Search for fire protection software in Australia and you will find a handful of platforms built for fire maintenance and a much longer list of general trades tools that fire contractors also use. They are not interchangeable. AS 1851 servicing, fire asset registers, defect reporting and annual statements are the work that pays the bills, and a tool built for plumbers will make you assemble most of that yourself.
This guide compares the options Australian fire contractors most often shortlist: what each is built for, how it is priced, and who it suits. It is written by traqR, which is one of the options, so we have kept to published information about each platform and said plainly where another product is the better fit.
What fire protection software has to do
Before comparing products, it helps to be clear about the job. A fire maintenance business lives or dies on doing the right test at the right interval on every asset, recording it properly, and turning what fails into paid work. Whatever you choose should handle these without workarounds:
- AS 1851 routine schedules: monthly, six-monthly, yearly and five-yearly activities, raised on time for every site and contract.
- A fire asset register per site, with each extinguisher, detector, hydrant, door and panel, its history and what is due next.
- Testing on a phone in the field: pass, defect or not applicable per asset, with photos, and records that survive patchy signal.
- Defect handling: critical and non-critical defects reported properly, then quoted as remedial work quickly.
- Annual statements: the NSW AFSS, Victorian essential safety measures reports or the Queensland occupier’s statement, depending on where you work.
- A client portal, because building owners and strata managers want the records without ringing you.
- The commercial side: quoting, invoicing, purchase orders, timesheets and accounting integration, so you are not running four systems.
The options at a glance
| Platform | Built for | Pricing (as published) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uptick | Fire and security maintenance | Per user (office and field), quote based | Fire and security teams of roughly 3 to 50 technicians on recurring compliance work |
| traqR | Australian fire protection contractors | Flat monthly tiers by team size, published | Fire contractors who want AS 1851 work and the commercial side in one system at a published price |
| Simpro | Medium to large trade contractors | Quote based, per user, plus implementation fees | Large multi-branch contractors with complex operations |
| AroFlo | Trades with complex and recurring work | Per user, from about A$39 a month, with add-ons | Established operators wanting a deep configurable platform |
| ServiceM8 | General trade and service businesses | Tiers metered by jobs and SMS, A$0 to A$349 a month | iOS-first solo operators and small teams |
| Tradify | Small trade businesses | Per user, from about A$48 a month, plus add-ons | Sole traders and small teams that mainly quote and invoice |
| Fergus | Plumbers and electricians | Per user, from about A$48 a month, with add-ons | Teams wanting a visual job board and job costing |
| FieldPulse | Field service, US based | Quote based, per seat, with add-ons | US field teams, with some Australian support |
The fire-specific platforms
Uptick
Uptick is the best known fire maintenance platform in Australia. It was built in Melbourne in 2014 specifically for fire and security businesses, and at June 2026 it listed more than 1,000 fire businesses on the platform and a 4.7 out of 5 rating across 97 Capterra reviews. Its strengths are depth on recurring inspection work, scheduling with route optimisation and an AI scheduler, and mature accounting integrations including Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks and Sage.
Uptick prices per user across office and field staff and quotes on request, and the way in is a demo. It is aimed at teams of roughly 3 to 50 technicians and says it is not built for one person operations. If you are a larger maintenance business that wants the deepest fire-specific toolset and is comfortable with a sales process, it belongs on your shortlist.
traqR
traqR is fire protection software built in Australia for contractors who service buildings under AS 1851. It covers AS 1851 service contracts with every visit planned for the contract term, fire asset registers with QR tags, testing on the phone with defects classified as critical or non-critical, defects turned into quotes, the NSW AFSS workflow with practitioner and owner e-signatures, a client portal for building owners, and a dispatch board with an auto-assign planner.
The difference from the specialist alternatives is the commercial side and the pricing. Quoting, invoicing with automatic overdue reminders, purchase orders, inventory, timesheets, job costing and Xero or QuickBooks sync are included on every plan, at flat monthly tiers by team size that are published on the website, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card. The field app is on iOS today, with Android coming to Google Play.
FireMate (retired)
FireMate was purpose-built for AS 1851-2012 and ran a lot of Australian fire contractors for years. Uptick acquired it in August 2023, FireMate Desktop was retired on 1 December 2025, and support closed on 1 February 2026. Customers were offered migration to Uptick or a data export. If you are a former FireMate user who landed somewhere by default, it is worth checking that the platform you were moved to is the one you would choose.
General trades platforms fire contractors also use
These are capable products, and plenty of fire contractors run on them. The trade-off is that fire-specific work (AS 1851 schedules, the fire asset register, statement support) is something you configure or build from forms rather than something that arrives ready.
Simpro
Simpro is an enterprise field service platform, founded in Brisbane in 2002, with powerful job costing, inventory and project profitability that scales to multi-branch and multi-entity businesses. It is quote based, per user, with separate implementation fees, and reviewers consistently mention a learning curve. It suits large contractors willing to invest in setup.
AroFlo
AroFlo is a feature rich Australian platform, now part of the Simpro Group, and genuinely strong on complex and recurring work, inventory, purchase orders and job costing. It is priced per user from about A$39 a month across tiers with add-ons, and reviewers note setup complexity. It suits established operators who want depth and will climb the learning curve.
ServiceM8
ServiceM8 is an easy to use job app for general trades, with a polished iOS app and excellent client communication. Its full product is iOS and Mac first, purchase orders and job costing are paid add-ons, and tiers are metered by jobs and SMS. It suits small iOS-first teams; fire work is assembled from its forms add-on.
Tradify, Fergus and FieldPulse
Tradify and Fergus are New Zealand built job management tools aimed at small trade businesses, both priced per user from about A$48 a month with add-ons. Tradify is strongest on fast quoting and invoicing, and Fergus on its visual job board and job costing, popular with plumbers and electricians. FieldPulse is a US platform with an Australian office, quote based and priced per seat. All three are general trades tools rather than fire maintenance software.
How to choose
- Start from your work, not the feature list. If most of your revenue is AS 1851 maintenance, a platform built for it will save you months of configuration.
- Count everyone who needs a login. Per user pricing across office and field staff adds up quickly as you grow; flat or team size pricing behaves differently.
- Ask how the register gets in. You will want to import your existing asset register from a spreadsheet rather than retype it.
- Check your state’s statement. NSW, Victoria and Queensland each have their own annual paperwork; see which a platform actually supports.
- Test it on a real site. A trial on a live contract tells you more than any demo.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best fire protection software in Australia?
It depends on the size of your business and how much of your work is AS 1851 maintenance. Uptick is the deepest fire-specific platform and suits larger teams comfortable with quote-based pricing. traqR suits contractors who want the fire work and the commercial side together at a published price. General trades platforms like Simpro and AroFlo suit larger businesses willing to configure the fire side themselves.
Is there fire protection software with published pricing?
Of the options here, traqR, AroFlo, ServiceM8, Tradify and Fergus publish prices, though most of the trades tools price per user with add-ons. Uptick, Simpro and FieldPulse quote on request.
What replaced FireMate?
FireMate’s owner, Uptick, migrated customers to its own platform when FireMate was retired on 1 December 2025. Former users can choose any platform; the main thing is getting the asset register and service history across, ideally as a spreadsheet export.
Can general job management software handle AS 1851?
It can with enough configuration, usually through custom forms and recurring jobs. The cost is setup time and the risk that schedules, registers and defect reporting depend on that configuration staying right.