Fire and security is one of the fastest-growing trade sectors in the UK. Between fire alarm installation, intruder systems, CCTV, access control, and emergency lighting — there's more compliance paperwork per job than almost any other trade.
And yet most fire and security contractors are running their business on a mix of generic job management tools and paper-based cert systems. The specialist options are limited, expensive, or outdated.
This guide reviews every serious option for UK fire and security contractors in 2026. We've compared features, checked pricing, and identified what's missing from each platform.
What fire and security contractors need
Before the reviews, here's the checklist. If a platform doesn't cover at least half of these, it's not built for your trade:
- Fire alarm commissioning certificates — BS 5839 compliant
- Intruder alarm certificates — BS EN 50131 / PD 6662
- CCTV completion certificates — BS EN 62676
- Emergency lighting test records — BS 5266
- Periodic inspection and service records — with scheduling for annual/6-monthly visits
- BAFE/NSI/SSAIB compliance tracking — third-party certification scheme requirements
- Site asset registers — which devices are installed where, serial numbers, zones
- Engineer competency tracking — who's qualified to work on which systems
- RAMS — required for most commercial fire and security work
- Defect management — log faults, track remedials, report to client
- Quoting with bill of materials — fire and security jobs have complex parts lists
- Invoicing with contract management — many clients are on annual maintenance contracts
The platforms reviewed
1. SimPRO
Enterprise-grade field service platform. The largest player in fire and security by market share. Australian-built, now UK-established.
What it does well: Project management, complex quoting with multi-stage jobs, inventory management, contract management for recurring maintenance. Strong for large fire and security firms with 20+ engineers.
What it doesn't do well: Onboarding is notoriously long (weeks to months). The interface feels dated. Pricing is enterprise-level and hidden behind sales calls. Small firms find it overwhelming.
Pros
- Comprehensive project management
- Strong inventory/parts management
- Contract and recurring job management
- Large user base — proven at scale
Cons
- Pricing hidden (estimated £50-80/user/mo)
- Long, complex onboarding
- Dated interface
- Overkill for teams under 15
- No AI features
Price: Estimated £50-80/user/mo. 5 engineers = £250-400/mo.
Best for: Large fire and security firms (15+ engineers) with complex project requirements.
2. BigChange
Comprehensive field service platform, acquired by simPRO in 2024. Strong on fleet tracking and vehicle checks. Used by several fire and security firms.
What it does well: GPS fleet tracking, vehicle checks, job scheduling, custom forms. The fleet management is genuinely good. Workshop and van stock management.
What it doesn't do well: It's expensive and the simPRO acquisition creates uncertainty. No fire-specific certificate templates out of the box. Custom forms exist but you build them yourself.
Pros
- Excellent GPS fleet tracking
- Vehicle check integration
- Workshop management
- Custom form builder
Cons
- £79.95/licence/mo — 5 engineers = £400/mo
- No fire-specific certificate templates included
- Now owned by simPRO — overlapping product future unclear
- No AI features
Price: £79.95/licence/mo. 5 engineers = £400/mo.
Best for: Fire and security firms that prioritise fleet management over compliance features.
3. Tradify
General trades tool, popular with smaller fire and security companies for quoting and invoicing. Clean interface, fast mobile app.
What it does well: Quoting, invoicing, basic scheduling. The quoting workflow with line items works well for fire and security estimates.
What it doesn't do well: No fire alarm certificates, no compliance tracking, no BAFE/NSI features, no asset registers, no GPS. It's a general tool — the fire and security page on their website is marketing, not features.
Pros
- Clean quoting workflow
- Good Xero integration
- Fast mobile app
- Simple to set up
Cons
- No fire or security certificate generation
- No compliance tracking (BAFE, NSI, SSAIB)
- No site asset registers
- No GPS fleet tracking
- No AI features
- Per-user pricing: £37/user = £185/mo for 5
Price: £37/user/mo. 5 engineers = £185/mo.
Best for: Very small fire and security firms (1-3) who only need quoting and invoicing.
