Choosing tradie software? You need Australian FY support, GST reporting, profit tracking, and quotes/invoices, not features designed for US or NZ markets. This guide helps you compare what matters and pick the right fit.
This guide is written by Trackexa, so we are biased. We have tried to be accurate as at 5 October 2026; tell us if something has changed.
Not all job management software is created equal. Here's what actually matters for Aussie sole traders and small teams, and what you can skip.
Most job management software is built for US or global markets. It works, but you'll spend time:
Australian and NZ-built software (like Trackexa, ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus) usually gets this right by default. You save hours of setup and avoid confusion when your income dashboard shows the wrong financial year during tax time.
Here's how the main options stack up. Every business is different. Try the free trials and see which fits your workflow.
Our recommendation: Try 2–3 free trials. Use them for real jobs: create quotes, track time, send invoices. The right software should feel intuitive within the first day, not after a week of training.
Choose Trackexa if: You're a sole trader who wants flat AUD pricing ($39/mo including GST, one login), profit-per-hour visibility, and Australian FY tracking without complexity. Best for sole tradies.
If you run your trade business on your own, read our page on sole trader job management software.
Choose ServiceM8 if: You do lots of short, repeat jobs, are comfortable with job-volume pricing, and want dispatch automation. Strong Australian pedigree and ecosystem.
Choose Tradify or Fergus if: You're growing beyond sole trader, need crew scheduling and detailed job costing, and per-user pricing fits your budget. Both are solid NZ-built options with strong AU support.
Choose Jobber if: You prefer their workflow and don't mind working around North American defaults. Good software, just not Australian-first.
Choose enterprise platforms (Simpro, AroFlo, Ascora) if: You have 10+ employees, complex compliance needs, inventory management, or fleet tracking. These are serious business systems, too much for most sole traders.
From sole operators to small teams: if you quote jobs and track your time, these tools help you run your business smarter.
Revenue looks good on paper. Profit margin percentage is a nice number. But profit per hour is the only metric that tells you which jobs are actually worth doing, and which are quietly losing you money.
Job A: $3,600 invoice, $950 materials, 42 hours → $63/hr profit
Job B: $2,200 invoice, $420 materials, 16 hours → $111/hr profit
Job A had the bigger invoice ($3,600 vs $2,200). But Job B had the higher margin (80.9% vs 73.6%) and paid 76% more per hour. Judge by invoice size alone and you'd pick Job A.
When you track profit per hour across 10–20 jobs, patterns emerge. You'll see which job types consistently pay well (e.g. exterior repaints, deck restoration) and which quietly bleed your time (e.g. small interior touch-ups, complex commercial fitouts).
Result: You stop underquoting the good work and start walking away from the bad work. Many tradies find that once they see their numbers they can lift their prices without working more hours. Learn how to track profit per hour →
Trackexa has profit-per-hour tracking built in: automatic calculation on every job, plus FY average across all your work. This is the core feature the software was built around (tested on real painting jobs in Cairns).
ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus: We couldn't find a built-in profit-per-hour figure in these products' public material (checked 5 October 2026). You can calculate profit per hour manually (job profit ÷ hours) or export data to a spreadsheet.
Jobber, Simpro, AroFlo: We couldn't find a built-in profit-per-hour figure in these products' public material (checked 5 October 2026).
Bottom line: If profit-per-hour clarity is a priority (it should be), choose software that calculates it automatically. If you're comfortable with spreadsheets, any software that tracks hours and costs will give you the raw data. Read: How to calculate profit per hour →
The most common questions from Aussie sole traders and small trade businesses about picking the right software.
It depends on your business size and needs. For sole traders (one login), Trackexa offers flat AUD pricing ($39/month including GST) and profit-per-hour tracking. For larger teams needing dispatch, ServiceM8, Tradify, or Fergus are strong Australian/NZ options. For enterprise operations (10+ employees), Simpro or AroFlo provide comprehensive systems.
Our advice: Try 2–3 free trials. Use them for real jobs during the trial period. The best software is the one you'll actually use daily, not the one with the longest feature list.
You can technically use international software, but Australian FY support saves you time and confusion. Software built for US or global markets defaults to Jan–Dec calendar year. You'll need to manually set up custom reports to view July–June financial year data.
This matters most during BAS and tax time (quarterly BAS quarters align with Aus FY: Jul–Sep, Oct–Dec, Jan–Mar, Apr–Jun). If your software shows Jan–Dec by default, you're constantly doing mental math or exporting data to match ATO requirements.
AU-focused software (Trackexa, ServiceM8, Simpro, AroFlo) and NZ-built platforms used in Australia (Tradify, Fergus) usually get this right out of the box. If you're choosing between similar software, pick the one that handles Aus FY natively.
Typical pricing (AUD per month):
Watch for hidden costs: SMS credits (ServiceM8, AroFlo), per-user scaling, payment processing fees (1.5–2.5% if using integrated payments), add-on modules.
