Two of the tools checked on 21 October 2026 publish a price that does not rise with each login. Mortar Core is £49 a month plus VAT for the business, website included. ServiceM8's paid plans do not charge per user, and Starter is £25 a month inside 50 new job cards, website not included. Tradify, Powered Now's team plans, YourTradebase, Fergus and Jobber charge for extra people. The table is the whole argument.
We make Mortar. Here's how we compared these tools, and where others may suit you better.
A tool is in the flat list only if its own pricing page says you do not pay per user. A low price for one person is not the same thing. The wider shortlist, with the tools that do charge per user written up in full, is in best job management software for UK trades.
How we compared
One test, then the same four checks as the other guides. No star ratings, and no review sites. Prices are from each company's own site on 21 October 2026, except Jobber, which was checked again on 2 November 2026. Where a page did not say, it is left out.
- Does the pricing page say there is no per-user fee? If it prices the next login, the tool goes in the contrast list, even if the first login is cheap.
- Getting work in. A website in that flat price, or beside it.
- Quotes, invoices and a mobile app. The job still has to be quoted, done and paid.
- What else the flat price is counting. ServiceM8 counts new job cards. Mortar does not publish a job cap.
- AI help. Named only where the company describes it.
What a team of one, three and five costs
Monthly list prices, as listed on 21 October 2026. Not annual billing. One person who needs a login counts as one user. ServiceM8 is Starter: unlimited users on a paid plan, 50 new jobs a month. The website is not in the £25. A busier month is Growing at £59, still with no per-user fee. Mortar is Core, and the website is included. Pro, at £79, is the step up if you want the phone answered. It is still one price for the business.
| People | Mortar Core | ServiceM8 Starter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £49 | £25 |
| 3 | £49 | £25 |
| 5 | £49 | £25 |
Both prices exclude VAT. At one person, ServiceM8 is the lower figure, without the website and inside 50 new job cards. At five people both are still those figures. The per-user tools below are no longer close.
The two that publish no per-user fee
| Tool | Best for | Price | Per-user fees | Website | What the price counts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortar | Website and jobs, one price | £49 a month plus VAT | No | Yes | The business |
| ServiceM8 | Unlimited users inside a job cap | £25 a month Starter, ex VAT | No on paid plans | Add-on | New job cards. Starter is 50. |
Mortar
Best for: the whole crew on one price, with the website in that price.
What it does well. Core is £49 a month plus VAT for the business, not each login: a website built by Morris, an enquiries inbox, quotes, jobs, scheduling, forms signed on site, the mobile app, and invoices with card payments. Morris drafts replies and writes quotes from your notes. You approve what a customer sees. Pro is £79 a month plus VAT when Morris should answer chat, texts and the phone, and book jobs. Invoices, payments and expenses sync to Xero or QuickBooks. Build the site free. The first 14 days after it goes live are free. The pricing page does not list a per-user fee or a job-card cap.
Grow is £29 a month plus VAT, on Core or Pro. Morris asks ChatGPT, Google AI and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, prepares directory details for you to submit, keeps your Google Business Profile in sync, and sends a review request after a job. You approve the fixes. It does not promise a mention.
Watch-outs. Mortar is newer, and it lists fewer supplier connections than Tradify or Fergus. It does not file Making Tax Digital. Pro and Grow are separate prices, still per business.
Price. Core £49 a month plus VAT for the whole team. Pro £79. As listed on 21 October 2026.
Official page: mortar.site/pricing.
ServiceM8
Best for: unlimited users on a paid plan, if the month fits the job-card allowance.
What it does well. The pricing page says ServiceM8 does not charge per user. The free plan is the exception: one user and 30 jobs a month. Starter is £25, Growing £59, Premium £119, Premium Plus £269, all excluding VAT. Starter includes 50 new job cards. Growing includes 150. Turning a quote into a work order does not use a second credit. Every plan includes job cards, scheduling, quotes, invoices, and iOS and Android apps. AI Smart Helpers draft emails, texts, and quote and invoice lines. The trial is 14 days, no card.
Watch-outs. The flat price is a job cap. Past it you have seven days, then an upgrade prompt. The page does not state the job allowance on Premium or Premium Plus, so those two are not treated as unlimited jobs. The website add-on is free for 24 months, then £24 a year, and it registers a new domain. You cannot bring a domain you already own.
Price. Starter £25 a month for unlimited users and 50 new jobs. As listed on 21 October 2026.
