Custom software vs off-the-shelf job management software: which should an Australian trades business buy?
By ALEA
Most trades businesses hit this question when the spreadsheets stop coping. The honest answer is that off-the-shelf wins for most crews, and custom wins for a specific few. This guide shows you which one you are.
Who should buy off-the-shelf job management software?
Most trades businesses should start with off-the-shelf job management software. Tools like ServiceM8, Tradify, AroFlo and simPRO handle quoting, scheduling, invoicing and payment chasing well. If your jobs follow a standard pattern, buy one of these first. Expect roughly A$30 to A$150 per user each month.
Off-the-shelf fits you if:
- Your jobs follow one flow: enquiry, quote, book, do the work, invoice, chase payment.
- Your admin pain is "we forget to invoice", not "our process is unusual".
- You want to be running this week, not in two months.
- You have no one keen to own a software project.
These tools exist because most trades work the same way. That is not an insult. It is why they are cheap.
Who ends up needing custom software?
You need custom software when your way of working is the edge. Signs: staff run the business from spreadsheets around the tool, you pay for three or four systems that do not talk, or the software forces you to work its way. Custom fits the tool to the business.
Watch for these signs:
- You pay for two or more systems, then glue them together with spreadsheets.
- Your pricing or scheduling method wins you work, and generic tools flatten it.
- Staff keep shadow spreadsheets because the tool cannot hold what matters.
- You changed how you quote or schedule to suit the software, and it costs you jobs.
- Compliance rules in your trade (test intervals, inductions, permits) need tracking the tool cannot do.
Example: a Perth service contractor whose maintenance contracts run on compliance dates, not one-off jobs. Generic tools treat every job as new. A custom system can schedule from the contract itself.
What does each actually cost over three years?
Off-the-shelf for a five-person crew runs about A$5,400 to A$27,000 over three years. ALEA's custom build is A$0 up front, then from A$2,500 a month from go-live, which is A$90,000 over three years. Custom costs more in cash. It only makes sense when it replaces wages or several systems.
Assumptions: five users across office and field. Prices are a guide only. Check whether any quote includes GST.
| Option | Up front | Ongoing | Three-year total (5 users) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry off-the-shelf (Tradify, ServiceM8 tiers) | Usually A$0 | Roughly A$30 to A$55 per user per month | Roughly A$5,400 to A$9,900 |
| Full-featured off-the-shelf (AroFlo, simPRO) | Setup and training fees can apply | Roughly A$60 to A$150 per user per month | Roughly A$11,000 to A$27,000 plus fees |
| ALEA custom, subscription | A$0, free working demo first | From A$2,500 a month from go-live, 12-month minimum | A$90,000, flat price, not per user |
| ALEA custom, pay once | Single payment, quoted after the free demo | Hosting and support as agreed | Quoted per build |
Notes on the maths:
- Off-the-shelf grows with headcount. Ten users can double the bill. Custom stays flat.
- The honest comparison for custom is wages. A full-time office admin costs roughly A$50,000 to A$60,000 a year plus super under the Clerks Award.
- If custom removes most of an admin role, or replaces three subscriptions plus rekeying, the maths can work. If it does not, off-the-shelf is the cheaper choice. Full stop.
What do you give up with each?
With off-the-shelf you give up fit: you work the software's way and export data to spreadsheets to fill gaps. With custom you give up instant setup and a big user community, and you depend on one builder. Neither trade-off is free. Pick the one your business can carry.
Off-the-shelf costs you:
- Fit. The workflow is theirs, not yours.
- Control. Prices rise, features change, products get retired, and you have no say.
- Per-user creep. Every hire adds to the bill.
Custom costs you:
- Time. A real build takes weeks, not a weekend.
- Community. No forums full of other users who hit your exact problem.
- Independence. You depend on the builder, so ask the exit questions before signing.
Ask any custom builder, including ALEA: who owns the code, where does my data live, and what does leaving cost? A builder who dodges those questions is telling you something.
How do you decide in one afternoon?
Block out one afternoon. List your ten most common jobs and time how long admin takes on each. Trial one off-the-shelf tool against three of those jobs. If it handles eight of ten without workarounds, buy it. If not, get a free custom demo and compare them side by side.
The steps:
- Write down your ten most common job types.
- Pull your last five completed jobs. Time the admin on each, quote to payment.
- Start a free trial of one off-the-shelf tool. Most offer 14 days.
- Run three real jobs through it, start to finish.
- Count the workarounds. Eight of ten jobs smooth means buy it and move on.
- Two or more jobs fighting the tool means get a custom demo and compare like for like.
If you want the custom side of that comparison without risk, ALEA builds you a free working demo from your website before any contract. You pay nothing until the real build goes live, then from A$2,500 a month, or pay once. Try it at alea.build.