A free alternative to EasyCert
EasyCert is desktop certification software, with a mobile app that records results and feeds them back into the PC. Tradehand writes ten certificate types free on your phone, and does the office work around them.
Tradehand
EasyCert
The short answer
EasyCert is a capable desktop package with a broad fixed certificate range. Tradehand writes ten certificate types free on your phone, then answers, quotes, books and chases the work around them. Choose Tradehand if that is your problem. Free includes the manual tools and the Assistant with £1 of usage a month: 5% of each payment Tradehand takes, card fees included. Paid plans from £25 a month add automation and more usage. Basic payment fees on your own jobs: From 1.25% + 20p, deducted automatically when the customer pays. Grow and Advanced have lower Tradehand payment fees.
An honest recommendation
Choose EasyCert if…
- You work from a Windows PC and want a dedicated desktop package
- You need emergency lighting and fire certificates, BS 5266 and BS 5839
- You want certificate software only, not the office work
Choose Tradehand if…
- You want to write certificates free on your phone, on site
- Your problem is a thin diary, not messy paperwork
- You want a Free plan with the Assistant
Where EasyCert wins: a broader fixed certificate range, including emergency lighting, fire alarm and solar PV. Tradehand covers ten common trade certificates and does the office work around them.
Are you buying a certificate app, or the office work around it?
A certificate is paperwork on a job you had already won. What fills a thin diary is answering, quoting, booking and chasing. That is a person's job.
UK office manager starter salary, before NI and pension. Paid whether or not the invoices land.
Source: Office manager salary (National Careers)
TradehandFree, or paid plans from £19 a month billed yearly
Salary: National Careers Service. EasyCert is a desktop certification package priced on tysoft.co.uk. Tradehand includes the Assistant on Free and bills a subscription for automation and more usage.
See pricingSide by side
| What matters |  Tradehand |  EasyCert |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate rangeSource: EasyCert (tysoft.co.uk) | Tradehand✓ Ten published types, signed PDF. Countersign only when a supervisor signs | EasyCertBS 7671, BS 5839 fire, BS 5266 emergency lighting, solar PV |
| EIC, EICR and minor worksSource: EasyCert (tysoft.co.uk) | Tradehand✓ All three, on the BS 7671 model forms | EasyCertAll three, the core EasyCert range |
| Where you write itSource: EasyCert (tysoft.co.uk) | Tradehand✓ On your phone, on site, emailed before you leave | EasyCertDesktop PC, plus mobile software on iPhone, iPad and Android |
| Emergency lighting and fireSource: EasyCert (tysoft.co.uk) | TradehandDomestic fire alarm only. No emergency lighting | EasyCert✓ BS 5266 and BS 5839, a real EasyCert win |
| Answers the phone and books the jobSource: Tysoft software range | Tradehand✓ Quote from your rates, held when approval is required | EasyCertNot marketed on tysoft.co.uk |
| Chases what you are owedSource: Tysoft software range | Tradehand✓ Chases quotes and unpaid invoices by SMS, email and voice | EasyCertNot marketed on tysoft.co.uk |
| How you are billedSource: Tysoft software range | TradehandFree, or paid plans from £19 a month billed yearly | EasyCertPriced on tysoft.co.uk, not by what you collect |
The certificate is only half the job
You have written the EICR. The quote, the booking and the invoice chasing are still yours to do at 9pm.
EasyCert stops at the certificate. Tradehand keeps going: Tradehand answers the call, sends the quote, books the job and chases the payment, and the certificate itself stays free.
Switching takes an afternoon
Nothing to install and no licence to buy. Start writing a certificate free today.
- Step 1
Open Tradehand
No install and no licence key. Sign in on your phone and start a certificate.
- Step 2
Write one free
Produce a real BS 7671 certificate and export the PDF at no cost.
- Step 3
Turn on the office work
Let Tradehand answer calls, quote and chase payment. Free includes the manual tools and the Assistant with £1 of usage a month: 5% of each payment Tradehand takes, card fees included. Paid plans from £25 a month add automation and more usage. Basic payment fees on your own jobs: From 1.25% + 20p, deducted automatically when the customer pays. Grow and Advanced have lower Tradehand payment fees.
Your questions
Is Tradehand's certificate software really free?
Free has no monthly charge. Manual certificates are included on Free without a subscription or charge per certificate. Free includes the manual tools and the Assistant with £1 of usage a month: 5% of each payment Tradehand takes, card fees included. Paid plans from £25 a month add automation and more usage. Basic payment fees on your own jobs: From 1.25% + 20p, deducted automatically when the customer pays. Grow and Advanced have lower Tradehand payment fees.
Does Tradehand produce the same certificates as EasyCert?
Tradehand covers ten types: EIC, EICR, minor works, EV charge point, PAT, gas safety, domestic fire alarm, boiler service, earth bonding and EPC. EasyCert carries a broader fixed range, including BS 5266 emergency lighting, BS 5839 fire alarm and solar PV.
Do I need a Windows PC to use Tradehand?
No. Tradehand runs on your phone, so you finish the certificate on site and email the PDF before you leave. EasyCert is desktop software, and TySoft says its mobile software completes certificates on an iPhone, iPad or Android device and exports them into the desktop.
Does EasyCert answer my phone or chase my invoices?
EasyCert markets certification software. The pages on tysoft.co.uk do not market call answering, quoting, booking or payment chasing. Tradehand’s Assistant does all four; manual certificates are included on Free.
Can I move my existing EasyCert certificates into Tradehand?
Tradehand can bring your customer list and your price list across, and a person at Tradehand does that move for you rather than handing you an import screen. Historic jobs and certificates already issued in EasyCert do not transfer today, so keep the EasyCert desktop on the office PC, or export what you need for reference. New certificates start in Tradehand immediately.
Do I need a subscription to open a certificate I have already issued?
No. Tradehand certificates are free, so there is no subscription that can lock a certificate you have already issued. Every Tradehand certificate exports as a PDF you own, and you can email, print or re-send it at any time, including years later.
What does Tradehand actually cost me?
Free includes the manual tools and the Assistant with £1 of usage a month: 5% of each payment Tradehand takes, card fees included. Paid plans from £25 a month add automation and more usage. Basic payment fees on your own jobs: From 1.25% + 20p, deducted automatically when the customer pays. Grow and Advanced have lower Tradehand payment fees. An office admin doing that same desk work costs roughly £25,000 a year, whether or not the invoices land.
Is there a contract?
Cancel a paid plan to return to Free at the end of the paid period. Manual certificates remain available. Free includes the manual tools and the Assistant with £1 of usage a month: 5% of each payment Tradehand takes, card fees included. Paid plans from £25 a month add automation and more usage. Basic payment fees on your own jobs: From 1.25% + 20p, deducted automatically when the customer pays. Grow and Advanced have lower Tradehand payment fees.
Sources & references
More comparisons
Free certificates, and an assistant doing the office work
Write a BS 7671 certificate free on your phone, then Tradehand quotes, books and chases payment for you.
