We're biased, not hiding it. We make Yamate, and it's on this list. We've said where the others beat us, and every price here links to the vendor's own page.
How we picked
Prices were read at each vendor's own Australian pricing page, checked September 2026, and are linked to it. ServiceM8 publishes GST-inclusive and Tradify publishes ex GST, so add 10% to the Tradify figures for a like-for-like comparison. Fergus and AroFlo do not say either way.
Workflows were then walked against one job — a hot water unit swap, quoted on site — counting the decisions between arriving and pressing send. Descriptions come from each vendor's own published material and documentation; the Yamate description is from the app itself, which is a difference worth knowing when you read it.
Why these six. They are the products an Australian trade business would realistically shortlist. We have not padded the list with small or emerging apps — a longer list is easier to write and harder to choose from. Jobber is excluded as North-America-first and not consistently present in Australian results here.
The test: one job, quoted six ways
What matters is the number of decisions between arriving and pressing send.
| Product | The on-site path | Where it slows down |
|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | The on-site pathJob already on the phone from the booking → add items from your saved list → photos attached → quote emailed or texted before you leave | Where it slows downAlmost nowhere, if the job was booked in first. Quoting a cold walk-up means creating the job as you go |
| Tradify | The on-site pathNew quote → customer → line items from your price list → send | Where it slows downNothing significant on the phone; the depth is there if you want kits and templates, which takes setup time up front |
| Fergus | The on-site pathNew quote → sections and line items → send, with the job's estimated margin visible as you build it | Where it slows downMore structure to fill in than the lighter tools — which is the point, but it is more taps |
| simPRO | The on-site pathFull estimating with catalogues, labour rates and assemblies | Where it slows downGenuinely powerful and genuinely not a two-minute driveway quote. Built for estimating projects, not pricing a tap |
| AroFlo | The on-site pathQuote from the field with templates and catalogue pricing | Where it slows downCapable, but configured rather than picked up — the setup is a project |
| Yamate OURS | The on-site pathNew job → say or type what you're doing → saved rates fill the lines → GST and deposit applied → send | Where it slows downNo supplier price-book import. You get a priced starter list for your trade and take-off calculators instead, so the gap shows when you price from a wholesaler catalogue |
Workflows summarised from each vendor's own published material and documentation, read 17 August 2026, and from the Yamate app itself.
Then we stopped reading brochures and quoted it ourselves
In September 2026 we set up the same business in ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus, Xero and Yamate and quoted the same real switchboard and fan job for a NSW sparky in each, then sent it, watched it land as the customer, and turned it into an invoice. simPRO and AroFlo were not in that walk, so the rows above are all we claim for them. What we found, measured 22 to 24 September 2026,
- The best quote your customer sees on a phone was Xero's. Credit where due, a clean page with the total and an Accept button pinned at the top. The trap sits one step later, a Xero draft invoice can be approved with no due date at all if payment terms were never configured.
- Fergus was the only competitor showing your margin while you build the quote, and it keeps a running tally of what is quoted, billed and paid, the right shape for billing a big job in stages.
- Tradify was the simplest of the competitors to use, and its settings run A to Z, so the three quoting settings you want sit in three different places.
- ServiceM8 quoted fine once the booking existed, the work sits in getting the job and your price list in first.
- Yamate put the licence number on the quote by itself, set once in Settings, printed on every document after that, and it warned when a deposit ask went over the state cap instead of letting it through quietly. That warning never blocks the send, it is your call.
One tester, who works for Yamate, limits disclosed in full on the scorecard, where the usability scores for all five live.
What price you actually pay
Nobody sells quoting separately — you buy the platform. Same figures as the full comparison.
| Product | Published price, as at September 2026 | Charged by |
|---|---|---|
| ServiceM8 | Published priceFree $0 (30 jobs, 1 user) · $29 · $79 · $149 · $349/month, incl GST, as at September 2026. Source | Charged byMonthly job volume |
| Tradify | Published priceA$48 · A$52 · A$62 per user/month, ex GST, as at September 2026. 14-day trial. Source | Charged byPer user |
| Fergus | Published priceFrom $53/month and from $77/month, as at September 2026. Source | Charged byPage does not state whether the base is per user |
| simPRO | Published priceNo price published — quote-based. Source | Charged byQuoted |
| AroFlo | Published priceStarting price $80 per user a month, minimum three users, as at September 2026. Source | Charged byPer user, three users minimum |
| Yamate OURS | Published price$19/month Founder plan before 30 November 2026, then $29/month; 3 people included. Company plan $59/month for 8, $15/month per person after. Details | Charged byPer business |
Prices as at September 2026, read at each vendor's own Australian pricing page and linked to it. simPRO's page was not reachable to us on the day, so it carries no price here. Fergus's page does not state whether "from $53 per month" is per user or per account, or whether it includes GST, and we have not guessed. Currency AUD, all figures as at September 2026.
Who each one suits
1 · ServiceM8 — best for quoting inside a dispatched job
Best when quoting is part of a dispatched job rather than a separate task — the enquiry becomes a job, the job goes to a phone, the quote comes out of it. The free tier makes it easy to test on real work.
