Software comparison
ServiceM8 vs Tradify for Australian trade businesses
For a 3 person crew doing about 120 jobs a month, ServiceM8's Growing plan costs $79 a month including GST, while Tradify Pro costs $52 per user ex GST, or $171.60 including GST. ServiceM8 charges by job volume with unlimited users; Tradify charges per user. Prices are from each vendor's Australian pricing page, checked 25 September 2026.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
ServiceM8
Pick ServiceM8 if your crew uses iPhones, works in patchy coverage, or is growing in headcount faster than in job count, since users are unlimited and price follows jobs.
Tradify
Pick Tradify if your team is on Android, does a few long jobs rather than many short ones, and wants a simple per user price with MYOB or Xero built in.
What it costs
AUD per month, GST inclusive, billed monthly. ServiceM8 publishes GST inclusive prices; Tradify publishes ex GST prices, which we converted by adding 10% GST.. Prices captured 25 Sep 2026 from ServiceM8 and Tradify.
| Plan | 1 user | 3 users | 8 users | How we worked it out | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | Starter, Growing, Premium (by job volume) | $29 | $79 | $149 | Plan chosen by assumed jobs per month, not users: 40 jobs fits Starter (50 allowed) at $29; 120 jobs fits Growing (150 allowed) at $79; 400 jobs fits Premium (500 allowed) at $149. All GST inclusive, unlimited users on paid plans. A sole trader under 30 jobs a month could use Free at $0. |
| Tradify | Lite | $52.80 | $158.40 | $422.40 | $48 ex GST per user. 1 x $48 = $48, x 1.1 = $52.80. 3 x $48 = $144, x 1.1 = $158.40. 8 x $48 = $384, x 1.1 = $422.40. Lite has no recurring jobs, job photos or safety forms. |
| Tradify | Pro (comparison plan) | $57.20 | $171.60 | $457.60 | $52 ex GST per user. 1 x $52 = $52, x 1.1 = $57.20. 3 x $52 = $156, x 1.1 = $171.60. 8 x $52 = $416, x 1.1 = $457.60. |
| Tradify | Plus | $68.20 | $204.60 | $545.60 | $62 ex GST per user. 1 x $62 = $62, x 1.1 = $68.20. 3 x $62 = $186, x 1.1 = $204.60. 8 x $62 = $496, x 1.1 = $545.60. |
Feature by feature
| ServiceM8 | Tradify | |
|---|---|---|
| Offline mode | Yes. Field staff can open job details without signal and changes sync when coverage returns. | No. Tradify's help centre says the web console and app need a live internet connection. |
| Android app | Partial. ServiceM8 Lite for Android (2024) covers core field tasks; the full app is iPhone and iPad only. | Yes. Tradify runs on Android and iOS. |
| Xero depth | Deep: clients, invoices, payments and items sync; many add-ons build on the Xero link. | Two way sync of invoices, bills, customers and suppliers, per Tradify's help centre. |
| MYOB | Yes: MYOB Business Lite, Pro, AccountRight Plus and Premier, plus legacy Essentials and AccountRight, online with no connector. | Yes: MYOB AccountRight and MYOB Essentials in Australia; Essentials is limited to customers and invoices. |
| Forms and checklists | Yes, with the Forms add-on, including forms attached to client assets. | Health and safety forms and compliance certificates on Pro and above. |
| Recurring jobs | Yes. Create a job once and schedule it to recur at set intervals. | Pro and above (not Lite). |
| Asset tracking | Yes. Record client owned assets and their site location, then complete inspection or service forms against them. | No asset register is listed on Tradify's AU pricing page. Plus lists service reminders. |
| API and add-ons | Public API and an add-on directory, plus private add-ons built for one business. | Tradify's listed integrations are accounting and payments. No public API is documented on Tradify's own site. |
| AU support | Free email and live chat support, a help centre and a partner network (Sydney based vendor). | Help centre and chat, from a New Zealand based vendor. Support hours are not published on the pricing page. |
Declared bias: we build on ServiceM8
FFP Digital is a ServiceM8 developer and builds add-ons, forms and reports for trade businesses that run it. That means we know ServiceM8's gaps in detail, and it also means you should read this page knowing where we stand. We have tried to price both tools from their own published rules and to state plainly where Tradify is the better fit.
We do not earn a commission from either vendor for this page.
