Best ServiceM8 Alternatives in Australia (2026): 8 Options Compared

The best ServiceM8 alternatives Australia-wide in 2026 are InvoiceSonic if the part you actually use is the invoicing, and Tradify or Fergus if you also need scheduling and job cards. If you just need one compliant tax invoice today, the free tradie invoice template on this site builds the PDF in your browser with no signup. Stay put if the crew is on iPhones and the free 30-job plan still covers the month, because nothing here matches ServiceM8's scheduling at A$0. We put all eight through one test: what does an Android tradie actually get on site?

Quick comparison

"Web app" means exactly that: we only call something a native app where the tool's own material says so. For all eight, the browser version runs on an Android phone and can be added to the home screen; check any Play Store listing yourself. The one app-store fact we state flatly: ServiceM8's field app is iPhone and iPad only at the time of writing.

How we tested: the Android test. Three questions per tool. What runs on an Android phone on site — a native app, the web app, or nothing? Can you raise and send a compliant tax invoice from that phone before you drive away? And does it replace what you actually open ServiceM8 for, which is usually the schedule?

The worked number: 30 jobs. ServiceM8's free plan covers 30 jobs a month at the time of writing. A sparky doing three jobs a day reaches 30 on the tenth working day, so a full-time trade is off it before mid-month: a trial, not a plan. After that it is AUD $29, $79, $149 or $349 a month including GST, priced per business, not per user — the thing ServiceM8 gets right.

What the switch costs a crew of three. Tradify Pro is AUD $52 per user per month ex GST at the time of writing: $624 a year for one, $1,872 for three, or $2,059.20 with GST. ServiceM8's $79 plan is $948 a year for the whole business. Three people moving across pay roughly 2.2 times more per year.

Who fails the test. Nobody fails the first question outright: all eight run in an Android browser, including our number one, which has an iPhone app but no native Android app. The free PDF generator fails the second — it builds the document, it never sends it. Six of eight fail the third: only Tradify and Fergus schedule work.

1. InvoiceSonic — Best overall

InvoiceSonic does the invoicing half of ServiceM8 properly and does not pretend to the other half. You build a tax invoice in about a minute; on Pro it sends itself on a schedule, tells you the moment the client opens it, and chases the ones nobody pays.

On Android you get the web app. There is an iPhone app but no native Android app, so an Android tradie adds the site to the home screen — worth saying plainly on a page about Android. What you gain is invoicing shaped for a trade job: an online quote the client accepts and converts in one click, a deposit up front, progress claims as separate invoices, and payment by bank transfer or PayID with no InvoiceSonic transaction fee, so a $4,200 fit-off lands as $4,200. ABN field, BSB format and the 10% GST label are built in, part of localised tax support across 19 countries.

Pros

• Quote acceptance, one-click conversion, deposits and progress claims: the trade half of a job-management app without the price.
• Bank transfer and PayID with no InvoiceSonic transaction fee, so nothing is shaved off a $4,200 fit-off.

Cons

• No native Android app. There is an iPhone app; Android users run the web app from the home screen, a step back from a real field app.
• No scheduling, job cards, timesheets or materials tracking, and the free plan caps you at 3 saved invoices, 1 tracked email send and 1 reminder a month.

Price: at the time of writing the free plan is A$0 and the first invoice needs no sign-up and no card; Pro is A$19 a month, or A$168 a year billed annually — A$14 a month, saving A$60. The 7-day free Pro trial requires a card. Best for: solo tradies and small crews who left ServiceM8 for the invoicing, not the roster.

2. Invoice-Generator.com.au — Best free tool

Invoice-Generator.com.au is a free tax invoice generator that builds a finished PDF in your browser: no signup, no watermark, no ads, no invoice limit. It is the right tool the week you cancel ServiceM8 and have not picked a replacement.

On Android it is a web app like everything here, and the PDF is built on the handset, so nothing you type leaves the browser. The tradie invoice template is pre-set with an ABN field, a 10% GST line and a live checklist that flags a missing ABN before you send, and there is a free quote generator for the front of the job. It fails two of the three questions: no sending, no scheduling.

Pros

• Free forever, no signup and no invoice limit, on any Android phone with a browser.
• The compliance checklist catches a missing ABN or GST line before the builder's accounts department does.

Cons

• No sending, tracking or reminders — you email the PDF and chase it yourself.
• No saved customer list, no job history and no payment collection — a regular client is retyped every time.

