Fergus tells you how the job went. Tradehand goes and gets the job.
Fergus is strong job management software, billed per plan every month for a system you drive yourself. Tradehand answers missed calls on the Tradehand business number, drafts a quote from the rates and holds it when approval is required. Free includes the manual tools and the Assistant with £1 of usage a month: 5% of each payment Tradehand takes, card fees included. Paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly. They add automation and more usage. Basic payment fees on your own jobs: From 1.25% + 20p, deducted automatically when the customer pays. Grow and Advanced have lower Tradehand payment fees.
Tradehand
Fergus
The short answer
One van, phone going to voicemail under a floor? Choose Tradehand: calls to the Tradehand business number ring the saved staff phone first, and a quote is held when approval is required. Paid plans add automation and more usage. A team where you need cost against budget on every live job is better served by Fergus, whose job costing and WIP reporting are better than ours.
An honest recommendation
Choose Fergus if…
- You need cost against budget on every live job, which its WIP report does better than we do
- You run a team with timesheets, purchase orders and multi-visit job phases
- Your books live in Xero, QuickBooks or MYOB and you want a real two way sync
Choose Tradehand if…
- You're on the tools all day and calls go to voicemail
- You want Free tools with the Assistant or a paid plan for automation, with unlimited team members
- You want the admin done, not a tidier place to do it yourself
Where Fergus beats us: knowing your numbers on a live job. Its WIP report, job costing and purchase orders show the margin on work in progress in a way Tradehand does not, and Fergus syncs with Xero, QuickBooks and MYOB while Tradehand pushes one way only, and not yet for VAT registered companies. Worth knowing that most of that reporting sits on the Fergus Pro plan, not the entry one.
Are you buying job management software, or more work won?
Fergus clears admin well, and clearing admin has never filled a thin diary. Price the office job instead: answering, quoting, booking, chasing. That is a person's job.
UK office manager starter salary, before NI and pension. Paid whether or not the invoices land.
Source: Office manager salary (National Careers Service)
TradehandFree, or paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly
Salary: National Careers Service. Fergus bills monthly per plan, with timesheet users, contractor users and SMS reminders charged on top, so the bill climbs when you hire and when you chase. Tradehand includes the Assistant on Free and bills a subscription for automation and more usage. Fergus prices move: its UK page currently shows each plan struck through against a lower promotional price with no end date given, and Fergus is New Zealand origin, so check the UK pricing page itself on the day you buy.
See pricingSide by side
| What matters |  Tradehand |  Fergus |
|---|---|---|
| Answers the phone on the toolsSource: Fergus product scope, in Fergus's own words | Tradehand✓ Quote from your rates, held when approval is required | FergusEnquiry management once the call reaches you |
| How you are billedSource: Fergus UK pricing and plan comparison | TradehandFree, or paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly | FergusMonthly per plan, plus per timesheet user and per contractor day |
| Chases what is owedSource: Fergus UK invoicing (automatic overdue reminders) | Tradehand✓ Quotes, invoices and customers who went quiet | FergusAutomatic overdue reminders, SMS charged per bundle |
| Job costing and WIP reportingSource: Fergus UK reporting (WIP and job reporting) | TradehandJob reports and payment tracking, no WIP report | Fergus✓ WIP Report and live job profit, from the Pro plan |
| AccountingSource: Fergus UK pricing and plan comparison | TradehandOne way push to Xero and QuickBooks, plus CSV | Fergus✓ Xero, QuickBooks and MYOB sync on both plans |
| Digital certificatesSource: Fergus UK pricing and plan comparison | Tradehand✓ Ten published types, signed PDF. Countersign only when a supervisor signs | Fergus✓ Certificates free on both UK plans |
| ContractSource: Fergus UK pricing and plan comparison | TradehandNone, leave whenever you like | FergusMonthly, no lock-in, 14 day free trial |
What "does the admin" looks like
A Tuesday morning. You're mid-rewire and can't pick up. Nothing below required your phone.
Fergus would record every one of those steps beautifully, after you had done them yourself at 9pm. That is the real difference, not a feature checkbox.
Move new work over without losing your old records
Run both side by side. Keep Fergus as your history and your job-costing record until you are comfortable moving new work to Tradehand.
- Day 1
Export your customers and price list
Pull your customers and pricing out of Fergus. Tradehand does not import historic jobs or job-cost history, so keep those records.
