Fergus vs Tradify vs Simpro: Which is Best for NZ Tradies?

If you've been researching job management software for your NZ tradie business, you've probably come across Fergus, Tradify, and Simpro. They all do broadly the same thing — manage jobs, quotes, invoices, and timesheets — but they're built for very different business sizes.

This comparison cuts through the marketing to help you choose.

Quick Summary

	Fergus	Tradify	Simpro
Best for	2–20 staff	Sole traders	10+ staff
Starting price	$49/mo + GST	$29/mo + GST	$200+/mo
Mobile app	Excellent	Excellent	Good
Ease of setup	Medium (3–5 hrs)	Easy (1–2 hrs)	Complex (days)
NZ-built	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ (Australia)
Xero integration	✅ Native	✅ Native	✅ Native

Fergus — The NZ Standard for Growing Trades

Fergus was built by a NZ plumber for NZ tradies. It shows. The workflow matches how Kiwi businesses actually operate, and the Xero integration is the best in the market.

Pricing (per user/month, + GST)

• 1 user: $49
• 2 users: $89
• 3 users: $119
• 4 users: $149
• 5+ users: call for pricing

Strengths

Job management: Drag-and-drop job board, status tracking, client notes, photos — all excellent.

Quoting: Build professional quotes with your rate cards. Clients can accept online. Convert to invoice with one tap.

Timesheets: Field staff clock in/out on the app. Office staff see live job status. Payroll export to Xero is seamless.

Purchase orders: Send POs to suppliers directly from Fergus. Costs flow through to job profitability.

Customer portal: Clients can see job status, invoices, and documents. Reduces phone calls significantly.

Reporting: Job profitability reports show actual vs. quoted. Identify where you're making and losing money.

Weaknesses

• Gets expensive with larger teams (per-user pricing adds up)
• Some advanced features (like detailed inventory) are basic
• Not ideal for complex multi-stage project management

Verdict

Best all-round option for NZ trade businesses with 2–15 staff. Worth paying the premium over Tradify if you have employees.

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Tradify — Fast, Simple, Affordable

Tradify is the easiest option to get running. A sole trader can be operational in an afternoon. The focus is on simplicity — quotes, jobs, invoices, done.

Pricing (+ GST)

• 1 user: $29/mo
• 3 users: $59/mo
• 5 users: $89/mo
• 10 users: $149/mo
• Unlimited: $199/mo

Strengths

Speed: The mobile app is genuinely fast. Quote on site, send while you're still with the client.

Learning curve: Minimal. Most tradies are up and running within a day.

Affordability: The cheapest serious option for sole traders and micro-businesses.

Customer scheduling: Basic scheduling board, good for day-to-day job management.

Xero integration: Solid — invoices sync automatically.

Weaknesses

• Less powerful than Fergus for complex businesses
• Purchase orders and inventory are basic
• Reporting could be deeper
• Not ideal for businesses with many field staff

Verdict

Perfect for sole traders or businesses with 2–4 staff who want to get organised without a steep learning curve.

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Simpro — Enterprise Power for Larger Operations

Simpro is the heavy-duty option. If you've outgrown Fergus and need multi-site project management, complex job costing, and detailed WIP reporting, Simpro is worth the investment.

Pricing

Simpro doesn't publish public pricing. Expect: - Small businesses: $200–$400/month - Medium businesses: $400–$800/month - Enterprise: custom

Strengths

Project management: Multi-stage jobs, progress billing, retentions — handles complex construction projects.

WIP tracking: Real-time work-in-progress reporting across all jobs. Critical for larger businesses managing cash flow.

Job costing: Granular tracking of actual costs vs. estimates. Identify profitable and unprofitable work patterns.

Inventory: Built-in stock management for businesses that warehouse materials.

Service + project: Handles both high-volume service work and large project work.

Weaknesses

• Complex to set up (expect 2–4 weeks implementation)
• Expensive (justified for larger businesses, overkill for small ones)
• Steeper learning curve for field staff

Verdict

Right for businesses with 10+ field staff doing complex work. Overkill for anyone smaller.

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My Recommendation

Start here: - Sole trader → Tradify (sign up today, running tomorrow) - Growing business 2–10 staff → Fergus (the NZ standard) - Large operation 10+ → Simpro (plan a proper implementation)

All three offer free trials. Start with the one that fits your size, try it for 2 weeks on real jobs, and see how it feels.

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Also see: Best Job Management Software for NZ Tradies 2026

About NZ Tradie Tools: Honest reviews and free tools for NZ tradies. We earn affiliate commissions if you sign up through our links — at no cost to you.

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