Comparison · Tools · 2026
Whether you’re a plumber in Manchester or Miami, the day-to-day is the same. You quote a job, do the work, invoice, and try to claim back every penny you’re entitled to. The apps that help are mostly the same — but the details differ more than you’d think.
A self employed plumber in the UK and one in the US have the same core problem: too much work happening in their head, not enough written down anywhere. Jobs done but not invoiced. Parts costs never logged. Mileage never claimed. The tools to fix it are the same — job tracking, cost logging, invoicing, mileage, and a year-end tax summary. The specifics just look a bit different depending on where you are.
Strip away the local detail and the requirements are identical: job tracking, cost logging per job, mileage that’s actually calculated for you, and a year-end summary you can hand to an accountant. Most apps are built in one country and bolted together for others — currency conversion added as an afterthought, mileage rates hardcoded for one market, terminology wrong for the other.
The big names — Tradify, Jobber, ServiceM8 — are UK and Australian products with US support added on. Fine for scheduling and invoicing, but the tax-side features are built around UK and Australian rules. US plumbers need different mileage rates, tax terminology and report formats, and most apps make you figure it out yourself. Jobber starts around $49/month, Tradify similar — real money for a sole trader using a fraction of the features.
Most UK-built apps don’t include Gas Safe invoicing as a built-in feature — you create an invoice and manually add your registration number in the notes field. Mileage tracking is also commonly missing; you’d need a separate app like MileIQ and reconcile everything at year end. Making Tax Digital adds another layer — apps that don’t keep clean digital records all year will cause problems from April 2026.
PlumberLog was built with both countries in mind from day one. When you sign up you set your country, and the app automatically uses the right currency, mileage rate and tax terminology. Change your country in Settings and everything updates — no manual adjustments, no conversion maths.
| App | Price | Mileage included | Tax summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber | from $49/mo | — | Needs add-on |
| Tradify | from $39/mo | — | Needs add-on |
| PlumberLog Pro | £9.99/mo (~$10) | ✓ automatic | ✓ one tap |
PlumberLog Pro: £9.99/month — roughly $10 at current rates. That’s not a typo.
UK or US, the problem is the same. You’re busy, you’re good at plumbing, and the business admin is a pain. The best app is the one you’ll actually use every day — fast, simple, and not annoying. A two-minute job log after every job adds up to a clean set of accounts at year end.
PlumberLog works in the UK and USA as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Set your country and the app handles currency, mileage rates and tax terminology automatically.