Official page: servicem8.com/uk/pricing.
Tools that charge per user
These stay out of the flat list because their own pages price the next person. They can still be the right tool. The sums are monthly list prices for people who each need a login. The figures other than Jobber are as listed on 21 October 2026. Jobber was checked again on 2 November 2026, and the column uses $49 a month with no commitment. Fergus is not multiplied: the pricing page shows two figures for the same plan.
| People | Tradify Pro + website | Powered Now | YourTradebase | Jobber Core |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £37 + £10 = £47 | £28 | £29 | $49 |
| 3 | £37 × 3 + £10 = £121 | £32 × 3 = £96 | £29 + £15 × 2 = £59 | $49 + $29 × 2 = $107 |
| 5 | £37 × 5 + £10 = £195 | £32 × 5 = £160 | £29 + £15 × 4 = £89 | $49 + $29 × 4 = $165 |
Tradify. Stay if you want job costing, timesheets and sync with Xero, Sage and QuickBooks, and you will pay for each user. Lite is £34 per user a month, Pro £37, Plus £44. Instant Website is £10 a month on top. The UK page does not say whether those figures include VAT. Plus is where Tradify describes its AI. A large team can ask for Custom, priced on request.
Powered Now. Stay if you are on your own and want Making Tax Digital for Income Tax in the job app. Business is £28 a month excluding VAT for one user, with a free website, and Powered Now says the tax feature is recognised by HMRC. A second login is Professional at £32 per user. Premium is £40 per user, which is where the AI writing sits. That is why it is not in the flat column. If only one person logs in, the bill stays £28.
YourTradebase. £29 a month, plus £15 a month for each additional user. Prices are subject to VAT. Quotes, invoices, job sheets and schedules. No website was listed on the pricing page.
Fergus. The job-card page says you pay per user and plans start from £39 a month. The pricing page also shows Essentials at £3.90 and Professional at £4.50, without saying which figure you pay. Confirm it before you multiply. Supplier connections include CEF, City Plumbing, Wolseley and Screwfix. No website was listed.
Jobber. On 2 November 2026 Core was $49 a month for one user with no commitment, $39 a month on a one-year commitment, and $29 a month billed annually, plus $29 a month for each extra user. Prices are in US dollars and exclude sales tax where it applies. Core includes a professional website. Stay if you want that field-service set and you are happy to pay in dollars per user.
Where Mortar isn't the best fit
Pick ServiceM8 Starter if you want several logins, 50 new jobs is enough, and you do not need the website in the £25. Pick Powered Now Business if you work alone and Making Tax Digital has to be filed from the job app. Mortar does not file that return. Pick Tradify or Fergus if supplier price books and job costing matter more than a flat bill, and the per-user price is acceptable. A flat price is the wrong thing to optimise if the feature you actually use is missing.
How to choose
- Write the price at five people. If the tool charges per user, the order changes. If it does not, check what else is capped.
- Read the sentence next to "unlimited users". On ServiceM8 it sits beside a job allowance. On Mortar the pricing page does not add a job allowance.
- Check the website is in the figure you wrote down. It is in Mortar Core. It is not in ServiceM8 Starter.
- If you are one person, ignore the team table. Powered Now at £28 and ServiceM8 at £25 are lower than Mortar Core for that single login, and they are different products.
Questions
Which tools on this page do not charge per user?
Mortar, and ServiceM8's paid plans. Mortar Core is £49 a month plus VAT for the business. ServiceM8 Starter is £25 a month excluding VAT for unlimited users and 50 new job cards. ServiceM8's free plan is limited to one user.
Which tools charge per user?
Tradify charges per user on every plan. Powered Now Business is one user, then Professional and Premium are per user. YourTradebase adds £15 a month for each additional user. Fergus charges per user. Jobber adds 29 US dollars a month for each extra user.
What does a team of five cost when there is no per-user fee?
On the monthly list prices checked on 21 October 2026, five people cost £49 on Mortar Core and £25 on ServiceM8 Starter. Starter includes 50 new jobs a month and does not include the website. Growing, at £59, is still a flat price.
Why is Powered Now not in the flat column?
Business is one user at £28 a month. A second login moves you to Professional at £32 per user, excluding VAT. That is a per-user price, so it is in the contrast list.
Do flat prices include the website?
Mortar Core includes it. ServiceM8 sells a website add-on, free for 24 months, then £24 a year, and it registers a new domain.