TL;DR
Simpro is a mature Australian trade service management platform — Brisbane-based since 2002, used by 8,000+ businesses worldwide, strongest for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and security contractors running callouts and maintenance work. Built Simple is the better choice if you’re a builder running multi-stage projects rather than a service trade running jobs and callouts. Built Simple is flat-rate per business (Freemium to $399 AUD/mo), mobile-first, and includes 50+ free trade calculators. Simpro is per-user (roughly $30–$50 USD per user / month) and desktop-first.
Simpro vs Built Simple: at a glance
| Feature | Built Simple | Simpro |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Australian — Melbourne, founded 2025 | Australian — Brisbane, founded 2002 |
| Best for | Builders + tradies running multi-stage projects | Service trades — electrical, plumbing, HVAC, security |
| Pricing model | Flat-rate per business (AUD) | Per user / per month (USD) |
| Free tier | Yes — Freemium with 1 project | No — paid demo / quote-based |
| Cheapest paid entry | $79 AUD/mo (Tradie, unlimited users on tier) | ~$30+ USD per user / month |
| Mobile-first | Yes — designed mobile-first | Desktop-first with mobile companion |
| Project scheduling (multi-day, dependencies) | Drag-to-reschedule, weather-aware, dependencies | Strong job scheduling, less project-stage oriented |
| Defects management | Photo-based, location-pinned | Via job/asset notes |
| Team & equipment tracking | Unified cross-project view | Strong asset / inventory tracking |
| Trade calculators | 50+ free calculators | Not included |
| Accounting integration | Not yet (roadmap) | Native Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks |
| Owner-builder tier | Yes — $39 AUD/mo Home Projects | No |
| Maturity | 1 year (founded 2025) | 22+ years (founded 2002) |
When Simpro is the right choice
Simpro has 22 years behind it and deserves the reputation it has — they didn’t get to 8,000+ businesses worldwide by accident. They’re the better pick if you fit one of these profiles:
- You run a service trade business — not a construction project business. Electrical contractors, plumbers, HVAC technicians, security installers, locksmiths. If most of your work is callouts, maintenance contracts, recurring service jobs, and break-fix, Simpro was designed for exactly that.
- You need native Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks sync today. Simpro has years of integration depth here. Built Simple doesn’t integrate with accounting platforms yet.
- You manage a fleet of vehicles, parts inventory, and stock across multiple branches. Simpro’s asset and inventory module is mature and built for this scale.
- You’re a 20+ technician business and per-user pricing still works for you. Once you’re at scale with service margins, Simpro’s per-seat model is defensible.
- You want enterprise-grade reporting and audit trails. Simpro’s depth here reflects two decades of customer feedback from larger trade businesses.
When Built Simple is the better fit
Built Simple was built for the side of construction that Simpro doesn’t optimise for: builders running stage-based projects from slab to handover. If you recognise yourself here, Built Simple will save you money and feel more natural to use:
- You’re a builder — not a service contractor. Your jobs aren’t callouts; they’re multi-month projects with framing, lockup, fit-out, defects, and handover. Built Simple’s project model is shaped around that, not around service tickets.
- You hate per-user pricing. Builders’ crews shift — apprentices, subbies, casuals. Paying per seat punishes you for putting more hands on a job. Built Simple’s flat per-business pricing is the same whether you have 3 or 30 on a project (up to your tier’s crew cap).
- You’re a sole tradie, owner-builder, or small crew. Simpro’s per-user pricing starts to bite at the bottom end. Our Freemium ($0), Home Projects ($39), and Tradie ($79) tiers don’t have meaningful Simpro equivalents.
- You run the business from your phone. Built Simple is mobile-first by design. Simpro’s mobile app is solid for techs in the field, but the main planning experience is desktop.
- You want builder-specific tools out of the box. Defects with photo + location pin, weather-aware scheduling, 50+ free trade calculators (concrete, framing, brick, retaining walls, footings…) — Built Simple ships with these. Simpro doesn’t.