Skip it if most of your quoting is cold walk-ups. You create the job as you go, which is the slower path in this product.
2 · Tradify — best for quoting often, once it is set up
The most balanced quoting in the group for a small trade business — quick on the phone, with enough depth (templates, kits, price lists) to be fast on repeat work once set up.
Skip it if you quote occasionally, or you are on your own. The templates and kits only pay back on repeat work, and you pay per user, A$48–62 a month ex GST as at September 2026.
3 · Fergus — best for pricing with the margin in view
Quoting with the margin visible while you build it, which changes how you price rather than how fast you send. That is a genuinely different proposition from the others.
Skip it if you want the shortest path to send. There is more structure to fill in than the lighter tools — that is the point, and it is more taps.
4 · simPRO and AroFlo — best for estimating from price books
These are estimating platforms rather than quoting apps — catalogues, assemblies, labour rates, multi-stage projects. If you tender rather than quote, that is exactly what you need.
Skip them if your quotes are one page and priced from experience. AroFlo starts at $80 per user a month with at least three users, as at September 2026, and simPRO's pricing page was not reachable to us, so budget for a sales call there.
5 · Yamate — best for the driveway quote with the follow-up handled OURS
We build this. Yamate's quoting is built for one situation: standing in front of the job with a customer waiting. Saved rates fill the lines, GST and the deposit are applied without arithmetic, an accepted quote becomes the invoice without retyping, and unanswered quotes surface with the follow-up drafted.
Two things in it that none of the four apps we ran beside it had in September 2026: it starts you with a priced list for your trade rather than an empty one, and its take-off calculators turn measurements into quantities — decking boards from a deck size, paint litres from an area, bricks from a wall — with the assumptions stated and never a price invented. Both are measured on the scorecard.
Skip it if you price from a supplier catalogue. No supplier price-book import, no assemblies, no tender documents — if that is your work, the two platforms above are the honest answer. Big jobs can still be billed in stages once won; what Yamate does not do is estimate them from a catalogue.
The five things a quoting app has to get right
- Saved rates and reusable lines. If you retype supply and install double GPO every time, you'll quote less often and less carefully. This is the biggest time saver in the category.
- It works with poor signal. Half the places you quote have one bar. An app that stalls means the quote happens tonight instead — and tonight's quote is the one that never gets sent.
- It handles GST and a deposit without maths. Getting the deposit line wrong in front of a customer is a bad look, and doing the GST in your head is how a job loses ten per cent.
- Accepted quote becomes the invoice. Retyping the accepted quote into an invoice is the most pointless ten minutes in this trade, and it is where billing errors start.
- It tells you which quotes went quiet. Most quotes aren't lost, they're forgotten, by the customer and then by you. A list of unanswered quotes beats any template library. The wording is in quote follow-up SMS templates.
The verdict, restated
Quote as part of a job you were already dispatched to — ServiceM8. Quote all day and want the setup to pay you back — Tradify. Want to see the margin before you send the price — Fergus. Tender from catalogues and price books — simPRO or AroFlo. Price from experience in a driveway and want the chase handled — Yamate, and we would say that, which is why every figure above links to the vendor's own page.
Free first, if you're not ready to pay
Each of these builds a priced, GST-aware quote in the browser and gives you the text to send — no subscription, no sign-up:
They are the fastest way to see whether a structured quote changes your win rate.
Quote a job in Yamate — try the demo, no sign-up →Yamate is $19/mo on the Founder plan if you sign up before 30 November 2026, locked in — $29/mo after that, and both include up to 3 people. Got a crew? The Company plan is $59/mo for eight people, then $15/mo each. No lock-in, cancel anytime. Prices in AUD.
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FAQ
What is the best quoting app for tradies in Australia?
For quoting on site as part of a dispatched job, ServiceM8. For an all-round quoting workflow with depth, Tradify. For seeing margin as you quote, Fergus. For estimating projects from catalogues, simPRO or AroFlo. For a fast solo or small-crew quote with the follow-up handled, Yamate.
Can I quote without a subscription?
Yes. The eight trade quote templates on this site build a priced, GST-aware quote in the browser and give you the text to send, with no sign-up. They are a real answer, not a teaser.
Do quoting apps work without signal?
It varies by product, so check each vendor's current documentation. Yamate works with no signal for building the quote; sending it needs a connection, because it has to reach the customer's phone.
How fast should a quote go out?
Same day, ideally before you leave the driveway. The first clear quote wins a disproportionate share of jobs, because at that moment it is compared with nothing.
Does the app matter more than the quote itself?
No. A clear scope, stated exclusions, a real expiry date and a deposit line win work regardless of what produced them — see how to quote a job. The app's job is to make doing that fast enough that you do it every time.
What about following up?
Two short messages over a fortnight recovers real work — the timing and the wording are in quote follow-up SMS templates.
Related
General information for Australian businesses. Yamate makes one of the products compared here and says so wherever it appears. Competitor prices were checked September 2026 and workflows read on 17 August 2026, each at the vendor's own material and linked to source; they change without notice. Nothing here is financial or purchasing advice — trial your shortlist with a real job before deciding.