Is Tradehand's certificate software really free?

Free means £0 with Tradehand. No monthly fee, no setup fee, no add-ons and nothing charged per certificate, however many an electrician writes and exports in a year. Tradehand earns in one place only: 5% of an invoice after the fee-free allowance, taken once Tradehand has collected it from the customer.

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 does all four, and charges nothing for them until an invoice has been paid.

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?

The principle first: Tradehand takes nothing during the fee-free allowance. After that it earns 5% only once it has collected the invoice, so a quiet month bills nothing at all. There is no monthly fee, setup fee or add-on. An office admin doing that same desk work costs roughly £25,000 a year, whether or not the invoices land.

None. Tradehand asks for no contract, no minimum term and no cancellation fee, and the certificate writing stays free whatever you decide. After the fee-free allowance, the office work costs 5% of money Tradehand has already collected.

EasyCert alternative

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.

Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand

Published 10 July 2026Updated 24 July 2026

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: £0 a month, 5% of collected invoices after the fee-free allowance.

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.

An office admin

£25,000 /year

UK office manager starter salary, before NI and pension. Paid whether or not the invoices land.

Source: Office manager salary (National Careers)

Tradehand

£0 /month

No monthly fee, no licence, no per-certificate charge. 5% of what Tradehand collects after the fee-free allowance.

Salary: National Careers Service. EasyCert is a desktop certification package priced on tysoft.co.uk. Tradehand charges nothing until a customer has paid.

Side by side

	Tradehand	EasyCert
Certificate rangeSource: EasyCert (tysoft.co.uk)	Tradehand✓ Ten types, free, signed and countersigned	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✓ Included, and it quotes the work too	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	Tradehand£0 a month, 5% of collected invoices after the fee-free allowance	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.

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 would rather pay nothing in a quiet month

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.

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. 5% after the fee-free allowance, and only when you are paid.

Questions sole traders ask

Sources & References

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.

Get started See how it works