A Tradify and Powered Now alternative for UK decorators: the facts side by side
BrushDesk is job software for UK painters and decorators. It prices a job room by room from a paint and materials catalogue at your own rates, then runs it from quote to paid. It is not the right fit if you need an app-store app, Xero, QuickBooks or Sage sync, or software for other trades.
By BrushDesk. Last checked 25/10/2026.
Who BrushDesk suits
BrushDesk is job software built for UK painting and decorating firms. You pick the paint and materials from a catalogue, set your own rates, and price each room from its measurements. The same job then goes on to the quote, the schedule, the invoice and the payment.
It also handles the paperwork a decorator meets: VAT on invoices, and CIS deductions where you work as a subcontractor.
You can price a room free, with no sign-up, before you decide anything.
The facts side by side
If you are choosing between Powered Now and Tradify for a painting and decorating business, start with the table. Each Tradify and Powered Now cell is taken from that company’s own public page, with a link to it and the date we read it. BrushDesk’s column is checked against our own product on the same day. Prices are shown with their own basis, because they are not charged the same way.
A blank cell means we have not used that company’s page for that row. It does not mean the feature is missing.
| Feature | BrushDesk | Tradify | Powered Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trades covered | UK painting and decorating only. | Its UK page names electricians, plumbers, gas engineers, HVAC and property maintenance.Source: tradifyhq.com, read 25/10/2026 | Lists 15 trades, including Painting and Decorating.Source: powerednow.com, read 25/10/2026 |
| Price as published | £39 per office seat and £10 per field seat, each a month, net of VAT. Annual billing charges ten months, so two are free. 14-day free trial, no card. | Lite £34, Pro £37 and Plus £44, each per user a month. Its page does not say whether VAT is included. Custom is priced on request. 14-day free trial.Source: tradifyhq.com, read 25/10/2026 | Business £28 a month for one user. Professional £32 and Premium £40, each per user a month. All prices exclude VAT. Annual prices: £280, £320 and £400. 14-day free trial, no card required.Source: powerednow.com, read 25/10/2026 |
| How quotes are built | Room by room, from a paint and materials catalogue, at your own rates. | Quotes use branded templates and imported price lists.Source: tradifyhq.com, read 25/10/2026 | Quotes carry photos and line items.Source: powerednow.com, read 25/10/2026 |
| VAT and CIS on invoices | VAT is added to invoices at the UK standard rate when you are VAT registered. CIS deductions are applied at 0, 20 or 30 percent, by the subcontractor’s status. | Says VAT, CIS and Making Tax Digital are handled.Source: powerednow.com, read 25/10/2026 | |
| Card payments | Customers pay by card through a payment link, into your own Stripe account. BrushDesk adds a 0.3% platform fee on each card payment, on top of Stripe’s own card fees. | Online and credit card payments are included from the Lite plan.Source: tradifyhq.com, read 25/10/2026 | A pay-now link on the invoice lets customers pay by card.Source: powerednow.com, read 25/10/2026 |
| Phone app from an app store | No. BrushDesk is a web app built phone-first, opened in your phone’s browser. | Can be downloaded as an app on iPhone, iPad or Android.Source: tradifyhq.com, read 25/10/2026 | Works on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets.Source: powerednow.com, read 25/10/2026 |
| Accounting software sync | No Xero, QuickBooks or Sage sync. | Xero, Sage and QuickBooks Online sync, listed under Lite.Source: tradifyhq.com, read 25/10/2026 | Xero and QuickBooks integration, listed under Professional.Source: powerednow.com, read 25/10/2026 |
VAT and CIS
On BrushDesk, VAT is added to invoices at the UK standard rate when you are VAT registered, and CIS deductions are applied at 0, 20 or 30 percent depending on the subcontractor’s status. Powered Now says it handles VAT, CIS and Making Tax Digital. Check what your accountant needs before you commit to any tool.
Where BrushDesk is not the right fit
BrushDesk is probably not the tool for you if any of these is true.
- You want an app from the App Store or Google Play. BrushDesk is a web app you open in your phone’s browser. Both Tradify and Powered Now say they run on iPhone and Android.
- You need your invoices to sync with Xero, QuickBooks or Sage. BrushDesk has no sync with any of them. Tradify lists Xero, Sage and QuickBooks Online. Powered Now lists Xero and QuickBooks.
- You work in more than one trade. BrushDesk is for UK painting and decorating firms only. Tradify and Powered Now both serve several trades: Tradify’s page names five, and Powered Now lists 15.
How this page was checked
Prices and features change. Every Tradify and Powered Now figure here was read on 25/10/2026 and may have moved since, so check their pages before you decide. We show no logos, ratings or screenshots of either company.
This page was written by BrushDesk, which sells one of the products it compares.