Pricing comparison
This is where the two diverge most clearly. Simpro is per-user, USD-denominated, and quote-based for full pricing. Built Simple is flat-rate, AUD, and published openly.
| Plan | Built Simple (AUD, flat) | Simpro (USD, per user) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 — Freemium, 1 project, 1 estimate | Not offered — demo / quote only |
| Owner-builder | $39/mo — Home Projects (single project) | Not offered |
| Sole tradie / small crew | $79/mo — Tradie, up to 5 crew | ~$30+ USD per user × users |
| Mid (5-15 users) | $199/mo — Builder, up to 15 crew | ~$30-50 USD × 5-15 users = $150-$750+ USD/mo |
| Top tier | $399/mo — Pro, no employee cap, Mat AI | Quote-based for larger teams |
| Annual savings | ~20% off all tiers | Varies by negotiation |
For a 5-person crew, Built Simple Tradie is $948 AUD/year. The Simpro equivalent at roughly $30 USD/user/mo lands around $2,700+ AUD/year at current exchange rates — and that’s before any of Simpro’s higher tiers. The gap widens fast as your crew grows.
For a 15-person crew, Built Simple Builder is $2,388 AUD/year flat. Simpro at $40 USD/user × 15 lands around $11,000+ AUD/year.
Features: where each one wins
Quote & invoice flow
Simpro wins today. Simpro’s quote-to-invoice workflow is mature: build a quote from a price book, convert to job, log time and materials, push the invoice to Xero or MYOB. Built Simple handles quoting (up to 25 on Builder, unlimited on Pro) but invoicing currently lives outside the platform — accounting integration is on the roadmap.
Scheduling
Built Simple wins for project work. Our drag-to-reschedule timeline is built around multi-stage construction: dependencies, weather forecasts, colour-coded trades. Simpro’s scheduling is excellent for daily job dispatch (assigning a tech to a callout window), but it’s not designed around long-running project stages.
Mobile experience
Built Simple is more consistent. Same product, same UI, on phone, tablet, and desktop. Simpro’s field tech mobile app is purpose-built for service work (capture signatures, take payments, log time on site) but the planning side lives on desktop.
Defects management
Built Simple wins for builders. Snap a photo, drop a pin on the location, assign to a trade, close it out. That’s how builders track defects on a site walk. Simpro tracks issues via job and asset notes — fine for service work, less natural for a builder doing a pre-handover walk.
Team & equipment tracking
Different strengths. Simpro has deeper asset and inventory management (vehicles, stock, branches) — built up over 22 years for trade service businesses. Built Simple’s team-and-equipment view is purpose-built for project-stage allocation: who’s on which site this week, what equipment is allocated where, what’s free.
Pricing model
Built Simple wins for small and growing teams. Flat per-business pricing is friendlier when crew sizes flex. Simpro’s per-user pricing makes financial sense at scale with predictable service margins, but penalises lean builders and tradies who add apprentices and subbies seasonally.
Calculators
Only Built Simple has these. 50+ free trade calculators — concrete volume, brick count, mortar mix, framing timber, retaining wall blocks, footings, stair stringer, truss spacing, insulation R-value, ramp slope, tank volume, and more. Free to use without logging in. Simpro doesn’t offer this.
Where Simpro clearly wins
Being honest: there are areas where Simpro is the better tool today, and we’ll tell you straight up.
- Native Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks integration. Simpro has years of head start. Built Simple doesn’t integrate with accounting platforms yet. If your bookkeeper insists on automatic sync, Simpro is the right call.
- Service-trade-specific workflows. Recurring maintenance contracts, callout dispatch, on-site invoicing and card payments, asset service history — Simpro’s depth here is hard to match for a 1-year-old product. Built Simple isn’t designed around service workflows.
