Best Software and Apps for Plumbers: The UK 2026 Guide

Running a plumbing business means juggling quotes, schedules, certificates and invoices — usually after a long day on the tools. The right software shrinks all that down, while a wide range of niche apps make little parts of your job easier.

This guide covers the best software and apps for plumbers working in the UK in 2026 — the big job management platforms, plus the smaller-scope apps worth keeping on your phone alongside them.

What can plumbing apps help you with?

A quick tour of what’s actually possible across the full app ecosystem — so you can match a tool to the bits of your week that drag the most.

• Managing jobs. Scheduling, dispatching and a searchable customer history
• Issuing certificates. CP12s, LGSRs, warning notices, oil and powerflush records (a gas certificate app)
• Quoting and invoicing. Professional PDF quotes and invoices emailed to customers in minutes
• Getting paid faster. Payment links that can be cheaper than a card reader — and just as quick.
• Keeping your accounts organised. Especially important now with the latest Making Tax Digital regulations.
• Finding new jobs. Directory platforms and marketing tools that put your business in front of homeowners who don’t know you yet.
• Communicating with customers. Appointment reminders, quick replies, follow-up service notifications — without your personal phone becoming a 24/7 hotline.
• Working out the numbers. Pipe sizing, fittings, and heat loss calculations done in seconds from calculator apps.
• Quick reference. Boiler manuals, plumbing formulae, etc.

Software vs apps: what’s the difference?

Software is the digital system you use to run your business — job management platforms, customer CRMs, accounting tools.

Apps are field tools that help you get the job done — gas certificate apps, calculators, boiler manual references.

It’s not one or the other, and most plumbers benefit from a combination of both. Many tools fit into both buckets. Gas Engineer Software, for example, has a web portal for desktop use at home or in the office, plus a mobile app for the field.

Best job management software for plumbers

Gas Engineer Software — the best option for plumbers and gas engineers

Great for plumbers who do gas work alongside plumbing — especially sole traders and small teams who want one tool that handles everything from quote to certificate to invoice without bolting on extras.

On the software side of things, GES helps you manage your customer database, quotes, invoices, and scheduling. Meanwhile, the app shares many of these features and packages it into a user-friendly experience while you’re out on a job. Use it to create gas certificates — CP12s, warning notices, and so on, with PDFs emailed to customers.

Key features:

• Records and certificates
• Quoting
• Invoicing
• Scheduling
• Customer management CRM
• Accounting integrations (MTD-ready)

Platform: Cross-platform — web app for desktop admin, dedicated iOS and Android apps for the field, all syncing in real time.

Ratings: Google 4.7 ★, iOS 4.7 ★, Google Play 4.4 ★

Pricing: Starter from £18/user/month (annual), Core from £23/user/month, Pro from £30/user/month. Free 14-day trial, no card required. See full pricing information.

Other job management options worth knowing about

Powered Now. UK-native, with VAT, CIS and Domestic Reverse Charge invoicing handled in the platform, plus a free Making Tax Digital toolkit. January 2026 added a generative AI text suite for drafting and proofreading. From £28/month.

Tradify. Multi-trade generalist with job cards, timesheets and quotes — no UK gas certificate workflows out of the box. Now part of The Access Group with the SmartTools AI suite (AI message generation, invoice photo extraction). From ~£34/month.

Commusoft. Deep feature set covering inventory, fleet tracking, planned maintenance contracts and customer portals. Their AI:den+ feature (rolling out through 2026) converts engineer audio recordings into written job notes. Typically £60–£150+/month.

For a deeper side-by-side comparison — pros, cons and which one fits which type of business — see our Best Plumbing Job Management Software UK 2026 guide.

Tools & Calculators

Plumbing Formulator

A broad third-party reference app with 200+ plumbing formulas in one place. Useful for many features, but note that it is a US-built app so several calculators default to US units.

• Platform: iOS
• Ratings: iOS 3.5 ★
• Pricing: Free.

