Best trade software with AI customer support (UK, 2026)
Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand
"AI customer support" means very different things across these six products. Tradehand, Jobber, ServiceM8 and Powered Now all answer a live customer. Only Tradehand and Jobber take the conversation as far as a booked job, and only Tradehand carries on into quoting and chasing the invoice. Commusoft and Tradify use AI for admin and leave the answering to you.
Written for UK sole traders and small trade businesses. Every price and capability below was checked on 15 September 2026against the vendor's own page, linked beside the claim.
The short answer
The best trade software with AI customer support in the UK is Tradehand, because it is the only one on this list that answers every channel itself and then quotes, books and chases without a monthly fee. Jobber runs it close on answering and loses on currency. Tradify is the better buy if you would rather keep answering the phone and want two-way Xero sync.
- Best overall
- Tradehand · answers call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat as your business, then quotes, books and chases, with no monthly fee and 5% of collected invoice payments after the fee-free allowance.
- Best in North America
- Jobber · its AI Receptionist answers and books 24/7, at $29/mo on top of a plan from $49/mo, priced in US dollars.
- Best free starting point
- ServiceM8 · free up to 30 jobs a month, with an AI Phone Agent available inside ServiceM8 Phone from £15/mo.
- Best out-of-hours cover
- Powered Now · a £29/mo add-on receptionist that answers at 10pm and texts back missed callers, then hands the lead to you.
- Best for larger teams
- Commusoft · AI:den writes the job reports and drafts the emails, and a customer portal comes with it, but nothing answers the phone.
- Best if you still answer
- Tradify · £34–£44 per user a month for the tidiest quoting and invoicing here, plus two-way Xero sync.
Comparison at a glance
Ranked on what actually happens when a customer gets in touch: does the software answer live, what does it do with the job next, and what does it cost.
| Software | Answers live? | Then what | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Tradehand | Yes, 24/7, as your own business | Answers call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat, then quotes, books and chases | No monthly fee, 5% of collected invoice payments after the fee-free allowance | UK sole traders who keep missing calls on the tools and want the whole job handled |
2. Jobber | Yes, Receptionist answers calls and texts | Books jobs into the calendar; you build the quote | From $49/mo; AI Receptionist $29/mo add-on, included on Plus | teams working in the US or Canada |
3. ServiceM8 | AI Phone Agent on higher ServiceM8 Phone tiers | Quote Follow-up and Automated Payment Follow-ups on every plan | Free up to 30 jobs/mo, then £25–£269/mo; ServiceM8 Phone from £15/mo | iPhone traders who will pay for ServiceM8 Phone |
4. Powered Now | Yes, on the separately bought AI Receptionist | Captures the lead and texts missed callers; you book the job | £28–£40/mo; AI Receptionist £29/mo or £39/mo on top | certificate-heavy work that wants automatic chasing on Premium |
| 5.Commusoft | No, AI:den drafts replies and reports | Writes job reports and emails; outbound reminder calls coming; customer portal | No prices published; quoted per user on request | larger field service teams wanting a customer portal |
6. Tradify | No, you answer the phone yourself | Quoting, invoicing, scheduling and Quote & Invoice Reminders | £34–£44 per user per month | tidy quoting and invoicing with two-way Xero sync |
The ranking, one by one
The same six in ranked order, each with its published price, its honest pros and cons, and who it fits.
