Please note: this round-up is written by Unavoidable CRM, and Unavoidable CRM is one of the six options. We have tried to be fair: every price below comes from each company’s own UK pricing page on 22 October 2026, and we say where each competitor is stronger than us. Please check the vendors’ pages yourself before you buy.
| Tool | How you pay | Starting price | Five people | Call answering |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unavoidable CRM | Per business | £29 a month (1 user) | £149 a month (Team), plus usage at cost | AI receptionist included, minutes about 10p to 15p |
| Tradify | Per user | £34 per user a month (Lite) | £185 on Pro, £220 on Plus | Not listed |
| ServiceM8 | By jobs a month | Free (30 jobs), then £25 (50 jobs) | Set by job volume, not people, on paid plans (for example £59 for 150 jobs) | Phone add-on from £15 a month |
| Powered Now | Per user, ex VAT | £28 a month (1 user) | £160 on Professional, £200 on Premium | PN Receptionist add-on, £29 or £39 a month |
| Fergus | Per plan (per-user basis not stated) | Essentials from £39 a month (90% off offer until December) | Check Fergus’s UK pricing page | Not listed |
| Commusoft | Per licence, 12-month contract | Not published | Not published, designed for 6 or more staff | Not described |
“Five people” is the monthly plan cost for five users before any usage charges. ServiceM8 prices depend on how many jobs you do, not how many people you have.
We looked at the questions UK trades ask most: what it costs for one, three and five people, whether calls get answered, whether quotes and invoices chase themselves, and whether it suits the size of your business. We used only what each company publishes on its UK pricing or plans page, checked on 22 October 2026. We did not include review scores, because we have no independent way to verify them.
A CRM for UK service businesses that puts leads, messages, bookings, jobs, quotes, invoices and follow-ups in one login. Plans are Solo £29 (1 user), Team £149 (5 users) and Agency £399 (unlimited users) a month, with every feature on every plan and 20% off yearly. The AI receptionist answers in natural British English and books visits; missed callers get a text back within seconds; quotes are signed online; invoices are chased automatically. Texts, calls and AI minutes are paid to Twilio and Retell at cost.
Stronger at: call answering, lead follow-up, one inbox for texts, WhatsApp and email, team pricing at five users. Weaker at: it is newer with no third-party reviews yet, it runs in the browser rather than as an app store app, and two to four people pay the same £149 as five.
A popular job management app with clear per-user pricing: Lite £34, Pro £37 and Plus £44 per user a month, with a 14-day trial. Pro adds quote options with online acceptance, automatic quote and invoice reminders, an enquiry inbox and compliance certificates. Plus adds purchase orders, kit bundles and SmartTools AI for reading supplier bills.
Stronger at: a simple, well-known job app, cheaper than us for two to four people. Weaker at: no call answering listed, and the cost rises with every person. See Unavoidable CRM vs Tradify.
Priced by jobs per month: Free (30 jobs, 1 user), Starter £25 (50 jobs), Growing £59 (150 jobs), Premium £119 (500 jobs) and Premium Plus £269 (1,500 jobs), with unlimited users on paid plans. Extra texts are 5p each, and ServiceM8 Phone is an add-on from £15 a month.
Stronger at: very good value for teams with many users and modest job numbers, and a free plan. Weaker at: costs climb with busy months, and calls are routed to people rather than answered by AI. See Unavoidable CRM vs ServiceM8.
A UK trade app: Business £28 (one user), Professional £32 per user and Premium £40 per user a month, all before VAT, with yearly options. Professional adds certificates, unlimited texts and emails, VAT return submission and Xero and QuickBooks links. PN Receptionist, an AI receptionist add-on, costs £29 or £39 a month.
Stronger at: Making Tax Digital and VAT returns, unlimited texts, low cost for small teams. Weaker at: the receptionist and team seats add up as you grow. See Unavoidable CRM vs Powered Now.
Job management for plumbing, electrical and building firms. Essentials lists from £39 and Professional £45 a month, shown at 90% off until December when we checked, with Enterprise for 10 or more staff on request. It covers quoting, price books, job cards, timesheets, recurring jobs, Xero, QuickBooks and MYOB, and free certificates.
Stronger at: job costing, supplier integrations, purchase orders and reporting. Weaker at: no call answering listed, and the page does not make the per-user basis clear. See Unavoidable CRM vs Fergus.
Field service software for established firms, with plans called Go Paperless, Customer Journey and Automation. It does not publish prices, licenses every office user and engineer, uses a 12-month contract on standard plans, and says it is designed for six or more staff.
Stronger at: depth for larger heating and maintenance firms, service contracts, a customer portal and offline mobile working. Weaker at: no published prices and not aimed at sole traders. See Unavoidable CRM vs Commusoft.
It suits sole traders and small teams who lose work to missed calls and quiet quotes, and want one login for leads, messages, jobs and payments.
It does not suit large field teams that need fleet tracking or detailed job costing, or anyone who needs a free plan. Fergus, Commusoft or ServiceM8 may serve those firms better.
It depends on your size and your main problem. For call answering and lead follow-up, Unavoidable CRM. For a simple per-user job app, Tradify. For many users and modest job numbers, ServiceM8. For MTD and VAT returns, Powered Now. For job costing, Fergus. For established firms with six or more staff, Commusoft. This round-up is written by Unavoidable CRM.
Of the six here, Unavoidable CRM includes an AI receptionist on every plan, and Powered Now sells PN Receptionist as an add-on at £29 or £39 a month. ServiceM8 sells a phone system add-on from £15 a month that routes calls to your team.
ServiceM8 has a free plan for up to 30 jobs a month. Among paid plans, Powered Now Business is £28 a month before VAT and Unavoidable CRM Solo is £29 a month with the AI receptionist included. Fergus was showing a 90% off offer until December when we checked.
On 22 October 2026: Unavoidable CRM Team £149, Tradify Pro £185, Powered Now Professional £160 before VAT. ServiceM8 depends on job volume, for example £59 for 150 jobs. Fergus and Commusoft need checking with the vendor.
No. It is written by Unavoidable CRM. We used only the vendors’ own published pricing pages and have said where each competitor is stronger than us.
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