Platform Comparison
FieldHive vs ServiceM8
FieldHive and ServiceM8 both help trade and field service businesses manage customers, quotes, bookings and invoices. But they are built around different starting points.
FieldHive gives owner-managed trade businesses a focused mobile system for building reusable pricing, sending quotes, booking work and creating invoices. ServiceM8 provides a broader job-management platform for businesses that need separate staff access, detailed job cards, team scheduling, customer communication and payment collection now.
ServiceM8 currently has more operational features. The important question is whether your business needs those wider tools today — or whether FieldHive gives you the structure you need without introducing a larger job-management setup.
ServiceM8
One person handles the main admin and you want a straightforward system for:
Customers
Reusable trade pricing
Fixed-price, hourly and time-and-materials quotes
Bookings
Invoices
Deposits and progress claims
Paid and unpaid invoice tracking
CIS support
Full mobile access on iPhone and Android
A focused option for getting pricing, quotes, bookings and invoices organised.
Several people need to work through the system and you require:
Separate staff users
Individual schedules
Job assignment
Detailed job cards
Photos, checklists and forms
Staff location and time tracking
Recurring jobs
Online bookings
Customer messages
Online payments
Accounting integrations
The customer is saved once. Pricing can be built once and reused. Bookings remain connected to the customer and quoted work. Invoices can continue from information already entered.
FieldHive currently operates through one main account. It can therefore suit a sole trader or a small business where the owner or administrator controls the pricing, bookings and paperwork.
A focused starting point when the main priority is getting pricing, quotes, bookings and invoices organised.
ServiceM8 can schedule jobs to individual staff members, maintain detailed job histories, store photos and videos, manage checklists, send customer messages, accept online bookings and take card payments.
That makes ServiceM8 the stronger current fit when the software needs to manage each worker and job separately. FieldHive offers a more focused starting point when the main priority is getting pricing, quotes, bookings and invoices organised.
Build Your Pricing Once
Each catalogue item can hold material cost, labour fit time, markup and the final customer price — not just a description and selling price.
Items can be organised into folders, edited and reused across future quotes, so the next quote starts from pricing already worked out. That keeps pricing consistent and makes it clearer when costs, fitting times or margins need adjusting.
Quote Different Types of Work Properly
Not every job should be priced the same way. FieldHive supports fixed-price, time-and-materials and hourly-rate quotes.
Quotes can use saved catalogue items or manually entered work. Totals are calculated inside the app and the finished quote can be previewed as a PDF and sent to the customer.
AI Quote Rewrite helps improve the clarity of descriptions. It does not set prices or make commercial decisions.
Keep Customer Records Together
Each customer record holds contact details, addresses, notes, quote history and invoice history.
When a customer returns, you can see what was previously quoted and invoiced without searching through old emails or folders. The history stays with the customer rather than being rebuilt each time.
Connect Quotes, Bookings and Invoices
A quote can move into a booking that stores the customer, work details, date and time. When the work is ready to invoice, the invoice can be created from the quote rather than typed out again.
Invoices can be presented as simple, detailed or materials-and-labour breakdowns, then recorded as paid or unpaid — giving a clear record of what remains outstanding.
Use Deposits and Progress Claims
FieldHive Business supports deposit invoices, progress claims and final invoicing.
A builder may request a deposit before purchasing materials; an electrician may invoice after first fix, second fix and completion; a landscaper may split preparation, installation and finishing. The invoice structure can follow how the work is delivered.
Start Without Paying
FieldHive Free costs £0 per month and includes up to five active quotes plus unlimited invoices, customers, catalogue items and bookings — with PDF documents, your company logo, CIS support, AI Quote Rewrite and 10 AI credits each month.
The limit is based on quotes that remain active, not an allowance of five per month. Once a quote is no longer active, it stops counting towards the limit.
Remove the Quote Limit Without Rebuilding
FieldHive Business costs £14.99 per month or £144 per year, adding unlimited quotes, deposit invoices, progress claims, availability indicators, automated reminders, 100 AI credits and removal of FieldHive branding.
Moving from Free to Business does not mean starting again — your customers, catalogue and previous quotes and invoices all remain in place.
Use the Full App on iPhone and Android
FieldHive is an installable mobile app and the main experience is available across both iPhone and Android.
That matters when the owner, administrator or wider business uses Android devices and does not want its main mobile workflow limited to a lighter version of the app.
FieldHive is currently mobile-only and does not provide desktop or browser access.
Use UK Trade Support
CIS support is included from the free plan, alongside VAT and tax settings, hourly rates, currency and regional settings, company details, company logo and document branding.
FieldHive launched first for the UK market, although the product is not positioned as UK-only.
Separate Staff Users and Scheduling
ServiceM8 allows jobs to be scheduled to individual staff members, who are notified when work is assigned. Its paid plans currently include unlimited users, while the Free plan supports one user.
It also provides staff location and status, urgent job dispatch, schedule-change notifications, job check-in and check-out, time tracking and team activity information.
FieldHive does not currently provide separate staff logins, individual engineer schedules or team dispatch.
Detailed Job Records
ServiceM8 maintains a fuller record around each job — notes, photos, videos, messages, checklists, tasks, staff activity and customer communication.
Photos and videos taken through the app are saved against the relevant job, while the customer history keeps previous work and communication together.
FieldHive connects customers, quotes, bookings and invoices but does not yet provide the same depth of individual job-card activity.
Online Quote Acceptance and Customer Communication
ServiceM8 allows customers to view and accept quotes online, with booking confirmations, reminders, on-the-way messages, arrival tracking, two-way SMS, emails stored against the job, automated quote follow-ups, feedback requests and electronic signatures.