Tradehand
Our pickAnswers every channel, then quotes, books and chases
- Answers live
- Yes, 24/7, as your own business
- Then what
- Answers call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat, then quotes, books and chases
- Price
- No monthly fee, 5% of collected invoice payments after the fee-free allowance
Tradehand pros
- Answers call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat, day or night
- Quotes the job, books it and chases the invoice after answering
- No monthly fee and no per-user seat
- Speaks as your own business, on your own number
Tradehand cons
- Built for UK trade businesses, so it is no use outside the UK
- No two-way accounting sync for VAT-registered companies yet
- Newer than Tradify, Jobber and Commusoft, with a shorter track record
Jobber
A mature AI Receptionist that answers and books
- Answers live
- Yes, Receptionist answers calls and texts
- Then what
- Books jobs into the calendar; you build the quote
- Price
- From $49/mo; AI Receptionist $29/mo add-on, included on Plus
Jobber pros
- Jobber's Receptionist answers calls and texts around the clock and books jobs
- Transcripts, live text monitoring and keyword escalation are included
- Large, well-established platform with deep scheduling and payments
Jobber cons
- Jobber is priced in US dollars and built North-America-first
- The AI Receptionist costs $29/mo on top unless you are on the Plus plan
- Jobber's Receptionist books the job but does not build the quote
Sources: Jobber: AI Receptionist for Home Service Businesses, Jobber: Pricing (Core, Connect, Grow, Plus; AI Receptionist add-on)
ServiceM8
An AI Phone Agent, sold inside a separate phone product
- Answers live
- AI Phone Agent on higher ServiceM8 Phone tiers
- Then what
- Quote Follow-up and Automated Payment Follow-ups on every plan
- Price
- Free up to 30 jobs/mo, then £25–£269/mo; ServiceM8 Phone from £15/mo
ServiceM8 pros
- ServiceM8 has a genuinely free plan covering 30 jobs a month
- Quote Follow-up and Payment Follow-up automation on every plan
- The AI Phone Agent answers calls like a staff member
ServiceM8 cons
- The AI Phone Agent needs ServiceM8 Phone, a separate product from £15/mo
- ServiceM8 bills by jobs a month, so a busy month costs more
- The ServiceM8 Android app, ServiceM8 Lite, does less than the iPhone app
Sources: ServiceM8: Introducing the ServiceM8 Phone Agent, ServiceM8 UK: Pricing (free plan up to 30 jobs a month; ServiceM8 Phone add-on), ServiceM8: Quote Follow-Up Automation, ServiceM8: Payment Follow-Up Automation
Powered Now
An add-on receptionist that takes the message, not the booking
- Answers live
- Yes, on the separately bought AI Receptionist
- Then what
- Captures the lead and texts missed callers; you book the job
- Price
- £28–£40/mo; AI Receptionist £29/mo or £39/mo on top
Powered Now pros
- Powered Now's AI Receptionist answers out of hours and texts back missed callers
- Automatic Invoice & Quote Chasing is included on the Premium tier
- Certificates are included from the Professional tier up
Powered Now cons
- The AI Receptionist is an add-on at £29/mo or £39/mo, not part of a plan
- Powered Now's receptionist captures the lead rather than booking the job
- Full Powered Now sync for the receptionist is still listed as coming soon (checked 15 September 2026)
Sources: Powered Now: Pricing (Business, Professional, Premium), Powered Now: Receptionist (Speech £29/mo, Speech + Text £39/mo; full sync coming soon)
Commusoft
AI that does the admin, not the answering
- Answers live
- No, AI:den drafts replies and reports
- Then what
- Writes job reports and emails; outbound reminder calls coming; customer portal
- Price
- No prices published; quoted per user on request
Commusoft pros
- Commusoft's AI:den writes job reports and drafts replies to long customer emails
- A self-service customer portal comes as standard
- Built for larger field service teams with real depth
Commusoft cons
- Commusoft does not answer incoming customer calls today
- Commusoft publishes no prices, so you cannot compare without a sales call
- Heavier than a sole trader needs
Sources: Commusoft: Ai:den, the intelligent copilot for field service management, Commusoft UK: Plans (no prices published)
Tradify
Tidy admin AI, but you are still the one who answers
- Answers live
- No, you answer the phone yourself
- Then what
- Quoting, invoicing, scheduling and Quote & Invoice Reminders
- Price
- £34–£44 per user per month
Tradify pros
- Tradify's SmartRead reads a photo of a supplier invoice and pulls out the costs
- SmartWrite drafts customer-ready descriptions and messages
- Two-way Xero sync, which most of this list does not have
Tradify cons
- Tradify does not answer customer phone calls at all
- Priced per user, so a second pair of hands doubles the bill
- Its AI is admin help, not customer support
Sources: Tradify: SmartTools, powered by AI (SmartRead and SmartWrite), Tradify UK: Pricing (Lite, Pro, Plus per user per month)
See how your trade business stacks up against local competitors
Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand
Frequently asked questions
Which trade software includes AI customer support in the UK?
