Top 5 Useful Tradie Apps

Gone are the days when tradies rely solely on the instruments in their toolbox to get the job done. As the world continues to digitalise, modern tradies also learn to utilise software apps to simplify once complicated tasks while providing fast and high-quality service to their clients.

If you’re a tradie or DIYer who’s constantly looking for ways to become more efficient and productive in your tasks, these apps are for you:

1. Tradify, for efficient job management

Price: $43.64 per month AUD

We don’t want to stereotype tradies but let’s be honest about one thing: You are not really known for being organised, especially around paperwork and files.

Thanks to Tradify, you can easily manage quotes, job orders, and invoices. This job management software provides a cloud-based construction and field service solution to tradies in the construction, electrical, energy, plumbing, landscaping, and home cleaning industries. Security specialists, locksmiths, movers, and various other tradespeople can also benefit from the app.

The primary features of the app include:

• Online job management. Tradify covers all aspects of your trade business workflow—from quoting, time and material tracking to invoicing.
• Smart scheduling. This component ensures that your services are delivered on time, especially when job calls are coming in left and right.
• Quoting. The app uses custom templates and imported supplier price lists to quickly generate accurate quotes for new jobs and new customers.
• Materials tracking and invoicing. You can log time and materials with ease, as well as collate timesheets and receipts, helping you get paid on time.
• Real-time project updates. With its real-time job status tracking, the app can help you organise jobs by priority, schedule and dispatch people, as well as view workload overviews
• Accounting system integration. The app can be integrated into cloud-based accounting software, like Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks.

The app also provides a friendly user interface and runs on all computers and mobile devices. For customer support, you can reach them via phone, email, and live chat. You can also check out their FAQs page and video tutorials for assistance.

Unfortunately, Tradify is not a free-to-use app

It is available for purchase on a per user per month basis. There is, however, a free trial for those who want to explore the app first before finally deciding to make a purchase.

2. iHandy Carpenter, for measuring

Price: $2.99 on the App Store

Tradies like you always bring measuring instruments in your toolkit, but what if you left your toolkit in the car...and you've locked your keys in your car and you don't have time to wait for a locksmith? A rare scenario, really, but one that cannot be ruled out nonetheless. Heh.

The point is that a toolkit that contains various measuring instruments is not as handy as a smartphone that you can install with various carpentry apps.

iHandy Carpenter is a simple app made especially for builders and contractors provides five useful carpenter tools right on your phone:

• Bubble Level Bar for checking if surfaces are level
• Plumb Bob to measure the verticality of lines or walls
• Protractor that measures angles from 0 to 180 degrees
• Ruler, which is available in both inches and centimetres (By swiping it left and right, the ruler is capable of measuring things much longer than your phone.)
• Inclinometer/Clinometer that works when the plumb bob, surface level and level bar are calibrated

All of the tools work with gesture-based interactions. If you need to use the ruler, for instance, just sweep your mobile device across a surface from left and right to measure the length.

3. Houzz, for home improvements

Price: Free

Need more than just measuring instruments from an app? Use Houzz, a free app for home building, renovation and decorating. It connects you with over 2.5 million active home improvement professionals, such as general contractors, architects, interior decorators, repair professionals, and landscapers.

Aside from getting inspiration from other users, you can also shop directly on the app, get quotes, check verified product reviews, and get updates on featured sales.

You can also use it to promote your business, reach out to homeowners who are looking for design plans and quotes, and add more jobs to your roster. What a convenient way for marketing, right?

With Houzz, you can:

• Browse and save more than 20 million high-resolution photos of home interiors and exteriors. You can also specify your searches by location, style, or a specific area like the bedroom or kitchen.
• Shop more than 10 million products and materials—from lighting, furniture, vanities, tile, and many more.
• Share your own home design photos with other home professionals, as well as your friends and family on the app
• Discuss home design and renovation ideas and get feedback from the community

Some of the interesting features of Houzz include:

• Sketch, to annotate and draw directly on photos.
• Visual Match, a visual recognition technology, to check and shop products and materials directly from photos
• View in My Room 3D, which lets you use your phone camera to check 1 million 3D products and how they would look in your space
• Houzz Newsletter, a biweekly digital publication that discusses engaging and informative articles in home building and improvement from design experts
• Houzz TV, which supplies original videos of inspiring homes and how-tos

Because of the many useful features of the app, it has earned many recognitions from various publications. The New York Times ranked it number on its list of “best apps for home improvement”. The Washington Post called it the “single best source" for finding home design inspiration. CNN also named it the “Wikipedia of interior and exterior design.”

4. Xero, for accounting

Price: Free

Why would tradies need cloud-based accounting software? To manage your payments and invoices, of course!

This Oceania-born app is now used by more than 700,000 subscribers across the globe. It provides convenient accounting solutions for businesses in various sectors, including the trade business.

Why do you need Xero?

• All-in-one accounting and payroll. If you’re a master craftsman with several journeymen and apprentices and you’re in charge of their wages, you can keep things simple with an app that simplifies accounting and payroll into one.
• Automatic bank feeds. You can track the exact location of all your ingoing and outgoing payments.
• Detailed expense report. Simply scan receipts with your phone camera and track the time spent on the road.
• Quick invoicing. You can produce invoices quickly after a job has been completed. You can also schedule automated reminders. No outstanding payments will be forgotten.

Since Xero is cloud-based, your data is stored in a centralised platform. This will give you clear visibility of your company’s finances and help you tackle cash flow issues early. Additionally, it can be integrated with more than 500 powerful software apps (one being Tradify) for better productivity.

5. Hipages, for job requests

Price: Free

To get more job calls, you need to promote your services; Hipages can help you with that.

Said to be the number one job board for trades businesses in the home improvement industry, Hipages gives you updated job listings that suit your expertise, including any job requests in your local area. It also lets you advertise your business and contact customers.

Popular tradie categories on the app include:

• Builders
• Plumbers
• Electricians
• Painters
• Fencers
• House cleaners
• Handyman
• Pest controllers and fumigators
• Air conditioning and heating technicians
• Landscapers, gardeners, and lawnmower operators
• Security screen and door installers
• Pool maintenance crews

People who look for tradies on the app can:

• Describe their job call with a photo. This makes it easier for you to spot clients that need your services.
• Get up to 3 quotes. You can instantly send your quotes for the job. This will be compared with two other tradies.
• Hire only professionals. You won’t have to compete with scammers because all tradies on the site are verified with registration checks. To compare your qualifications with fellow tradesfolk, you can read their ratings and customer recommendations.
• Pay securely through the app. Paying for your services will be fast and secure, with a clear record of payment. There are also no transaction fees.

These are just five of the many digital tools that modern tradies use to become more efficient and productive. No matter which trade business you’re in, remember that using the right tools can make a great difference in your job as it pays back tenfold in time, money and effort.

Need more equipment for your trade? We can help! Positive Lending Solutions helps modern tradies get access to Equipment Loan fast. Fill out the Loan Pre-Approval now or call 1300 722 210 to get started.

See also:

Top 5 Tradie Hacks You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of

How to Buy a Car Under Your Business Name

Utes with the Most Towing Capacity