One price, VAT included
Tools Down Pro is £29.99 a month including VAT. Fergus starts from £39 a month per user, and its terms say fees exclude tax: £46.80 with VAT at 20% (our calculation).
Fergus:Source: fergus.comfergus.com(2)fergus.com(3)
Fergus alternative for sole tradersTools Down vs Fergus, for a one-person business.
Facts about Fergus checked 26 September 2026 on Fergus’s own pages, linked beside each one. Written by Tools Down, the app we make.
Fergus runs trade businesses from one person to crews of twenty, and now has its own chat. Tools Down is built for one person and runs on chat and voice from the start. Here is how they compare for a sole trader, with Fergus’s own words behind every fact about Fergus.
For one person
The differences that matter on your own
A free plan that stays
After the first month, Tools Down’s free plan keeps every screen, with 50 messages a month. Fergus offers a 14-day trial; its pricing page lists no free plan.
Fergus:Source: fergus.com
CIS and the reverse charge on the invoice
Tools Down puts both on the invoice, set by customer. Fergus’s UK blog says CIS is managed through its Xero integration, and we found no reverse-charge setting documented.
Fergus:Source: fergus.comhelp.fergus.com
Chasing with nothing to top up
Tools Down’s reminders are included on every plan. Fergus chases automatically too, and its texts cost £8 per 100.
Fergus:Source: help.fergus.comhelp.fergus.com(2)
Next year’s gas safety check, already lined up
Tools Down puts the next check in your Diary and drafts the landlord’s message; a tenant copy goes only with the landlord’s agreement. Fergus includes gas records free on both plans; we found no next-due date or tenant copy documented on the record itself.
Fergus:Source: help.fergus.com
The whole job from your phone
In Tools Down, chat and voice do the whole job on your phone, from the quote to the chased invoice. Fergus says its phone app handles work on the move, and heavier work such as reporting is at the desk.
Fergus:Source: fergus.com
Like for like
Tools Down and Fergus, side by side
What one person pays and gets. “Our calculation” adds VAT at 20% to a price shown before VAT; “not documented” means we couldn’t find it on Fergus’s own pages.
| Tools Down | Fergus | |
|---|---|---|
| Least one person pays a month | Free plan, or Pro at £29.99 inc VAT (£24.99 + VAT at 20%), through Apple. One person, one price. | From £39 per user plus VAT: £46.80 inc VAT (our calculation).Source: fergus.comfergus.com(2)fergus.com(3) |
| Free option | First month free, no card. Then 50 messages a month free, with every screen still working. | 14-day free trial, no card. No free plan on its pricing page.Source: fergus.com |
| iPhone, Android, web | iPhone. Android after launch, no date yet. No web app. | iPhone, Android and web.Source: apps.apple.comfergus.comhelp.fergus.com |
| Admin done by chat or voice | Yes, by chat or voice, on every plan: customers, jobs, the Diary, quotes, invoices, reminders and expenses. | Yes: a chat that sets up jobs, builds quotes and prepares invoices, at no extra cost for now. Heavier work such as reporting is at the desk.Source: fergus.comhelp.fergus.comfergus.com(2) |
| Customer accepts a quote online | Yes: a quote page the customer accepts in one tap. Valid 30 days by default. | Yes: the customer accepts on a web page, with a deposit if you set one.Source: help.fergus.com |
| Automatic invoice chasing | On from the start and free: reminders 3, 7 and 14 days after the due date, stopping when paid. | Yes: automatic reminders on overdue invoices by email, text or both. Texts £8 per 100.Source: help.fergus.comhelp.fergus.com(2) |
| Card and bank payments | Bank transfer from the invoice page, which shows your bank details. A QR code on your phone opens it at the door. No card payments yet. | Fergus Pay: cards at 1.6% + 20p, Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, Direct Debit at 1% capped at £4.Source: fergus.comfergus.com(2)help.fergus.com |
| Gas safety records | Built in, landlord and homeowner. Issue with no signal; the next check shows in your Diary; tenant copy only with the landlord’s agreement. | Built in, listed as free on both plans, including the landlord record (CP12).Source: help.fergus.com |
