1 · The friction
Sound familiar?
What tradies tell us about their job app.
“Half my crew is on Android”
Reviewers list the limited Android support as a drawback.
Source: GetApp reviews summary
“The bill jumps in a busy month”
Plans are capped by jobs per month, so a big month can push you up a plan.
Source: Fieldproxy pricing check, Jun 2026
“Card fees eat into every job”
Card payments run at 2.10% plus 30 cents a transaction.
Source: Tradie Scaler, May 2026
“We're paying for 500 jobs and doing 120”
Plans picked in a busy year often never get reviewed.
Source: Pattern we check for in audits
2 · The numbers
ServiceM8, by the numbers
A$0
Free plan: 30 jobs a month, one user
ServiceM8 pricing, via Tradie Scaler
A$79
A month for 150 jobs with unlimited users (Growing)
ServiceM8 pricing, via Fieldproxy
100k+
Businesses using ServiceM8
SoftwareHQ AU
2.10%
Plus 30 cents per card payment
Tradie Scaler, May 2026
Because you pay by jobs, not people, ServiceM8 often gets cheaper as your crew grows. It gets dearer when job counts spike.
3 · What to do
5 fixes to try before you switch
Count your real jobs per month
Look at the last six months. If you're paying for 500 jobs and doing 120, drop a plan.
Check your phones before you blame the app
List who uses iPhone and who uses Android, then check the current Android app against what each person actually needs.
Clean up job templates and quote items
Old templates slow every quote. Fewer, better templates save time on every job.
Connect Xero or MYOB properly
Half-set-up accounting links create double entry. Fix the sync once.
Move card fees into your pricing
Either build card fees into your rates or offer bank transfer as the default.
4 · The decision
Stay and fix, or switch?
Stay and fix if
Your crew is mostly on iPhone.
You run a lot of people but modest job numbers.
Your frustrations are about setup.
Look at Tradify or Fergus if
Most of your crew uses Android.
You do many small jobs with one or two people.
You need deeper job costing (Fergus).
Before you switch
Export customers, jobs and invoices first.
Check how the new app connects to Xero or MYOB.
Run both for a week on real jobs.
5 · In practice
What fixing the setup usually looks like
Challenge
The job app feels expensive and slow, half the crew dislikes it, and quotes take too long.
Action
Right-size the plan, clean up templates, fix the accounting link, and check the phones before deciding to switch.
Result
1 week
About a week to review, tidy up and decide, with real jobs flowing the whole time.
6 · Quick answers
Questions tradies ask us
How much does ServiceM8 cost?
There's a free plan for 30 jobs a month, then paid plans from A$29 to A$349 a month, all with unlimited users.
Does ServiceM8 work on Android?
Reviewers say Android support is limited. Check the current app with your own crew before deciding.
How long does switching take?
Usually about a week: a day to audit and check the setup, a day to migrate, then a few days of monitoring.