Why the two tools price so differently
ServiceM8 prices by jobs per month, not by people. Every paid plan includes unlimited users, so adding a fourth tradie costs nothing until your job count pushes you into the next plan. Its published plans run from Free (30 jobs, 1 user) to Starter at $29 (50 jobs), Growing at $79 (150 jobs), Premium at $149 (500 jobs) and Premium Plus at $349 (1,500 jobs, then 20c per extra job). ServiceM8 states these are AUD and include GST.
Tradify prices by user. Lite is $48, Pro is $52 and Plus is $62 per user per month, all in AUD and excluding GST, month to month with no contract. Every person who logs in adds a seat, so cost scales with headcount rather than workload.
The practical result: a crew with lots of short jobs (a handyman or test and tag business doing 10 small jobs a day) can outgrow ServiceM8's job allowance faster than its headcount would suggest. A crew doing a few long jobs a week (a builder or a solar installer) uses very few ServiceM8 jobs, so the per user model is the one that bites.
The job volume assumption behind the table
ServiceM8's price depends on how many jobs you create, so the table assumes a typical service trade workload: about 40 jobs a month for a sole trader, about 120 for a 3 person crew and about 400 for an 8 person crew. These are our planning assumptions, not vendor figures. Count your own jobs from last month and pick the ServiceM8 plan whose allowance covers it. If your 3 person crew does 200 jobs a month, the ServiceM8 figure becomes Premium at $149, which is still below Tradify Pro for three users.
For Tradify we used Pro as the comparison plan, because recurring jobs, job photos, timesheets and health and safety forms sit on Pro, not Lite. Those are features most crews switching between these two tools expect.
Where each tool is weaker
ServiceM8's field app is built for iPhone and iPad. Android staff get ServiceM8 Lite, released in 2024, which ServiceM8 describes as the core essentials for technicians, subcontractors and temporary workers. If your crew carries Android phones and needs the full app on site, that is a real limitation.
Tradify's own help centre says the web console and mobile app need a live internet connection. If you work in plant rooms, basements or regional areas with patchy coverage, ServiceM8's offline job access is the stronger fit.
Tradify's official integrations centre on accounting (Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB AccountRight and MYOB Essentials in Australia). ServiceM8 has a public API and an add-on directory, which is where custom forms, reports and automations come from.
Common complaints and catches
ServiceM8
- Sync failures and occasional crashes in the field app
- Missing features such as camera roll photos and an iPad dispatch board
- Support routed to chat and third party developers
- Paying a plan fee to keep access to old invoices
Tradify
- Crashes during sign up
- Slow performance reported by Australian users
- Notification handling that users say has gone unfixed for years
- Price rises close together
- Time rounding errors on timesheets
Switching between them
Customers, contacts and price list items move by CSV in either direction. Job history, photos and completed forms move with work, and custom checklists have to be rebuilt. Run both tools side by side for one billing cycle so no open invoice is lost in Xero or MYOB.
FFP Digital is a ServiceM8 developer and builds for Cliniko clinics. We have tried to be fair; prices are the vendors' own published figures on the date shown.
Sources
- ServiceM8 AU plans: Free $0 (30 jobs, 1 user), Starter $29 (50 jobs), Growing $79 (150 jobs), Premium $149 (500 jobs), Premium Plus $349 (1,500 jobs, 20c per extra job); paid plans include unlimited users; prices are in AUD and include GST; no lock in; 14 day free trial. ServiceM8, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Tradify AU plans: Lite $48, Pro $52, Plus $62 per user per month, AUD excluding GST, month to month with no contract; Custom is priced on request; 14 day free trial. Tradify, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Tradify Pro adds recurring jobs, job photos, timesheets, health and safety forms and compliance certificates; Plus adds service reminders, job tasks, purchase orders and reporting. Tradify, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Tradify does not work offline: both the web console and the mobile app depend on a live internet connection. Tradify Help Centre, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 does not offer a full Android app; ServiceM8 Lite for Android, released in 2024, gives technicians, subcontractors and temporary workers the core essentials. ServiceM8, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 integrates with MYOB Business Lite, Pro, AccountRight Plus and AccountRight Premier, plus legacy MYOB Essentials and AccountRight, online with no desktop connector. ServiceM8 Help, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Tradify integrates with Xero and QuickBooks Online, and in Australia with MYOB AccountRight and MYOB Essentials; the MYOB Essentials link is limited to customers and customer invoices. Tradify Help Centre, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 field staff can access all job information without internet connectivity and updates sync when connectivity returns; it supports client owned assets with site location, recurring jobs, a public API, and free email and live chat support. ServiceM8, checked 25 Sep 2026.