Sole trader tip: Flat-rate pricing (like Trackexa's $39/mo including GST, one login) is easier to budget than per-user models. Team logins are not available yet on Trackexa; an offsider can get job details via Google Calendar.
Profit margin is a percentage: (Revenue − Costs) ÷ Revenue. A $3,000 job with $900 materials has 70% margin. Looks great.
Profit per hour divides that profit by hours worked: ($3,000 − $900) ÷ 45 hours = $46.67/hr. Not so great.
The problem with margin %: It ignores your time. A 70% margin on a job that took twice as long as expected still means you earned half what you thought per hour.
Track both, prioritize profit per hour. Margin % is useful for pricing consistency. Profit per hour tells you which jobs are actually worth doing. If your average is below $70/hr profit (before tax), you're underpricing or working inefficiently.
For sole traders: standalone software is usually simpler. If your job management software handles quotes, invoices, expenses, and GST tracking, you don't need Xero or MYOB. Just export a summary report at tax time for your accountant.
Integration makes sense if: You already use Xero/MYOB for other parts of your business (payroll, supplier invoices, multi-entity accounting), or your accountant requires live Xero access. Integration saves double-entry of invoices and expenses.
Integration is overkill if: You're a sole trader with straightforward income/expenses and no employees. Standalone tradie software is faster to set up and one less subscription to manage.
Trackexa was built by a painter for painters, tested on real painting jobs in Cairns (Walters Painting Services). It handles the specific needs of painting businesses: materials tracking (paint, supplies), profit-per-hour visibility (critical for pricing interior vs exterior vs deck work; see how to price a painting job in Australia), and simple quoting without crew dispatch overkill.
Other good options for painters: ServiceM8 (iOS and Android apps; Android has almost all iOS features, per ServiceM8's help centre), Tradify (good if you're scaling up), Fergus (if you run a larger painting company with crews).
Avoid: Enterprise platforms (Simpro, AroFlo) unless you're a commercial painting contractor with 10+ employees. They're built for complex field service operations, not sole trader painters. Read more about painter software →
Good tradie software handles GST automatically:
What to check during free trials: Create a test quote and invoice. Verify GST is calculated correctly (10%). Check if income dashboards show ex-GST and inc-GST separately. Look for quarterly BAS summary reports.
Note: Trackexa exports a sales and GST collected summary (assumes 10% GST on paid invoices) and does not yet track GST paid on purchases.
Choose software that matches how you lodge BAS.
Cloud-based software is the default in 2026. All modern tradie software (Trackexa, ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus, Jobber) is cloud-based, so your data syncs automatically across devices. Trackexa runs in your phone's browser on iPhone and Android, plus desktop, with nothing to install. The others also offer mobile apps.
Why cloud beats desktop: Work on-site via phone, check jobs from home on your laptop, no manual backups, automatic updates, no software to install. If your phone dies or laptop breaks, your data is safe. Just log in on a new device.
Desktop software is legacy. Some older trade businesses still use desktop-only systems (e.g. older MYOB, QuickBooks Desktop). Unless you have a specific reason (offline job sites with zero mobile coverage), choose cloud software. The mobile access alone is worth it.
Yes, most tradie software offers free trials:
How to test properly: Sign up for 2–3 trials at once. Use them for real jobs during the trial: create actual quotes, log hours, generate invoices, track materials. The software you keep using after day 3 is the one that fits your workflow.
Don't just click around the demo. Set up your ABN, business details, and run it like you would in production. Most tradies know within 2–3 real jobs whether the software clicks or feels clunky.
"Better" depends on your business size and priorities.
Trackexa is better if: You're a sole trader who wants flat AUD pricing ($39/mo including GST, one login), profit-per-hour visibility, and Australian FY tracking without feature overload. Built by a painter, tested on painting jobs.
ServiceM8 is better if: You need dispatch/crew management and don't mind job-volume pricing. Darwin-based Australian company with a large ecosystem. More powerful for multi-crew operations and dispatch.
Tradify/Fergus are better if: You're growing beyond sole trader, need advanced job costing and reporting, and per-user pricing fits your budget. Both are excellent NZ-built platforms with strong AU adoption. Fergus is more feature-rich (and pricier); Tradify is the middle ground.
Honest advice: Try all three (or four) during free trials. Use your real jobs as the test. The "best" software is the one you'll actually open every day. Compare Tradify vs Trackexa · Compare ServiceM8 vs Trackexa · Compare Fergus vs Trackexa
Deep-dive comparisons, profit tracking guides, and trade-specific software recommendations.
If you're a sole trader looking for Australian FY, profit tracking, and simple pricing, Trackexa was built for you. Free 14-day trial, no credit card required.
Try Trackexa Free →$39 AUD/month flat · Australian FY & GST built in · Works on iPhone and Android