Gas Rate Calculator

Our free Gas Rate Calculator app works out the gas rate from the meter reading in seconds, on the doorstep. No log-in. Also built into Gas Engineer Software for anyone already on the main platform.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android), plus web version.
• Ratings: iOS 3.7 ★, Google Play 4.1 ★
• Pricing: Free.

Gas Pipe Sizing Calculator

Our free Gas Pipe Sizing Calculator is a web-based tool — works fine on a phone browser. Enter the appliance load, pipe length and material, it returns the right pipe diameter.

• Platform: Web only.
• Ratings: N/A — web tool.
• Pricing: Free.

Heat Loss Calculator

The Heat Loss Calculator works room-by-room, and is useful for sizing radiators, specifying a replacement boiler, or making the case for fabric upgrades before a heat pump install. Results save as you go.

• Platform: Web only.
• Ratings: N/A — web tool.
• Pricing: Free.

Boiler & appliance reference apps

Worcester Bosch Professional

The manufacturer app for installers and service engineers — technical documentation, installation guides, fault-finding flow diagrams and warranty registration for Worcester Bosch boilers. Worth installing even if you only fit Worcesters occasionally.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android).
• Ratings: iOS 4.4 ★, Google Play 4.5 ★
• Pricing: Free for Gas Safe registered engineers.

myVAILLANT Pro Service

The Vaillant trade app — technical support, installation documentation, warranty registration and product info for Vaillant heat pumps, boilers and renewables.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android).
• Ratings: iOS 2.9 ★, Google Play 2.7 ★
• Pricing: Free for Gas Safe registered engineers.

Payment apps

Crezco (built into Gas Engineer Software)

Create an invoice with GES and the Crezco integration active, and an easy payment link is added on every invoice. The customer scans, picks their bank, confirms in their own banking app — done. Crezco charges a flat £1 + VAT per invoice paid, with no percentage transaction fees on top.

• Platform: Built into Gas Engineer Software (iOS + Android + web). No separate app for engineers — your customer pays in their own banking app.
• Ratings: N/A — backend integration.
• Pricing: £1 + VAT per invoice paid via Crezco. No setup or monthly fee on the integration.

SumUp

The card reader of choice for a lot of UK trades. Pocket-sized terminal, pairs to your phone, accepts contactless and chip-and-PIN.

• Platform: Hardware reader + mobile app (iOS + Android).
• Ratings: Trustpilot 4.1 ★, iOS 4.7 ★, Google Play 3.7 ★
• Pricing: Card reader from ~£39 one-off; 1.69% per transaction on the basic plan.

Customer communications

WhatsApp Business

Set up automated greeting messages, save quick replies for common questions (“Yes, I can fit you in Wednesday — what’s the address?”), and label conversations by job status. Separate from your personal WhatsApp, so home/work stays cleanly split.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android) + web.
• Ratings: iOS 4.7 ★, Google Play 4.7 ★
• Pricing: Free.

Marketing & lead gen

Canva

For plumbers who want to look professional without paying a designer. Leaflets, social posts, logo refresh, invoice headers — templates do most of the work. Spend an hour with it once, save the templates you like, and you’ve effectively given yourself a marketing department. While Canva does have mobile apps, you’re probably better off using it on a laptop or desktop computer.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android) + web.
• Ratings: Trustpilot 3.9 ★
• Pricing: Free tier covers most plumbers; Canva Pro from ~£10.99/month.

Mailchimp Email Marketing

For staying in front of past customers. Annual boiler service reminders, seasonal tips, special offers. Pair it with the customer list in your job management software and the export-and-send loop becomes a half-hour job once a month.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android) + web.
• Ratings: Trustpilot 2.6 ★, iOS 4.9 ★, Google Play 4.7 ★
• Pricing: Free tier covers small lists; paid plans from ~£10/month.

Checkatrade

For winning new customers who don’t know you yet. Checkatrade is the directory most UK homeowners check before booking a plumber. Membership is a paid investment, not free — worth running for six months and tracking what each lead actually produces in invoiced work. For a deeper comparison vs MyBuilder and Rated People, our lead gen sites guide covers the trade-offs.

