How to compare software costs for a whole crew

Compare software costs at the number of people who need access, with the features and billing term you will actually use. A headline starting price can omit additional users, modules, setup or payment charges. Use the same assumptions for every candidate.

Explore the wider choosing trades software guides for the steps around this decision.

Build a whole-business comparison

Cost input	What to record
Subscription	Currency, monthly or annual commitment and tax basis
Users	Owner, office, crew and any restricted-access users
Plan requirements	The cheapest plan containing your required tasks
Setup	What is optional, compulsory or excluded
Transactions	Card-processing and other usage charges
Leaving	Notice, export scope and retained record access

Keep a dated screenshot or written quotation. If local pricing is not public, write ‘requires a quote’ instead of converting an unrelated country’s price into euros. Currency conversion does not establish Irish availability or tax treatment.

An illustrative crew-cost worksheet

Suppose one product charges EUR 20 per user monthly. Three users cost EUR 60; six cost EUR 120 before any additional charges. Suppose another charges EUR 80 per business. It costs more in the three-user illustration and less in the six-user illustration. These are invented teaching inputs, not current vendor prices.

Now add a one-off EUR 120 setup cost to the second example. Over twelve months that adds EUR 10 per month for comparison purposes, but it remains a cash payment at setup. Do not confuse spreading a cost across a worksheet with the vendor allowing instalments.

Match cost to the work included

Check which plan allows the tasks you tested: quoting, crew scheduling, payment records, job costs and exports. A low-cost package that lacks a required record may leave another subscription or manual process in place. Conversely, a larger suite may be unnecessary when a visit list is enough.

JobDiary uses one monthly price for the business and has optional paid setup. Use the live pricing page for the approved offer and confirm payment fees separately. Avoid deciding solely on seat price: fit, record quality, support and the ability to leave should be considered alongside cash cost.

Connect this to the next step

Continue with Jobber alternatives for an Irish trades business. If the next issue is elsewhere in the workflow, use Your first week in a trades job app: what to set up first.

See JobDiary for Irish trade businesses to check how the product supports this work. Use the current product description and a trial to verify the fit for your business.