What is the Best Quoting Software for Tradespeople in the UK?
The best quoting software for tradespeople in the UK in 2026 depends on the size of your business and what you need it to do – but for most sole traders and small trades businesses, the answer is a mobile-first app that’s fast to use on site, produces professional output, and doesn’t cost a fortune.
This guide reviews the main options honestly.
What UK Tradespeople Actually Need From Quoting Software
Before comparing tools, it’s worth being clear about what the job is:
Sole traders and small trades teams (1-3 people) need: fast quote creation on mobile, professional documents, customer approval tracking, and conversion to invoices. That’s it. The majority of sole traders don’t need job scheduling, team management, or CRM integration.
Growing trades businesses (4+ people, multiple jobs running simultaneously) may benefit from more comprehensive job management software.
Most quoting software on the market is either too generic (designed for any small business, not specifically trades) or too complex and expensive (designed for larger trades businesses with team management needs).
The Main Options Reviewed
CoreQuote – Best for UK Tradespeople
CoreQuote is a quoting and invoice app built specifically for UK trades businesses.
| Best for | Sole traders, small trades businesses |
| Price | Free for 6 months beta, then from £3.40/month |
| Mobile | Yes – designed for phone use on site |
| Trades-specific | Yes – built for electricians, plumbers, gas engineers, builders etc. |
| Customer approval | Yes – customers approve from their phone |
| Key advantage | UK-built, trades-specific, lowest cost professional option |
Try CoreQuote free at kwowta.com.
Tradify – Best for Growing Trades Teams
Tradify is a comprehensive job management platform used by larger trades businesses.
| Best for | Trades businesses with 4+ people |
| Price | From £35/month per user |
| Mobile | Yes |
| Trades-specific | Yes |
| Key advantage | Full job management, scheduling, time tracking |
| Key limitation | Expensive for sole traders; more features than most sole traders need |
ServiceM8 – Good for Field Service Businesses
ServiceM8 is a strong field service management tool used across multiple trades.
| Best for | Trades businesses needing job dispatching and scheduling |
| Price | From £29/month |
| Mobile | Yes – iOS-first |
| Key limitation | iOS only; more complex than needed for simple quoting |
Billdu and Generic Invoice Tools
Generic tools like Billdu, Invoice Ninja, and Zoho Invoice handle basic quoting and invoicing. They work for the fundamentals but aren’t built around trades workflows – you’re adapting a generic tool rather than using one built for your business. Fine as a stop-gap; not the long-term answer for a trades business.
The Verdict
For a sole trader tradesperson or small trades team in the UK, CoreQuote is the clearest choice: trades-specific, mobile-first, lowest cost, and UK-built. For a business with 5+ people and complex scheduling needs, Tradify or ServiceM8 are worth evaluating.
Free calculator by CoreQuote — the quoting app for trades
Frequently Asked Questions
What quoting software do most UK tradespeople use?
Most UK sole traders still use a combination of WhatsApp, email, and Word/Excel templates – which is why professional quoting is such a competitive advantage. Of the dedicated apps, CoreQuote, Tradify, and ServiceM8 are the most used trade-specific options in the UK.
Is quoting software worth it for a sole trader?
Yes. A sole trader who sends professional quotes consistently wins more jobs, has fewer price disputes, and spends less time on admin. At £3.40/month, the cost of CoreQuote is recovered from a single additional job per year. See kwowta.com for details.
CoreQuote is the UK’s quoting and invoice app built for trades businesses. Try free for 6 months at kwowta.com.
Want to quote faster? CoreQuote is a free quoting app built specifically for UK trades businesses — create professional quotes in seconds, get digital sign-off from customers, and convert to invoices with one tap.
