figrd vs ServiceM8: an honest comparison.
ServiceM8 is established, widely used, and genuinely good at fast job dispatch for service work. If that is your business, it is a strong choice. This page is for the comparison people actually ask about: both products price flat with unlimited users, so the real question is what gets metered as you get busier, and where the profit maths happens. Every ServiceM8 figure below comes from ServiceM8's own pages, with the date we checked it. Spot something out of date? Tell us at support@figrd.com.au and we will fix it the same day.
Pricing, side by side
ServiceM8 prices from servicem8.com/au/pricing, checked 15 July 2026, where the page states "Prices are in AUD and include GST". figrd prices from our own pricing page, same date, also AUD inc GST - so the figures below are like-for-like.
- figrd Core - A$39/month, 1,000 jobs a month included, unlimited users
- figrd Pro - A$99/month, 3,500 jobs a month included, unlimited users
- ServiceM8 Free - A$0/month, 30 jobs, 1 user
- ServiceM8 Starter - A$29/month, 50 jobs, unlimited users
- ServiceM8 Growing - A$79/month, 150 jobs, unlimited users
- ServiceM8 Premium - A$149/month, 500 jobs, unlimited users
- ServiceM8 Premium Plus - A$349/month, 1,500+ jobs (then 20c per extra job), unlimited users
Both meter SMS beyond a monthly allowance (ServiceM8 10c per message) and both charge a card-payment fee. The structural difference is the plan itself: ServiceM8's price steps up with your job volume; figrd's does not.
What that means as you get busier - the maths, shown
Job volume climbs with your business, which means a job-metered bill climbs exactly when you are busiest. The same growth on figrd changes nothing until you pass 1,000 jobs in a month:
- ~60 jobs a month: past ServiceM8 Starter's 50-job cap, so Growing at A$79. figrd Core stays A$39.
- ~200 jobs a month: ServiceM8 Premium at A$149. figrd Core stays A$39.
- ~600 jobs a month: ServiceM8 Premium Plus at A$349. figrd Core stays A$39 (up to 1,000 jobs).
At the low end ServiceM8 is cheaper: its Free plan (30 jobs, one user) is genuinely A$0, and Starter is A$29 for 50 jobs. The lines cross the moment your job count grows.
Where the profit maths happens
This is closer than the pricing, and worth being accurate about. ServiceM8 reports on "job profitability, revenue by job category, and total revenue" (servicem8.com/au/features-reports, checked 15 July 2026), and its Job Costing add-on shows an estimated profit while you quote and a quoted-versus-actual comparison after the job (support.servicem8.com, Job Costing Overview, checked 15 July 2026). The add-on is bundled into the plan price rather than charged as a separate fee, but in ServiceM8's own words it is "only available on certain ServiceM8 plans" - so on the entry tiers it is not there to switch on. On the plans that include it, ServiceM8 can tell you whether a job made money.
figrd's difference is that the profit signal is built into the core quote screen on both Core and Pro, on by default with no add-on to activate: your real hourly cost, overhead share and margin sit in the quote itself, and the same numbers flow through to the invoice and payment without being re-typed into a second tool. Same question - "will this job make money?" - answered in the quote, on every plan.
Platforms
ServiceM8's field app runs on iPhone and iPad, with office staff working in a web browser on Mac or PC (ServiceM8 App Store listing, viewed 12 July 2026). figrd runs in any modern browser today - phone, tablet or desktop - with a native iOS app next and Android on the roadmap.
Where ServiceM8 is likely the better fit
Verified from ServiceM8's own pricing page and App Store listing, checked 12-15 July 2026.
- Very low job volume with one user - the Free plan (30 jobs a month) costs nothing, and Starter is A$29.
- Dispatch-heavy service work on iPhones - the field app and its no-sign-up "Try Demo" are polished and proven.
- A live map of staff locations all day - figrd shares location only during active jobs, by consent.
- Payroll-grade timesheets, Tap to Pay, or MYOB and QuickBooks alongside Xero - figrd syncs Xero only.
Where figrd is likely the better fit
- Your job volume is growing and you do not want the software bill climbing tiers with it.
- You want the profit answer before the quote goes out, built in on every plan rather than switched on as an add-on.
- You want quote-to-paid in one flat-priced flow - quote, schedule, invoice, automated reminders, payment.
- You want SWMS and JSA safety forms included on every plan - filled and signed on the phone, emailed as branded PDFs.
Both products offer a free trial - the honest advice is to run your last five real jobs through each and see which one tells you something you did not already know.