Why Independent Trade Software Matters: The Tradify Acquisition and What It Means for UK Trades

In 2024, Tradify, one of the UK's leading job management software platforms, was acquired by Access Group, a large enterprise software company. This acquisition has significant implications for UK tradespeople choosing software solutions. While acquisitions can bring benefits, they also raise important questions about focus, independence, and long-term commitment to the trade industry.

What Happened: Tradify's Acquisition by Access Group

Access Group, a major enterprise software provider, acquired Tradify in 2024. Access Group is known for providing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to large businesses across multiple industries. This acquisition moved Tradify from being an independent, trade-focused company to part of a larger enterprise software suite.

Why This Matters for UK Tradespeople

When a specialized trade software company is acquired by a larger enterprise software provider, several things typically happen:

1. Shift in Focus

Large enterprise software companies often prioritize broader market needs over specific industry requirements. Features may shift toward enterprise customers rather than individual tradespeople or small trade businesses. The focus moves from "built for trades" to "works for trades and many other industries."

2. Less Trade-Specific Development

Independent companies can move fast and make decisions based on what's best for their specific customers. When part of a larger organization, development priorities may shift to serve broader enterprise needs, potentially at the expense of trade-specific features.

3. Potential for Price Increases

Enterprise software companies often have different pricing models focused on larger customers. Prices may increase to align with enterprise software pricing, potentially making the software less affordable for smaller trade businesses.

4. Less Direct Customer Relationship

When part of a larger organization, customer relationships often become more formal and less personal. Support may become less responsive, and feature requests may take longer to implement as they go through larger corporate processes.

The Benefits of Independent Trade Software

Independent trade software companies like TradePlan offer significant advantages:

What to Look for in Trade Software

When choosing trade software, consider these factors:

• Independence: Is the company independent and focused on trades, or part of a larger enterprise software suite?
• Trade-Specific Features: Are features built specifically for trades, or adapted from generic business software?
• Development Speed: How quickly does the company implement new features and respond to customer feedback?
• Customer Focus: Does the company prioritize tradespeople, or does it serve multiple industries?
• Pricing: Is the pricing designed for tradespeople, or enterprise customers?

Why TradePlan Remains Independent

TradePlan was built specifically for UK tradespeople. We remain independent and 100% focused on serving UK trades, not part of a larger enterprise software suite. This means:

• Every feature is built with UK tradespeople in mind
• We can move fast and implement features based on customer feedback
• Our pricing is designed for tradespeople, not enterprise customers
• You have a direct relationship with the team building your software
• We're committed to the trade industry for the long term

Planning vs Job Management: A Different Approach

Beyond independence, TradePlan offers a fundamentally different approach. While Tradify focuses on "job management" (tracking jobs as they happen), TradePlan focuses on planning - helping you plan ahead, avoid conflicts, and optimize your schedule before jobs start.

Our advanced drag-and-drop planner and equipment scheduling features are built specifically for tradespeople who want to plan ahead, not just react to problems. This planning-focused approach, combined with our independence, makes TradePlan uniquely suited for UK tradespeople.

Making the Right Choice

When choosing trade software, consider not just current features, but the company's focus, independence, and long-term commitment to trades. An independent, trade-focused company is more likely to:

• Build features specifically for tradespeople
• Respond quickly to customer feedback
• Maintain competitive pricing
• Stay focused on trades, not enterprise software