Job apps for quotes, bookings and invoices, accounting apps for GST, and the AI phone agent one of them now sells. Prices are from each company’s own pages.
Most Australian sole traders run on two apps: a job app for quotes, bookings and invoices, and an accounting app for GST and BAS. ServiceM8 is free for one person doing up to 30 new jobs a month. Tradify, Fergus and Ascora charge A$45 to A$53 per user a month.
For the books, Xero’s cheapest plan is A$37 a month, GST included, and MYOB’s phone-only Solo app is A$11.
OffsiteMate doesn’t make or sell any of these apps. We sell an AI receptionist, which can’t write a quote to save itself. It does book jobs into two of these, ServiceM8 and Fergus.
Regular prices, before any intro deal.
| Cheapest plan | GST | Users | Free trial | Help | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | Free: A$0, up to 30 new jobs a month. Starter is A$29 for 50 | Included | 1 on Free, then unlimited | 14 days | 24/7 chat and email. No phone support, its contact page says |
| Tradify | Lite: A$48 per user a month | Added | Per user | 14 days | Phone, email and chat, with free training |
| Fergus | Essentials: from A$53 per user a month | Added | Per user | 14 days | Email and chat. Phone on Professional, from A$77 |
| Ascora | Essentials: A$45 per user a month | Not stated | Per user | 14 days | Phone and email, from Perth |
| AroFlo | A$80 per user a month, plus start-up from A$1,450 | Not stated | 3 minimum | Demo only | Phone, Australian team |
| Simpro | Price on request, plus a setup fee | Not published | Aimed at 5 to 200 staff | Demo only | 24 hours, 6 days, with a team in Australia |
| Jobber | Core: US$49 a month, or US$29 paid yearly | Sales tax extra | 1, then US$29 each | 14 days | Chat, phone and email, on a North American toll-free number |
Each company’s own pricing, help, contact and terms pages, read 12 October 2026. Jobber has no Australian price page, so its prices are in US dollars.
| Best for | Watch out for | |
|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | Sole traders starting out: free for one person, and no per-user fees on paid plans | Each new job uses a credit, so busy months need a bigger plan. Building your own forms starts on Growing, A$79 |
| Tradify | Small crews who want free one-on-one training and an 1800 number | Per user. Job photos and reminders start on Pro, A$52, and its AI tools on Plus, A$62 |
| Fergus | Trades tracking materials and labour on each job. It says most customers run crews of 1 to 20 | Phone help only on Professional, and texts to customers are A$15 per 100 |
| Ascora | Growing crews who want phone support on every plan | An implementation fee, amount not published. Recurring jobs and custom forms start on Elite, A$59 |
| AroFlo | Compliance and project work, with price lists from 600+ connected suppliers | Three users minimum, so A$240 a month or more, plus start-up. Same owner as Simpro |
| Simpro | Bigger electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire and security businesses | No published price, a setup fee and no free trial |
| Jobber | Home service trades, from HVAC to lawn care, going by its own list | No Australian prices. Its pages say two-way texts and online card payments only work in the US, Canada and UK |
Each company’s own pricing, feature, FAQ and industry pages, read 12 October 2026.
Per-user pricing adds up. Three people on Tradify Lite is A$144 a month before GST, on Fergus from A$159 plus GST, and on Ascora A$135. ServiceM8 charges by the job instead. Starter is A$29 a month with unlimited users and 50 new jobs.
If you pick ServiceM8 or Fergus, our assistant books jobs straight into it. On anything else it books into Google Calendar or Outlook.
Every job app above syncs with Xero and QuickBooks, and all but Jobber with MYOB.
| Cheapest plan | GST | What it limits | Free trial | Help | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero Ignite | A$37 a month | Included | 20 invoices, 5 bills, payroll for 1. Xero points you to Grow, A$78, for more | First month free | 24/7 online support |
| MYOB Solo | A$11 a month or A$99 a year | Not stated | Mobile app only, one user, no payroll. Tracks GST but doesn’t lodge BAS | None listed | In-app chat assistant, 24/7 |
| MYOB Lite | A$35 a month or A$315 a year | Not stated. MYOB’s terms add GST unless a price says it’s included | Payroll for up to 2 employees, A$3 each a month | 14 days | Phone on weekdays, 9 to 5, and chat |
Xero’s and MYOB’s own Australian pricing, plan, contact and terms pages, read 12 October 2026. QuickBooks’ Australian pages wouldn’t load for us that day, so it isn’t here.
