ServiceM8 vs Powered Now: Which Is Better for UK Electricians? (2026)
Quick Verdict
This is the most straightforward choice in the category once you understand what each tool is built for. ServiceM8 is an iOS-first automation tool — excellent client communications, powerful custom forms, slick scheduling. Powered Now is a UK compliance tool — EICR certificates, CIS deductions, offline working, all built for British trades from day one.
For most UK electricians, the Android question settles it immediately. ServiceM8's Android app excludes time tracking and several other features. If any engineer on your team uses Android, Powered Now is the practical choice. If you're on iOS throughout and compliance paperwork isn't a priority, ServiceM8's automation makes it genuinely compelling.
What These Tools Are Actually Built For
ServiceM8 and Powered Now serve similar audiences but come from fundamentally different directions. ServiceM8 is an Australian product built around making client-facing service delivery slicker — automated communications, fast job dispatch, clean payment collection. It's excellent at the customer experience layer of field service management.
Powered Now was built in the UK specifically to solve the paperwork problem for British tradespeople. Compliance certificates, CIS, MTD, working offline on sites with no signal — these are core product priorities, not features added to serve a secondary market. That difference matters more than the feature list suggests.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ServiceM8 | Powered Now |
|---|---|---|
| Android app | ⚠️ Lite — time tracking iOS-only | ✅ Full parity |
| EICR / compliance certificates | ❌ Not included | ✅ 100+ built in |
| CIS deductions (native) | ❌ Manual workaround | ✅ Built in |
| Making Tax Digital | ❌ Via Xero | ✅ Native |
| Offline working | ⚠️ Partial cache | ✅ Full offline mode |
| Client automation (texts/emails) | ✅ More advanced | ✅ Standard |
| Custom forms builder | ✅ More powerful | ✅ Good |
| Pricing model | Per job/month | Per user/month |
| Starts from | ~£9/mo (15 jobs) | £15/mo (sole trader) |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | 14 days, no card |
The Android Gap in Detail
This deserves emphasis because it's the most common reason UK electricians end up reconsidering ServiceM8 after initial enthusiasm. Time tracking — logging start time, end time, and breaks against a specific job — is only available on iOS in ServiceM8. Android users can view jobs and update basic status, but they can't accurately log time through the app. That affects payroll accuracy, job costing, and the key metric of whether a job ran over time.
Powered Now has no such distinction. The Android and iOS apps are equivalent. If your team's devices are mixed, or if you hire engineers who prefer Android, Powered Now doesn't create a two-tier experience.
Where ServiceM8 Wins
Client communication automation. ServiceM8's automated messaging is the standout feature in this comparison — "on my way" texts, arrival windows, job completion notifications, configurable follow-up sequences. For domestic electricians where no-shows and late payments are a regular problem, this automation pays for itself quickly. Powered Now has standard client communications but doesn't match ServiceM8's automation depth.
Custom forms. ServiceM8's forms builder is more flexible. If you need bespoke site documentation beyond standard electrical certificates — risk assessments, client-specific checklists, asset condition records — ServiceM8's drag-and-drop form builder gives you more control.
Per-job pricing at low volumes. For a sole trader doing 20–30 jobs per month, ServiceM8's lower tier works out cheaper than Powered Now's Professional plan. The economics flip at higher volumes.
Where Powered Now Wins
Compliance certificates as a native feature. Every EICR, Minor Works Certificate, and Electrical Installation Certificate is produced, signed, and emailed from within the same workflow as the job and invoice. This isn't a workaround or a third-party integration — it's the core product. For electricians whose work regularly involves formal documentation, this removes an entire parallel admin process.
CIS reverse charge invoicing. The correct HMRC-required wording applies automatically on configured reverse charge jobs. No manual editing, no risk of issuing an incorrectly formatted invoice to a VAT-registered contractor. ServiceM8 requires manual configuration and doesn't have the wording built in — which means it's only as reliable as whoever is editing each invoice.
Full offline working. Powered Now works without internet and syncs when signal returns. ServiceM8 caches some data locally but is not a fully offline tool. For commercial sites with restricted WiFi access or rural properties with poor coverage, this is a meaningful practical difference.
Android parity. Every feature available on iOS is available on Android. No compromises for non-iPhone users.
The Catches
ServiceM8: Android app excludes time tracking. Per-job pricing gets expensive at volume. No compliance certificates. CIS reverse charge requires manual configuration. Pricing add-ons (phone system, SMS) add to the monthly cost. One Capterra reviewer reported the phone service price doubled between initial signup and activation — confirm add-on costs in writing before committing.
Powered Now: Field engineers pay the same rate as office staff — no cheaper field-only licence. Xero integration requires more manual reconciliation than Tradify. Quoting has more steps than competitors. Slightly longer initial setup due to broader feature set.
Pricing at Real Business Sizes
| Setup | ServiceM8 | Powered Now |
|---|---|---|
| Sole trader, ~30 jobs/mo | ~£29/mo (Growing) | £15/mo (Business) |
| Sole trader, ~80 jobs/mo | ~£59/mo (Premium) | £15/mo (Business) |
| 3-person team, ~120 jobs/mo | ~£59/mo (Premium) | £75/mo (Professional x3) |
| 5-person team, ~300 jobs/mo | ~£99/mo (Premium Plus) | £125/mo (Professional x5) |
Powered Now is cheaper for sole traders regardless of job volume. ServiceM8 is cheaper for teams at moderate job volumes because of its per-account rather than per-user model. At very high job volumes, ServiceM8's per-job tiers can become more expensive than Powered Now's flat per-user rate.
Who Should Choose Which
Choose ServiceM8 if
- Your entire team is on iPhone — guaranteed
- Client communication automation is a priority
- High volume of short domestic jobs
- You need powerful custom site documentation forms
- Compliance certificates aren't part of your workflow
Choose Powered Now if
- Any engineer uses Android
- You produce EICRs or compliance certificates regularly
- You work under CIS as a subcontractor
- You regularly work in areas with poor signal
- You want UK-native compliance built in from day one
ServiceM8 — 14-day free trial, no card
Try ServiceM8 →Powered Now — 14-day free trial, no card
Try Powered Now →What Real Users Say
ServiceM8 users report
"I couldn't imagine running a small trade business without ServiceM8. It literally saves me around 20–30 hours of admin per week." — Trustpilot
"Used ServiceM8 for the last few years with little issue. That is until I've recently moved from Apple to Android. The Android app has barely any functions." — Trustpilot
"Recurring jobs are based on 24 hours not work hours, so when booking a job over several consecutive days it appears in the calendar incorrectly." — Software Advice
Powered Now users report
"Powered Now is a great software for our business, simple to use, easy to read layout, has everything we need to run smoothly and efficiently." — Powered Now website, verified
"I no longer have to worry about anything. The diary and scheduling functionality keeps me on top of my commitments." — Professional Electrician review
"Our experience has been 2nd to none. We expected a difficult learning process but it's been much simpler than expected." — Capterra