A free plan
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
Fergus alternative for sole tradersTools Down vs Fergus, for a one-person business.
The quick answer
Fergus if you run a team, or plan to: it’s priced per user, with timesheets and reporting at the desk, and AI that knows your customers, jobs and quotes and asks before it acts.
Tools Down if it’s just you: one app on your phone that knows your work, does it when you ask, and tells you each morning who owes you and which quotes have gone quiet.
Fergus:Source: fergus.comfergus.com(2)fergus.com(3)fergus.com(4)fergus.com(5)
Coming soon on the App StoreSee them side by side
iPhone. First month free, no card.
Facts about Fergus checked 27 September 2026 on Fergus’s own pages, linked beside each one. Written by Tools Down, the app we make.
The price, like for like
Cheaper for one person
Including VAT. The price excluding VAT, if you reclaim it, follows each one.
With VAT: £29.99 a month for Tools Down Pro, against Fergus from £46.80 a month per user, which is £39 plus VAT at 20% (our calculation).Before VAT, if you reclaim it: £24.99 a month for Tools Down Pro, against Fergus from £39 a month per user, as its terms say fees exclude tax.
Fergus is priced per user, so you add or remove users as the crew changes. Tools Down is one price for one person.
Fergus:Source: fergus.comfergus.com(2)fergus.com(3)
For one person
Where Tools Down differs from Fergus
Made for one person doing the work
Both know your records and act when you ask. Tools Down is made for one person: the conversation is the whole app, on your phone and on every plan. Fergus Assistant follows each user’s permissions for a team; Fergus says the phone app is for work on the move, and heavier work such as reporting is at the desk.
Fergus:Source: fergus.comfergus.com(2)fergus.com(3)
Who owes you, every morning
Each morning Tools Down tells you what’s overdue and which quotes have gone quiet. Fergus sends overdue-invoice reminders, and says Fergus AI, which will show work that needs your attention, is in beta.
Fergus:Source: help.fergus.comhelp.fergus.com(2)
CIS and the reverse charge on the invoice
Tools Down puts both on the invoice, set by customer. Fergus’s blog says CIS is managed through its Xero integration, and we found no reverse-charge setting documented.
Fergus:Source: fergus.comhelp.fergus.com
Like for like
Tools Down and Fergus, side by side
What one person pays and gets, with the prices in the VAT view chosen above. “Our calculation” adds VAT at 20% to a price shown before VAT, or takes it off an App Store price, which includes it; fees are as Fergus publishes them. “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, through Apple. One person, one price.Free plan, or Pro at £24.99 ex VAT, through Apple. One person, one price. | From £46.80 per user inc VAT: £39 plus VAT at 20% (our calculation).From £39 per user ex VAT; its terms say fees exclude tax.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 |
| Admin done by asking | Yes, on every plan. Say what you need, typed or out loud: customers, jobs, the Diary, quotes, invoices, reminders and expenses. | Yes: Fergus Assistant, built into Fergus, knows your customers, jobs and quotes, and asks before it creates, changes or sends anything. Typed or said, at no extra cost for now. Heavier work such as reporting is at the desk.Source: fergus.comfergus.com(2)help.fergus.comfergus.com(3) |
| Customer accepts a quote online | Yes: a quote page the customer accepts in one tap. | Yes: the customer accepts on a web page, with a deposit if you set one.Source: help.fergus.com |
| Invoice chasing | Free on every plan: reminders at 3, 7 and 14 days, emailed once you’ve said so, or ready to send from your phone. | Yes: automatic reminders on overdue invoices by email, text or both. Texts £8 per 100.Source: help.fergus.comhelp.fergus.com(2) |
| How the customer pays | Bank transfer, with your bank details on every invoice, its page and its PDF. | 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 |
| CIS and reverse charge | Built in, set by customer: the CIS deduction on labour, extras included unless they’re materials, and the reverse-charge wording on the invoice. | CIS: its blog says it’s managed through the Xero integration. Reverse charge: not documented.Source: fergus.com |
| Accounting and export | Expenses export in Xero and FreeAgent layouts, or as a plain CSV for QuickBooks and Sage. Export everything, any time. | Live sync with Xero and QuickBooks.Source: fergus.comhelp.fergus.com |
| Works with no signal | Gas safety records issue with no signal. | Partly: the phone app keeps time, photos and notes with no signal and syncs later.Source: help.fergus.com |
| Quotes that go quiet | A quote with no answer for a week is in your evening wrap, and shows with a Follow up button when you ask what’s on. | Yes: automatic quote reminders by email, text or both, timed from the quote’s expiry.Source: help.fergus.com |
| Deposits | Ask for a deposit as a percentage or an amount, and bill each stage the same way, with what’s left to bill shown. The final invoice takes every deposit and stage off and asks for the balance. | Yes: a deposit on the quote, 50% by default, paid through Fergus Pay when the customer accepts.Source: help.fergus.com |
Switching
Moving from Fergus
Fergus says cancellation takes effect at the end of the month you ask, and it’s 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.
- Get Tools Down from the App Store on your iPhone. The first month is free, with no card.
- When it’s 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?
Yes. Fergus starts from £39 a month per user, plus VAT: £46.80 with it (checked 27 September 2026). Tools Down Pro is £29.99 a month including VAT, or £24.99 if you reclaim VAT, so it’s £29.99 against £46.80, or £24.99 against £39 if you’re VAT registered. Tools Down also has a free plan after the first month.
Fergus has AI now. What’s different about Tools Down?
Both know your records and act when you ask, typed or said. Fergus Assistant works inside Fergus for a whole team, following each person’s permissions, and asks you to confirm before it creates, changes or sends anything. Tools Down is made for one person: the conversation is the whole app, on your phone and on every plan, and each morning it tells you who owes you and which quotes have gone quiet.
Does Tools Down do gas safety records?
Yes, for landlords and homeowners: issued with no signal, next year’s check in your Diary with the landlord’s message drafted, and a tenant copy only with the landlord’s agreement.
Will it understand me?
Say it the way you’d say it on site: “Quote Mrs Jones for the board, £650.” Type it or say it. Tools Down shows you the quote or invoice it made, and you share it when you’re happy.
Price and the free plan
Leaving Fergus? Made for one. Priced for one.
£29.99 a month including VAT, or £24.99 if you reclaim VAT. One person, no minimum, no setup fee, no training.
- Your first month is free, with no card.
- After that you’re on the Free plan: 50 messages a month to Tools Down, and every screen keeps working.
- Tools Down Pro is paid monthly through Apple. It lifts the message limit.
- Fair use applies on every plan, with limits set far above what one person books or asks for in a month.
Tools Down for iPhone
Coming soon on the App StoreFirst month free, no card.
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/- Admin done by asking
AI that lives inside the same platform that holds your customers, site history, quotes and the rest of your business.
fergus.com/uk/ai/Talk it, type it. Done.
fergus.com/uk/ai/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/Before it creates, changes or sends anything, it shows you a confirmation step so you can check the details and decide whether to go ahead.
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- 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- How the customer pays
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- CIS and reverse charge
With Fergus, you can make managing CIS payments a breeze with Xero integration.
fergus.com/tradehub/blog/what-is-cis-and-who-has-to-pay-it/- Accounting and export
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- 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
Keep comparing