2026.
Support came up first for both. A Tradify customer in Australia wrote on 27 May 2026 of "no local support, very poor communication". A ServiceM8 customer in the UK wrote on 11 June 2025 that "the help facility is absolutely awful".
Price was next. A UK Tradify reviewer on 2 October 2024 called it "very expensive especially if you have more than one employee", which is the per-seat model showing up in a real bill. An Australian ServiceM8 reviewer on 22 April 2026 said there is "other software that does exactly the same thing and better pricing".
Billing and cancelling caused grief on both. An Australian Tradify customer wrote on 9 August 2024 that they "cancelled over a month ago but still got charged again". An Australian ServiceM8 customer on 2 September 2025 found the company "not helpful when requesting a refund on a large fee".
ServiceM8's plan gating drew its own complaint: an Australian reviewer on 9 May 2025 objected to the company "making all their new features only available if you go with a plan". And an Australian Tradify reviewer on 3 November 2025 said it "struggles in areas with low network service, such as basements", which matches Tradify's help centre: the app needs a live internet connection.
These are a handful of unhappy customers, not a verdict on every user. Read the low reviews anyway, because they tell you what living with the software is like when something goes wrong.
Android and iPhone in October 2026#
Both now run their full app on Android. If you read older reviews that call ServiceM8 cut-down on Android, check the date.
Until September 2026, Android users got ServiceM8 Lite, a companion app limited to field staff without a management role. ServiceM8 15, released in September 2026, replaced it with a full-featured Android app, and ServiceM8's help centre says it has almost all the same functionality as the iOS app. A short list stays iPhone-only: Room Scan capture, 3D viewing and AR measurement, drawing diagrams, editing or filling PDFs from attachment previews, and the full in-camera photo tagging. Checked against ServiceM8's help centre, 11 October 2026.
Tradify's full app runs on iPhone and Android, and it needs signal to work.
Chippie is the same app on iPhone from the App Store, on Android from Google Play, and in a browser at the desk. Jobs and quotes open and edit with no signal and upload when it comes back, which matters in a basement or out bush.
If you work on your own#
For one person, ServiceM8's Free plan is one user, 30 jobs a month, with card payments at 1.89% plus 30c, and texts at 10c each. Go over 30 jobs per month and you are on Starter at $29 a month for 50 jobs.
Tradify has no free plan for a solo operator. Lite is $48 a month ex GST, about $52.80 with GST, for unlimited jobs, but your quotes go out with Tradify's branding until you move to Pro at $52.
Chippie's Free plan covers one user and 20 jobs a month, with no card needed to sign up because there are no hidden costs. Pro is $25 a month with unlimited jobs, and includes a second user -which suits a sole trader whose partner does the books, or who brings on an apprentice.
So for a solo tradie: under 30 jobs a month, ServiceM8 Free. Over 50 jobs a month, Chippie Pro at $25 beats ServiceM8's $79 Growing plan and Tradify's $52.80 Lite. In between, it comes down to which app you like using.
Where ServiceM8 and Tradify are strongest#
ServiceM8 has the deeper field-service toolkit: electronic forms and certificates, asset management, proposals and an inbox from Growing up, and job costing and markup billing from Premium. Its unlimited users on paid plans make it good value for a large crew with modest job volume. Every plan syncs with Xero, QuickBooks Online and MYOB.
Tradify is the easier one to price for a growing team, because there is no job cap to watch. Timesheets, recurring jobs, job templates and progress invoicing come on Pro, and it syncs with Xero and MYOB.
If your business needs those features, pay for them. Paying for depth you will not use is the more common mistake.
Chippie, the third option#
We build Chippie. Caleb and his father Elliott, both qualified carpenters, run their tree-felling business in Newcastle on it.
Chippie does quotes, jobs, scheduling, invoices and card payments through Stripe, on the phone first and in the browser when you are at a desk. It syncs both ways with Xero on Pro and Team. Pricing as of October 2026, AUD including GST:
Free: 1 user, 20 jobs a month. No hidden charges.
Pro: $25 a month including 2 users. Unlimited jobs.
Team: $45 a month including 4 users, then $10 a month for each extra user.
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How to choose in a minute#
Answer these questions about your business:
How many people need to log in? Multiply that by Tradify's price including GST, and compare it with ServiceM8's tier and Chippie's plan for the same headcount.
How many jobs do you create in a busy month? Pick the ServiceM8 tier for your busiest month, not your average one.
Do you need forms, certificates, asset management or job costing? If yes, ServiceM8 Growing or Premium. If you mostly quote and invoice, do not pay for them.
Do you work where the signal drops out? Tradify needs a connection; check how the others handle it on your own phone.
What is the all-in bill? Plan, seats, GST, SMS and card fees. Compare that number.
For the plain price ranking across more tools, see the cheapest job management software for tradies. If you are weighing one of these against Chippie directly, the Chippie vs ServiceM8 and Chippie vs Tradify pages go row by row with sources. More detail on the Android change is in ServiceM8 on Android in 2026.
FAQ#
Is ServiceM8 or Tradify cheaper?
ServiceM8, at almost every crew size, as long as your job count fits a low tier. For three people, ServiceM8 is $348 to $948 a year including GST, depending on jobs, and Tradify is $1,900.80 to $2,059.20. Tradify's per-seat bill grows with every person. Prices checked 11 October 2026.
Does ServiceM8 charge per user?
No. ServiceM8 charges per account, with each plan capped by jobs created a month, and paid plans include unlimited staff logins. Your bill grows with job volume, not headcount.
Is Tradify's price ex GST?
Yes. Tradify's Australian prices are ex GST, so Lite at $48 per user is $52.80 with GST and Pro at $52 is $57.20. ServiceM8's and Chippie's Australian prices include GST.
Can I run ServiceM8 or Tradify on an Android phone?
Yes, both. Tradify's full app runs on Android. ServiceM8's full Android app arrived with ServiceM8 15 in September 2026, with Room Scan, diagram drawing, PDF editing and full in-camera photo tagging still iPhone-only. Checked against ServiceM8's help centre, 11 October 2026.
Who makes ServiceM8 and Tradify?
ServiceM8 is a private Australian company founded in 2009, which released its first iPhone and web app in 2010. Tradify is a New Zealand company founded in 2013. The Access Group announced in October 2024 that it had agreed to buy Tradify, and Tradify's terms are now The Access Group's. Checked on both companies' own pages, 29 October 2026.
Is there a free job management app for tradies?
Yes. ServiceM8's Free plan gives one user 30 jobs a month, and Chippie's Free plan gives one user 20 jobs a month on any phone. Tradify offers a 14-day trial, not a free plan.
ServiceM8 and Tradify are trademarks of their respective owners. Chippie is not affiliated with either.
If quote to invoice on your phone is what you need, Chippie's Free plan covers 20 jobs a month at chippieapp.com.