Tradify vs ServiceM8
Prices checked · AUD
The short answer
ServiceM8 for crews, Tradify for small teams with many jobs
- Solo ServiceM8 up to 10 jobs a week, Tradify from 20.
- 3 people ServiceM8 up to 60 jobs a week, Tradify from 120.
- 8 people ServiceM8 at every volume we price, 5 to 120 jobs a week.
Pick Tradify if… You work alone or in a pair and run more than about 11 jobs a week, which would put you on ServiceM8's $79 inc GST plan or higher; or your job count swings and you want a bill that doesn't move with it. Go to Pro if you need timesheets, certificates or progress claims.Pick ServiceM8 if… Three or more people need the app, or you're on your own doing fewer than 11 jobs a week. Its free plan covers one person and 30 jobs a month, and timesheets come on every plan.
Who pays us: Tradify and ServiceM8 run referral programmes that can pay us if you sign up through our links; none has paid us anything yet. 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 Tradify and ServiceM8 price lists.
At a glance
Tradify and ServiceM8: how they charge
| App | Charged | From, ex GST | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tradify | per user, ex GST | $48 per user (Lite) | None listed |
| ServiceM8 | per account by jobs a month, inc GST | Free plan, then $26.36 (Starter) | None (paid help optional) |
Tradify cheaperServiceM8 cheaper
| Users ↓ · jobs a week → | 5 | 10 | 20 | 35 | 60 | 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ServiceM8by $48 | ServiceM8by $22 | Tradifyby $24 | Tradifyby $87 | Tradifyby $87 | Tradifyby $269 |
| 2 | ServiceM8by $70 | ServiceM8by $70 | ServiceM8by $24 | Tradifyby $39 | Tradifyby $39 | Tradifyby $221 |
| 3 | ServiceM8by $118 | ServiceM8by $118 | ServiceM8by $72 | ServiceM8by $9 | ServiceM8by $9 | Tradifyby $173 |
| 5 | ServiceM8by $214 | ServiceM8by $214 | ServiceM8by $168 | ServiceM8by $105 | ServiceM8by $105 | Tradifyby $77 |
| 8 | ServiceM8by $358 | ServiceM8by $358 | ServiceM8by $312 | ServiceM8by $249 | ServiceM8by $249 | ServiceM8by $67 |
| 12 | ServiceM8by $550 | ServiceM8by $550 | ServiceM8by $504 | ServiceM8by $441 | ServiceM8by $441 | ServiceM8by $259 |
Need compliance certificates or your own forms? That moves Tradify to Pro and ServiceM8 to Growing, and changes the answer for a sole trader: Tradify becomes the cheaper of the two at any job count.
Tradify cheaperServiceM8 cheaper
| Users ↓ · jobs a week → | 5 | 10 | 20 | 35 | 60 | 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tradifyby $20 | Tradifyby $20 | Tradifyby $20 | Tradifyby $83 | Tradifyby $83 | Tradifyby $265 |
| 2 | ServiceM8by $32 | ServiceM8by $32 | ServiceM8by $32 | Tradifyby $31 | Tradifyby $31 | Tradifyby $213 |
| 3 | ServiceM8by $84 | ServiceM8by $84 | ServiceM8by $84 | ServiceM8by $21 | ServiceM8by $21 | Tradifyby $161 |
| 5 | ServiceM8by $188 | ServiceM8by $188 | ServiceM8by $188 | ServiceM8by $125 | ServiceM8by $125 | Tradifyby $57 |
| 8 | ServiceM8by $344 | ServiceM8by $344 | ServiceM8by $344 | ServiceM8by $281 | ServiceM8by $281 | ServiceM8by $99 |
| 12 | ServiceM8by $552 | ServiceM8by $552 | ServiceM8by $552 | ServiceM8by $489 | ServiceM8by $489 | ServiceM8by $307 |
ServiceM8 is cheaper for most teams of two or more, because every paid plan has unlimited users and the price depends on new jobs a month: $79 inc GST covers 150 jobs whether two people use it or twenty. Tradify charges for every user, from $48 per user ex GST, so it wins when a small team runs a lot of jobs. One person doing 20 jobs a week pays $48 a month on Tradify and $72 on ServiceM8, ex GST.
Where they really differ
You pay for people on one, for jobs on the other
A five-person crew on Tradify Lite pays $240 a month ex GST, and each extra person adds the per-user price again. On ServiceM8 the same crew doing 20 jobs a week pays $72, and a sixth person costs nothing. Turn it round and a sole trader doing 35 jobs a week pays $135 on ServiceM8 against $48 on Tradify, because 35 jobs a week is past the 150-job Growing allowance. (ServiceM8 pricing, checked )
What a busy month does to the bill
ServiceM8's allowance counts new job cards each month. Go over and you can keep working for seven days; if the month hasn't reset by then you're asked to move up a plan, and only Premium Plus sells extra jobs, at 20c each. A quote that's accepted and turned into a work order doesn't use a second credit. Tradify's price list sets no job allowance, so a busy month costs the same as a quiet one. (ServiceM8 pricing, checked )
The plan you need for timesheets, progress claims and certificates
On Tradify, timesheets, progress invoicing, recurring jobs and compliance certificates start on Pro at $52 per user ex GST, and purchase orders need Plus at $62 per user ex GST. ServiceM8 puts timesheets and recurring jobs on every plan including Free, progress invoicing from Starter, and building your own forms and asset records from Growing. Its pricing page doesn't list purchase orders. (Tradify pricing, checked )
Free plan or free trial
ServiceM8 has a free plan for one user and 30 new jobs a month, and gives a bonus job credit each time a customer pays by card through it. Tradify has no free plan. Both offer a 14-day trial without a credit card. (ServiceM8 pricing, checked )
Texts to customers
ServiceM8's paid plans include a monthly SMS allowance, from 100 on Starter to 3,000 on Premium Plus, then 10c each. Tradify charges 20c for every SMS quote, invoice or reminder, so a business that texts every booking confirmation pays noticeably more for messages on Tradify. (Tradify pricing, checked )
Features that differ by plan
Features that sit on different plans at Tradify and ServiceM8
| Feature | Tradify | ServiceM8 |
|---|---|---|
| Timesheets | Pro and up | All plans |
| Progress invoicing | Pro and up | Starter and up |
| Recurring jobs | Pro and up | All plans |
| Custom forms and certificates | Pro and up | Growing and up |
| Purchase orders | Plus 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
Does ServiceM8 charge per user?
No. Every paid ServiceM8 plan allows unlimited users; only the free plan is limited to one. You pay by the number of new jobs you create each month.
Are Tradify and ServiceM8 prices quoted the same way?
No. Tradify prints its Australian prices excluding GST and ServiceM8 prints them including GST, so ServiceM8's $79 inc GST is $71.82 before GST. Compare them ex GST if you're registered for GST.