Compliance software that fits small firms.

What "getting compliant" actually means

When a trades firm is told to "get compliant," the instruction usually covers one or more of the following: produce certificates for statutory inspections (EICR, CP12), keep inspection records for regulatory audit (DVSA, HSE, local authority), demonstrate due diligence to a client or insurer, or qualify for a contract that requires ISO 9001 or a similar management system.

The first thing to do is work out which of these applies. A sole trader electrician needs to produce EICRs and CP12s. They do not need a CAFM system. A gas safety contractor managing a portfolio of landlord properties needs to track certificate renewal dates. A construction H&S consultancy needs to produce site inspection records and near-miss reports. These are different problems requiring different tools.

The four categories of compliance tool

Trade-specific certificate tools

These are apps and platforms built for a specific certificate type. iCertifi and Cert Lightning are widely used by electricians for producing EICRs. They produce compliant documents in the required format, handle the schedule of test results, and deliver the certificate to the client. Similar tools exist for gas engineers (Gas Engineer Software, Corgi HomePlan's contractor app). These tools are the right choice when the primary need is producing a certificate to the required standard: they do one thing well.

Their limitation: they do not handle general inspection workflows. An electrical contractor who also does site safety inspections, van checks, or property condition reports needs something else alongside the certificate tool.

General inspection apps

iAuditor (SafetyCulture) and GoAudits can handle any inspection type. You build the template, the engineer completes it on their phone, the report is generated. Both support photo attachment, offline completion, and PDF export. Both are priced per seat. At £20-30 per seat per month, the cost rises with the size of the field team. For firms with ten or more engineers, this adds up quickly.

iAuditor has a larger template library and more analytics capability. GoAudits is generally seen as more cost-effective for smaller teams. Both require the engineer to install and use an app, which is the adoption barrier that most firms underestimate.

WhatsApp-native tools

Quickler delivers inspection workflows in WhatsApp. Engineers receive the checklist as a WhatsApp message, complete it in the same way they would respond to any message, and send photos directly in the conversation. No app install. No login. The workflow arrives on the phone that is already in the engineer's pocket and already open.

Pricing is 20 pounds per active user a month. An active user is a person who produced at least one report that month; dormant users are free, so you add your whole team and only pay for who actually works. Reports, photos, messages and workflows are all unlimited on a paid account. Sign-up is free, and there is a free tier of 20 reports a month with up to 10 photos per report, no card and no trial clock, so you can start before you pay anything. The economics are different from per-seat tools: the cost does not rise with everyone on the payroll, only with the people who actually file reports.

Quickler is rooted in UK compliance but is not limited to it. It handles any inspection or checklist, not just one trade, and it works anywhere WhatsApp does, across English-speaking markets including the UK, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Quickler works in any country.

Full FSM systems

Field service management platforms like ServiceTitan, Joblogic, and Commusoft manage the full job lifecycle. Scheduling, dispatch, job costing, invoicing, and customer management. With compliance documentation as one component. For firms with complex scheduling needs or multiple revenue streams, the FSM system makes sense. For a small trades firm where the primary need is compliance records, the complexity and cost of a full FSM system is disproportionate.

The question that matters most: will your engineers use it?

Compliance software only works if engineers use it consistently. The most common failure mode for small trades firms is buying a tool that works in the demo, rolling it out, and finding that three months later only two of the eight engineers are using it reliably.

The rest have reverted to paper, or are completing the form on the phone at the end of the day from memory, or are not completing it at all. The compliance record is patchy. The firm is no more compliant than it was before. It has just spent money on software.

The adoption question should come before the feature question. Not "does this tool do X?" but "will my engineers use this tool on every job, every time, without being chased?"

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between compliance software and a field service management system?

Compliance software captures inspection records and generates certificates: its primary function is producing a document that proves a job was done to a standard. A field service management system manages the full job lifecycle, scheduling, dispatch, invoicing, customer management, with compliance documentation as one output. Small firms often need only the compliance capture layer, not the full FSM overhead.

Does an electrician need dedicated compliance software?

Not necessarily. Many electricians use trade-specific certificate tools (Cert Lightning, iCertifi) that produce compliant EICR documents without requiring a broader compliance platform. The question is whether you need only certificates or whether you also need a system to manage inspection workflows, track defects across a portfolio, and report to clients or landlords.

How much should a small firm expect to pay for compliance software?

Trade-specific certificate tools typically cost £10-30 per month per user. General inspection apps like iAuditor start at around £24 per seat per month. WhatsApp-native tools like Quickler charge 20 pounds per active user a month, with dormant users free and a free tier of 20 reports a month to start, which suits small teams better than per-seat models that scale with headcount.

What is the most important feature in compliance software for small trades firms?

Engineer adoption. The most important feature is the one that makes your engineers more likely to complete the compliance record on site rather than from memory at the end of the day. A tool with every feature in the world that 40% of your engineers use is less valuable than a simpler tool that 95% of them use on every job.

Compliance tools compared

• Certificate tools (iCertifi, Cert Lightning): best for EICR, CP12 certificated work. Pricing per user, £10-25/mo. App install required.
• Inspection apps (iAuditor, GoAudits): best for any inspection type, analytics. Pricing per seat, £20-30/mo. App install required.
• WhatsApp-native (Quickler): best for any workflow, high adoption. 20 pounds per active user a month, dormant users free, free tier to start. No install: WhatsApp only.
• Full FSM (Joblogic, Commusoft): best for scheduling and compliance together. Pricing per seat, £40-80/mo. Full platform onboarding.

Related guides

• Field reporting software for compliance workflows
• Inspection software for small teams
• Paperless inspections for UK trades
• Quickler works in any country