• Platform: Mobile app (iOS + Android) for managing your trade profile, plus the consumer-facing web directory.
• Ratings: Trustpilot 4.6 ★, iOS 4.7 ★, Google Play 4.6 ★
• Pricing: Membership from ~£30 + VAT/month at the basic end, typically £80–£120 + VAT/month depending on trade and area.

See our full marketing guide for implementing Canva, Mailchimp, Checkatrade and many more proven strategies. 

Accounting & bookkeeping

Xero

UK-popular, clean interface, strong on bank feeds. Most plumbing job management platforms integrate cleanly, so invoices you raise on the job sync straight into your books without re-typing.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android) + web.
• Ratings: Trustpilot 4.1 ★, iOS 4.8 ★, Google Play 4.6 ★
• Pricing: UK plans from £16/month (Ignite). Free trial.

QuickBooks

Broad feature set, also widely supported by job management software. Slightly more options than Xero on the reporting side, which suits plumbers running tighter margins or planning to grow. Solid mobile app for snapping receipts at the merchants.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android) + web.
• Ratings: Trustpilot 3.9 ★, iOS 4.7 ★, Google Play 4.4 ★
• Pricing: UK plans from ~£12/month (Sole Trader / Simple Start). Free trial.

Sage

The traditional UK option. Long-established, well-supported by accountants, and a fair choice if your bookkeeper already works on it. Less slick than Xero or QuickBooks on the mobile and integrations side, but a known quantity in the UK plumbing trade.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android) + web.
• Ratings: Trustpilot 4.0 ★, iOS 4.5 ★, Google Play 2.9 ★
• Pricing: UK plans from £15/month (Accounting Start). Free trial.

Storage & quick capture

Google Drive / OneDrive / iCloud

Cloud storage with mobile apps for photos and PDFs. Pick whichever your other tools already integrate with (Gmail users tend to land on Drive, Microsoft 365 on OneDrive). Free tiers are enough for most plumbing businesses.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android) + web.
• Ratings: All highly rated.
• Pricing: Free tier; paid storage from ~£1.59/month.

Adobe Scan

For turning paper receipts and warranty cards into clean searchable PDFs. Point your phone, the app crops and de-skews automatically, then saves to Drive or sends to your accountant.

• Platform: Mobile (iOS + Android).
• Ratings: iOS 4.9 ★, Google Play 4.6 ★
• Pricing: Free for the core scanning features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there free software for plumbers?

To a point. Most of the big job management platforms (Gas Engineer Software, Tradify, Powered Now, Commusoft) offer free trials of two weeks or so, which is enough to test-run them on real jobs.

If a paid tool saves you four hours a week, you’ve covered the subscription in less than one job.

What’s the difference between plumbing software and a CRM?

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management tool) is a customer database — it stores who your customers are, what you’ve sold them, and how to follow up.

Plumbing software is broader. It’s a CRM, plus job scheduling, plus quoting, plus invoicing, plus certificates, plus reporting — all tied together. For most plumbers, a dedicated CRM on top of a job management platform is overkill. The customer side of the job management platform is the CRM.

Do I need separate software if I do gas as well as plumbing?

No, and you’ll save time and money by using one tool that handles both. The plumbing side — quoting, scheduling, invoicing, customer management — is the same whether the spanner is on a tap or a boiler. The bit you need on top for gas is certificate generation (CP12s, AR/CP4s, landlord reports), and platforms built for UK gas engineers ship those workflows as standard. Running two tools means double the subscriptions and double the data re-entry.

Card reader, payment link, or open banking — which is cheapest?

Depends on your average invoice size. Card terminals typically charge 1.5%–1.99% per transaction. Stripe payment links sit at around 1.5% + 20p. Open banking via Crezco (built into Gas Engineer Software) is a flat £1 + VAT per invoice paid — which works out cheaper than card on anything over ~£50 and significantly cheaper on jobs over a few hundred. For a typical plumbing customer base, that’s most invoices.