- Multi-branch operations. Simpro handles multi-branch trade businesses (e.g. an electrical company with offices in 3 states) better than Built Simple does today.
- Maturity and customer base. Simpro has 22 years and 8,000+ businesses behind it. That’s real. Built Simple is 1 year old — we move faster on builder-specific features, but we’re earlier on the curve overall.
- Inventory and parts management. If your business buys and sells parts (electrical components, plumbing fittings), Simpro’s inventory module is mature. Built Simple is project-oriented, not parts-oriented.
If any of those are non-negotiable for your business, Simpro is the right pick. If they’re nice-to-haves but not deal-breakers — and especially if you’re a builder rather than a service trade — Built Simple is likely the better fit at a much lower price.
Who should pick which
| Your situation | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Owner-builder, one project | Built Simple Home Projects at $39 AUD/mo |
| Sole tradie or 2–5 person crew building (not servicing) | Built Simple Tradie at $79 AUD/mo |
| Small builder, 1–4 builds a year | Built Simple Builder at $199 AUD/mo |
| Mid-size builder, mobile-first, multi-stage projects | Built Simple Pro at $399 AUD/mo |
| Electrical / plumbing / HVAC service contractor with 10+ techs | Simpro for service workflows |
| Trade business needing native Xero/MYOB sync today | Simpro |
| Multi-branch trade business with inventory/parts | Simpro |
| Recurring maintenance contracts & callouts | Simpro |
Try Built Simple free
No credit card. Flat per-business pricing. See if it fits how you actually build.
Frequently asked questions
Is Built Simple cheaper than Simpro?
For most small-to-mid builders and tradie crews, yes — usually by a wide margin. Built Simple is flat per business (Freemium to $399 AUD/mo). Simpro is per user (roughly $30–$50 USD per user per month). A 5-person crew on Built Simple Tradie pays $948 AUD/year; the Simpro equivalent lands around $2,700+ AUD/year, and the gap widens as the crew grows.
Is Simpro better than Built Simple?
It depends on what you do. Simpro is better for service trades — electrical, plumbing, HVAC, security — running callouts, maintenance contracts, and on-site invoicing. Built Simple is better for builders running multi-stage construction projects. Both are Australian-built; Simpro has 22 years of maturity, Built Simple is 1 year old and moves faster on builder-specific features.
Does Built Simple integrate with Xero or MYOB?
Not yet — accounting integration is on our roadmap. Simpro has native Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks integration today. If automatic accounting sync is a non-negotiable, Simpro is the right pick. If you handle accounting separately (most small builders do), Built Simple won’t cost you anything on that front.
Is Built Simple Australian-owned?
Yes — founded in Melbourne in 2025 by Calum Buchanan. Simpro is also Australian-owned, founded in Brisbane in 2002 by Stephen Bradshaw. Either way you’re choosing between two AU-headquartered options.
Can I import my Simpro data into Built Simple?
Not via a one-click import. We can help you migrate project data, contacts, and templates manually — get in touch and we’ll walk you through it.
Is Built Simple mature enough to trust on a live job?
Built Simple is 1 year old, so we’re honest that we’re earlier than Simpro. We compensate by being narrower (purpose-built for AU builders, not all trade businesses), shipping fixes weekly, and offering a free tier so you can try the whole product before committing. If 22 years of track record matters more than fit-to-purpose, Simpro is the safer pick. If a tool built around how you actually build matters more, try Built Simple free first.
Bottom line
Simpro is an excellent, mature Australian platform — but it’s a trade service management tool. If you’re an electrical, plumbing, or HVAC contractor running callouts and maintenance work, it’s purpose-built for you. Built Simple is a builder’s project management tool. If you’re a builder, tradie, or owner-builder running multi-stage construction projects, Built Simple fits the work more naturally and costs a fraction of per-user pricing as your crew grows.
The fastest way to know which one fits is to try ours: start free with no credit card, take it for a spin on your next project, and decide for yourself.