Price is usually the first question a fire contractor asks about software, and the hardest one to answer. Several of the platforms built for fire maintenance do not publish prices at all, and the general trades tools that do publish them quote an entry price per user that grows once you add the people, tiers and add-ons fire work needs.
This guide sets out the three ways fire protection software is priced in Australia, what each model costs a small, mid-sized and larger team, and the costs that never appear on a pricing page. It is written by traqR, which is one of the options, so competitor figures are kept to what each vendor publishes.
The three ways fire protection software is priced
1. Per user
Most platforms charge a monthly fee for every person with a login. Uptick prices per user across office and field staff and quotes on request. Simpro is quote based, per user, with separate implementation fees. AroFlo starts from about A$39 per user per month, and Tradify and Fergus from about A$48 per user per month, each with higher tiers and paid add-ons. FieldPulse is quote based and priced per seat.
Per-user pricing is simple to understand, and cheap for a very small team. The catch is that the bill rises with every technician, apprentice and office hire, so the software costs more just as you grow into it. Ask each vendor exactly who counts: office staff, field technicians, apprentices, subcontractors and clients are treated differently from one platform to the next. Uptick, for example, does not charge for customer and subcontractor logins.
2. Metered by jobs or messages
ServiceM8 sells flat tiers from A$0 to A$349 a month, but each tier includes a set number of jobs and SMS messages, with overage fees beyond them. That suits a business doing a modest number of larger jobs. Fire maintenance is the opposite: a contract with monthly, six-monthly and yearly routines creates a steady stream of visits, so check how many jobs a typical month of your inspections would use.
3. Flat by team size
The third model charges one monthly price for a band of users, with unlimited jobs and every feature included. This is how traqR is priced:
| traqR plan | Users | Monthly | Annual (per month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1–3 users | A$149 | A$124 |
| Professional | 4–10 users | A$359 | A$299 |
| Business | 11–20 users | A$799 | A$666 |
| Business Plus | 21–30 users | A$1,200 | A$1,000 |
Every plan includes every feature, and the annual plan saves 17%. Above 30 users the price is agreed with you. Field technicians and office staff each take a user; clients using the portal do not.
Worked examples by team size
The table below puts the published entry prices side by side for three team sizes, counting technicians and office staff together. The per-user figures are each tool’s lowest tier before add-ons, so they are the least those tools would cost, not what a fire contractor would usually pay. Uptick, Simpro and FieldPulse quote on request, so they cannot be shown.
| Users | Per user at A$39 (AroFlo entry) | Per user at A$48 (Tradify, Fergus entry) | traqR (flat, all features) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (3 techs + office) | A$156 | A$192 | A$359 (Professional) |
| 8 (6 techs + 2 office) | A$312 | A$384 | A$359 (Professional) |
| 20 (16 techs + 4 office) | A$780 | A$960 | A$799 (Business) |
Read the table honestly. For a very small team, a per-user tool’s entry tier is cheaper than a flat plan. The gap closes as the team grows, and it usually reverses once the entry tier is not enough: Tradify keeps timesheets on its Pro tier and purchase orders and reporting on Plus, Fergus keeps GPS, purchase orders, SWMS and advanced reporting on Professional, and ServiceM8 sells purchase orders and job costing as add-ons. Price the tier that has the features you need, not the cheapest one.
The costs that are not on the pricing page
- Implementation and onboarding fees. Some platforms charge separately to set you up, and enterprise rollouts can run for months.
- Add-ons. Forms, purchase orders, job costing, extra storage and integrations are often sold on top of the base price.
- Messages and overages. SMS bundles and per-job limits add up in a busy servicing month.
- Every new hire. On a per-user plan, each apprentice or office assistant adds to the bill.
- Building the fire side yourself. A general trades tool can run AS 1851 work, but someone has to build the forms, recurring schedules and register, and keep them right. That time is a real cost.
- Moving your data. Retyping an asset register by hand is days of work. Ask whether you can import it from your spreadsheet.
- Contract terms. Check the minimum term and what happens to your data if you leave.
What fire contractors should get for the money
Comparing prices only makes sense if the products do the same job. For a fire maintenance business, the price should cover AS 1851 routine schedules at every frequency, a fire asset register with QR tags, testing on the phone with critical and non-critical defects, defects turned into quotes, your state’s annual statement, a client portal, and the commercial side: quoting, invoicing, purchase orders, timesheets and accounting sync. If any of these is an add-on or a configuration project, include it in the price.
How to compare quotes fairly
- Count every user you expect in 12 months, not just today, including office staff and apprentices.
- List the features you need and price the tier that includes all of them.
- Ask what is extra: implementation, training, SMS, storage, integrations and support.
- Ask about the minimum term, price rises at renewal, and how you get your data out.
- Run a trial on a live contract before you sign. An hour on a real site tells you more than any demo.
Frequently asked questions
How much does fire protection software cost in Australia?
Published prices run from about A$39 to A$48 per user per month for the entry tiers of general trades tools, before add-ons, and from A$149 a month for traqR’s smallest flat plan. Uptick, Simpro and FieldPulse quote on request. For a fire contractor with 8 people, expect a few hundred dollars a month once the features you need are included.
Does Uptick publish its pricing?
No. As at June 2026 Uptick prices per user across office and field staff and quotes on request, after a demo. Customer and subcontractor logins are free and there is no lock-in contract.
Is per-user or flat pricing cheaper?
Per-user pricing is usually cheaper for one to three people on an entry tier. Flat pricing tends to be cheaper as the team grows, and once you count the tiers and add-ons a fire business needs. Work out both for the team you expect to have in a year.
Is there free fire protection software?
ServiceM8 has a free tier for general trades with a small job allowance. The fire-specific platforms do not offer free plans; traqR has a 14-day free trial with every feature and no credit card.