Ways to take card and online payments as a small business. Payment links, card readers and invoice payments, with real costs.
Our pick for you
£19/mo
UK sole traders and small limited companies, especially NatWest/RBS/Mettle customers (free).
Not for: US businesses, or firms with complex inventory and many staff.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on freeagent.comVisit FreeAgent (opens in a new tab)
Sole trader £19/mo ex VAT (£9.50 for first 6 months); Partnership/LLP £27; Limited company £33. Free with NatWest/RBS/Ulster Bank business account (or Mettle, conditions). 30-day trial.
Our pick for you
$27/mo
UK trades businesses (MTD-ready) and small firms wanting unlimited users.
Not for: Very small US businesses whose bookkeeper only uses QuickBooks.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on xero.comVisit Xero (opens in a new tab)
US: Early $27/mo regular ($5.40 promo 80% off first 3 months), Growing $59, Established $97. UK: Ignite £18, Grow £39, Comprehensive £55, Ultimate £70 ex VAT (90% off first 6 months promo). No per-user fees. 'Get one month free' offer, no formal trial described.
Our pick for you
£28/mo
UK sole traders and small trade firms wanting quotes, invoices and certificates on mobile.
Not for: US businesses or large teams needing dispatch.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on powerednow.comVisit Powered Now (opens in a new tab)
Business £28/mo ex VAT, 1 user (£280/yr annual). Professional £32/user/mo, Premium £40/user/mo. 14-day trial, no card.
Our pick for you
$29/mo
iPhone-centric small teams who want pay-by-job-volume pricing with unlimited users.
Not for: High-volume businesses doing hundreds of jobs a month on a tight budget, or Android-only teams.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on servicem8.comVisit ServiceM8 (opens in a new tab)
Free plan: 1 user, 30 jobs/mo. Starter $29/mo (unlimited users, 50 jobs/mo); Growing $79 (150 jobs); Premium $149 (500); Premium Plus $349 (1500+). Priced by jobs, not users. Prices in USD on US page. ServiceM8 Phone add-on from $19/mo.
Our pick for you
$38/mo
US businesses wanting the accounting standard most bookkeepers and FSM apps integrate with.
Not for: Owners who only need invoices and don't want full bookkeeping.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on quickbooks.intuit.comVisit QuickBooks Online (opens in a new tab)
Simple Start regular $38/mo (1 user), shown at $19/mo with 50% off for 3 months. Essentials $85, Plus $140, Advanced $340 regular. 30-day free trial mentioned. US page; UK pricing differs.
Our pick for you
$49/mo
Owner-operators and small crews who want quoting, scheduling, invoicing and payments in one easy app.
Not for: Large multi-location operations needing deep dispatch, pricebook and payroll features.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on getjobber.comVisit Jobber (opens in a new tab)
Core plan, 1 user, $49/mo with no commitment; $39/mo with 1-year commitment; $29/mo billed annually. Extra users $29/mo each. Connect from $139/mo, Grow from $199/mo (monthly, 1 user). Trial is of Grow plan, no card. 16+ users: contact sales.
Our pick for you
$49/mo
Solo operators wanting free invoicing, estimates and card taking with no monthly fee.
Not for: Teams needing full job scheduling and dispatch.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on squareup.comVisit Square (opens in a new tab)
Paid plans are charged per location. Square Free $0/mo includes invoices, estimates, booking. Square Plus $49/mo per location, Premium $149/mo per location. US fees: online 2.9% + 30¢; in-person 2.6% + 15¢ (Free); ACH via invoice 1%, $1 min ($10 cap on Plus). Trial length shown as an unrendered placeholder. US page; UK pricing differs.
Our pick for you
On request
UK businesses wanting a premium, established live answering service.
Not for: Budget-conscious sole traders wanting transparent self-serve pricing.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on moneypenny.comVisit Moneypenny (opens in a new tab)
UK pricing page shows no prices, only a contact form/phone line; services include telephone answering, AI receptionist, appointment booking, payment taking.
Our pick for you
On request
Established local businesses wanting reviews, webchat, texting and payments under one inbox.
