Payaca Alternatives for Small Trades (2026)
Payaca built its name as quoting-and-job-management software for small UK trades. In 2026 it isn't priced for them any more. As of 27 August 2026, Payaca's entry plan (Accelerator) is £299/month — and that's a 12-month introductory rate; the standard plans run £1,199 to £3,199/month. The free trial is gone too: it's personalised demos only.
For a growing field-service company with office staff, that may be worth it. If you're a sole trader or a two-or-three-van crew, you're now shopping for an alternative. Here are the honest options, every price checked 26–27 August 2026.
The short answer
- Closest like-for-like (quoting + job management): Tradify — from £34 per user/month, 14-day trial. The most complete UK-focused replacement for what Payaca did at small-trade prices.
- Cheapest all-rounder: Powered Now (from £28 per user/month, strong UK tax and VAT features) or YourTradebase (£29/month flat, unlimited quotes, 30-day trial).
- Best if quoting is the bottleneck: Speqly — AI builds the priced, itemised proposal from your site photos. From £7 per project on credits with no subscription, or £79/month for 20 projects, 14-day free trial, no card. Pushes accepted jobs into Xero as draft invoices (QuickBooks Online support in development).
- Best for estimating from drawings: Buildxact — from £89/month, takeoffs from plans, AI add-ons from £99/month.
Compare at a glance
| Tool | Entry price (checked 26–27 Aug 2026) | Trial | Shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payaca | £299/mo intro, £1,199+ standard | None — demo only | Field service platform |
| Tradify | £34/user/mo | 14 days | Quoting + job management |
| Powered Now | £28/user/mo | 14 days, no card | Quoting + job management |
| YourTradebase | £29/mo flat | 30 days, no card | Quoting + invoicing |
| Qted | £29/mo | 3 months free, card required | AI quoting (no Xero/QuickBooks) |
| Speqly | £7/project or £79/mo | 14 days, no card | AI quoting from photos + accounts sync |
How to choose
If you liked Payaca for the job pipeline — scheduling, workflows, automations — Tradify is the natural home, with Powered Now the cheaper seat price. Both integrate with Xero and QuickBooks.
If you liked Payaca for professional quotes — and the rest was baggage — a dedicated quoting tool gets you further for less. Speqly generates the itemised pricing and before/after visuals from your site photos, and clients accept with one tap. YourTradebase is the budget pick if you're happy writing quotes yourself.
If you're AI-curious but run proper accounts — check the integration before you commit. Qted quotes with AI at £29/month but has no Xero or QuickBooks connection (checked 27 August 2026), so every accepted job is typed into your accounts by hand. The job-management platforms push to both; Speqly pushes to Xero, with QuickBooks Online support in development.
The uncomfortable maths of staying
Payaca's £299/month intro becomes £1,199/month at standard pricing — £14,388 a year. A sole trader quoting 15 jobs a month covers the same quoting need for £79/month (Speqly Solo) or £34/month (Tradify Lite, one user). Even running two tools — quoting plus a scheduling app — you'd struggle to spend a tenth of Payaca's standard tier.
Related guides
- UK quoting software prices compared
- Quoting software with no subscription
- Best quoting software for UK contractors
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Payaca really dropped its free trial?
Yes — as of 27 August 2026, payaca.com offers personalised demos rather than free trials. Every alternative in the table above has a real trial: Tradify, Powered Now, YourTradebase, Qted and Speqly all do.
Can I export my data out of Payaca?
Payaca supports data export from account settings; check with their support for formats before you cancel, and export customers and quote history first.
What's the cheapest way to replace Payaca?
If you quote occasionally: pay-per-job credits (from £7/project, no monthly fee). If you quote weekly: YourTradebase at £29 flat or Powered Now at £28/user are the lowest standing costs.
Stop Losing Jobs on Paperwork
Speqly turns your site photos into a professional, priced proposal in under 10 minutes — from £7 per project, no subscription, no demo call required.
Try Speqly free → speqly.com
Stop Losing Jobs on Paperwork
Speqly turns your site photos into a professional proposal in under 10 minutes. Before/after visuals, itemised costs, one-tap accept.
Try Speqly Free