Which CRM works best for UK trade businesses
Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand
If you run a UK trade business and you are shopping for a CRM, you usually want three things: a record of who rang, a way to invoice them, and someone to pick up the next call while you are on the tools. Every product ranked below does the first two. Only Tradehand and Jobber do the third, and only Tradehand fills the record in without you typing it.
Written for UK sole traders and small trade businesses. Every price and capability below was checked on 19 August 2026against the vendor's own page, linked beside the claim.
The short answer
The best CRM for a UK trade business is Tradehand, because it is the only one here where the customer record fills itself in instead of waiting for you to type it up after tea. Tradify is the better buy if you want the tidiest record you keep yourself and you live inside Xero. ServiceM8 is the free way to stop keeping customers in your phone contacts.
- Best overall
- Tradehand · writes the customer record as the conversation happens, then quotes, books and chases, with no monthly fee and 5% of collected invoice payments after the fee-free allowance.
- Best for Xero users
- Tradify · £34–£44 per user a month for the tidiest customer and job record, with two-way Xero sync.
- Best free option
- ServiceM8 · free up to 30 jobs a month, with client records, job photos and follow-up automation.
- Best for certificates
- Powered Now · £28–£40 a month flat, with certificates from the Professional tier and chasing on Premium.
- Best for a firm with engineers
- Commusoft · customer, property, asset and contract records plus a customer portal, priced only on request.
- Best for maintenance contracts
- Joblogic · from £45 per user a month billed annually, organised around sites, assets and PPM contracts.
- Best in North America
- Jobber · from $49 a month, with a client hub customers can book themselves into.
Comparison at a glance
Ranked on the three things a trade business wants from a CRM: how the customer record gets filled in, what happens to the money, and what it costs.
| Software | The customer record | The money side | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Tradehand | Written as the conversation happens, on every channel | Quotes, invoices and chases automatically; card payment on the job link | No monthly fee, 5% of invoices collected after the fee-free allowance | a sole trader whose CRM keeps going out of date |
2. Tradify | Customer, job history, quotes and invoices, entered by you | Invoicing with two-way Xero sync and Quote & Invoice Reminders | £34–£44 per user per month | a trade business that lives inside Xero |
3. ServiceM8 | Client record with job history, photos and notes | Invoicing with quote and payment follow-up automation on every plan | Free up to 30 jobs/mo, then £25–£269/mo | a sole trader who wants a client list for nothing |
4. Powered Now | Customer, quote, invoice and certificate history in one place | Automatic Invoice & Quote Chasing on the Premium tier | £28–£40 per month | certificate-heavy trades wanting flat monthly pricing |
| 5.Commusoft | Customer, property, asset history and a self-service portal | Invoicing, service contracts and reporting across engineers | No prices published; quoted per user on request | a firm with several engineers and service contracts |
6. Joblogic | Client, site, asset and contract history across many sites | Quotes and invoices per user; the chasing is left to you | From £45 per user per month, billed annually | commercial work on planned maintenance contracts |
7. Jobber | Client hub with quotes, jobs, invoices and self-serve booking | Online payments and Automated Invoice Follow-ups | From $49/mo; AI Receptionist $29/mo add-on | trade businesses working in the US or Canada |
The ranking, one by one
The same seven in ranked order, each with its published price, its honest pros and cons, and the trade business it fits.
