Online booking for plumbers, electricians and other trades in the UK
A plumber or an electrician looking for “booking software” can end up with one of three things: a job app that runs the work, a lead site that sells new jobs, or a booking page that books in the people already ringing. Here is what each does, what it costs, and when a trade needs it, with a source for every figure.
By Keep Booked · Published · Prices checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
- To run the work
- A job app: Tradify, ServiceM8, Fergus, Powered Now, YourTradebase or Jobber. Each has a paid plan for one person from £25 (ServiceM8) to £39 a month (Fergus), and ServiceM8 has a free plan for 30 jobs a month.
- To find new work
- A lead site: Checkatrade’s Approved plan is £30 a month on a 12-month contract, MyBuilder charges a fee from £7 when a homeowner shortlists you, and Bark credits are £1.80 each at the standard rate.
- To book in the people already ringing
- A booking page with missed-call text-back. Keep Booked texts the caller straight back with a link to book a quote visit, from £39 a month.
Job app, lead site or booking page
A job app
Runs the work once you have it: quotes, job sheets, scheduling, timesheets and invoices. Several take enquiries or bookings online as well. It doesn’t find you customers.
A lead site
Finds the work: homeowners post jobs or search for a trade, and you pay for the leads or for a listing. The customer is new to you.
A booking page with text-back
Books in the people who already ring you. When you’re up a ladder and miss the call, the caller gets a text with a link to book a visit at a time you’ve set aside. It doesn’t find new customers, and it isn’t a full job app.
Job apps
Prices as each company’s own page gave them on 6 October 2026.
| App | What it is | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tradify | Job management | £34, £37 or £44 per user a month | tradifyhq.com |
| ServiceM8 | Job management | £0 (30 jobs), £25, £59, £119 or £269 a month, ex VAT | servicem8.com |
| Fergus | Job management | From £39 or £45 a month, with 90% off until December as a limited offer | fergus.com |
| Powered Now | Job management | £28 a month for one user, then £32 or £40 per user | powerednow.com |
| YourTradebase | Job management | £29 a month, plus £15 per extra user | yourtradebase.com |
| Jobber | Job management | $49, $139 or $199 a month (about £37, £105 or £151 at $1.32 = £1 on 30 Sep 2026), billed monthly | getjobber.com |
| Keep Booked | A booking page with missed-call text-back, quotes and invoices | Starter £39, Solo £75 or Team £149 a month, with texts included | Our pricing |
What each does for bookings
| App | Online booking | Reminders | Missed calls texted back | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tradify | Online enquiry forms (its enquiries page) | Appointment reminders by email and text | Not on its pages | tradifyhq.com |
| ServiceM8 | Online booking forms: customers get a live quote, pick a time and book (its booking page) | Booking reminders by email and text; texts 5p each | Not on its pages | servicem8.com |
| Fergus | An enquiry form for your website (its help centre) | Text reminders for scheduled visits | Not on its pages | help.fergus.com |
| Powered Now | Online booking through its customer portal | Up to three text reminders per appointment (its help centre) | Yes, with PN Receptionist, a separate product (its page) | powerednow.com |
| YourTradebase | Not on its features page | Not on its features page | Not on its features page | yourtradebase.com |
| Jobber | Request forms for your website and social media | Automated appointment reminders | With its AI Receptionist add-on, which “can even text back callers who hang up”; that page gives US and Canadian numbers only (its page) | getjobber.com |
| Keep Booked | A booking page with your services and quote visits at the times you choose | A confirmation and a reminder the day before, by text | Yes: a text straight back with your booking link | Our pricing |
Lead sites
| Site | What it is | How you pay | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkatrade | Trade directory with reviews | Free profile. Approved: £30 a month. Growth: from £59 a month. 12-month contracts | join.checkatrade.com |
| MyBuilder | Jobs posted by homeowners | No subscription. A fee when a homeowner shortlists you, from £7 | support.mybuilder.com |
| Bark | Leads marketplace | Credits, £1.80 each at the standard rate, less in bigger packs | help.bark.com |
| Rated People | Trade leads site, now part of Checkatrade Group | Its memberships have ended; jobs posted on it now go to Checkatrade members | ratedpeople.com |
You pay for a lead, or for the month, whether or not you win the job.
Which one a trade needs
- Too little work: a lead site, or a free listing, finds you new customers. Booking software won’t.
- Enough calls, but you miss them on the job: a booking page with text-back books them in while you work.
- A team and a lot of paperwork: a job app runs the jobs, timesheets and invoices, and can sit beside either.
Where Keep Booked fits
Keep Booked is for a trade whose customers ring it. When you can’t answer, the caller gets a text straight back with your booking link and books a quote visit at the times you choose. On Solo and Team you send quotes from your phone, which follow themselves up, and invoices; voicemails arrive written down.
It isn’t a lead site, so it won’t send you new jobs, and it charges no lead fees or commission. It doesn’t do timesheets or stock, and it doesn’t take card payments.
Questions
Do I need a job app to take online bookings?
No. Several job apps take bookings or enquiries online, but a booking page does that on its own. A job app earns its price when you also want job sheets, timesheets and invoicing in one place.
Can customers book a quote visit, not just a job?
With Keep Booked, yes: quote visits have their own times, separate from your working hours, like Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings, and each kind of visit has its own length.
Will a lead site fill my diary?
It sends you jobs you wouldn’t have heard about, and you pay for each one or by the month, whether or not you win the work. A booking page sends you nothing new: it books in the people who already ring or message you.
What does Keep Booked cost a trade?
Starter £39, Solo £75 or Team £149 a month, month to month, with no lead fees and no commission. Quotes, invoices and voicemail are on Solo and Team, from £75 a month.
How we checked
We read every price on 6 October 2026 on the company’s own website, except any marked third-party: that company doesn’t publish the figure, so we’ve linked the site we took it from. Where a company doesn’t publish a price, the table says so and links the page we checked. Prices are given as each page gives them; where a page says a price is plus VAT or ex VAT, so do we. Jobber publishes in US dollars, which we give with a rough conversion at $1.32 to £1, the rate on 30 September 2026. The job-app and lead-site prices are the same rows as in our comparison of booking and missed-call costs.
Prices change, so check the company’s own page before you buy. Seen a figure that’s wrong or out of date? Email shane@keepbooked.co.uk or talk to us, and we’ll correct it.
Two minutes, no sign-up
Try it on your business
Ring Demo Plumbing from the phone on the page, get the text, and book a free quote visit. Nothing is texted to you.