Builders and tradies often face a common problem—they spend all their time working in the business, rather than on the business.
With long days on-site and family commitments, it can be hard to carve out time to review your business processes, become more efficient, and find time for what matters most.
That’s where a good business advisor, such as an accountant, and awesome technology come in to help you streamline and automate your admin and streamline your workflow.
Tip: If you’re looking for an awesome accountant, check out our partners directory.
In this article, we look at our picks for the best apps for tradies that make your work life easier.
Job Management
NextMinute
While there are loads of job management apps around, NextMinute is specifically designed for residential builders and tradies in New Zealand and Australia. It’s the ideal job management app for tradies with quoting, job management, scheduling, team communication, timesheets, invoicing, powerful reporting, and more.
This powerful mobile app allows you to manage your business from anywhere, all in one place, on-the-go, on-the-job, or from home. Plus, it automatically syncs your financial data to your accounting software, so everything stays up-to-date.
Email & General Applications
Having reliable email and general software like document and spreadsheet applications is a must. These days, setting these up is easier than ever as they mostly exist in the cloud and can be accessed via a web browser or mobile apps.
Our Recommendations:
- Microsoft 365: This suite offers robust email, document, and spreadsheet tools that are integrated seamlessly.
- Google Workspace: If you prefer Google-based tools like Gmail and Google Sheets, this is a great alternative.
Setting up a website domain for your email and website looks more professional and is more secure. You can easily do this along with getting set up with Microsoft 365 on domain websites like GoDaddy.
Accounting Software
Xero
If you haven’t yet moved to an automated cloud-based accounting package, that should be a top priority. Xero is the go-to accounting software for small to medium-sized businesses that keep track of all your finances and enable you to log expenses and send out invoices.
With Xero, time-consuming paper-based tasks are a thing of the past. Xero stores all your business’s financial data in the cloud so you can focus on the job without the hassle of admin tasks and paperwork.
Xero is a reliable source of financial truth for your business. Know the exact direction of your cash flow and cover all business bases with integrated invoicing, payroll, reporting, record-keeping features, and more. They even have an awesome app for your phone to photograph receipts, which auto-scans them to save you typing.
MYOB
For medium-to-large-sized businesses, MYOB is the best digital app for tradies. MYOB’s accounting software is integrated with the ATO/IRD, ensuring you are always up to date. MYOB is accessible via the cloud anytime, anywhere. One key feature that differentiates MYOB from Xero is that MYOB works for enterprises of any size.
Health & Safety
HazardCo
Need some help managing health and safety? HazardCo provides a comprehensive solution for tradies to manage health and safety requirements. From risk assessments to incident reporting, it ensures that you and your team are always compliant with safety standards.
Payroll
Xero or MYOB Payroll
Both Xero and MYOB offer payroll products that you can add to your accounting subscription. If you use NextMinute, timesheets will automatically flow into your payroll software, making payday a breeze.
If you’re still using paper timesheets and manually calculating pay each pay run, this could save you hours every week.
Communications
WhatsApp chat groups are an easy and free way to keep in touch with your team throughout the day. Broadcast messages and reminders help you get things done quickly. Bring your entire team together in one streamlined conversation or have personal one-on-one chats with select employees through their individual accounts. WhatsApp is the digital app for tradies that keeps your team in touch.
Signal
If you want to use WhatsApp but don’t want to deal with Meta/Facebook, Signal is a great alternative option. It offers encrypted communication with great messaging, calling, and video calling features. Best of all, it’s free.
Payment Processing
Square
Easily receive payments owed to your business with Square payment processing. With the countless transactions that happen from job to job, it can be hard to keep up with all of the payments owed to your business. Square takes away the hassle and streamlines your payment process.
With Square, you can rest assured that your payments are held securely and processed safely. Opt for the easy and safe way to get paid either in person, online, or remotely.
Marketing & Client Engagement
Connect with your clients and show off your work to the world. Instagram is the best app for tradies for showcasing your projects. Highlight the projects you and your team have dedicated their time and hard work to. Instagram is also a great way to get your business more exposure. So get posting and show off the incredible projects your business has brought to life.
Squarespace
If you need a professional-looking website, Squarespace is a great tool. It offers user-friendly website building and hosting solutions that can make your business look polished and professional. It's ideal for showcasing your work, providing contact information, and even blogging about your projects.