Tradehand
Our pickThe customer record fills itself in
- Customer record
- Written as the conversation happens, on every channel
- Money side
- Quotes, invoices and chases automatically; card payment on the job link
- Price
- No monthly fee, 5% of invoices collected after the fee-free allowance
Tradehand pros
- Tradehand writes the customer record itself from the call, text or email
- Quotes, books and chases the invoice off the same record
- No monthly fee and no per-user seat
- Customer history stays yours, not a lead site's
Tradehand cons
- No sales pipeline or deal stages, because a trade job is not a sales deal
- No two-way accounting sync for VAT-registered companies yet
- UK only
Tradify
The best-kept customer and job record you type in yourself
- Customer record
- Customer, job history, quotes and invoices, entered by you
- Money side
- Invoicing with two-way Xero sync and Quote & Invoice Reminders
- Price
- £34–£44 per user per month
Tradify pros
- Tradify holds customer, job history, quotes and invoices in one tidy record
- Two-way Xero sync, which nothing else in this ranking has
- Quote & Invoice Reminders chase for approval and payment
Tradify cons
- You enter every customer and every job yourself
- £34–£44 per user per month, doubling with each extra user
- Nobody answers the phone, so missed calls never reach the record
Sources: Tradify UK: Pricing (Lite, Pro, Plus per user per month), Tradify: Xero & Tradify accounting add-on (two-way sync)
ServiceM8
A free customer and job record for a quiet round
- Customer record
- Client record with job history, photos and notes
- Money side
- Invoicing with quote and payment follow-up automation on every plan
- Price
- Free up to 30 jobs/mo, then £25–£269/mo
ServiceM8 pros
- ServiceM8's free plan holds clients and 30 jobs a month at no cost
- Client records carry job history, site photos and notes
- Quote and Payment follow-up automation on every plan
ServiceM8 cons
- ServiceM8 bills by jobs a month, so growth raises the bill
- The ServiceM8 Android app, ServiceM8 Lite, does less than the iPhone app
- You still enter the customer yourself
Source: ServiceM8 UK: Pricing (free plan up to 30 jobs a month)
Powered Now
Customer record plus certificates on a flat bill
- Customer record
- Customer, quote, invoice and certificate history in one place
- Money side
- Automatic Invoice & Quote Chasing on the Premium tier
- Price
- £28–£40 per month
Powered Now pros
- Powered Now's flat monthly price does not move with job volume
- Trade certificates are included from the Professional tier up
- Automatic Invoice & Quote Chasing on Premium at £40 a month
Powered Now cons
- Automatic chasing only appears on the top Premium tier
- Powered Now's AI Receptionist is a separate add-on
- Lighter reporting than Commusoft or Joblogic
Source: Powered Now: Pricing (Business, Professional, Premium)
Commusoft
A real CRM for a firm with engineers and contracts
- Customer record
- Customer, property, asset history and a self-service portal
- Money side
- Invoicing, service contracts and reporting across engineers
- Price
- No prices published; quoted per user on request
Commusoft pros
- Commusoft tracks customers, properties and asset history, not just contacts
- A self-service customer portal comes as standard
- Commusoft's AI:den drafts replies and writes job reports
Commusoft cons
- Commusoft publishes no prices, so comparing it needs a sales call
- Commusoft does not answer incoming customer calls
- Too heavy for a one-van business
Sources: Commusoft UK: Plans (no prices published), Commusoft: Ai:den, the intelligent copilot for field service management
Joblogic
Customer and asset records built around contracts
- Customer record
- Client, site, asset and contract history across many sites
- Money side
- Quotes and invoices per user; the chasing is left to you
- Price
- From £45 per user per month, billed annually
Joblogic pros
- Joblogic holds client, site, asset and contract history across many sites
- Strong PPM scheduling on its higher tiers
- An out-of-hours helpdesk with UK agents is available
Joblogic cons
- Joblogic starts at £45 per user per month and is billed annually
- Premium and Enterprise prices are only quoted on request
- Invoice chasing is left to your own office staff
Source: Joblogic: Pricing (Standard from £45 per user per month, billed annually)
Jobber
A strong client record, priced in dollars
- Customer record
- Client hub with quotes, jobs, invoices and self-serve booking
- Money side
- Online payments and Automated Invoice Follow-ups
- Price
- From $49/mo; AI Receptionist $29/mo add-on
Jobber pros
- Jobber's client hub lets customers see quotes, invoices and book themselves
- Automated Invoice Follow-ups and online payments as standard
- Its AI Receptionist can answer and add the job to the record
Jobber cons
- Jobber is priced in US dollars and built North-America-first
- The AI Receptionist costs $29 a month on top unless you are on Plus
- Awkward fit for a UK sole trader on currency alone
Source: Jobber: Pricing (Core, Connect, Grow, Plus; AI Receptionist add-on)
See how your trade business stacks up against local competitors
Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand
Frequently asked questions
Which CRM system works best for UK trade businesses?