FieldHive sends quote and invoice documents and provides automated quote and invoice reminders on Business, but it does not yet offer the same range of customer messaging and self-service tools.
Online Bookings and Recurring Work
ServiceM8 allows customers to select a service, choose a time and book work online. It also supports recurring jobs that recreate and schedule themselves over time — useful for annual servicing, planned maintenance, routine inspections, regular cleaning or repeat property maintenance.
FieldHive supports bookings managed through the main account but does not offer online customer booking or recurring job automation.
Payments and Accounting Connections
ServiceM8 allows customers to pay by card through an online invoice link, and businesses can also accept card payments onsite, including Tap to Pay on compatible iPhones.
Its accounting connections include Xero and QuickBooks Online, so clients, catalogue items, invoices and payments can be synchronised.
FieldHive tracks whether invoices are paid or unpaid but does not process payments or connect to accounting software.
Forms, Assets and Wider Job Tools
Depending on the plan, ServiceM8 can add electronic forms and certificates, asset management, supplier invoice importing, proposals, bundled services, job costing, markup billing and ServiceM8 Inbox.
Its Bundles feature, available from Growing upwards, groups several labour, material or service items into a preset service with one customer-facing description.
FieldHive’s catalogue holds material cost, labour fit time, markup and customer price within each reusable item, but does not yet provide these wider asset, form and job-costing tools.
FieldHive vs ServiceM8 at a Glance
Area | FieldHive | ServiceM8 |
|---|---|---|
Best fit today | Owner-managed trade businesses where one person handles the main admin | Businesses needing broader job, customer and team management |
Free plan | Five active quotes; unlimited invoices, customers, catalogue items and bookings | One user and up to 30 new jobs per month |
Paid starting price | £14.99 per month | £25 per month |
Paid-plan users | One main account currently | Unlimited users |
Main pricing limit | Active quotes | New jobs created each month |
Reusable pricing | Material cost, labour fit time, markup and final price | Materials and labour, with Bundles from Growing |
Quote methods | Fixed price, hourly, and time and materials | Quotes, options, proposals and online acceptance |
Bookings | Managed through one main account | Staff scheduling, online bookings and recurring jobs |
Full Android experience | Available | ServiceM8 Lite provides core field functions |
Desktop or online access | Not currently available | Online management available |
Detailed job records | Not currently available | Notes, messages, photos, videos, tasks and checklists |
Payments and accounting | Payment-status tracking; no processing or accounting sync | Card payments plus Xero and QuickBooks Online |
ServiceM8’s exact functionality depends on the selected plan and add-ons.
FieldHive Free — £0 per month
Includes five active quotes and unlimited invoices, customers, catalogue items and bookings.
FieldHive Business — £14.99 per month or £144 per year
Adds unlimited quotes, deposit invoices, progress claims, availability indicators and automated reminders.
FieldHive's free-plan limit is based on the number of active quotes, rather than the number of new jobs created each month.
ServiceM8’s current UK pricing:
Free — £0 per month
Starter — £25 per month
Growing — £59 per month
Premium — £119 per month
Premium Plus — £269 per month
Unlimited users on paid plans; the price is set by monthly job allowance:
Plan | Users | New jobs / month |
|---|---|---|
Free | 1 | 30 |
Starter | Unlimited | 50 |
Growing | Unlimited | 150 |
Premium | Unlimited | 500 |
Premium Plus | Unlimited | 1,500+ |
The current product begins with customers, pricing, quotes, bookings and invoices.
As the workload increases, FieldHive Business removes the active-quote limit and adds deposits, progress claims, availability indicators and automated reminders. The aim is to introduce useful structure without setting up full staff, dispatch and job-management processes before they are needed.
ServiceM8 already provides a broad range of staff, job and customer-management functions.
A business that needs separate users, individual schedules, detailed job histories, recurring work, payments and accounting connections can use those tools now.
Its paid plans include unlimited users, while the subscription increases according to monthly job volume and the wider features required.
It may suit you when
One person controls the quoting and invoicing
You want reusable pricing based on material costs and fit times
You use Android or iPhone
You want unlimited invoices, customers and bookings on the free plan
You need CIS support
You want deposits and progress claims
Other workers do not need separate access
You do not need detailed job cards or staff tracking
You want a focused system at a lower paid starting price
FIELDHIVE APPROACH
Imagine an electrical business with four people: the owner, two electricians and one apprentice. The owner handles the customer records, pricing, quotes, bookings and invoices.
The electricians complete the work but do not need separate accounts or individual schedules inside the system. FieldHive can manage the main admin through one account.
ServiceM8 approach
Now imagine each electrician needs to log in separately, view their schedule, receive assigned work, open a detailed job card, add notes and photos, complete checklists, record arrival and working time, update the office and take payment onsite.
The office also needs to see staff locations, dispatch urgent work, manage recurring visits, send customer reminders, accept online bookings, store forms and certificates and sync invoices into accounting software.
ServiceM8 already provides that structure
Separate logins and individual schedules
Detailed job cards with photos and checklists
Staff location, dispatch and time tracking
Online bookings and recurring jobs
Customer messaging and online quote acceptance
Card payments and accounting sync
One person handles the main admin
Reusable pricing based on materials and fit times matters
You want fixed-price, hourly and time-and-materials quotes
You want unlimited invoices, customers, catalogue items and bookings on the free plan
You need the complete mobile workflow on Android or iPhone
You need CIS support
You want a lower-cost paid option
You do not need full staff and job management yet
Separate staff users
Individual schedules
Detailed job cards
Staff tracking and dispatch
Photos, checklists and forms
Online customer bookings
Recurring jobs
Card payments
Accounting integrations
Wider customer communication
Online office management
The choice comes down to what the software needs to manage today. Choose the system that fits the way your business currently works.
