Tradify alternative
Karven vs Tradify: an honest comparison
Tradify runs the whole job: quotes, scheduling, timesheets, invoices and accounting sync, with phone apps in the app stores. Karven only does the quote and the customer side of it, at a flat price that doesn't climb with every person you add.
Prices checked 22 Oct 2026. We make Karven, so read this as our view and check their site too.
Price and what you get
Tradify
- Price
- Lite $48, Pro $52, Plus $62 per user a month. Custom on request.
- How it's charged
- AUD ex GST, per user, monthly, no contract
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Source
- www.tradifyhq.com/au/pricing, checked 22 Oct 2026.
Karven
- Price
- Starter $29, Business $49, Pro $99 a month inc GST. Annual billing gets 2 months free.
- Free trial
- 21 days from the day you set up, no card
- What it is
- Karven is quoting software, not a full job management system. You start a quote from a blank page, your trade's common items come up as you type, and your private profit % goes on top of your costs. The customer opens a link on their phone, ticks any optional extras, asks questions, accepts online and can pay a deposit by card. Starter is $29 a month inc GST for one user and unlimited quotes, Business is $49 for up to 5 users (1 user for now, team invites coming soon), and Pro is $99 with unlimited users (1 user for now, team invites coming soon) and the compliance paperwork. 21 days free, no card.
Where Karven is better
Flat price: Business is $49 a month inc GST for up to 5 users (1 user for now, team invites coming soon), where Tradify charges per user
You choose what the customer sees: the full breakdown, section totals or just the total
Customer can pay a deposit by card when they accept (Stripe card fees plus a 0.5% Karven fee)
Private profit % added on top of your costs, with cost and markup on every line
Real preview of exactly what the customer will see before you send
Where Tradify is better
Scheduling, calendar and dispatch
Timesheets and job costing
Deeper invoicing with two-way Xero and QuickBooks sync
App store apps for iPhone and Android
Karven doesn't do: job scheduling and dispatch; timesheets and job costing; app store apps (karven runs in your phone's browser and can be added to your home screen); finding you leads.
Switching from Tradify is easy
- 1Bring your customers and old quotes from TradifyExport your jobs or quotes from Tradify as a CSV. Karven recognises Tradify's columns (client name, site address, job status, quoted amount) and fills in the mapping for you to check. Then import it in Settings → Import.
- 2Paste or upload an old quoteKarven reads the lines off it and puts them on a new draft for you to check. Prices come across as they were, nothing is sent.
- 3Your trade's items are already therePick your trade and its common items come up as you type, each with a starting cost. Save your own prices in My items once.
- 4Keep Tradify for the rest, if you likeKeep Tradify for scheduling and timesheets if you like; plenty of tradies quote in Karven and run the job in their existing app.
Karven's CSV import recognises exports from Quotient, Tradify, ServiceM8, Fergus and Jobber. Anything else imports with a column mapping you check first. If you need a hand, our support team can help.
Electrical at 14 Banksia Avenue
Prices ex GST
Power points & data
Supply and install power and data points. Includes cabling, terminations and testing of every new point. All work by a licensed electrician to AS/NZS 3000. Certificate of compliance supplied on completion.
Double power point
4 × $240.00
USB-A/C double power point
2 × $288.00
Includes all work and materials listed above.
A $168.96 deposit (10% of the total) is due when you accept.
What your customer opens from Karven: a sample electrical quote with every line, GST once and the deposit, then Accept.
Who should pick which
Pick Tradify if
Crews that need scheduling, timesheets and invoicing in one place.
Pick Karven if
You're a solo tradie or small crew and the quote is the problem: writing it fast, making it look right, and getting the customer to say yes and pay a deposit.
If you need to run jobs and staff, Tradify. If your pain is writing quotes and getting them accepted, Karven, and you can keep your job app for the rest.
Karven, Tradify and the rest side by side
| Karven | Quotient | Tradify | ServiceM8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published price | Starter $29, Business $49, Pro $99 a month inc GST | Solo $33 a month (1 user, up to 100 quotes a month). Team $54 a month (2 to 5 users, unlimited quotes). $9 a month for each extra user after 5. | Lite $48, Pro $52, Plus $62 per user a month. Custom on request. | Free (30 jobs a month), Starter $29 (50 jobs), Growing $79 (150 jobs), Premium $149 (500 jobs), Premium Plus $349 (1,500 jobs) |
| How it's charged | AUD inc GST, flat monthly price: 1 user, up to 5 users or unlimited (1 user for now, team invites coming soon) | AUD, monthly. The page doesn't say whether GST is included. | AUD ex GST, per user, monthly, no contract | AUD inc GST, monthly, priced by jobs a month, unlimited users on paid plans |
| Free trial | 21 days from the day you set up, no card | 21 days, no card | 14 days | 14 days, no card, plus a free plan |
| Runs the job after the quote | No. Quoting, customer acceptance, deposits and follow-ups | No. Quoting only, like Karven | Yes: scheduling, timesheets, invoicing | Yes: scheduling, dispatch, job cards |
Competitor prices checked 22 Oct 2026from each company's own pricing page, except where a page says otherwise. Prices change; check their site before you decide.
Karven vs Tradify
Common questions
Is Karven a Tradify alternative?
For quoting, yes. For scheduling, timesheets and job costing, no: Karven doesn't do those. Plenty of tradies quote in Karven and run the job in their existing app.
Can I send an accepted quote to Xero?
Yes. Once you connect Xero, you push each job across yourself and the invoice arrives as a draft for you to check. A deposit gets its own invoice.
Does Tradify take deposits on quotes?
Tradify takes card payments on invoices. In Karven the customer can pay a deposit by card at the moment they accept the quote.
How much does Tradify cost compared with Karven?
Tradify: Lite $48, Pro $52, Plus $62 per user a month. Custom on request. (AUD ex GST, per user, monthly, no contract), checked 22 Oct 2026. Karven: Starter $29, Business $49, Pro $99 a month inc GST, with 21 days free and no card.
Try Karven on your next quote
21 days free from the day you set up, no card. Cancel any time.