Most of the AI help with quotes and admin now comes inside the job app itself.
AI helpers draft quotes, invoices and texts on every plan, 10 a day on Free. Office Agent Pro, a chat assistant with scheduled tasks, is A$49 a month.
SmartRead reads supplier bills from a photo, and SmartWrite writes quote and invoice descriptions. Plus plan only, A$62 per user.
Gets quotes and follow-up emails ready, flags missing time entries and answers questions about your numbers. You confirm before it sends anything.
Kora, its built-in AI, pulls reports, follows up quotes and pushes invoices to Xero when you ask in chat. AI bill reading comes with Elite.
Lightning, its AI layer, adds an assistant called Cooper and helpers for job prep, paperwork and customer messages, on every plan.
Drafts quotes from new requests, and Jobber AI Voice lets you create quotes and change the schedule by talking to it.
Each company’s own feature, pricing and help pages, read 12 October 2026.
ServiceM8 sells its own AI phone agent. It comes with ServiceM8 Phone’s Connect Plus plan, A$49 a month for 500 call minutes and then 8c a minute, GST included. You also need a paid ServiceM8 plan, so the cheapest way in is A$78 a month with Starter.
It answers from FAQs you type in. ServiceM8’s help says it won’t pull details from your website or job data. It can take messages, text callers your booking form, lodge an online booking for them, put calls through to staff and filter spam. Field staff need iPhones for ServiceM8 Phone.
Jobber’s AI receptionist is US$29 a month for 30 conversations. Its help page says the Jobber number it needs is only available in the US, Canada and UK.
Other AI receptionists that work alongside these apps are compared in our guide to the best AI receptionists for tradies. Ours is A$299 a month for a sole trader. It doesn’t put calls through. It texts you emergencies straight away, then rings you.
Per-user plans cost the same again for each person. ServiceM8 charges by the job instead.
Use the accounting app they already work in, and check your job app syncs with it.
Count jobs, people and customer texts in a flat-out month. Texts cost extra on most plans.
ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus, Ascora and Jobber give 14 days free. Quote, book and invoice a real job before you pay.
When we checked, Fergus had 90% off until December, Xero 80% off for three months and MYOB 70% off a year of Lite. The prices here are what you pay after. Deals end. The monthly bill doesn’t.
Pick the one for how many people work in the business.
Sole traders on the tools
A$299a month
About A$9.83 a day. Plus A$299 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansA small crew
A$449a month
Plus A$499 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansA bigger team with more phones ringing
A$799a month
Plus A$499 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansGo over your minutes or texts and it keeps answering: A$0.49 a minute and A$0.25 a text. It’s month to month, because 12 months is a big commitment to make to a robot. That’s the whole price. Nothing gets added on top. Questions? Ring us on 0468 075 000 or email hello@offsitemate.com.au.
Most sole traders need a job app and an accounting app. For one person, ServiceM8’s free plan and Xero Ignite at A$37 a month cover both. With a crew, compare per-user prices: Tradify, Fergus and Ascora charge per person and ServiceM8 doesn’t.
ServiceM8’s Free plan is A$0 for one user and up to 30 new jobs a month, with texts at 10c each. Most others give a 14-day free trial, and Xero gives your first month free.
ServiceM8, Fergus, Tradify and Jobber all list lawn care on their own pages. ServiceM8 has recurring jobs on every plan, the free one included, which suits a mowing round.
Most job apps now draft quotes and handle admin with AI, ServiceM8 on every plan and Tradify on Plus only. For the phone, there’s ServiceM8’s agent, or an AI receptionist like ours alongside your job app.
Yes. SmartRead reads supplier bills from a photo and SmartWrite writes quote and invoice descriptions. Both are on Tradify Plus, A$62 per user a month before GST.
Its prices are in US dollars, with no Australian price page. Its own pages say two-way texts, online card payments and the phone number its AI receptionist needs are only available in the US, Canada and UK.
Ring us on the number below, or email. Either way, a human gets back to you.
0468 075 000Or email hello@offsitemate.com.au
