Quick answer: if Commusoft feels like more system than your small trade firm needs, Unavoidable CRM is a lighter Commusoft alternative. It costs from £29 a month per business, has no contract and a 14-day free trial, and includes an AI receptionist. Commusoft suits bigger teams: it needs at least four licences on a 12-month contract.
Commusoft is a well-established job management system for UK trades, and for the right firm it is a good choice. This guide is for the smaller firm, a sole trader or a team of two to five, that wants to know whether there is a simpler, cheaper way to answer calls, send quotes, run jobs and get paid. Everything below was checked on each company’s own pages on 20 October 2026.
Commusoft is job management software for field service businesses, with the heading “Powering The Trades Industry” on its pricing page. Its plans cover job planning and scheduling, estimates, service contracts and reminders, a mobile app with certificates and custom forms, vehicle tracking, timesheets, a customer portal, VoIP, parts and stock control, purchasing and job costing.
That is a broad, deep feature set, and it is priced like one. According to Commusoft’s pricing page (read 20 October 2026):
None of that is a criticism. A firm with ten engineers, a stores van and an office team needs exactly that kind of structure. A firm with two vans and a phone that never stops ringing usually needs something else.
| Commusoft | Unavoidable CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Published prices | No, “Request Pricing” | Solo £29, Team £149, Agency £399 a month |
| Smallest account | Minimum of four licences | One user (Solo); five users on Team; unlimited on Agency |
| Contract | 12 months, billed monthly by direct debit | Monthly with no contract, or yearly at 20% off |
| Onboarding | Charged separately and required | Self-serve; set it up yourself during the trial |
| Free trial | Not mentioned; “Let’s talk” | 14 days, every feature, no card |
| Answering calls | VoIP listed in its feature table | AI receptionist answers and books, 10p to 15p a minute at the provider’s price |
| Certificates | Certificates and custom forms in the mobile app | Numbered, branded PDF certificates; Gas Safe and EICR-style records |
| Stock and vehicles | Parts management, purchasing, stock control, vehicle tracking | Stock that adjusts as products are used and a supplier list; no vehicle tracking |
Sources: Commusoft’s pricing page and unavoidablecrm.com/pricing and /features, all read 20 October 2026. Texts, calls and receptionist minutes on Unavoidable CRM are paid to the providers at their price, with no markup.
Commusoft is the better choice when you have a larger team and need depth in the back office. If you run several engineers, carry stock across vans, need vehicle tracking, or want detailed job costing with purchasing and supplier management, it is built for that. The required onboarding and training also suit firms that want a guided rollout rather than setting things up themselves.
It has a long track record with UK heating, plumbing, electrical and fire and security firms. Unavoidable CRM is newer and does not have that history yet. That is worth weighing honestly.
Unavoidable CRM starts from the front of the job, not the back office. For most small firms, the work that slips away is the call you could not answer from a ladder, or the quote you meant to chase.
If you want to see how this works for your trade, read Unavoidable CRM for trades, or our guide to following up quotes without the awkward calls.
Choose by team size and by your biggest leak. If you have four or more people who all need logins, a full stores operation and a 12-month commitment feels comfortable, get a Commusoft quote and compare it properly. If you are one to five people, you lose work to missed calls, and you want to start this week without a contract, Unavoidable CRM is the simpler fit.
The fairest test is a week of real jobs. Put your next five quotes and jobs into the 14-day trial and count the calls the receptionist catches. You can also compare us with Fergus and ServiceM8, or see every option on our comparison page.
Switching is mostly about timing and data. Export your customer list as a spreadsheet, import it, then move open quotes and booked jobs across by hand so nothing is double-booked. Run both systems side by side for a week, and only cancel the old one once invoices from the old system are paid. With Commusoft, check your contract end date first, because plans run for 12 months.
Not on the pricing page we read in October 2026. Each plan says “Request Pricing”, and the page explains that plans are priced per licence, per month, on a 12-month contract. You will need to speak to Commusoft for a quote.
Commusoft’s pricing page says Jobs plans need a minimum of four licences per account, and every office staff member, manager and engineer needs one. A two-person firm would be paying for at least four licences, so ask Commusoft directly how that works for your size.
Unavoidable CRM produces numbered, branded PDF certificates and keeps Gas Safe and EICR-style records against the job. It is not a specialist certification product, so if your work depends on a particular certificate layout, check it during the 14-day free trial.
No. Monthly plans have no contract and are charged on the 1st of each month. If you prefer to pay yearly, you save 20%, and the trial needs no card to start.
Yes. Unavoidable CRM imports contacts from a spreadsheet, so you can export customers from your current system and bring them in. Plan the move for a quieter week and run both side by side for a few days.
14-day free trial, every feature, no card needed. From £29 a month per business.
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