Tradify gives you admin software. Tradehand does the admin.
Tradify bills per user for tools 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
Tradify
The short answer
On the tools all day with calls going to voicemail? Choose Tradehand: Tradehand answers, quotes and chases payment for you, on a paid plan. Office staff who want to run the admin themselves are better served by Tradify, billed per user.
Tradehand- Best for sole traders whose calls go to voicemail while they are on the tools
Tradify- Best for teams who want accounting sync on the entry plan
ServiceM8- Best for an iPhone crew with a steady number of jobs a month
An honest recommendation
Choose Tradify if…
- You have office staff who want full manual control of the admin
- You want Xero, Sage or QuickBooks Online sync on every plan
- You're a team of 5–10 and per-seat pricing still works out
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 another app to manage
Where Tradify beats us: ten years of maturity, and a Xero, Sage and QuickBooks Online sync of clients, invoices and payments on every plan, including the entry one. Tradehand pushes one way only, and not yet for VAT registered companies.
Are you buying admin software, or more work won?
Compare answering, quoting, booking and chasing, then weigh the cost against hiring an office admin.
UK office manager starter salary, before NI and pension. Paid whether or not the invoices land.
Source: Office manager salary (National Careers)
TradehandFree, or paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly
Salary: National Careers Service. Tradify bills per user per month, ServiceM8 by jobs a month, Tradehand offers Free tools with the Assistant and paid plans for automation.
See pricingSide by side
| What matters | Tradehand | Tradify | ServiceM8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answers the phoneSource: ServiceM8 Phone Agent: plans and availability | Tradehand✓ Quote from your rates, held when approval is required | TradifyNo. SmartTools on Plus writes quotes and reads bills only | ServiceM8AI Phone Agent on eligible separate ServiceM8 Phone Connect Plus or Unlimited plans |
| How you are billedSource: Tradify UK pricing (tradifyhq.com) | TradehandFree, or paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly | TradifyMonthly per user, so hiring raises it | ServiceM8Monthly by jobs a month, free under thirty |
| Chases what is owedSource: Tradify UK pricing (tradifyhq.com) | Tradehand✓ Quotes, invoices and customers who went quiet | TradifyQuote & Invoice Reminders, from the Pro plan | ServiceM8Quote Follow-up and Automated Payment Follow-ups, every plan |
| Android as good as iPhoneSource: ServiceM8 Lite for Android: not all the iOS functionality | Tradehand✓ Full trader app on Android and iPhone | Tradify✓ iOS and Android apps | ServiceM8Lite on Android, iOS is the full app |
| Digital certificatesSource: ServiceM8 UK pricing (servicem8.com) | Tradehand✓ Ten published types, signed PDF. Countersign only when a supervisor signs | TradifyCompliance Certificates, from the Pro plan | ServiceM8Forms and Certificates, from the Growing plan |
| AccountingSource: Tradify UK pricing (tradifyhq.com) | TradehandOne way push to Xero and QuickBooks, plus CSV | Tradify✓ Xero, Sage and QuickBooks Online sync, every plan | ServiceM8Accounting integrations, every plan |
| Contract | TradehandNone, leave whenever you like | TradifyMonthly or annual subscription | ServiceM8Monthly subscription |
What "does the admin" looks like
A Tuesday morning. You're mid-rewire and can't pick up. Nothing below required your phone.
Tradify's reminders chase quotes and invoices you sent. ServiceM8's editable AI quoting and invoicing allow ten uses a day on core Free, unlimited on paid core plans. Phone answering requires an eligible separate ServiceM8 Phone subscription.
Move new work over without losing your old records
Run both side by side. Keep Tradify as your history until you are comfortable moving new work to Tradehand.
- Day 1
Prepare your data
Export the customer and price-list data you want to keep from Tradify.
- Day 1
A person does the import
A person imports your customers and price list, then sets up your number, rates and diary. Historic jobs are not imported.
- 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. Tradify keeps running.
- When ready
Move new work across
Cancel Tradify only when you no longer need it for active jobs or reference history.
Your questions
Does Tradify answer the phone?
No. Tradify is job management software you drive yourself. SmartTools on Tradify Plus helps write quotes and read supplier bills with AI; it does not answer customer calls. Tradehand answers missed calls, quotes and books in your name.
Tradify vs Tradehand for sole traders: which fits?
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. Choose Tradify if you want to run the diary and accounting yourself, especially two-way Xero, Sage or QuickBooks Online on every plan.
Is Tradehand a good Tradify alternative for UK sole traders?
For a sole trader on the tools all day, yes. Tradehand does the admin instead of handing you more software to drive: a quote drafted from the rates and held when approval is required, and payment chased. Tradify suits office staff who want full manual control.
What do Free and paid plans cost?
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.
What can I import from Tradify?
A person imports your customers and price list into Tradehand. Historic jobs are not imported, so keep your Tradify export or account available 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.
What if the AI says something wrong to a customer?
Quotes and bookings follow your rates and your diary, and you can require one-tap approval before anything is sent. Every conversation is visible in the app.
Does Tradehand do certificates like Tradify Pro?
Yes. Tradehand includes ten published certificate types and a signed PDF. A supervisor countersigns only when one signs. Tradify puts Compliance Certificates on its Pro plan and above.
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 not yet available for VAT registered companies. Tradify syncs Xero, Sage and QuickBooks Online from its entry plan, which is the stronger accounting story of the two.
Is there a contract or minimum term?
No contract, no minimum, no cancellation fee. Export your data and leave whenever you like.
Sources & references
- Tradify UK pricing (tradifyhq.com)
- Tradify UK how it works: iOS and Android apps
- ServiceM8 Lite for Android: not all the iOS functionality
- ServiceM8 UK pricing (servicem8.com)
- ServiceM8 Phone Agent: plans and availability
- ServiceM8 AI Quote & Invoice: core plan allowances
- Office manager salary (National Careers)
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.
