Most CRM software is built with a sales team sat at a desk in mind, not someone stood in a client's kitchen trying to write up a quote before the next job. Tradespeople need something different, and a fair few generic CRMs simply don't fit the way trade work actually happens.
This is written for plumbers, electricians, builders and similar trades running their own book of work, not the large facilities-management outfits with a fleet of vans and a dispatch team.
What a trade business actually needs from a CRM
The basics are quoting on site or shortly after, converting an accepted quote straight into a job, and invoicing once it's done, ideally without retyping anything. After that, being able to attach a photo of the finished work or a snag matters more than most standard CRM features ever will.
It's also worth knowing your VAT position before you pick anything. Plenty of smaller trade businesses sit below the VAT registration threshold, and the software you choose shouldn't force VAT handling on you if you don't need it, or make it painful to switch on later once you register.
Tradify
Tradify is built specifically around trade work: quoting, scheduling jobs against a calendar, and invoicing from a phone between visits. It's widely used across UK trades and does the fundamentals well without much of a learning curve.
It's a job management tool first, so if you want deeper customer relationship features, like tracking leads before they become jobs, it's thinner than a proper CRM would be.
Commusoft
Commusoft is a London-built platform aimed at trades with a bit more scale, several engineers, recurring maintenance contracts, that sort of thing. It handles scheduling, invoicing and customer history in more depth than most trade-specific tools.
That depth comes with more setup and a higher price than the simpler tools on this list. For a one or two-person operation, it's likely more than you need right now.
Simpro
Simpro is built for larger trade businesses managing multiple teams and complex jobs, think mechanical and electrical contractors with real project management needs, not a sole trader. Worth knowing it exists for when you eventually grow into it, but not the starting point for a small operation.
Generic CRMs like HubSpot or Pipedrive
These can technically hold your customer list and deal stages, but they weren't built for job-based, on-the-tools work. There's usually no proper way to convert a quote into a scheduled job, and mobile use in the van tends to feel like an afterthought rather than the main event.
If most of your work comes from repeat customers and referrals rather than a sales pipeline, prioritise how quickly you can quote and invoice on site over anything else on the feature list.
WeekOne
WeekOne isn't a trade-specific job management tool, and it doesn't pretend to be one, there's no van tracking or engineer scheduling calendar. What it does cover well is the office side: customer records, quotations that convert straight into invoices, and VAT handled properly if you're registered.
It suits a trade business that wants its quoting, invoicing and customer records in one place without paying for scheduling features built for a bigger operation than you currently run.
Which one to actually pick
If you're mostly on the tools and need to quote and invoice fast between jobs, start with Tradify. If you're running a small team with recurring contracts, look at Commusoft. If you're a smaller operation more focused on getting quotes out and invoices paid than managing a diary of engineers, that's where a simpler business platform tends to fit better.