Choose your certificate tool first, job management second. Certificates are the part an electrician can't afford to get wrong, so find one your scheme accepts and that's current for Amendment 4. After that, you need one app to run the work, one for the books and one way of answering the customer.
We don't sell certificate, job management or accounting apps, so those picks carry no stake. We do sell lead and call-answering systems, flagged where it matters. I haven't tried any of these on a live job. The picks are my judgement from prices and features published on 6 November 2026.
My picks
- Certificates on a budget: iCertifi, or your scheme's own system.
- One to three people wanting jobs and certificates together: Powered Now.
- Tight budget: ServiceM8's free plan, if 30 jobs a month is enough, plus a separate certificate app.
- A small team tracking time and materials: Fergus or Tradify.
- Solar, battery and EV installers with real volume: Payaca. Expensive, and built for that work.
- Accounts: FreeAgent when it's free with your bank. If not, Xero or QuickBooks.
Certificates: ask about Amendment 4 first
Training providers report that Amendment 4 became the only recognised version of BS 7671 on 15 October 2026. So put one question to every vendor: are your EIC, Minor Works and EICR forms updated for A4:2026?
I couldn't confirm what changed in the model forms, so ask your scheme. Ask too how a notifiable job travels from the app to the scheme, because a tidy PDF doesn't mean building control has been told.
| Tool | Price | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Your scheme's system | NICEIC lists online certificates at £1.60 plus VAT per installation | Tied to your scheme. Ask how notification works. |
| iCertifi | £59.99 for 3 months, £89.99 for 6, £125.99 for 12, including VAT | Unlimited certificates, no per-certificate fee. App Store prices. The page doesn't mention Amendment 4. |
| iCertifi PAT Test Pro | £120.99 | Separate app for PAT records |
| Powered Now | Professional plan, £320 a year per user excluding VAT | Certificates on Professional and up. Its pricing page marks "A4:2026 electrical certificates & EICR" as new, but check which plan includes it. |
I didn't check every certificate app, so this is a shortlist and not the whole market.
Some quick arithmetic: £1.60 plus VAT is £1.92, so about 66 certificates match iCertifi's £125.99 a year. They aren't like for like, though, and scheme fit counts for more.
Running the jobs
These handle quotes, diaries, jobs and invoices. Prices may exclude VAT.
| App | UK price | Trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | Free for 1 user and 30 jobs a month. Then £25, £59, £119 or £269 a month by volume, unlimited users. | 14 days | Sole traders and small teams who text a lot |
| Powered Now | £280, £320 or £400 a year per user. Its pages show different monthly prices, so check. | 14 days, no card | Small UK trades wanting certificates in the app |
| YourTradebase | £29 a month on an undated page, admin users £5, field staff free | 30 days, no card | Small teams with subcontractors. The page doesn't cover electrical certificates. |
| Fergus | From £39 or £45 a month. User numbers not stated. | 14 days, no card | Tracking time and materials by job |
| Tradify | Its own UK pricing wasn't read. A third party reports £34 to £44 per user a month. | Not confirmed | Quotes, jobs and invoices. Its SmartTools page doesn't mention certificates. |
| Jobber | US dollars. Core starts at $49 a month. | 14 days on Grow, no card | Those who like its customer tools. Confirm UK pricing. |
| Joblogic | £45 a month per user billed annually, according to Whito | Not confirmed | Service and maintenance teams, in my view. Check directly. |
| Commusoft | Not published. Per licence, 12-month contract, minimum 4 licences, paid onboarding. | Not mentioned | Established teams |
| Simpro | Not published | Not mentioned | Larger contractors, in my view |
| Payaca | From £299 a month for new install firms, or £1,199 a month standard, plus £1,500 onboarding | Not mentioned | Solar, heat pump, battery and EV charging installers |
Matching an app to your work
- Mostly domestic, 30 jobs a month or fewer: start on free ServiceM8 and add a certificate app.
- One app for the lot: trial Powered Now.
- Heavy on EICRs: see if it stores a next inspection date and reminds you. If not, keep a spreadsheet, because that date is your repeat work.
