Servicebay vs ServiceM8: The Honest Australian Comparison

Servicebay vs ServiceM8: The Honest Australian Comparison Two Australian built platforms for service businesses. Same country, very different approach. ServiceM8 is a solid product. It's Australian, it's been around for years, and if you're a sole trader on an iPhone, it works well. But it has some real limitations that start to bite as your business grows: pricing based on job count, a stripped back Android app, English only, and a narrow focus on trades. If you're running a repair shop, auto workshop, or any business outside the home services bubble — or if anyone on your team uses Android — it gets frustrating fast. Let's compare them honestly. The Quick Comparison | Feature | Servicebay Pro | Servicebay Basic | ServiceM8 Free | ServiceM8 Starter | ServiceM8 Growing | | | | | | | | | Price (per seat/mo, annual) | $29/seat | $9/seat | $0 | $29 flat | $79 flat | | Price (per seat/mo, monthly) | $36/seat | $12/seat | $0 | $29 flat | $79 flat | | Users | Per seat | Per seat | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Job limits | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30/month | 50/month | 150/month | | Free plan | No | No | Yes (30 jobs/mo) | No | No | | Trial | 30 days, no credit card, full Pro | — | — | 14 day trial | 14 day trial | | Job management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Customer management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Scheduling & calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Invoicing | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Online payments | Yes (Stripe) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Quotes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Inventory management | Yes | No | No | No | No | | Automated invoice reminders | Yes | No | Limited | Limited | Yes | | Accounting sync | Xero + QuickBooks | No | Xero | Xero | Xero | | Full Android app | Yes | Yes | No (Lite only) | No (Lite only) | No (Lite only) | | iOS app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Web app | Yes (full) | Yes | Dashboard only | Yes (dispatch board) | Yes (dispatch board) | | Languages | 11 | 11 | English only | English only | English only | | Industries | 71 | 71 | Trades focused | Trades focused | Trades focused | | AI assisted onboarding | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | ServiceM8 prices are flat per plan (not per seat) with unlimited users on paid tiers. Servicebay bills per active seat. ServiceM8 retired its old $9 tier — Starter is now the entry paid plan at $29/month. The Job Limit Problem This is the biggest difference between us. ServiceM8 charges by how many jobs you create per month. Their free plan caps at 30 jobs. Starter gives you 50. Growing gives you 150. If you're a busy business doing 10 jobs a day, you'd blow through the Growing plan in 2–3 weeks — and you're looking at the $149/month Premium plan (500 jobs) or $349/month Premium Plus (1,500 jobs). Servicebay has no job limits on any plan. Create as many jobs as you want. Your software cost scales with your team size (per seat), not how busy you are. Here's what it looks like over a year for a solo operator on Pro: | Your workload | ServiceM8 plan needed | ServiceM8 cost/year | Servicebay Pro cost/year | Difference | | | | | | | | 30 jobs/month | Free | $0 | $348/year | ServiceM8 wins on price | | 50 jobs/month | Starter ($29/mo) | $348/year | $348/year | Roughly even | | 100 jobs/month | Growing ($79/mo) | $948/year | $348/year | Servicebay saves $600/year | | 300 jobs/month | Premium ($149/mo) | $1,788/year | $348/year | Servicebay saves $1,440/year | | 1,000 jobs/month | Premium Plus ($349/mo) | $4,188/year | $348/year | Servicebay saves $3,840/year | The busier you get, the more ServiceM8 costs. Servicebay stays predictable per seat. The Android Problem ServiceM8 was built for Apple. Their full featured app is iPhone and iPad only. They do have "ServiceM8 Lite" for Android — but it's exactly what the name suggests. It's a stripped back version for field staff to view schedules and update job status. You can't run your business from it. No quotes, no invoicing, no full job management. If you're an owner on Android, or if even one per