Is Tradehand's certificate software really free?

Yes. Tradehand has no monthly fee, no annual fee, no setup fee, no add-ons and no charge per certificate, so an electrician writes and exports without a bill arriving. The one charge Tradehand makes is 5% of an invoice after the fee-free allowance, and only after the customer's money has arrived.

Does Tradehand work on Android?

Yes. Tradehand runs on Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac. iCertifi apps are built natively for iOS, on iPhone, iPad and Mac, so an electrician on Android or Windows cannot run iCertifi at all.

Can I export certificates for free?

Yes. Tradehand puts no paywall on saving, printing or emailing a certificate PDF, from the first one you write. There is no export credit and no watermark to pay off.

Does iCertifi answer my phone or chase my invoices?

iCertifi markets certification apps, free calculators and Mint Books, a separate invoicing and accounting app that quotes and integrates with iCertifi. The iCertifi site does not market call answering or booking. Tradehand answers, quotes, books and chases, and charges for them only out of invoices Tradehand has collected.

Can I move my existing iCertifi certificates into Tradehand?

Tradehand brings your customer list and your price list across, and a person at Tradehand does it, not you tapping through an importer on the iPhone. Historic jobs and certificates already issued in iCertifi do not come over today, so keep the iCertifi app installed, or export what you want for reference. New certificates begin in Tradehand right away.

Can someone else countersign a certificate?

Yes. A Tradehand certificate is digitally signed, and a second person can countersign it from their own iPhone, iPad or Mac, so the supervising electrician signs off work another member of the team carried out. Countersigning carries no charge, and neither do any of the ten Tradehand certificate types.

What does Tradehand actually cost me?

Picture a quiet January. Tradehand bills £0 that month, because there is no monthly fee, no setup fee and no add-ons, and the 5% applies to invoices Tradehand has actually collected only after the fee-free allowance. An office admin costs about £25,000 a year, quiet January included.

No contract, no minimum term and no cancellation fee, and nothing renews in the background. Writing certificates in Tradehand stays free. The office work is yours to switch on or off, and it costs 5% of invoices Tradehand has already collected after the fee-free allowance.

iCertifi alternative

A free alternative to iCertifi

iCertifi is built natively for Apple, on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and sold by subscription. Tradehand writes ten certificate types free, forever, on any device, Android and Windows included.

Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand

Published 10 July 2026Updated 24 July 2026

The short answer

iCertifi is an established Apple-only certificate app, native on iPhone, iPad and Mac since 2012. Tradehand writes ten certificate types free on any device, then answers, quotes, books and chases the work around them. Choose Tradehand: £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 subscription, no app store bill, no per-certificate charge. 5% of what Tradehand collects after the fee-free allowance.

Salary: National Careers Service. iCertifi is a subscription, sold monthly through to annually. Tradehand charges nothing until a customer has paid.

Side by side

	Tradehand	iCertifi
Certificate rangeSource: iCertifi	Tradehand✓ Ten types in one app, free, signed and countersigned	iCertifiBS 7671 certificates, with separate Gas Cert, PAT and fire apps
EIC, EICR and minor worksSource: iCertifi	Tradehand✓ All three, on the BS 7671 model forms	iCertifiAll three, the core iCertifi range
DevicesSource: iCertifi	Tradehand✓ Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac	iCertifiApple only: iPhone, iPad and Mac, built natively for iOS
Track recordSource: iCertifi	TradehandNewer, built for a sole trader working off a phone	iCertifi✓ Native since 2012, used by contractors and Network Rail
Answers the phone and books the jobSource: iCertifi	Tradehand✓ Included, and it quotes the work too	iCertifiNot marketed on icertifi.co.uk
Chases what you are owedSource: iCertifi Mint Books	Tradehand✓ Chases quotes and unpaid invoices by SMS, email and voice	iCertifiMint Books, its own quoting and invoicing app, integrates with iCertifi
In a quiet monthSource: iCertifi pricing	TradehandNothing to pay. 5% applies only to collected invoices	iCertifiThe subscription is due either way

The certificate is only half the job

iCertifi wrote the report. The quote, the booking and the invoice chasing are still yours to do.

iCertifi stops at the certificate, on Apple devices only. Tradehand does the office work on any device, and the certificate itself stays free.

An honest recommendation

Choose iCertifi if…

·You work entirely on an iPhone, iPad or Mac
·You want an established, single-purpose certificate app
·Its companion gas, PAT and fire apps suit how you work

Choose Tradehand if…

✓You want certificates free on any device, Android and Windows included
✓Your problem is a thin diary, not messy paperwork
✓You would rather pay nothing in a quiet month

Where iCertifi wins: a mature native Apple app, trusted since 2012, with companion gas, PAT and fire apps that Apple-only electricians know well. Tradehand's edge is being free, cross-platform, and doing the office work around the certificate.

Switching takes an afternoon

No app store subscription and nothing to install. Start writing a certificate free today.

Step 1
Open Tradehand
Sign in on any device, iPhone, Android or PC, 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

[1]iCertifi
[2]iCertifi pricing
[3]iCertifi Mint Books
[4]Office manager salary (National Careers)

Free certificates, and an assistant doing the office work

Write a BS 7671 certificate free on any device, then Tradehand quotes, books and chases payment for you.

Get started See how it works