We watched good tradespeople lose money and time to bad admin tools. So we built something that actually fits how they work.
TradeByText was born out of a conversation with a mate who's a plumber. He was brilliant at his job — customers loved him, he was booked out for weeks — but his admin was a disaster.
He had quotes scribbled on the backs of receipts. Invoices were sent days late (if at all). He was owed thousands by customers who'd simply "forgotten" to pay. And every evening, instead of putting his feet up, he was hunched over a laptop trying to make sense of it all.
We asked him: what do you actually use all day? His answer was simple. "WhatsApp. I'm on it constantly — talking to customers, suppliers, my team."
That was the lightbulb moment. If WhatsApp is where tradespeople already live, why make them leave it to manage their business? Why not bring the business tools to them?
So we built TradeByText. A tool that lets you send quotes, invoices and chase payments — all from the app you're already using ten times an hour. No new software to learn. No app to download. No login to forget.
If it takes more than a text message, we've overengineered it. Every feature must be usable from a building site in the rain.
Tradespeople are skilled professionals, not "users" to be monetised. We charge a fair price and deliver honest value.
Cash flow kills more small businesses than lack of work. Every feature we build should help you get paid quicker.
No jargon, no upselling, no dark patterns. We say what we do, we do what we say, and we charge what we quoted. Sound familiar?
There are over two million sole traders and small trade businesses in the UK. They're the backbone of the country — keeping homes warm, lights on, and roofs over our heads. They deserve tools that work as hard as they do.
Designed and built in the UK, for UK tradespeople. We understand HMRC, VAT, and the realities of British trade.
We're a small, focused team. Every piece of feedback goes directly to the people building the product.
We ship improvements every week based on what our users actually need, not what looks good on a feature list.
Start your 14-day free trial. No card needed. Takes two minutes to set up. You'll wonder how you managed without it.