| Electrical certificates | Not yet. Use a certificate app such as iCertifi alongside it. | Built in, listed as free on both plans, including Minor Works.Source: help.fergus.com |
| CIS and reverse charge | Built in, set by customer: the CIS deduction on labour and the reverse-charge wording on the invoice. | CIS: its UK blog says it is managed through the Xero integration. Reverse charge: not documented.Source: fergus.com |
| Accounting | No live sync. Expenses export as CSV (Xero and FreeAgent layouts, plain CSV for QuickBooks and Sage), and you can export everything. | Live sync with Xero and QuickBooks.Source: fergus.comhelp.fergus.com |
| Works with no signal | Gas safety records issue with no signal and send when it returns. | Partly: the phone app keeps time, photos and notes with no signal and syncs later.Source: help.fergus.com |
| UK App Store rating | Not on the App Store yet. | 4.7 from 128 ratings (Fergus Go).Source: apps.apple.com |
| Quotes that go quiet | A quote quiet for a week shows up in your morning brief, with a Follow up button. | Yes: automatic quote reminders by email, text or both, timed from the quote’s expiry.Source: help.fergus.com |
| Deposits | Ask for a deposit by chat, as a percentage or an amount. The final invoice takes the deposit off. | Yes: a deposit on the quote, 50% by default, paid through Fergus Pay when the customer accepts.Source: help.fergus.com |
| Text message costs | Nothing extra: reminders are included on every plan. | £8 per 100 texts.Source: help.fergus.com |
| Teams and dispatch | One person per account. No team accounts. | Yes: a calendar for staff, crews and subcontractors.Source: fergus.com |
Fair’s fair
Where Fergus is the better pick
- Certificates listed as free on both plans: gas, including the landlord record, and electrical, including Minor Works.Source: help.fergus.com
- Fergus Pay: cards at 1.6% + 20p, Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, and Direct Debit at 1% capped at £4.Source: fergus.comfergus.com(2)help.fergus.com
- Live sync with Xero and QuickBooks.Source: fergus.comhelp.fergus.com
- Android and a web app.Source: fergus.comhelp.fergus.com
- Teams: a calendar for staff, crews and subcontractors.Source: fergus.com
- Its own chat for jobs, quotes and invoices at no extra cost for now, and a phone app that keeps time, photos and notes with no signal.Source: fergus.comhelp.fergus.comhelp.fergus.com(2)
Switching
Moving from Fergus
Fergus says cancellation takes effect at the end of the month you ask, and it is done in the web app, not in Fergus Go. Export what you need before then. Source: help.fergus.com
- Export your customers and records from Fergus before your last month ends.
- Join the early-access list below. Tools Down is coming soon to iPhone.
- When it is on your phone, tell it the jobs as they come in. Customers are saved as you mention them.
Straight answers
Questions about Tools Down and Fergus
Is Tools Down cheaper than Fergus for one person?
Tools Down Pro is £29.99 a month including VAT. Fergus starts from £39 a month per user, plus VAT: £46.80 (checked 26 September 2026). Tools Down also has a free plan after the first month.
Fergus has a chat now. What is different about Tools Down?
Both take plain English. Tools Down is built around it: the whole job, from the quote to the chased invoice, by chat or voice on your phone, on every plan. Fergus says heavier work such as reporting is done at the desk.
Does Tools Down do certificates like Fergus?
Gas safety records, yes, for landlords and homeowners. Electrical certificates, not yet; Fergus lists them as free on both plans.
Price and the free plan
Leaving Fergus? Be first to try Tools Down.
Free to start. One price if you need more.
- Your first month is free, with no card.
- After that, 50 messages a month to Tools Down stay free for good.
- Every screen works on the free plan: quotes, invoices, chasing, reminders, the customer’s pay page, gas safety records and export.
- Tools Down Pro is £29.99 a month including VAT, through Apple. It lifts the message limit and nothing else, and the price you join at is the price you keep.
- Tools Down’s ceiling is 2,000 jobs a month on every plan, so there’s no allowance to watch. A weekly fair-use limit on messages applies on every plan.
Coming soon to iPhone.
Be first to hear when Tools Down is ready for your iPhone.
