There are a dozen apps that all promise to "run your trade business". Most comparisons online are written by the apps themselves (this one included, so we'll show our workings and tell you when a rival is the better fit). Here's the checklist we'd give a mate in the trade, whatever they end up choosing.
1. How does the pricing actually scale?
The single biggest difference between platforms is whether you pay per user or a flat rate. Per-user pricing looks cheap on the website because the headline figure is for one person. The moment you take on a second pair of hands, the bill doubles. Five on the books and you're often paying three or four times the headline price.
Per-user examples in the UK market include Tradify (from £34 per user per month) and Powered Now (from £27 per user per month). Trade PA charges flat: £89 a month covers up to 5 users, £129 covers up to 10. If you're a sole trader and always will be, per-user pricing is fine. If you ever plan to hire, do the maths at the headcount you expect in two years, not the headcount today.
Watch for the other meters too: some platforms cap jobs per month (ServiceM8's tiers are structured this way) or charge extra for SMS reminders. A capped plan means your software bill rises in your best months.
2. Is the UK compliance native or bolted on?
If you pay subbies, CIS isn't optional. Some platforms handle CIS deductions and monthly statements inside the app; others hand the problem to your accounting software via a Xero or Sage integration, which works but adds steps and another place for errors. Same question for Domestic Reverse Charge VAT, RAMS and HMRC mileage: ask the demo rep to show you each one actually happening in the app, not on a roadmap slide.
Quick test: ask "show me a CIS statement for a 20% subbie, start to finish." If the answer involves a second product, the feature is a bolt-on.
3. Does it run on your team's actual phones?
Sounds obvious, but one of the biggest names in the category, ServiceM8, runs its field app on Apple devices only. Roughly half of UK tradespeople carry Android. If your team is mixed, an Apple-only field app means some of your people are locked out of the system you're paying for. Check both stores before you trial anything.
4. What happens when the signal dies?
Basements, new builds before the router's in, rural plots. You will lose signal on site, so ask how the app behaves when you do. The good answer is that you can keep working and your changes queue up and sync when you're back in coverage. The bad answer is a spinner.
5. The 2026 question: does it have AI that actually does the work?
This is the new dividing line. Every app in the category now says "AI" somewhere on its website, so be precise about what's underneath:
- AI features mean the app helps you type: suggested text, smart templates, autocomplete. Useful, but you're still doing the admin.
- An AI assistant means the work happens without you at a keyboard: you say "quote Mrs Patel £2,400 for the kitchen rewire and book it for Monday" while driving, and the quote sends and the diary updates. Or a supplier invoice lands in your inbox and files itself onto the right job.
We built Trade PA around the second kind, an assistant called Eve who works by voice and reads your inbox, so we're obviously not neutral here. But the test is neutral and works on any product: in the demo, ask them to complete one full piece of admin without anyone touching the screen. Whatever happens next tells you which kind of AI you're buying.
6. Can you actually leave?
Check the trial length (14 days is tight for evaluating software while working full weeks; 30 is fairer), whether a card is required up front, whether plans are monthly rolling or annual contracts, and whether you can export your data. A confident product makes all four easy.
The short version
Price at your future headcount, not today's. Demand native CIS, not an integration diagram. Check Android. Check offline. And make every vendor prove their "AI" does work rather than decorates it.
If you want the side-by-side detail on the main UK options, we keep honest comparison pages, each with a section on what the other product genuinely does well: Trade PA vs Tradify, Trade PA vs ServiceM8 and Trade PA vs Powered Now. Sources and dates are on each page, and if you spot something out of date, email us and we'll correct it.