HiveSuite
Powered Now is one of the most established UK trade management platforms - particularly strong for regulated trades that need statutory compliance certificates, CIS deductions, and Making Tax Digital. HiveSuite is the newer alternative with AI analytics, a full customer portal, and flat-fee pricing that doesn't scale per user. This page gives you an honest comparison to help you decide which is the better fit.
The short version: If your business needs gas certificates, electrical certificates, CIS, or direct MTD VAT filing, Powered Now has genuine advantages HiveSuite doesn't currently match. For most other trades, HiveSuite gives you more - AI analytics, a customer portal, inventory management, and predictable flat-fee pricing.
The Quick Summary
| Category | HiveSuite | Powered Now |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Contractors wanting AI analytics, customer portal, inventory, and flat-fee pricing | Regulated trades needing statutory compliance certificates, CIS, and MTD VAT |
| Pricing Model | Flat fee by team size. From £34.99/month (VAT included). All features. WINNER | Per-user. ~£28-£40/user/month (plus VAT). Frequent promotions make true cost unclear. |
| AI Features | HiveIntel - natural language queries, dashboards, scheduled reports WINNER | AI Text (writing assistance) - Premium plan only |
| Customer Portal | Full branded portal on ALL plans - approve quotes, pay, view jobs, message WINNER | Available on Premium plan only (~£40/user/month + VAT) |
| Inventory | Stock-level tracking, purchase orders, supplier directory WINNER | Supplier invoices and purchase orders (no stock-level tracking) |
| Compliance Forms | Custom form builder (build your own) | 50+ UK statutory forms and certificates (gas, electrical, fire alarm, oil) WINNER |
| CIS / Domestic Reverse Charge | - | CIS deductions + Domestic Reverse Charge built in WINNER |
| Making Tax Digital | - | Direct MTD VAT submission to HMRC WINNER |
| UK Origin | Built in the UK TIE | Built in the UK TIE |
Pricing
HiveSuite Pricing (GBP, VAT included)
- 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
- All features on all plans - no feature tiers
- 30-day free trial, no credit card required
Powered Now Pricing (GBP, prices subject to VAT)
- Business: ~£28/user/month
- Professional: ~£32/user/month
- Premium: ~£40/user/month
- Annual billing available for savings
- Free trial available; limited free version available
- Note: Powered Now runs frequent promotional discounts. Always confirm current pricing directly - the above rates are standard and may not reflect active offers.
Powered Now Pricing Instability
Powered Now has run significant promotional offers (up to 65% off) at various points, which makes it difficult to compare like-for-like. The prices above represent standard rates. If you're evaluating them, check their current pricing page directly as promotional discounts are not guaranteed to continue.
Where Powered Now Has a Genuine Advantage
For regulated trades, Powered Now's compliance features are a real differentiator - not just marketing copy.
Powered Now ships with over 50 statutory UK compliance forms and certificates, including:
- Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR)
- Gas Safety Certificates
- Fire Alarm Certificates
- Oil and plumbing service records
- Pest control forms
- Many more trade-specific certificates
Combined with CIS deductions, Domestic Reverse Charge support, and direct MTD VAT submission to HMRC, this makes Powered Now a particularly strong choice for gas engineers, electricians, and other regulated trades.
HiveSuite has a custom form builder that lets you create any form you need from scratch - but it doesn't come with a pre-built library of statutory certificates. If you're a gas-safe engineer or NICEIC electrician who issues certificates daily, that's a meaningful gap.
Where HiveSuite Has the Advantage
For trades that aren't in regulated industries, HiveSuite's advantages are significant.
| Feature | HiveSuite | Powered Now |
|---|---|---|
| AI Analytics | HiveIntel: ask questions about your business in plain English, build custom dashboards, schedule automated reports | AI Text (writing assistance) on Premium only |
| Customer Portal | Full branded portal on ALL plans - clients can approve quotes, pay invoices, view job history, message, and upload files | Available on Premium plan only (~£40/user/month + VAT) |
| Inventory | Stock-level tracking, low-stock alerts, purchase orders, supplier directory, auto-deduct on job | Supplier invoices and purchase orders (no stock-level tracking) |
| Pricing | Flat fee - 5 users costs £89.99/month (inc. VAT) | Per user - 5 users at Business tier costs ~£168/month before VAT |
| Custom Fields | Custom fields on customers, quotes, invoices, and jobs | Limited |
| Recurring Invoices | Automated recurring invoices on all plans | Available |
| Mobile App | HiveCrew installable web app (works on iOS and Android) | Native iOS + Android apps, works offline WINNER |
| Accounting | QuickBooks | Xero + QuickBooks |
Which One Is Right for You?
Choose HiveSuite if...
- AI analytics and business intelligence matter to you
- You want a Customer Portal for clients to approve quotes and pay
- Inventory management is part of your workflow
- You have a team and want predictable flat-fee pricing
- Custom fields across jobs, quotes, and customers are important
- You want transparent, stable pricing without promotional uncertainty
Choose Powered Now if...
- Your work requires UK statutory compliance certificates (gas, electrical, fire alarm)
- CIS deductions and Domestic Reverse Charge are part of your billing
- You need direct MTD VAT submission to HMRC
- Native iOS/Android apps with offline support are critical
- Xero is your accounting software
The Bottom Line
Powered Now is a strong platform - particularly for gas engineers, electricians, and other regulated trades where built-in compliance certificates, CIS, and MTD are essential. These are genuine, meaningful advantages that HiveSuite doesn't currently match.
But for most trade businesses that aren't in regulated industries, HiveSuite gives you more in 2026. AI analytics, a full customer portal, inventory management, and flat-fee pricing that doesn't scale per user are all significant advantages. And unlike Powered Now, HiveSuite's pricing is stable and predictable - what you see is what you pay.
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