Fergus vs ServiceM8
Prices checked · AUD
The short answer
ServiceM8 for most crews; Fergus for many jobs and a small team
- Solo ServiceM8 up to 10 jobs a week, Fergus from 20.
- 3 people ServiceM8 up to 60 jobs a week, Fergus from 120.
- 8 people ServiceM8 at every volume we price, 5 to 120 jobs a week.
Pick Fergus if… You're a small team with a high job count, or a crew where most people only log time and can use timesheet seats, or you want purchase orders and merchant price-book syncing built in.Pick ServiceM8 if… Several people need full access and your job count fits one of its allowances, or you're starting out alone with a light workload and want the free plan.
Who pays us: ServiceM8 runs a referral programme that can pay us if you sign up through our links; none has paid us anything yet. Fergus pays us nothing. The order is always cheapest fit first and never changes for commission. How we rank
Price your own team on both
Updated 3 Oct 2026 · every figure links to its source · No provider pays us to be listed.
Every plan, GST basis and setup fee is on the Fergus and ServiceM8 price lists.
At a glance
Fergus and ServiceM8: how they charge
| App | Charged | From, ex GST | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fergus | per user, from $53, ex GST | $53 per user (Essentials) | None |
| ServiceM8 | per account by jobs a month, inc GST | Free plan, then $26.36 (Starter) | None (paid help optional) |
Fergus cheaperServiceM8 cheaper
| Users ↓ · jobs a week → | 5 | 10 | 20 | 35 | 60 | 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ServiceM8by $53 | ServiceM8by $27 | Fergusby $19 | Fergusby $82 | Fergusby $82 | Fergusby $264 |
| 2 | ServiceM8by $80 | ServiceM8by $80 | ServiceM8by $34 | Fergusby $29 | Fergusby $29 | Fergusby $211 |
| 3 | ServiceM8by $133 | ServiceM8by $133 | ServiceM8by $87 | ServiceM8by $24 | ServiceM8by $24 | Fergusby $158 |
| 5 | ServiceM8by $239 | ServiceM8by $239 | ServiceM8by $193 | ServiceM8by $130 | ServiceM8by $130 | Fergusby $52 |
| 8 | ServiceM8by $398 | ServiceM8by $398 | ServiceM8by $352 | ServiceM8by $289 | ServiceM8by $289 | ServiceM8by $107 |
| 12 | ServiceM8by $610 | ServiceM8by $610 | ServiceM8by $564 | ServiceM8by $501 | ServiceM8by $501 | ServiceM8by $319 |
With everyone but one person on Fergus timesheet seats, Fergus takes more of the high-volume cases:
Fergus cheaperServiceM8 cheaper
| Users ↓ · jobs a week → | 5 | 10 | 20 | 35 | 60 | 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ServiceM8by $53 | ServiceM8by $27 | Fergusby $19 | Fergusby $82 | Fergusby $82 | Fergusby $264 |
| 2 | ServiceM8by $53 | ServiceM8by $53 | ServiceM8by $7 | Fergusby $56 | Fergusby $56 | Fergusby $238 |
| 3 | ServiceM8by $79 | ServiceM8by $79 | ServiceM8by $33 | Fergusby $30 | Fergusby $30 | Fergusby $212 |
| 5 | ServiceM8by $131 | ServiceM8by $131 | ServiceM8by $85 | ServiceM8by $22 | ServiceM8by $22 | Fergusby $160 |
| 8 | ServiceM8by $209 | ServiceM8by $209 | ServiceM8by $163 | ServiceM8by $100 | ServiceM8by $100 | Fergusby $82 |
| 12 | ServiceM8by $313 | ServiceM8by $313 | ServiceM8by $267 | ServiceM8by $204 | ServiceM8by $204 | ServiceM8by $22 |
For most crews ServiceM8 costs less, because one plan covers everyone: $79 inc GST for up to 150 new jobs a month. Fergus wins when the job count is high for the size of the team. A sole trader doing 20 jobs a week pays $53 on Fergus Essentials against $72 on ServiceM8, and with timesheet seats a crew of three doing 60 jobs a week pays $105 on Fergus against $135.
Where they really differ
Per person or per job
Fergus bills each full user from $53 per user ex GST, with timesheet seats from $26 for on-site staff. ServiceM8 bills the business by new jobs a month, GST included, from $29 inc GST for 50 jobs up to $149 inc GST for 500, with unlimited users on any paid plan. (Fergus pricing, checked )
Merchant price books and purchase orders
Fergus Professional sends purchase orders to suppliers and syncs supplier price books and invoices automatically, and Fergus names Australian merchants such as Reece and Tradelink among its integrations. ServiceM8 imports emailed supplier price lists on every plan and supplier invoices from Starter, but doesn't list purchase orders. (Fergus, checked )
Forms and certificates
ServiceM8 lets any plan buy ready-made forms from its Form Store, and Growing and above build their own. Fergus puts forms, checklists and SWMS on Professional and charges for certificates separately: $30 for 1 to 9 staff or $80 for 10 or more. (ServiceM8 pricing, checked )
Support
ServiceM8's paid plans include 24/7 email and chat support; its free plan is self-serve. Fergus includes email and chat on Essentials and adds phone support on Professional, from a team it says covers Australia and New Zealand. (ServiceM8 pricing, checked )
Features that differ by plan
Features that sit on different plans at Fergus and ServiceM8
| Feature | Fergus | ServiceM8 |
|---|---|---|
| Progress invoicing | Professional and up | Starter and up |
| Custom forms and certificates | Professional and up | Growing and up |
| Purchase orders | Professional and up | Not listed |
| Asset and maintenance tracking | Not listed | Growing and up |
Not sure admin time justifies either? Check your true hourly rate.
Questions
Which is cheaper for a sole trader?
Under about 11 jobs a week ServiceM8 is cheaper, and its free plan covers up to 30 jobs a month. Above that, Fergus Essentials at $53 per user ex GST costs less than ServiceM8's Growing plan at $79 inc GST.