Not for: Solo trades on a tight budget wanting self-serve pricing.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on podium.comVisit Podium (opens in a new tab)
No prices published: 'talk to our sales team for details'. AI Employee add-on available on any plan.
Our pick for you
On request
Established residential/commercial HVAC, plumbing and electrical contractors with dispatchers and office staff.
Not for: Solo operators and small crews; cost and setup are heavy for under ~10 techs.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on servicetitan.comVisit ServiceTitan (opens in a new tab)
No prices published. Plans Starter, Essentials, The Works each show 'Request Pricing'; page says pricing is based on number of technicians. Free demo only, no trial.
Our pick for you
No monthly fee
Tech-comfortable businesses wanting pay-per-use invoicing and online payments.
Not for: Owners wanting an all-in-one app with scheduling and accounting.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on stripe.comVisit Stripe Invoicing (opens in a new tab)
No monthly fee: Starter 0.4% per paid invoice; Plus 0.5% (adds quotes). Stripe Payments processing applies on top (UK: 1.5% + 20p standard UK cards, from stripe.com/gb/pricing; US card rate was not readable on stripe.com/us/pricing). startingPrice 0 = no subscription, not a free tier.
Our pick for you
$20/mo
Appointment-style services (cleaning, inspections) wanting branded online booking with deposits.
Not for: Multi-crew field service with routing and job management.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on acuityscheduling.comVisit Acuity Scheduling (opens in a new tab)
Starter $20/mo billed monthly ($16 billed annually), 1 calendar; Standard $34 ($27), up to 6; Premium $61 ($49), up to 36. Labels inferred from 'Pay annually Save 20%' toggle. 7-day trial, no card. Taxes extra.
Our pick for you
$79/mo
US home-service teams of 1-8 who want an all-in-one app with built-in marketing and review tools.
Not for: UK businesses, or large shops needing enterprise-grade dispatch.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on housecallpro.comVisit Housecall Pro (opens in a new tab)
Basic plan, 1 user: $79/mo shown alongside $59/mo billed annually (page toggle Annual/Monthly; monthly figure not explicitly labelled). Essentials $189/$149 (5 users), Max $329/$299 (8 users, +$35/user). Promo intro offers also shown. Trial gives MAX plan, no card.
Our pick for you
$399/mo
Local service businesses wanting done-for-you reviews, webchat and marketing.
Not for: Budget-conscious solo operators.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on broadly.comVisit Broadly (opens in a new tab)
Standard $399/mo billed monthly + $350 onboarding (FAQ contradicts: 'no setup fees'). Pro $699, Premium $999. Reputation AI from $79/mo standalone. Trial not stated.
Our pick for you
On request
Small US service companies that want job management with a built-in phone system.
Not for: Buyers who want transparent self-serve pricing, or UK businesses.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on workiz.comVisit Workiz (opens in a new tab)
No prices shown: Standard, Pro, Ultimate all 'Request pricing'. FAQ: 7-day free trial, no card; annual plans discounted ('save $400+'). Currency/unit not stated.
Our pick for you
See site
UK heating, plumbing and electrical firms with office staff managing servicing and certificates.
Not for: Solo tradespeople wanting a cheap self-serve app.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on commusoft.comVisit Commusoft (opens in a new tab)
Pricing page not retrievable: commusoft.co.uk/pricing redirects to commusoft.com/en-gb/pricing/ which returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-08. No vendor price verified. (Third-party listings suggest per-user pricing; not used.)
Our pick for you
See site
Plumbing and electrical businesses with up to ~10 staff wanting job costing and quoting.
Not for: Larger firms (10+ staff) wanting published pricing, or non-trade service businesses.
Price checked 8 Oct 2026 on fergus.comVisit Fergus (opens in a new tab)
Basic shown as 'From $53 ... per month' next to '$5.30' under a 'Get 90% off til December' banner; Professional 'From $75' ($7.50). Same '$' figures shown on the /en-gb/ page, so currency is UNCLEAR (no code shown). Per-user vs per-account not stated. Monthly only, no yearly plans. Enterprise 10+ staff: contact. Price withheld: currency unclear on the pricing page.
Need more than one thing? Build a full stack for your business.
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