- Using subcontractors: find out how they're charged. YourTradebase lists field team and subcontractors as free.
- A growing team: compare per-user cost. ServiceM8 charges by jobs.
Before signing up, ask if your customer list and certificates can come out with you. NICEIC expects records kept for at least six years, so this matters more for you than for most trades. And check it talks to your accounts software.
The books
Sole traders and landlords above the Making Tax Digital thresholds need compatible software: £50,000 now, £30,000 from April 2027, £20,000 from April 2028.
| App | UK price before VAT | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| FreeAgent | £19 sole trader, £33 limited company, a month | Free with a NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank business account, or an active Mettle account |
| Xero | £18, £39, £55 or £70 a month | The £18 plan lists 20 invoices. CIS calculations included, and contractor CIS returns are a £5 a month add-on. |
| QuickBooks | Current prices not read | Offers vary. Taking the 90% off gives up the 30-day trial. Its page says all plans are ready for Making Tax Digital. |
| Sage | Current prices not confirmed | Check its site directly |
Start with your bank, since free is hard to beat. If you sub to builders, think about CIS suffered on your income. If you pay other trades, include Xero's add-on in the cost. Past 20 invoices a month, Xero's cheapest plan won't last.
Answering the customer
Job apps tend to start once a customer exists. Few help when someone rings during a board change.
| App | Answers calls with AI? | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Powered Now | Yes, add-on | £29 or £39 a month |
| ServiceM8 | Yes, on the Phone plan | Included in the £119 plan |
| Tradify | No sign of it | SmartTools read invoices and help with writing |
| Commusoft | Not confirmed | Not on the page we read |
| Jobber | Yes, UK sale unconfirmed | $29 a month, 30 conversations |
If your job app already has a receptionist, that may be the easy route. Any of them needs safety wording set and tested. There's more in what can go wrong and is an AI receptionist worth it?
Where we fit
We're not a job management app. Certificates and job costing aren't ours, so keep those apps.
Our part comes before the job: being found, answering calls and messages, following up quotes and asking for reviews. Trouble after the booking? Buy one of the apps above. Trouble winning and keeping customers? Talk to us.
The free tools are worth a mention too. A Google Business Profile, WhatsApp Business and a shared calendar cost nothing and go a long way.
Questions electricians ask
Which app should a self-employed electrician start with?
On your own and under 30 jobs a month, free ServiceM8 plus a certificate app. For everything in one place, Powered Now. Trial either on real jobs before paying.
Which app is best for EICRs?
I can't name a winner without testing them. Ask each about Amendment 4, scheme acceptance, observation codes and next inspection reminders.
Do I need job management software on day one?
No. A notebook, a calendar and a certificate app will carry you for a while. Once quotes or inspection dates start slipping, an app costs less than one forgotten job.
Must my certificates come from my scheme?
Ask your scheme. Rules can differ, and it affects how notifiable work is reported.
Which accounts app suits Making Tax Digital?
Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent are the usual names, but check your plan. I didn't reread HMRC's software finder for this guide, so look there before buying.
David Bell, founder of Real Business Systems
David helps small UK businesses get found, answer every enquiry and keep customers coming back. We sell some of the services mentioned here, and we say so where they come up.
Sources
- iCertifi, pricing (App Store prices, include VAT)
- NICEIC, Domestic Installer scheme
- Virtual College, Amendment 4 (training vendor)
- Powered Now, pricing and electricians
- ServiceM8, UK pricing and Phone Unlimited summary
- YourTradebase, quotes (undated)
- Fergus, UK pricing
- Kael Tripton, Tradify UK pricing (third party) and Tradify, SmartTools
- Jobber, pricing and Receptionist
- Whito, job software costs (third party)
- Commusoft, pricing
- Simpro, pricing
- Payaca, UK pricing
- FreeAgent, pricing
- Xero, UK pricing
- QuickBooks, sole traders
- GOV.UK, Making Tax Digital dates (26 March 2026)
Prices and rules change. Check the source before you rely on a figure. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.