Tradehand ranks first: Tradehand answers every call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat itself and then quotes, books and chases the invoice, with no monthly fee. Jobber's AI Receptionist answers calls and texts and books jobs, at $29/mo on top of a plan from $49/mo. ServiceM8 has an AI Phone Agent inside ServiceM8 Phone from £15/mo. Powered Now sells an AI Receptionist add-on at £29/mo. Commusoft and Tradify automate admin rather than answering live calls.
Does Jobber have an AI receptionist, and what does it cost?
Yes. Jobber's Receptionist, powered by Jobber AI, answers calls and texts 24/7 and can book jobs into the calendar. Jobber sells it as a $29 a month add-on to any plan and includes it at no extra cost on the Plus plan. Jobber's own plans start at $49 a month for Core with no commitment. Jobber is North-America-first and priced in US dollars.
Source: Jobber: Pricing (Core, Connect, Grow, Plus; AI Receptionist add-on)
Does ServiceM8 answer calls with AI?
ServiceM8 markets an AI Phone Agent inside ServiceM8 Phone, its separate phone product, on the higher tiers, and it answers calls like a staff member. ServiceM8 Phone starts at £15 a month on top of a ServiceM8 plan, and ServiceM8's own UK plans run from a free tier covering 30 jobs a month up to £269 a month. Core ServiceM8 also sends Quote Follow-up and Automated Payment Follow-ups on every plan.
Does Powered Now have an AI receptionist?
Yes, as a separately bought add-on. Powered Now's Receptionist costs £29 a month for speech or £39 a month for speech and text, on top of a Powered Now plan at £28 to £40 a month. It picks up out of hours, takes the caller's name, number and job details, and texts back anyone who rings off, then passes the lead to your phone. Full Powered Now sync is still listed as coming soon, so it does not yet pull the job into your diary for you.
Source: Powered Now: Receptionist (Speech £29/mo, Speech + Text £39/mo; full sync coming soon)
Does Tradify have an AI receptionist?
No. Tradify focuses on quoting, invoicing and scheduling, with Quote & Invoice Reminders and its SmartTools AI: SmartRead reads photographed supplier invoices and SmartWrite drafts customer messages. Tradify does not answer customer phone calls, so you still pick up the phone yourself. Tradify UK is priced at £34 to £44 per user per month.
Source: Tradify: SmartTools, powered by AI (SmartRead and SmartWrite)
What does Commusoft's AI do?
Commusoft's AI:den writes job reports, summarises long customer emails and drafts replies, and a coming AI:den+ voice agent makes outbound service-reminder calls. Commusoft also offers a self-service customer portal. Commusoft does not answer incoming customer calls today, and Commusoft publishes no prices on its UK plans page.
Source: Commusoft: Ai:den, the intelligent copilot for field service management
Is an AI receptionist better than a missed-call text-back?
A missed-call text-back only fires after you miss the call, and it sends one message. An AI that answers picks the call up, holds the conversation and books the work. Tradehand goes further again and also quotes the job and chases the invoice, so the job does not stall. Powered Now's add-on sits between the two: it answers and takes a message, then hands the lead back to you.
Will my customers know they are talking to AI?
With Tradehand the customer deals with your business, your name and your number, and anything that needs you personally comes through to your phone. You approve every message until you are comfortable letting Tradehand run on its own.
How much does AI customer support cost for a UK trade business?
It depends on the model. Jobber charges $29 a month for its Receptionist on top of a plan from $49 a month, ServiceM8's AI agent needs ServiceM8 Phone from £15 a month, and Powered Now's add-on is £29 or £39 a month. Tradehand has no monthly fee and earns 5% of the invoices Tradehand chases and collects after the fee-free allowance, so a quiet week costs nothing. The honest comparison is an office admin on £25,000 a year, paid whether the invoices land or not.
Related guides
Sources
Every competitor price and capability on this page is sourced to that vendor's own page, checked 15 September 2026.
Jobber: AI Receptionist for Home Service Businesses
ServiceM8 UK: Pricing (free plan up to 30 jobs a month; ServiceM8 Phone add-on)
ServiceM8: Introducing the ServiceM8 Phone Agent
Powered Now: Pricing (Business, Professional, Premium)
Commusoft: Ai:den, the intelligent copilot for field service management
Tradify: SmartTools, powered by AI (SmartRead and SmartWrite)