The best job software for painters and decorators
Prices checked · best for painters
Our pick
ServiceM8 is the cheapest fit at every size
- Solo ServiceM8 Starter, $26 a month, for 4 jobs a week.
- 3 people ServiceM8 Starter, $26 a month, for 6 jobs a week.
- 8 people ServiceM8 Growing, $72 a month, for 12 jobs a week.
ServiceM8 Starter at $29 inc GST is the cheapest fit for almost any painting business: it includes progress invoicing and timesheets, and its 50 jobs a month cover a crew starting up to about 11 jobs a week, however many painters log in.
Who pays us: ServiceM8, Tradify and Jobber run referral programmes that can pay us if you sign up through our links; none has paid us anything yet. Ascora, Fergus, Fieldmagic, AroFlo and simPRO pay us nothing. The order is always cheapest fit first and never changes for commission. How we rank
Price your own business
Updated 3 Oct 2026 · every figure links to its source · No provider pays us to be listed.
Anything here about licences, certificates or state rules is general information; requirements differ by state, so check with your state’s regulator. How we rank
What painters would pay
A month, ex GST, on each app’s cheapest plan that includes progress invoicing and timesheets. Lowest in each column in green.
Job software costs for painters
| App | Sole painter, 4 jobs a week | Crew of 3, 6 jobs a week | Crew of 8, 12 jobs a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | $26Starter | $26Starter | $72Growing |
| Ascora | $45Essentials | $135Essentials | $360Essentials |
| Tradify | $52Pro | $156Pro | $416Pro |
| Fergus | $77Professional | $231Professional | $616Professional |
| Fieldmagic | No plan fits | No plan fits | No plan fits |
| AroFlo | Not costed | Not costed | Not costed |
| Jobber | Not costed | Not costed | Not costed |
| simPRO | Not costed | Not costed | Not costed |
Painting jobs run for days rather than hours, so even a busy crew creates only a handful of new jobs a week. They need deposits and progress payments to protect cash flow, and timesheets to track labour, but rarely purchase orders.
Why painters get a different answer
Few jobs, many people
A crew of eight painters starting 12 jobs a week creates about 52 jobs a month, just over Starter's allowance, so it moves to Growing at $79 inc GST. On per-user apps the same crew pays for eight seats: $416 on Tradify Pro. (ServiceM8 pricing, checked )
Deposits and progress payments
ServiceM8 includes progress invoicing from Starter. Tradify's progress invoicing, which covers deposits and progress payments, starts on Pro, and Ascora's progress claims are on its entry plan. (Tradify pricing, checked )
When to look elsewhere
If you order paint and materials against each job with purchase orders, ServiceM8 doesn't list them; Ascora Essentials at $45 per user ex GST does, along with stock and progress claims. (Ascora pricing, checked )
The features that matter here
Where each app includes what painters need
| Feature | Ascora | Fergus | Fieldmagic | ServiceM8 | Tradify | AroFlo | Jobber | simPRO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progress invoicing | All plans | Professional and up | Not listed | Starter and up | Pro and up | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Timesheets | All plans | All plans | Not listed | All plans | Pro and up | All plans | Connect and up | All plans |