ServiceM8 vs Tradify vs Fergus vs simPRO for NZ tradies (2026)

Most NZ tradies are on the wrong job-management tool. Either too cheap (still doing quotes in Word at 9pm) or too expensive (Fergus or simPRO at $300+/mo when ServiceM8 at $79 would do everything they need).

This is the no-kickback comparison. We do not resell any of these tools. We do migrations between them all the time, so the trade-offs below are what we actually see in NZ tradie books.

Quick verdict

Crew size	Best fit	Why
Solo, 1-2	Tradify (~$29-60/mo)	Cheapest at very small scale, simple UI, NZ-savvy
3-4 (most NZ trades)	ServiceM8 ($29-79/mo flat)	Unlimited users at one low price. Mobile-first. The sweet spot.
5-8	ServiceM8 or Tradify	ServiceM8 stays cheap; Tradify gets nicer reporting. Toss-up.
8-15	Tradify or Fergus	Tradify if you want simpler, Fergus if you want NZ-specific GST/PAYE/ACC integration depth
15-50, multi-site	Fergus or simPRO	Real scheduling power, multi-branch, real project costing
50+ or commercial / industrial	simPRO	Built for it, but you will pay for it

If you are a 3-4 person crew on Fergus or simPRO, you are almost certainly overpaying by $150-250 a month and not using the features that justify it. Read on.

The four tools, head to head

ServiceM8, the small-crew sweet spot

Pricing (NZ, 2026): $29-79/mo flat, unlimited users. Free tier (30 jobs/month) for solo testing.
Built for: Service trades. Plumbers, sparkies, gas fitters, locksmiths, glass, locksmiths, security.
Strengths: Mobile-first, designed for the van. Quote-to-invoice in 4 taps. Photo, voice-note, sketch attached to jobs. The unlimited-users pricing is the killer feature for crews, adding a fourth tradie costs $0.
Weaknesses: Australian-built so a couple of NZ-specific quirks (GST handling is fine but ACC integration is light). The desktop UI is the weak link, you would not run a 20-person scheduling board on it.
Use it if: You are a 1-8 person service-trade crew where the work happens off the van. Most NZ residential trades fit this profile.

Tradify, the NZ-popular default

Pricing (NZ, 2026): Per user. ~$29/mo solo, ~$40-60/user for a crew. 3 users ≈ $120-180/mo, 5 users ≈ $200-300.
Built for: Owner-operator trades broadly, service trades, light construction.
Strengths: Beautifully simple UI. NZ-built (Auckland), so GST, PAYE and ACC handled natively. Strong Xero integration. Great support, actual humans answer the phone. Excellent for the tradie who wants a tool they can adopt without a trainer.
Weaknesses: Per-user pricing bites at crew size 4+. Reporting is good but not deep, if you want job-cost variance reports across 200 active projects, it is not the tool.
Use it if: You are solo or small (1-3), want NZ support, and value simplicity over deep features. Genuinely the best default for the "I just want quotes and invoices off my phone" tradie.

Fergus, the deeper NZ build

Pricing (NZ, 2026): Per user, ~$65-70/user/mo. 4 users ≈ $260-280, 8 users ≈ $520-560.
Built for: Mid-sized NZ trades with real scheduling and project complexity. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC firms 5-30 people.
Strengths: NZ-built (Auckland), serious depth. GST, PAYE, ACC done well. Real scheduling board with drag-drop, multi-site. Real time tracking. Real project-cost variance reporting. Excellent if you bill T&M.
Weaknesses: Per-user pricing makes it expensive for small crews. For a 3-person crew at $200-280/mo, you are paying for features (advanced scheduling, project costing, T&M variance) you will probably never use. Steeper learning curve.
Use it if: You are 5-20+ people, your work has real project complexity, and you bill time-and-materials with real variance. If you are a small crew on Fergus and only use the quote / invoice / Xero-sync features, you are overpaying for ServiceM8 features.

simPRO, the commercial / industrial tier

Pricing (NZ, 2026): Quote-only, but $200-600+/mo, plus a setup fee that runs $3,000-15,000 depending on size and complexity. Multi-year contracts common.
Built for: Commercial trades, industrial maintenance, security & access, fire protection, HVAC contracting at scale. 15+ people, multi-branch, project-based.
Strengths: Real project management. Real asset/equipment management. Multi-branch / multi-warehouse. Stock control that actually works. Powerful preventative maintenance / asset tracking. The right tool if you are running 20+ techs across multiple sites or a recurring maintenance contract book.
Weaknesses: Overkill for residential service work. The setup is a serious project (not a Sunday afternoon job). Per-user costs add up. Reporting is powerful but the UI is dated.
Use it if: You are a commercial contractor (mechanical / electrical / fire / security / HVAC) with real scale, real assets and real recurring maintenance work. Not the right tool for residential trades.

The migration that pays for itself

The most common migration we do for NZ tradies: Fergus → ServiceM8 for 3-4 person crews. The math:

Fergus at 4 users: ~$280/mo = $3,360/year
ServiceM8 unlimited: $79/mo = $948/year
Saving: $2,412/year, every year, forever.
Our migration fee: from $350 fixed for a clean small-crew move. If you have years of historical jobs, custom forms, integrations or a quote / invoice template library to bring across, the migration is scoped separately, sometimes a couple of thousand for a deep history move. We will quote the actual job, never bait you with a low number.

For a clean small-crew move, payback is inside the second month. For a deep history migration the payback is longer but still inside the first year, every year.

Less common but also common: simPRO → Fergus for 8-15 person residential / light-commercial crews who got sold simPRO when they did not need it. Saving usually $200-500/mo plus you escape the multi-year contract on renewal.

The opposite migration is rare but real: ServiceM8 → Fergus or Tradify → Fergus when a crew grows to 8+ and outgrows the simple tools. We do it cleanly when the growth is real.

What we do not do

We do not resell any of these tools. We do not get a kickback from any vendor. We are an independent NZ IT advisory, we pick the right tool for you, set it up, migrate the data, train the team, and walk away. The fee is just the labour.

If you want a free 20-minute opinion

Tell us what you are running, how many crew, and what is hurting. We will tell you in 20 minutes which of the four is the right tool for you, and whether a migration pays back. Often the answer is "stay where you are", that is fine too.

Get the no-obligation chat or see the tradie get-found package for the full picture of what we offer NZ tradies.