TradeCert makes the certificate. Tradehand runs the whole job.
TradeCert is a good electrical certificate app, and that is all it sets out to be. Tradehand answers the missed call, quotes, schedules, invoices and chases payment, with certificates included.
Tradehand
TradeCert
The short answer
If you only need beautifully produced electrical certificates and the work is already booked, TradeCert is excellent. It stops the moment the PDF is signed. Tradehand runs everything around the certificate, and includes certificates free. 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 TradeCert if…
- You only need electrical certificates and the work is already booked
- You want the deepest cert writing experience, and its AI board photo reading
- You already have something for calls, quoting, invoicing and payment
Choose Tradehand if…
- Your problem is a thin diary, not slow paperwork
- You want a quote drafted from your rates and held when you require approval
- You want a Free plan with the Assistant and certificates included
Be fair to TradeCert. On certificate writing alone it beats us, and by a clear margin: its AI reads circuit data straight off a photo of the board, which Tradehand cannot do.
Are you buying a tidier certificate, or more work won?
A certificate app makes the paperwork faster once the job is yours. It does not fill a thin diary. The office job is answering, quoting, booking and chasing, and 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)
TradehandCertificates included. Unlimited team members; manual certificates on Free. Free, or paid plans from £19 a month billed yearly
Salary: National Careers Service. TradeCert bills monthly per user, with each extra user added on top and AI tokens metered beyond a monthly allowance. Its free tier lets you try the app, but a subscription is required to download PDFs.
See pricingSide by side
| What matters |  Tradehand |  TradeCert |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical certificatesSource: TradeCert features and certificate types | Tradehand✓ Ten published types, signed PDF. Countersign only when a supervisor signs | TradeCert✓ Its specialism: EIC, EICR, Minor Works and more |
| Depth of the certificate editorSource: TradeCert features and certificate types | TradehandPlain and quick, no board photo reading | TradeCert✓ Best in class, AI reads circuit data off a board photo |
| Answers the phoneSource: TradeCert features and certificate types | Tradehand✓ Quote from your rates, held when approval is required | TradeCertNot marketed on tradecert.app |
| Quotes, scheduling and invoicingSource: TradeCert features and certificate types | Tradehand✓ All included, with a card payment link | TradeCertNot marketed on tradecert.app |
| Chases the moneySource: TradeCert features and certificate types | Tradehand✓ Chases the invoice, and the customer who went quiet too | TradeCertNot marketed on tradecert.app |
| Trades it coversSource: TradeCert features and certificate types | Tradehand✓ Any trade, gas and plumbing included | TradeCertElectrical certificates only, by design |
| How you are billedSource: TradeCert pricing | TradehandFree, or paid plans from £19 a month billed yearly | TradeCertMonthly per user, plus extra users, plus AI tokens |
Where TradeCert stops and Tradehand keeps going
TradeCert specialises in the certificate. The inbox below illustrates the work around it; it is demonstration content, not a record of jobs won or payments collected.
Tradehand drafts the quote from your saved services and rates, holds it when approval is required, and keeps the accepted quote, job and invoice on the company record. The electrician still carries out the inspection and signs the certificate.
Trying Tradehand takes a week
Keep TradeCert if you love it. Run Tradehand alongside it and see what it does that a certificate app cannot.
- Day 1
Check a certificate before switching
Open the EIC product page, inspect its sample and download the blank PDF. Compare the fields and single-signature declaration with the records you need. Keep TradeCert and your history if its editor suits you better.
- Day 1
A person sets up your assistant
A person imports your customers and price list, then sets up your number, rates and diary. Confirm the quote-approval rule before using it for customer work. Historic jobs do not import.
- Day 2 to 7
Judge it on jobs won
Calls to the Tradehand business number ring the saved staff phone first. A missed mobile gets one text in the business name. A missed landline reaches the assistant. Tradehand does not take over a number the business already uses. You can keep certifying in either app.
Your questions
Does TradeCert do gas certificates?
No. TradeCert is electrical certificates only: EIC, EICR, Minor Works, Emergency Lighting and Fire alarm, to BS7671 18th Edition. Tradehand includes ten certificate types free, for any trade, and runs the rest of the job around them.
Is TradeCert free?
TradeCert has a free tier for trying the app, but its pricing page says a subscription is required to download PDFs. Paid use is per user per month, with extra users on top and AI tokens metered. Tradehand includes manual certificates and the Assistant on Free; paid plans add automation and more usage.
Does TradeCert quote, invoice and chase payments?
TradeCert markets electrical certificates rather than call answering, quoting, scheduling, invoicing or payment chasing. Tradehand keeps those tasks on the company record, with quotes held when approval is required. A sent quote or invoice is not a confirmed booking or a collected payment.
What does TradeCert cost a three person firm?
TradeCert bills per user per month, so a three person firm pays for the first user and again for each of the other two, plus AI tokens over the allowance. 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.
What is the best TradeCert alternative for UK electricians?
Choose around the work you need to do. Compare TradeCert for certificate writing. Compare Tradehand if you also need company enquiries, quotes, bookings and invoices on the same record. Inspect the sample certificate, approval workflow and current pricing before deciding.
Can I use TradeCert and Tradehand together?
Yes. You can keep writing certificates in TradeCert while using Tradehand for enquiries, quotes, bookings and invoices. Keep your existing certificate history, compare the forms and try the workflow before deciding whether to move certificate writing too.
What does Tradehand not do?
Tradehand does not import historic jobs, and its accounting push into Xero and QuickBooks is one way, not a sync, and not yet open to VAT registered companies. Its certificate editor is plain: no reading circuit data off a board photo.
How does Tradehand charge for certificates?
It does not. Tradehand includes ten published certificate types and a signed PDF. A supervisor countersigns only when one signs. There is no per-certificate fee, no per-user fee and no token metering. 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.
See what happens around the certificate
Inspect the EIC sample, check how quote approval works and read current pricing. Then try keeping your enquiries, quotes, jobs and invoices on the same company record.
