Maintenance work is never just book it, do it, invoice it. There's a planned visit next week, an emergency call-out this morning, a landlord chasing an update, and a certificate still to send.
This article compares Tradify and Jobber for UK maintenance contractor tools specifically. The question isn't which has more features, it's which fits how maintenance work actually runs.
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For most small UK maintenance contractors, Tradify is the simpler fit, with quoting, scheduling, job notes and invoicing all in one place. Jobber suits you better if you run a busier dispatch operation, have several people out on the road, or want stronger tools for customer updates, reviews and repeat bookings.
The biggest decision point is UK compliance paperwork. If you deal with CP12s, EICRs or other certificates, get both providers to show you exactly how the process works. Tradify is built around trade businesses, but confirm the templates you need. Jobber's published info doesn't clearly show a UK-specific CP12 or EICR process. That doesn't mean it can't handle them, just get a straight answer and a demo before assuming either way.
In short:
Maintenance work repeats, whether that's a regular landlord visit, a service contract, or a block of properties needing done throughout the year.
Check whether the software can:
The other side of maintenance is the job that lands at 10am and needs sorting today. A good system turns that call into a job, gets it to the right person, and updates the customer, without you chasing it all by hand.
This is where real-time job tracking earns its keep. The office should know whether a job's booked, underway, finished, or stuck on parts, without ringing the engineer to ask.
For gas, electrical and compliance-heavy work, the paperwork matters as much as the diary. Where's the certificate, which property it belongs to, who did the work, when the next inspection is due.
Get both providers to show you the full process for a CP12, EICR or whatever you use most. "You can attach a PDF" isn't a proper certificate workflow, so check how easy it is to find and send that document later.
You might run direct employees, subcontractors, or both. Check how easily you can hand someone the job details, share photos and notes, and keep the office in the loop when plans change.
If you use subcontractors, put subcontractor scheduling in the demo too. Who's accepted the job, what can they see, and how does the customer find out if the visit moves.
Good customer communication for trades isn't about sending more messages, it's the right update at the right time: appointment, arrival window, job outcome, certificate, invoice.
That matters more with landlords, property managers or facilities teams, who want a proper record of what happened, not just a text saying it's done.
Features matter, but the real test is how much chasing and retyping is left after a normal job.
|
Maintenance job |
Tradify |
Jobber |
What to check |
|
Planned maintenance |
Suitable for repeat jobs and service work |
Suitable for recurring jobs and scheduled work |
Can you set up repeat visits and move one without disturbing the rest? |
|
Reactive call-outs |
Quote, schedule and manage in one trade-focused workflow |
Scheduling, dispatch and customer updates |
Can the office turn a call into a job quickly? |
|
Property history |
Check how notes, photos and documents are stored against a property |
Check the equivalent property and customer history |
Can the engineer see the last visit before arriving? |
|
CP12s and EICRs |
Confirm the exact UK certificate templates and workflow |
Published info doesn't clearly confirm UK-specific CP12 or EICR workflows |
Ask to see a real certificate start to finish |
|
Engineer scheduling |
Straightforward job scheduling for trade teams |
Stronger focus on dispatch and diary management |
What happens when a job overruns or someone's sick? |
|
Subcontractor handover |
Test access, handover and job visibility |
Test access, handover and job visibility |
Run this in the demo if you use outside help |
|
Live job status |
Check what the office can see mid-job |
Check what the office can see mid-job |
Can someone see booked, active, complete or waiting? |
|
Customer updates |
Quote, invoice and job communication |
More emphasis on client updates and online communication |
Can you keep a customer informed without chasing? |
|
Quoting and invoicing |
Built around trade quotes, invoices and payments |
Quotes, proposals, invoices and payments |
Can you invoice before the engineer leaves site? |
|
Accounting |
Xero, QuickBooks, depending on plan and region |
Accounting and payment integrations vary by plan |
Does it work with your exact accounts package? |
Either way, the aim is less admin, not more. If a system leaves you with another list to maintain, it isn't solving the problem.
Pricing only means something when it reflects your actual setup: owner, office coordinator, a few engineers, maybe a subcontractor or two.
Tradify's UK pricing is per user. As of 24th September 2026, the price is £34 per user per month on the entry plan, £37 on Pro.
Work it out using the people who actually need access, which might just be the owner, one office user and two engineers. Also check whether subcontractors need their own paid login or can be given access another way.
As of 24th September 2026, Jobber charges in USD, at $35 per month per user at their Core plan, and $98 per month per user at their Connect plan.
Get both providers to price the same thing: one owner, one office user, two engineers, your accounting software, your usual payment method, and the certificates and records you actually use.
That gives you a number worth something. Cheapest plan against fully-loaded plan doesn't.
Tradify keeps the job and the admin together. Enquiries, quotes, jobs, notes, invoices and payments all sit in the same flow, no complicated setup before you can send a quote or book a job.
The quote-to-invoice path stays simple too. A job might involve a quote, an approval, a visit, extra work, photos, materials and an invoice. The fewer places that get copied between, the less likely something gets missed. Tradify keeps it together so you can get the invoice out while it's still fresh in your head.
It's also easier for a small team to actually pick up and use, which matters more than any feature list. Tradify's trade-focused setup tends to feel more familiar if you're moving off paper, WhatsApp and spreadsheets. For a small contractor, trades admin reduction looks like fewer loose ends by end of day, not another dashboard to babysit.
Jobber puts more into the customer side, from booking through to payment, which could suit contractors working with landlords, property managers or facilities teams who want something more formal.
If customer updates are a big part of how you win and keep work, test Jobber against what your customers actually ask for: reminders, arrival messages, job outcomes, certificates, invoices.
Dispatch may suit a busier team better too. Once you've got several engineers moving between jobs, the diary becomes a job in itself: jobs overrun, times change, someone's off sick. Jobber's stronger focus on dispatch and scheduling is worth a look if that's where most of your pressure sits, but test it against a real day from your diary, not the tidy demo example.
There's more built in for follow-ups as well: reviews, referrals and marketing campaigns depending on the plan. Useful if you want more repeat work, less useful if most of your business already comes through contracts or existing relationships.
The client hub might suit property work too. Customers can see appointments, quotes, job progress and invoices in one place, handy for a property manager running several sites. Check it works for your smaller customers as well, some would rather get a quick text and a certificate by email than log into a portal.
For most small UK maintenance contractors, Tradify is the better starting point: quotes, planned work, reactive jobs, notes, invoices, and payments all in one place.
Tradify suits you if:
Jobber suits you if:
For gas, electrical, and compliance-heavy work, the certificate workflow could decide it. Get both providers to show you the exact paperwork your team produces. A generic PDF upload isn't proof the process is covered.
The right maintenance contractor tool fits the work you already do and leaves less to tidy up after. Test both the same way: same users, same job, same documents.