We’ll only email you about early access. No spam.
The evidence
In Fergus’s own words
Fergus: the evidence
- Least one person pays a month
Plans starting from £39 per month
fergus.com/uk/pricing/Our Fees are exclusive of all taxes, levies, or duties imposed by taxing authorities
fergus.com/terms-of-service/No lock-in contracts! Month-to-month per user, priced, so you add or remove users as the crew changes.
fergus.com/uk/- Free option
Experience the benefits of Fergus for free with a 14-day trial.
fergus.com/uk/pricing/Start using Fergus right away, no credit card required.
fergus.com/uk/pricing/- iPhone, Android, web
Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
apps.apple.com/gb/app/fergus-go/id1484018778The Fergus mobile app works seamlessly across Apple iOS and Android.
fergus.com/uk/You will need to cancel through the Fergus web app (browser version) at app.fergus.com.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/5068313-cancelling-your-account- Admin done by chat or voice
Use Assistant to find information, set up jobs, build and review quotes, prepare invoices, adjust the schedule, coordinate outstanding work, draft customer messages, run reports and schedule supported checks.
fergus.com/uk/assistant/The new AI tools are included in your current monthly Fergus subscription at no extra cost for now. If that changes in future, we’ll let you know clearly before any new pricing applies.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/16915626-fergus-assistant-faqsAssistant on Fergus Go is built for work on the move, including finding job details and capturing time, notes, tasks and updates. The heavier work like reporting, lives in Fergus Assistant at the desk.
fergus.com/uk/go-assistant/- Customer accepts a quote online
This single page is used for both accepting and declining quotes and estimates. Here, they can enter their name, and agree to the terms of service.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/11381674-deposits-for-quotes-and-estimates- Automatic invoice chasing
You can arrange automatic invoice reminders that are sent via SMS, email, or both when an invoice is overdue.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/1634555-invoice-remindersThe cost is £8 per 100 text messages.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/1420951-sms-communication-in-fergus- Card and bank payments
Credit Card Payments 1.6% + £0.20 per transaction
fergus.com/uk/pricing/tap to pay on iPhone or Android, direct debit, buy now pay later (Clearpay), Link, Apple Pay, credit and debit card payments, and online payments.
fergus.com/uk/United Kingdom 1% max £4
help.fergus.com/en/articles/13757649-direct-debit-with-fergus-pay-faqs- Gas safety records
Landlord / Homeowner Gas Safety Record (CP12)
help.fergus.com/en/articles/8286236-list-of-uk-certificates-availableNote: Fergus Certificates is a free Add-On available for the United Kingdom.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/8286236-list-of-uk-certificates-available- Electrical certificates
Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate
help.fergus.com/en/articles/8286236-list-of-uk-certificates-availableNote: Fergus Certificates is a free Add-On available for the United Kingdom.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/8286236-list-of-uk-certificates-available- CIS and reverse charge
With Fergus, you can make managing CIS payments a breeze with Xero integration.
fergus.com/uk/tradehub/blog/what-is-cis-and-who-has-to-pay-it/- Accounting
Two-way sync with your accounting system
fergus.com/uk/pricing/Fergus integrates with three accounting platforms to streamline your workflow and decrease admin time.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/3492011-accounting-software-fergus-integrates-with- Works with no signal
Offline Mode has come out of beta and rolled out to all users.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/13627195-release-notes-2026Keep working with no signal - time entries (timer or manual), photos, and job notes are all queued and synced automatically once you're back online.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/13627195-release-notes-2026- UK App Store rating
128 Ratings 4.7
apps.apple.com/gb/app/id1484018778- Quotes that go quiet
Unlock the power of Fergus to effortlessly send Quote and Estimate reminders to your customers via SMS and email.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/11586114-quote-estimate-reminders- Deposits
The default deposit amount is set to 50%, but this can be changed.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/11381674-deposits-for-quotes-and-estimates- Text message costs
The cost is £8 per 100 text messages.
help.fergus.com/en/articles/1420951-sms-communication-in-fergus- Teams and dispatch
Fergus makes it easy to manage jobs across different teams, crews, and subcontractors.
fergus.com/uk/features/scheduling/
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