Fergus

Fergus was built by Dan Pollard, a plumber from Auckland who couldn't find software that actually understood how trade businesses make (and lose) money. The result is a platform with unusually granular cost tracking — materials, labour, subcontractors, and margins are visible at the job level, not just at month-end.

The supplier catalogue integration is a genuine differentiator: Fergus integrates with major AU trade suppliers (Reece, Tradelink, Electrical distributors) so you can pull live pricing into quotes and purchase orders without re-keying data.

Strengths: The job cost tracking is excellent. If you regularly lose money on jobs because costs aren't tracked properly, Fergus will fix that. The supplier integrations are unmatched in the category. It also has strong project-style job structures for businesses doing multi-stage work.

Limitations: Slightly steeper learning curve than Tradify or ServiceM8 — the additional depth comes with more setup. Mobile app is functional but not as polished as ServiceM8's iOS experience.

Best for businesses that have been "doing the work but not making the money" — typically plumbing, HVAC, and construction-adjacent trades where margins can easily erode.