What this site is
SoftForTrades is an independent comparison site for the software that home service businesses run on. We cover field service management platforms, scheduling and dispatch tools, invoicing and accounting apps, and CRM software, always through the lens of a specific trade.
Most software review sites write for everyone at once, which usually means they write for no one in particular. A solo plumber and a forty person HVAC company do not need the same tool, and a generic top ten list will not tell either of them that. Our guides start from the trade, the team size and the job, then work out which software fits.
Who it is for
This site is for owners and office managers of plumbing, HVAC, electrical, cleaning, landscaping and general contracting businesses who are choosing software, switching software, or simply trying to work out whether what they pay for now is still worth it. If you run jobs, crews and invoices, you are who we write for.
How we test
Our method is simple and we state it openly. We sign up for the free trial of each tool, walk through the workflow a real business would use, and take our own screenshots along the way. Prices are checked on the vendor pricing page and every guide carries the date that check happened, because software pricing changes often.
Testing is trial-based. A trial shows how a tool handles setup, scheduling, quoting and invoicing, and that covers most of what a buyer needs to decide. It does not show everything, for example long term support quality or how a platform holds up with years of job history. Where a guide cannot answer something from the trial, it says so plainly rather than filling the gap with a guess.
How the site is funded
SoftForTrades is funded by affiliate commissions. When a reader signs up for a tool through a link on this site, the software company may pay us a commission. The reader pays nothing extra, and the price is the same as going to the vendor directly.
That model only works if the recommendations stay honest, so two rules are fixed. Vendors cannot pay for placement or a better verdict, and a tool with no affiliate program is still covered when it is the right answer for a trade. You can read the full details on our affiliate disclosure page.
Get in touch
If you spot a price that has changed, a feature we described wrongly, or a tool you think a trade guide should cover, we want to hear it. Corrections make the guides better for everyone. Reach us through the contact page.