- Day 1
A person does the import
A person imports your customers and price list, then sets up your number, rates and diary.
- Day 2–6
Run both in parallel
Calls to the Tradehand business number ring the saved staff phone first. A missed mobile gets one text in the business name. A missed landline reaches the assistant. Tradehand does not take over a number the business already uses. Fergus keeps running your open jobs.
- When ready
Move new work across
Fergus is monthly with no lock-in, so cancel only once you no longer need it for active jobs or reporting history.
Your questions
Is Tradehand a good Fergus alternative for UK sole traders?
For a sole trader on the tools all day, yes. Tradehand does the admin instead of giving you a better place to do it yourself: a quote drafted from the rates and held when approval is required, and payment chased. Fergus suits a team that needs job costing and reporting across several people.
Does Fergus answer my phone?
No. Fergus describes itself as bringing quoting, scheduling, job tracking, invoicing and payments into one place, and its UK pricing page markets enquiry management rather than call answering. Fergus handles the call once it reaches you. Tradehand answers as your business and books into your real diary.
How is Fergus billed in the UK?
Fergus bills monthly per plan with no lock-in and a 14 day free trial, across an Essentials plan, a Pro plan and a custom Enterprise plan for more than ten staff. Timesheet users, contractor days, SMS reminders and card payments are charged on top. Read the current figures on Fergus's own UK pricing page, linked in the sources.
Is Fergus priced in pounds?
Fergus's UK pricing page is in pounds. Fergus is New Zealand origin and the presentation is not consistent across its own site: the global pricing page quotes dollars, and even Fergus's UK invoicing page still quotes a dollar figure. Check the UK pricing page rather than a feature page.
What sits on Fergus Pro rather than Essentials?
Per Fergus's own plan comparison on 25 July 2026: purchase orders, tiered pricing, checklists, forms, job phases, tasks, hazards and SWMS, automatic supplier invoice matching rather than manual, phone support, and almost all of the reporting, including the quote, customer invoice, staff, business, financial and advanced reports. Essentials keeps the timesheet overview and pay summary.
Does Tradehand replace Fergus job costing?
No, and Tradehand will not pretend otherwise. The Fergus WIP report and per-job cost tracking are better than ours, and that is a real reason to choose Fergus Pro. What Tradehand replaces is the person who would otherwise answer the phone, send the quote and chase the money.
Is Free really free? What Free and paid plans include
Free includes the manual tools and the Assistant with £1 of usage a month: 5% of each payment Tradehand takes, card fees included. Paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly. They add automation and more usage. Basic payment fees on your own jobs: From 1.25% + 20p, deducted automatically when the customer pays. Grow and Advanced have lower Tradehand payment fees. Manual work stays available on Free without a monthly subscription.
Does Tradehand work with Xero or QuickBooks?
Tradehand pushes invoices one way into Xero and QuickBooks, plus a CSV export. That push is not a sync, and it is not yet available for VAT registered companies. Fergus syncs with Xero, QuickBooks and MYOB, which is the stronger accounting story of the two.
Does Tradehand do certificates like Fergus?
Both include them. Tradehand includes ten published certificate types and a signed PDF. A supervisor countersigns only when one signs. Fergus lists certificates free on both of its UK plans. Certificates are not the reason to pick between Tradehand and Fergus.
Can I move my data from Fergus to Tradehand?
A person imports your customers and price list into Tradehand for you. Tradehand does not import historic jobs or job-cost history, so keep your Fergus export or account for reference.
Do I keep my phone number?
Yes. Calls to the Tradehand business number ring the saved staff phone first. A missed mobile gets one text in the business name. A missed landline reaches the assistant. Tradehand does not take over a number the business already uses.
Is there a contract or minimum term?
Cancel a paid Tradehand plan to return to Free at the end of the paid period. Fergus is also monthly with no lock-in and offers a 14 day free trial, so you can run the two side by side and decide on real jobs.
Sources & references
- Fergus UK pricing and plan comparison
- Fergus UK invoicing (automatic overdue reminders)
- Fergus UK reporting (WIP and job reporting)
- Fergus UK job tracking (job cards and job phases)
- Fergus UK quoting (price books and tiered pricing)
- Fergus product scope, in Fergus's own words
- Fergus global pricing (dollar figures)
- Office manager salary (National Careers Service)
More comparisons
Hear your assistant answer the phone
Get started. A quote is drafted from the rates and held when approval is required. An agreed slot is booked. Then decide.
