An honest comparison — including where we're not the right pick. Prices as advertised June 2026; most exclude VAT and change often, so check the vendor before you buy.
Cheapest pure CIS accounting: FreeAgent — free with a NatWest or Mettle business account, and it covers subcontractor CIS. If all you want is the books done, it's hard to argue with free.
Best job-management UX: Tradify — polished scheduling and job tracking, but CIS mostly sits with your accountant via the accounting sync.
Accountant-standard ledgers: QuickBooks (CIS e-filing included) or Xero (CIS add-on ~£5/mo). Proper accounting tools — but no cert tracking, no trade-native job pricing.
The whole CIS-subbie workflow in one place — certs that never lapse, CIS deduction tracking with an audit trail, job pricing on real material quantities, quotes, invoices, expenses, mileage and a live tax estimate: that's the gap Tradeyuk is built for, from £29/month. The closest competitor on that ground is Powered Now (~£28–40/user/mo), which handles CIS well but has no cert wallet.
| Product | Best for | Approx. price | UK CIS | Cert expiry alerts | Trade job pricer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tradeyuk | CIS subbies & small firms wanting everything in one place | £29–99/mo flat | Yes — calc, audit log, accountant export (HMRC Recognised Software application in progress) | Yes — 90/30/7-day alerts | Yes — materials, wastage, margin (Growth plan) |
| Powered Now | UK trades, sole traders & small firms | ~£28–40/user/mo | Yes — calc, DRC, VAT | No | Partial — quoting, not materials-based |
| Tradify | 1–20 person trades, job management | ~£34–44/user/mo | Partial — via accounting sync | No | Partial |
| ServiceM8 | Small trades, scheduling | ~£8–269/mo by volume | No UK CIS | No | Partial |
| QuickBooks | Sole traders → SMEs, accounting | ~£16–115/mo | Yes — free CIS e-filing | No | No |
| Xero | SMEs/contractors, accounting | ~£16–59/mo + £5 CIS add-on | Yes — files CIS300 | No | No |
| FreeAgent | Freelancers & sole traders | ~£19–33/mo · free via NatWest/Mettle | Yes — contractor & subbie | No | No |
Where we'd send you elsewhere, honestly: if you bank with NatWest or Mettle and only want accounts + CIS filed, take free FreeAgent. If you run crews of 10+ with complex scheduling, Tradify or a heavier field-service tool will fit better. And if you need software that files your CIS300 direct to HMRC today, use QuickBooks, Xero or FreeAgent — Tradeyuk's HMRC Recognised Software application is in progress, and until it's approved our CIS data goes to HMRC via your accountant using our one-click export.
Where nothing else competes: no tool above tracks your certs. A lapsed Gas Safe or NICEIC doesn't just risk a fine — it loses you the job. Tradeyuk's Cert Wallet with 90/30/7-day alerts, combined with CIS, pricing and invoicing in one £29 app, is the bundle the others don't offer. Try our free CIS calculator to see the deduction logic in action.
Certs, CIS, pricing, quotes, invoices, expenses, mileage and a live tax estimate — built for UK trades on CIS.
See what Tradeyuk does From £29/month · 14-day free trial · Cancel anytime