Price: free, always. Best for: tradies between systems, and anyone sending a handful of invoices a month.

3. Tradify — Best for replacing the schedule as well as the invoice

Tradify is trade job management in the same category as ServiceM8: quotes, scheduling, job cards, timesheets and invoicing in one system, with a 14-day trial and a push through to Xero or MYOB at quarter end. If you still need to know who is where on Thursday, this and Fergus are the only two here.

On Android it is the web app until you confirm otherwise on the Play Store. Price the billing model first: Tradify charges per user, ServiceM8 per business, so a three-person crew pays $1,872 a year ex GST on Tradify Pro against $948 on ServiceM8's $79 plan.

Pros

• Real job management — scheduling, job cards and timesheets — not invoicing with a calendar bolted on.
• A 14-day trial and a clean push to Xero or MYOB, so the bookkeeper re-keys nothing.

Cons

• Per-user pricing, so a third apprentice costs a third subscription where ServiceM8 would not.
• No free plan, and progress invoicing is not on the cheapest tier.

Price: at the time of writing, AUD $48 (Lite), $52 (Pro) or $62 (Plus) per user per month, ex GST. Best for: crews of two or more who open the schedule every day.

4. Fergus — Best for long jobs with materials and supplier bills

Fergus is job management for plumbers, electricians and builders on jobs that last weeks rather than hours. It tracks materials, supplier bills and labour against each job — what the job cost, not just what you billed.

On Android it is the web app, and the honest caveat is that Fergus is more office-centric than ServiceM8: built around someone at a desk running the board, not a phone in a ute. There is no free plan, so no way to run a quiet month on it first.

Pros

• Materials, supplier bills and labour tracked per job, so profitability is visible while the job runs.
• Built for multi-week jobs, where a job-card app designed for callouts falls over.

Cons

• No free plan and no cheap tier, and the design assumes an office rather than a phone.
• Overkill for a sole operator — a job board for a crew of one.

Price: at the time of writing, from AUD $53 (Essentials) or $77 (Professional) per month. Best for: firms with an office and jobs measured in weeks.

5. Square Invoices — Best if clients want to pay by card

Square Invoices gives you unlimited free invoices, estimates and automatic reminders, and the client pays by tapping a link in the email. For a tradie who wants the money before the ute leaves the driveway, it is the fastest option here.

On Android it is the web app, and it clears the first two questions: a proper tax invoice raised and sent from a phone at the job. It fails the third — no scheduling at all. At 2.2% on online card payments a $5,000 job costs $110, and a sparky billing $120,000 a year entirely by card hands over $2,640.

Pros

• Unlimited free invoices with estimates and automatic reminders on the free tier.
• Clients pay by card from the invoice itself, so the money often lands the same day.

Cons

• 2.2% on online card payments is $110 on a $5,000 job and $2,640 on $120,000 of billings.
• No scheduling or job cards, and milestone schedules sit behind Plus.

Price: at the time of writing, free, or Plus at AUD $30 per month; 2.2% on online card payments. Best for: tradies whose customers pay by card and who price the fee into the quote.

6. Zoho Invoice — Best genuinely free option that actually sends

Zoho Invoice is free — Zoho states no cost and no contracts — and unlike a PDF generator it sends the invoice, saves the client and keeps the history. If you are leaving ServiceM8 over the bill rather than the phone, this is the strongest A$0 answer here.

On Android it is the web app, and it clears the first two questions: an Australian tax invoice, sent from the handset. No scheduling, so it fails the third. The trade-off is what surrounds it — a very large product suite and a dense interface.

Pros

• Genuinely free with no contract, and it sends, stores and tracks invoices rather than only building a PDF.
• Invoicing in 19-plus languages.

Cons

• A dense interface and the front door to a large upsell suite you did not ask for.
• No scheduling, no job management, and support is a paid-suite affair.

Price: free at the time of writing. Best for: tradies who want sending, tracking and a client list for nothing.

7. Bookipi — Best cheap phone-first invoicing

Bookipi is a simple invoice app that syncs between web and mobile, and it lists overdue reminders and recurring invoices on every plan including the free one. For a one-van operator who wants the billing automated, it is the cheapest way there.

On Android it is the web app, with the phone-to-desktop sync that is the product's main pitch: an invoice started at the job finishes on the laptop that night. Two catches: the free plan stops at 3 invoices a month, and the paid plans are in US dollars, so US$9.99 a month is US$119.88 a year and a different figure on your statement each month.

