Tradify for NZ tradies: what it does and how to get started

Tradify is one of the most popular job management apps with New Zealand tradies. It was founded in Auckland in 2013 and is built for trade and service businesses: electricians, plumbers, builders, painters, HVAC and more.

Its big selling point is that it’s simple. Most tradies can be quoting and invoicing from their phone on day one.

What Tradify does

Tradify covers the whole job, from the first phone call to getting paid:

• Enquiries: log new leads so nothing falls through the cracks
• Quotes: build professional quotes from your price list on your phone, and send them for the customer to accept online
• Scheduling: drag jobs onto a calendar and assign them to your team, who see them in the app
• Job tracking: notes, photos, forms and materials, all saved against the job
• Timesheets: staff clock time to jobs, so you know where the hours went
• Invoicing: turn a finished job into an invoice in a couple of taps, including progress invoices for bigger jobs
• Purchase orders and supplier bills: keep track of materials ordered for each job
• Job costing: see which jobs actually made money

It runs on iPhone, Android and the web, so the office and the field see the same information.

Accounting integrations

Tradify connects with Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online. With Xero, the sync goes both ways: invoices go from Tradify to Xero, and payments recorded in Xero show up back in Tradify. That means no double entry and no “has this been paid?” phone calls. New to Xero? See our Xero guide for tradies.

How the pricing works

Tradify charges per user, per month, with a 14-day free trial (no credit card needed when we checked). That makes it good value for a sole trader or small team. If you have a lot of staff, compare the total cost with apps priced differently, such as ServiceM8, which charges by job volume. Check Tradify’s pricing page for current NZ prices.

Who it suits

Good fit if you:

• Are a sole trader or a team of up to about 15
• Want something you and your staff will actually use without much training
• Do a mix of small jobs and larger quoted work

Maybe look elsewhere if you:

• Run large, staged construction projects with complex variations and progress claims (something like NextMinute may suit better)
• Want deep supplier price-file integrations (see Fergus)

Getting set up in your first week

1. Start the free trial and connect Xero (or your accounting software) straight away.
2. Import your customers and price list. If they’re in Xero, Tradify can pull them across.
3. Set up your quote and invoice templates with your logo, bank details and terms. Add your Google review link to the invoice footer while you’re at it (why that matters).
4. Run a few real jobs through it, from quote to invoice, before you roll it out to the team.
5. Add your staff and show them three things: how to see their jobs, log time and add photos.
6. Book the free onboarding session Tradify offers on paid plans if you get stuck.

The bottom line

Tradify is a solid, NZ-made choice for small trade businesses that want to get off paper quickly. Use the free trial on real jobs, and compare it against Fergus and ServiceM8 before you commit.

Readysite isn’t affiliated with Tradify. Features and pricing change, so check Tradify’s website for the latest.