Tradify or ServiceM8, which is better for a UK sole trader?

Tradify is the stronger fit if you want accounting sync on every plan and the full app on Android. ServiceM8 is stronger for an iPhone crew that wants a free plan and a mature dispatch board. Both are apps you operate yourself.

Is ServiceM8 or Tradify cheaper?

ServiceM8 has a free plan of one user and thirty jobs a month, then bills by job volume. Tradify has no free plan and bills per user, so it grows with every hire. Tradehand earns 5% of the invoices Tradehand collects for you after the fee-free allowance, and nothing when nothing is collected.

Does Tradify or ServiceM8 answer my phone?

ServiceM8 markets an AI Phone Agent inside ServiceM8 Phone, a separate subscription, on its higher tiers. Tradify does not market call answering on its pricing page. Tradehand includes answering as standard, and quotes and books the job on the call.

Does ServiceM8 work properly on Android?

ServiceM8 says its full-featured app is optimised for iOS, and that Android users get ServiceM8 Lite. Tradify runs the same app on both. The Tradehand trader app runs the full day on either.

Do Tradify and ServiceM8 do certificates?

Tradify includes Compliance Certificates from its Pro plan. ServiceM8 includes Forms and Certificates from its Growing plan. Tradehand includes ten certificate types free, digitally signed and countersigned.

Which one chases late payments?

ServiceM8 markets Automated Payment Follow-ups on every plan. Tradify includes Quote & Invoice Reminders from Pro. Tradehand chases payment, and also chases the customer who never got a quote, which is where most lost work sits.

Is there a good alternative to both Tradify and ServiceM8?

Tradehand, if you want the office work done rather than a better app to do it in. Tradehand answers missed calls, quotes, books and chases, for 5% of collected invoice payments after the fee-free allowance. Tradify and ServiceM8 both suit anyone happy to drive the software.

Does Tradehand work with Xero or QuickBooks?

Tradehand pushes invoices one way into Xero and QuickBooks, plus a CSV export. That push is not a two way sync, and it is not available yet for VAT registered companies. Tradify and ServiceM8 both sync on every plan.

Tradify vs ServiceM8

Tradify vs ServiceM8: which wins, and the option neither ad shows you.

Tradify syncs to Xero and QuickBooks Online on every plan. ServiceM8 has a real free plan and a mature iPhone dispatch board. Both are software you drive yourself, so here is the honest head to head, then the third option.

Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand

Published 10 July 2026Updated 24 July 2026

The short answer

Tradify suits a UK trade that wants accounting sync on every plan and the full app on Android. ServiceM8 suits an iPhone crew that wants a genuine free plan and a mature dispatch board. Both are tools you operate; Tradehand does the office work instead.

Are you buying tidier admin, or more work won?

Tradify and ServiceM8 both clear admin well, and neither fills a thin diary. The office job is answering, quoting, booking and chasing. Price that against the person you would otherwise hire.

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 setup fee, nothing to unlock. 5% of what Tradehand collects after the fee-free allowance.

Salary: National Careers Service. Tradify bills per user per month, ServiceM8 monthly by jobs a month with a free plan at the bottom, Tradehand nothing until a customer has paid.

Side by side

	Tradify	ServiceM8	Tradehand
Answers the phoneSources: Tradify UK pricing, ServiceM8 Phone	TradifyNot marketed on its pricing page	ServiceM8AI Phone Agent, higher ServiceM8 Phone tiers	Tradehand✓ Included, and it quotes and books too
Free planSources: Tradify UK pricing, ServiceM8 UK pricing	TradifyNo free plan, a fourteen day trial	ServiceM8✓ One user, thirty jobs a month	Tradehand£0 a month, no job cap
Android appSources: Tradify UK how it works, ServiceM8 Lite for Android	Tradify✓ Same app on Android and iPhone	ServiceM8ServiceM8 Lite on Android, full app on iPhone	Tradehand✓ Full trader app on either
Certificates and formsSources: Tradify UK pricing, ServiceM8 UK pricing	TradifyCompliance Certificates, from the Pro plan	ServiceM8Forms and Certificates, from the Growing plan	Tradehand✓ Ten types, free, signed and countersigned
AccountingSources: Tradify UK pricing, ServiceM8 UK pricing	Tradify✓ Xero and QuickBooks Online sync, every plan	ServiceM8✓ Xero, QuickBooks Online and MYOB sync, every plan	TradehandOne way push to Xero and QuickBooks, plus CSV
Chases the moneySources: Tradify UK pricing, ServiceM8 UK pricing	TradifyQuote & Invoice Reminders, from the Pro plan	ServiceM8✓ Quote Follow-up and Automated Payment Follow-ups, every plan	Tradehand✓ Chases customers who never got a quote too
How you are billedSources: Tradify UK pricing, ServiceM8 UK pricing	TradifyPer user, per month, again for every hire	ServiceM8Monthly, by jobs a month, more at each cap	Tradehand£0 a month, 5% of collected invoices after the fee-free allowance

The option neither comparison shows you

Tradify and ServiceM8 both assume you will open the app and do the work. Here is a Tuesday where the software does it instead, and you never touch your phone.

That is the gap in every Tradify vs ServiceM8 debate. Both give you somewhere to type the quote, and both wait for you to do it. Tradehand writes it and sends it.

So which should you pick?

Choose Tradify if…

·You want Xero or QuickBooks Online sync on the cheapest plan
·You are on Android and want the same app as an iPhone crew
·You will pay for Pro to get certificates and reminders

Choose ServiceM8 if…

·Your crew is on iPhones all day
·You want a genuine free plan while volume is low
·You value its mature dispatch board and job costing

Choose Tradehand if…

✓Your problem is a thin diary, not a messy one
✓You want calls and messages answered, quoted, booked and chased without you
✓You would rather pay nothing in a quiet month

Tradify and ServiceM8 are both mature, trusted tools, and each beats Tradehand on depth for a bigger crew. If you want a better app to run yourself, pick between them on Android against iPhone, and free plan against accounting sync.

Trying Tradehand takes a week

Keep whichever you are on. Run Tradehand alongside it, and cancel only if it wins.

Day 1
Export customers and prices
Pull your customer list and price list out of Tradify or ServiceM8. Keep the account for history.
Day 1
A person does the import
A person imports your customers and prices, then sets up your number, rates and diary. Historic jobs do not import.
Day 2 to 7
Judge it on jobs won
Missed calls forward to Tradehand, which answers, quotes and books as your business while your current app keeps running.

Questions sole traders ask

Sources & References

See the third option in action

Get started. Tradehand takes the call, quotes it and books the job. That is the part neither Tradify nor ServiceM8 does for you.

Get started See how it works