A free alternative to Pro Certs
Pro Certs is a subscription certificate app with a seven day free trial, with apps for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac M1+ and web software for the desktop. Tradehand includes ten manual certificate types on Free with no monthly fee, no per-certificate charge and no trial clock.
Tradehand
Pro Certs
The short answer
Pro Certs is a tidy subscription app for phone, tablet or desktop, with emergency lighting and Part F. Tradehand includes ten manual certificate types on Free with no monthly fee and no per-certificate charge. A quote is drafted from the rates and held when approval is required. 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 Pro Certs if…
- You want a dedicated tablet certificate app and do not mind a subscription
- You need emergency lighting, BS 5839-6 fire or Part F ventilation certificates
- You prefer a standalone tool to the wider office work
Choose Tradehand if…
- You want certificates with no monthly fee and nothing to renew
- Your problem is a thin diary, not messy paperwork
- You want a Free plan with the Assistant
Where Pro Certs wins: a dedicated certificate app carrying types Tradehand does not, including BS 5266 emergency lighting, BS 5839-6 fire alarm and Part F ventilation. Tradehand covers ten common trade certificates and never charges for 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. Pro Certs is a subscription after a seven day free trial. Tradehand includes the Assistant on Free and bills a subscription for automation and more usage.
See pricingSide by side
| What matters |  Tradehand |  Pro Certs |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate rangeSource: Pro Certs (procertssoftware.com) | Tradehand✓ Ten published types, signed PDF. Countersign only when a supervisor signs | Pro CertsEIC, EICR, minor works, BS 5266 emergency lighting, BS 5839-6 fire, Part F |
| EIC, EICR and minor worksSource: Pro Certs (procertssoftware.com) | Tradehand✓ All three, on the BS 7671 model forms | Pro CertsAll three, and it converts an EIC to an EICR |
| DevicesSource: Pro Certs (procertssoftware.com) | Tradehand✓ Phone, tablet, Mac or PC | Pro CertsApps for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac M1+, plus web software for desktop |
| Emergency lighting and Part FSource: Pro Certs (procertssoftware.com) | TradehandNot covered. Ten common trade certificates only | Pro Certs✓ BS 5266, BS 5839-6 and Part F, a real Pro Certs win |
| Answers the phone and books the jobSource: Pro Certs (procertssoftware.com) | Tradehand✓ Quote from your rates, held when approval is required | Pro CertsNot marketed on procertssoftware.com |
| Chases what you are owedSource: Pro Certs (procertssoftware.com) | Tradehand✓ Chases quotes and unpaid invoices by SMS, email and voice | Pro CertsNot marketed on procertssoftware.com |
| In a quiet monthSource: Pro Certs (procertssoftware.com) | TradehandFree, or paid plans from £19 a month billed yearly | Pro CertsThe subscription is due either way |
The certificate is only half the job
Pro Certs wrote the report. The quote, the booking and the invoice chasing are still yours to do.
Pro Certs stops at the certificate, and the subscription is due whether you were busy or not. Tradehand's Assistant drafts a quote from the rates and holds it when approval is required. Manual certificates stay included on Free.
Switching takes an afternoon
No trial clock and nothing to install. Start writing a certificate free today.
- Step 1
Open Tradehand
Sign in on your phone, iPad or PC and start a certificate. There is no trial to start.
- Step 2
Write one free
Draft the record and save the PDF. A qualified person still carries out the inspection. No monthly fee and no per-certificate charge.
- 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?
Yes. Manual certificates are included on Free, without a subscription, charge per certificate or trial clock. Write and export as many as the job list demands for £0. 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.
Do Tradehand certificates ever stop working?
No. Tradehand certificates are free, so there is no subscription to lapse and no trial clock to run down. Pro Certs is a subscription product with a seven day free trial.
Does Tradehand produce the same certificate types?
Tradehand covers ten types: EIC, EICR, minor works, EV charge point, PAT, gas safety, domestic fire alarm, boiler service, earth bonding and EPC. Pro Certs adds BS 5266 emergency lighting, BS 5839-6 fire alarm and Part F ventilation.
Does Pro Certs answer my phone or chase my invoices?
Pro Certs markets certificate creation, customisation and management. The Pro Certs site does 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 Pro Certs certificates into Tradehand?
Your customer list and your price list come across, moved by a person at Tradehand rather than by you on a tablet between jobs. Historic jobs and certificates already issued in Pro Certs stay where they are today, so keep that account, or export the records you want for reference. New certificates start in Tradehand on day one.
Can someone else countersign a certificate?
Yes. A Tradehand certificate is digitally signed on the tablet in your hand, and a second person can countersign that same certificate, so a supervising electrician signs off work someone else carried out. Countersigning is free, as are all ten Tradehand certificate types.
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. Hiring an office admin for the same work runs to roughly £25,000 a year.
Is there a contract?
Cancel a paid plan to return to Free at the end of the paid period. Manual certificates remain available, and your records stay. 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, with no trial to run down, then Tradehand quotes, books and chases payment for you.