Pros

• Recurring invoices and overdue reminders even on the free plan, which most rivals reserve for paid tiers.
• Web and mobile stay in sync, so nothing is retyped when you get home.

Cons

• 3 free invoices a month is far too few for full-time trade work.
• Priced in USD, so your cost moves with the Australian dollar.

Price: at the time of writing, free for 3 invoices a month; Starter US$9.99 per month; Professional US$52 per month. Best for: part-time and single-van tradies on a small budget.

8. Xero — Best if your bookkeeper already runs your books

Xero is accounting software with an invoicing module inside it, not an invoicing app, and that distinction decides whether it belongs on your shortlist. It is the right answer when a bookkeeper already works in Xero and wants invoices, bank feeds, GST and BAS in one system.

On Android it is the web app, and it fails the Android test differently: nothing about it is designed for a phone at a job, because it never was. There is no free plan, so if you left ServiceM8 as a sole trader to save money this is the wrong direction — though Tradify pushes through to Xero, so with staff the two are a pair.

Pros

• Invoicing, bank reconciliation, GST and BAS in one system your accountant already knows.

Cons

• No free plan, no scheduling and nothing built for invoicing from a phone on site.
• Considerably more software than a sole trader leaving ServiceM8 is looking for.

Price: paid plans available — check current pricing. Best for: trade businesses whose books are already run in Xero.

What to look for in a ServiceM8 alternative

People leave ServiceM8 for one of three reasons: the crew is on Android, the free 30 jobs ran out, or they are paying for scheduling they never open. Different problems, different answers — and picking the wrong one is how tradies pay more for less.

• What runs on the phone in your hand. Every tool here works as a web app in an Android browser and can be added to the home screen; none is confirmed on this page as a native Play Store app. If a native app is the deal-breaker, check the listing first.
• Whether your problem is invoicing or scheduling. One person doing three callouts a day has an invoicing problem. Three people across two suburbs have a scheduling problem, and only Tradify and Fergus solve it here. Our round-up of invoicing software for tradies splits the field the same way.
• Per-user or per-business pricing. ServiceM8 charges per business, Tradify per user: $948 a year for the whole crew against $1,872 for three people at the time of writing.
• A proper Australian tax invoice. Where you are registered for GST it must carry the words "Tax invoice", your identity and ABN, the date, a description of the work, the GST amount, and the buyer's identity or ABN for sales of $1,000 or more — the full list of tax invoice requirements is on this site and on the ATO site.
• The payment fee, not just the subscription. A 2.2% card fee is $110 on a $5,000 job. PayID and bank transfer cost nothing and usually clear overnight, so the cheapest subscription is not the cheapest year.
• Quotes, deposits and progress claims. Check the quote converts without retyping, that you can take a deposit up front, and that staged jobs bill in parts, as our guide to invoicing apps for plumbers covers.

Which one should you choose?

Price a full year at the time of writing and the spread is wide: A$0 with the free generator or Zoho Invoice, A$0 on Square's free tier plus 2.2% of card payments, US$119.88 on Bookipi Starter, A$168 on InvoiceSonic Pro billed annually, $348 on ServiceM8's $29 plan, $624 per person ex GST on Tradify Pro, and from $636 on Fergus. None of it buys back the iPhone-only field app.

• If the only part of ServiceM8 you use is the invoicing → InvoiceSonic on Pro, run as a web app on Android.
• If you need one compliant invoice today and nothing else → the free tradie invoice template.
• If you roster a crew and use the schedule daily → Tradify, with the per-user maths done before the trial.
• If your jobs run for weeks and materials matter → Fergus, which wants an office behind it.
• If customers only pay by card → Square Invoices, with the 2.2% written into your quotes.

When not to use InvoiceSonic or a free generator. If you open ServiceM8 to see the day's jobs rather than to send an invoice, an invoicing app is the wrong replacement, whatever any ranking says: InvoiceSonic does no scheduling, job cards, timesheets or materials tracking, and a free PDF generator does not even send. Tradify and Fergus are the two here that take that work over. ServiceM8 is also Australian-built, its paid tiers are per business rather than per user, and its free plan includes scheduling, which nothing else here offers at A$0 — if the crew is on iPhones and 30 jobs a month is enough, staying put is a defensible answer. Once you have staff, a bookkeeper and a quarterly BAS you are in accounting territory: Xero or MYOB, not an invoicing app. Our guide for electricians walks the same decision with licence paperwork added.

Frequently asked questions