What it costs
The honest five-year sum
This is not a comparison article. It is the real arithmetic on renting software against building a system, including where renting is the better choice.
The published figures
What the subscription tools charge
These were correct when written. Check them before you decide. Prices change.
Tradify
£34 to £44 per user, per month.
ServiceM8
£25 to £119 a month, depending on job volume.
Jobber
From $49 a month, billed in dollars.
Five years, worked out
Roughly level on money
A three-person firm on Tradify
- Three users at roughly £37 a month each is about £1,330 a year.
- Over five years, around £6,660.
- At the end of it you own nothing. Stop paying and it switches off.
Our Complete System
- £3,500 to build, £600 a year to run.
- Over five years, about £6,500.
- Roughly level on money. The difference is at the end you own it, and it keeps running whether or not you renew.
Where renting wins
If all you need is somewhere to log jobs and send invoices, a subscription tool is cheaper to start and perfectly good. We would rather say so than sell you something you do not need.
The difference that actually matters
None of those tools bring work in. That is what you are paying for.
See how the work comes inWant the sum for your business?
Bring your numbers and we will run them honestly, including the answer where a subscription tool is the better fit.