HiveSuite
Tradify is a well-established job management platform popular with UK tradespeople. HiveSuite is the newer UK-built challenger with AI analytics, a full customer portal, and flat-fee pricing. Here's how they compare in 2026.
The Quick Summary
| Category | HiveSuite | Tradify |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | UK contractors wanting AI analytics, customer portal, and predictable team pricing | Sole traders and small teams wanting simple, established job management |
| Pricing Model | Flat fee by team size. From £34.99/month (1 admin + 2 team members, VAT included). WINNER FOR TEAMS | Per-user: Lite £34, Pro £37, Plus £44/user/month (all excl. VAT). 10 users on Plus = £528/month inc. VAT. |
| AI Features | HiveIntel - natural language data queries, dashboards, scheduled reports WINNER | SmartRead + SmartWrite on Plus tier only |
| Customer Portal | Full portal on ALL plans - quotes, invoices, jobs, payments, messaging WINNER | Limited or unavailable on basic plans |
| Inventory | Stock management + purchase orders + supplier directory WINNER | Purchase orders on Plus tier only. No stock tracking. |
| UK Compliance | VAT, UK VAT number per subsidiary | VAT + CIS (via Xero/Sage) + digital gas safety certificates WINNER |
| Free Trial | 30 days, no credit card WINNER | 14 days, no credit card |
Pricing: Flat Fee vs Per-User
This is the most important difference for growing teams. Tradify charges per user - and it adds up fast.
HiveSuite Pricing (GBP, all prices include VAT)
- Solo: £34.99/month - 1 admin + 2 team members
- Small Team: £89.99/month - 5 admins + 5 team members
- Growing Team: £149.99/month - 10 admins + 10 team members
- Professional: £249.99/month - 20 admins + unlimited team members
- Enterprise: £499.99/month - up to 50 users
- All features on all plans - no feature tiers, no add-ons
- 30-day free trial, no credit card required
Tradify Pricing (GBP, all prices exclude VAT - add 20%)
- Lite: £34/user/month - core job management, quoting, invoicing
- Pro: £37/user/month - adds recurring jobs, Google Calendar sync, custom statuses
- Plus: £44/user/month - adds purchase orders, AI SmartRead/SmartWrite, bulk invoicing
- Annual billing saves approximately 15%
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
- Note: All Tradify prices exclude VAT - add 20% for the actual monthly cost.
The Per-User Cost Trap
Tradify's per-user model is affordable for sole traders. But the moment you start building a team it becomes significantly more expensive than HiveSuite. At the Lite tier, a 5-person team costs £170/month + VAT (£204 inc. VAT) vs £89.99/month with HiveSuite. A 10-person team is £340/month + VAT (£408 inc. VAT) vs £149.99/month - that's over £3,000/year more on Tradify, before you even consider upgrading to Pro or Plus for features like purchase orders.
Verdict: Pricing
HiveSuite wins for any team larger than 1-2 people. The flat-fee model means your software costs stay predictable as your team grows. Tradify is cheaper only if you're a true sole trader.
Features Comparison
| Feature | HiveSuite | Tradify | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job Management | Full job tracking, custom status workflows, custom fields, pipeline view | Solid job management, custom statuses on Pro+ | Tie |
| Quoting | Custom templates, AI-assisted, file attachments, custom fields | Professional quotes, PDF export, online approval | Tie |
| Invoicing | Recurring invoices, reminder board, Stripe on all plans, native VAT | Invoicing, online payments, bulk invoicing on Plus | Tie |
| Scheduling | Calendar views, job pipeline, crew assignments, job request inbox | Scheduling with Google Calendar sync, recurring jobs on Pro+ | Tie |
| Customer Portal | Full self-service portal on all plans - approve quotes, pay invoices, view jobs, message, upload files | Online quote acceptance, approvals, signatures, and document workflows - not a full persistent self-service portal | HiveSuite |
| Inventory | Stock tracking, low stock alerts, purchase orders, supplier directory, auto stock deduction | Purchase orders (Plus only). No stock level tracking. | HiveSuite |
| AI Features | HiveIntel: natural language queries, visual query builder, dashboards, scheduled exports | SmartRead (scan bills), SmartWrite (job descriptions) - Plus tier only | HiveSuite |
| Custom Fields | Custom fields on customers, quotes, invoices, and jobs with calculated field support | Limited custom fields | HiveSuite |
| CIS Support | - | CIS invoicing via Xero or Sage integration (not natively built in) WINNER (with Xero/Sage) | Tradify (requires accounting integration) |
| Gas Safety Certificates | - | Digital gas and oil safety certificates with e-signature and cloud storage WINNER | Tradify |
| Accounting Integration | QuickBooks | Xero + QuickBooks WINNER | Tradify |
| Offline Mode | PWA + native Android app | iOS and Android - requires internet connection | Tie |
AI: HiveIntel vs Tradify SmartTools
Both platforms have added AI features, but the scope is very different.
Tradify SmartRead and SmartWrite (Plus tier only) are productivity helpers: SmartRead scans and extracts data from supplier bills, SmartWrite generates job descriptions. Useful - but limited to document automation tasks.
HiveIntel is a full business intelligence layer available on all plans. You can ask questions like "Which customers owe me money this month?" or "What was my revenue from plumbing jobs in Q1?" and get instant answers from your live business data. It also includes a visual query builder, custom dashboards, and scheduled report delivery.
Verdict: AI
HiveSuite wins on depth. Tradify's SmartTools are genuinely useful but limited to document automation on the top tier. HiveIntel gives you conversational access to your business data across all plans.
Side-by-Side Summary
Choose HiveSuite if...
- You have or plan to grow a team (flat-fee saves money)
- You want a branded Customer Portal on every plan
- AI data analysis matters to you
- You need inventory management and purchase orders
- Custom fields across all record types are important
- You want a longer free trial to properly evaluate
Choose Tradify if...
- You're a sole trader and per-user pricing works out cheaper
- CIS deductions are core to your business and you already use Xero or Sage
- You need digital gas safety certificates with e-signature
- Xero integration is a must-have
- You want a more established platform with a longer track record
The Bottom Line
Tradify is a solid platform that's served UK contractors well for years. Its CIS support via Xero/Sage and digital gas safety certificates are genuine strengths that HiveSuite doesn't currently match. If you're a sole trader or the per-user model suits your team size, it's worth considering.
But for most growing contractors, HiveSuite is the better value in 2026. The flat-fee pricing model saves significant money as your team grows, the Customer Portal is included on every plan, HiveIntel gives you AI-powered data access Tradify can't match, and full inventory management is built in.
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