Jobmate vs Fergus: Which Is Better for Australian Tradies in 2026?
Fergus is a solid project management tool built in New Zealand, popular with larger trade teams. But it’s focused on project complexity, not business growth. Here’s where Jobmate wins.
Quick Verdict
Choose Fergus if you’re a 10+ person team running complex, multi-stage projects and need deep project costing. Choose Jobmate if you want strong job management AND lead generation, AI phone, website, SEO, and marketing — especially if you’re a small-to-medium trade business.
Feature-by-feature comparison
See exactly what you get with each platform.
The true cost comparison
Fergusonly covers job management. Here's what you actually pay when you add the features Jobmate includes out of the box.
Fergus + missing features:
- Fergus: $57/user/month (5 users = $285/mo)
- Answering service: $300/mo
- Website (Squarespace/Wix): $30/mo
- SEO agency: $800/mo
- Review management tool: $40/mo
Jobmate Team (everything included):
You save:
~$1,306/month ($15,672/year)
What Fergus does well
Credit where it's due. Here's where Fergus genuinely delivers.
Strong project management for multi-stage jobs
Fergus handles complex, multi-stage projects well with good workflow tracking and project breakdowns.
Good job costing and profitability tracking
Their job costing tools give useful insight into margins and help you see which jobs are actually profitable.
Useful for larger teams with complex workflows
If you have 10+ staff running overlapping projects, Fergus’s workflow tools can help keep things organised.
NZ-built, good local market understanding
Built in New Zealand, Fergus understands the Australian and NZ trade market well.
What Fergus is missing
These are the features Jobmate includes that Fergusdoesn't offer.
AI phone receptionist
No call answering at all. Fergus is a project management tool — it doesn’t help you win new work.
Website & SEO
No website builder, no SEO tools, no online presence management. You need to source these separately.
Google Ads management
No lead generation or marketing tools of any kind. Fergus only manages work you’ve already won.
GPS live tracking
No real-time GPS tracking of your crew. You can’t see where your team is or dispatch based on proximity.
Automated review management
No review collection, no review response tools. You’re on your own for building your Google reputation.
Higher per-user pricing
Fergus starts at $57/user/month. With a team of 5, that’s $285/mo before you add anything else.
Switching from Fergus? We make it painless.
Sign up for Jobmate (14-day free trial, no credit card)
We import your customer list, price lists, and job history
Run both side by side for 2 weeks, then switch when you’re ready
Average migration time: 1 hour. Average time to see results: 1 week.
“Fergus was good for managing our bigger jobs, but we were still paying for an answering service, a website, and an SEO bloke on top. Jobmate replaced the lot. The AI phone alone has paid for itself three times over.”
Damo Richardson
Richardson HVAC · Ipswich, Brisbane
Ready to see the difference?
No credit card. No lock-in. 14-day free trial.