Tradehand ranks first, because the customer record fills itself in from the call, text or email rather than waiting for you to type it up, and it carries the quote, the booking and the invoice chasing on the same record with no monthly fee. Tradify is second at £34 to £44 per user per month and is the tidiest record you enter yourself, with two-way Xero sync. ServiceM8 is free up to 30 jobs a month, Powered Now adds certificates from £28 a month, Commusoft suits multi-engineer firms, Joblogic suits maintenance contracts from £45 per user a month, and Jobber suits North America.
Should a UK electrician or plumber use a general CRM like HubSpot or Pipedrive?
Usually not. A general CRM such as HubSpot, Pipedrive or Capsule is built around a sales pipeline: contacts, deals and follow-up tasks for a sales team. A trade business needs the quote, the booking, the certificate and the invoice attached to the job, and none of that is a deal stage. Trade software such as Tradify, ServiceM8, Powered Now or Commusoft covers it in one product, and Tradehand covers it without a monthly fee. Adding invoicing to a general CRM usually means paying for a second tool.
Where can I find a trade CRM that handles invoicing automatically?
Tradify sends Quote & Invoice Reminders once you set them up, at £34 to £44 per user per month, and syncs two ways with Xero. ServiceM8 sends Payment Follow-up automation on every plan including its free one. Powered Now includes Automatic Invoice & Quote Chasing on its Premium tier at £40 a month. Tradehand raises the invoice from the job and chases it until it is paid with nothing to configure, and has no monthly fee. Sources: each vendor's own pricing page, checked 19 August 2026.
Is Tradehand a CRM?
People search for a CRM when they want one place for customers and jobs. Tradehand puts an assistant on that information rather than handing you a database to maintain: it answers the call or message, quotes the work, books it and collects the money, and the customer record is written as it goes. Tradehand has no sales pipeline or deal stages, so if pipeline reporting is what you are after, a general CRM is the honest answer.
What does a trade CRM cost in the UK?
Trade software is mostly a monthly seat: Tradify £34 to £44 per user per month, Powered Now £28 to £40 a month, Joblogic from £45 per user per month billed annually, and Jobber from $49 a month. ServiceM8 bills by jobs a month with a free plan up to 30 jobs. Commusoft publishes no prices at all. Tradehand has no monthly fee and earns 5% of the invoices Tradehand collects after the fee-free allowance, so a quiet month costs nothing. Sources: each vendor's own pricing page, checked 19 August 2026.
Is there a free CRM for a UK trade business?
ServiceM8 has a genuinely free UK plan covering 30 jobs a month for one user, with client records, job history and follow-up automation included. Tradehand has no monthly fee at any volume and takes nothing during the fee-free allowance. After that it earns 5% of invoices it collects, so a month where nothing is collected costs nothing. Every other product in this ranking charges a monthly seat. Source: ServiceM8's own UK pricing page, servicem8.com/uk/pricing, checked 19 August 2026.
Will I lose my customer history if I switch trade software?
Customers, contact details and issued documents are yours and export from every product in this ranking. What rarely transfers cleanly is in-progress jobs, templates and pricing lists, since each app stores those in its own format. Export a backup before you move, and keep issued invoices and certificates in your own cloud storage. Moving to Tradehand includes a person importing your customers and price list for you.
Related guides
Sources
Every competitor price and capability on this page is sourced to that vendor's own page, checked 19 August 2026.
Tradify UK: Pricing (Lite, Pro, Plus per user per month)
ServiceM8 UK: Pricing (free plan up to 30 jobs a month)
Powered Now: Pricing (Business, Professional, Premium)
Commusoft UK: Plans (no prices published)
Joblogic: Pricing (Standard from £45 per user per month, billed annually)
Jobber: Pricing (Core, Connect, Grow, Plus; AI Receptionist add-on)