CRM & Lead Management

Google Business ProfileTrendingFree

★★★★★4.6 · 2,400

Free and essential for showing up in local search, every trade business should have one. Just know that setting it up is only the start; you need to keep posting updates and responding to reviews for it to actually work.

HubSpot CRMTrendingFree

★★★★★4.5 · 4,200

Generous free plan with real CRM features, but it's built for sales teams sitting at desks, not tradies in the field. You'll find yourself wanting it to do job management things it wasn't designed for.

NiceJob

★★★★★4.9 · 220

Gets the job done for review automation at a fraction of Podium's price, just don't expect the same depth of features.

Birdeye

★★★★★4.7 · 680

Full-featured reputation management that covers reviews, SEO, and social in one place. The price makes it hard to justify unless you're an established business where Google ranking directly drives revenue.

Canva🇦🇺 AUFree

★★★★★4.7 · 12,000

Handy for knocking up quick social posts, flyers, and quotes without a designer. The templates do the heavy lifting, but your stuff will look like everyone else's unless you put in some customisation effort.

ActiveCampaign

★★★★★4.6 · 2,400

Genuinely capable email automation if you're willing to learn it. Most tradies won't use half the features, but the ones who do get a real edge on follow-up and nurturing leads.

FieldPulse

★★★★★4.6 · 90

Modern and well-priced with flat monthly fees, and the Reece partnership is handy for plumbers. Still newer than Fergus or AroFlo though, so expect some rough edges as the platform matures.

Pipedrive

★★★★★4.5 · 3,000

Clean sales pipeline tool if you're actually managing a sales process. Most small trade businesses don't need a standalone CRM though, your job management software already tracks contacts and jobs.

InstagramFree

★★★★★4.5 · 1,600

Free visual portfolio that works well for trades where before-and-after photos sell the work. Takes consistent posting to build a following though, and it won't generate leads on its own without effort.

Sophiie AI🇦🇺 AU

★★★★★4.5 · 15

Purpose-built for the missed-call problem that costs tradies real money. Still early stage, so expect some rough edges, but the maths works if it captures even a couple of extra jobs per month.

GoHighLevel

★★★★★4.4 · 1,900

Replaces four or five separate marketing tools in one subscription, but most tradies need help setting it up, and the SMS costs sneak up on you.

ServiceTitan

★★★★★4.4 · 200

Deep feature set for large field service operations, but the AU launch is still maturing and the price point puts it out of reach for most small trade businesses. One for the 50+ staff companies.

Zoho CRMFree

★★★★★4.3 · 6,800

Packs a lot of features for the price, but the setup is a project in itself. Unless you enjoy configuring software, HubSpot's free plan or your job management tool's built-in CRM is probably easier.

Google AdsFree

Can deliver leads within days of launching, which no other channel matches. But it's easy to burn money fast with bad targeting, get professional help or budget for a learning period.

FacebookFree

Still where most Australians go to ask for tradie recommendations, so you need a presence. The organic reach for business pages is poor though, expect to pay for ads if you want consistent visibility.

PinterestFree

Reaches homeowners at the research stage before they start calling around, which is valuable. Only worth the effort for visually-driven trades like landscaping or bathrooms, most service businesses won't see returns here.

The cheapest way into an AI receptionist we've reviewed, with every price on the page. Quoting and transcripts cost more than the headline $49, and it's too new to have a track record.

The integration list (ServiceM8, Xero) is the best reason to look. With no published price, it's hard to weigh against AI receptionists that show theirs.

A done-for-you bundle of receptionist, missed-call text back and review requests. Handy if you want all three, but $197 a month plus $299 setup is a steep entry next to self-serve rivals.

A focused review tool that does the requests, replies and widgets well enough for one location. It's not a messaging hub like Podium, and you'll need Zapier to trigger requests from your job software.