4. Workever
Basic job management tool with a fire and security page. Same product as every other trade — just different marketing copy.
Pros
- Affordable entry point
- Clean interface
- Basic job management works
Cons
- No fire or security certificates
- No compliance tracking
- No asset registers
- No GPS fleet tracking
- No AI features
- You'll outgrow it within a year
Price: £39/user/mo. 5 engineers = £195/mo.
Best for: Not recommended for fire and security — too many critical features missing.
5. ServiceM8
Australian platform with a form builder that lets you create custom certificates. Popular with sole traders across trades.
What it does well: The form builder is genuinely flexible. You can build fire alarm commissioning forms, CCTV completion certs, and test records. Job-count pricing (not per-user) suits some businesses.
What it doesn't do well: The forms are DIY — no fire-specific templates included. No compliance tracking for BAFE/NSI. No GPS fleet tracking. Australian-built, so UK compliance isn't the priority.
Pros
- Flexible form builder for custom certificates
- Not per-user pricing (job-count based)
- Decent mobile app
Cons
- No fire-specific templates included — you build everything
- No BAFE/NSI/SSAIB compliance tracking
- No GPS fleet tracking
- No AI features
- UK compliance not a priority
Price: From £29/mo (solo) to £349/mo (premium). Job-count limited.
Best for: Sole traders who enjoy building custom forms and don't need compliance tracking.
6. Commusoft
Enterprise field service software, popular with larger plumbing and heating firms. Some fire and security companies use it.
What it does well: Comprehensive job lifecycle, parts tracking, automated communications. Strong reporting.
What it doesn't do well: No fire-specific features. Pricing is hidden and expensive. Onboarding is lengthy.
Pros
- Comprehensive job management
- Good parts inventory
- Strong for large teams
Cons
- No fire or security certificate templates
- No BAFE/NSI compliance features
- Pricing hidden (~£80/user/mo)
- 5 users = ~£400/mo
- No AI features
Price: ~£80/user/mo. 5 engineers = ~£400/mo.
Best for: Large firms that need enterprise parts inventory (but not fire-specific features).
7. Muster
Full job management platform with trade-specific compliance features, AI, GPS, and flat-rate pricing.
What it does well: Certificate generation from job data (including custom templates for fire alarm commissioning, test records, and CCTV), engineer competency tracking, RAMS, GPS fleet tracking, AI receptionist, automated invoicing with Muster Pay, customer portal, and Xero/QuickBooks sync.
What it doesn't do yet: BAFE/NSI-specific compliance dashboards are on the roadmap but not live. Asset register management (site-level device tracking) is planned for Q3 2026.
Pros
- Custom certificate templates (fire alarm, CCTV, intruder, emergency lighting)
- Engineer competency and qualification tracking
- RAMS generation
- GPS fleet tracking
- AI receptionist and bid writing
- Automated invoicing with Muster Pay
- Customer portal
- Flat-rate pricing — doesn't penalise growth
Cons
- BAFE/NSI compliance dashboards not yet live
- Site asset registers in development
- Newer platform — smaller user base than simPRO
Price: Starter £179/mo (3 office + 6 field). Growth £349/mo. Scale £599/mo.
Pricing comparison: 5-engineer team
| Platform | Monthly cost | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|
| Tradify | £185/mo | £37/user |
| Workever | £195/mo | £39/user |
| Muster Starter | £179/mo | Flat rate |
| simPRO | £250-400/mo | ~£50-80/user |
| BigChange | £400/mo | £80/licence |
| Commusoft | ~£400/mo | ~£80/user |
At 5 engineers, Muster is the cheapest option that includes GPS, certificates, AI, and compliance features. The platforms that cost more (simPRO, BigChange, Commusoft) don't include AI and charge per user.
The compliance gap
Here's the real problem for fire and security contractors: none of the generic platforms understand your compliance requirements.
BAFE SP203-1 (fire detection and alarm systems) requires you to demonstrate:
- Engineer competency records
- Job-specific risk assessments
- Commissioning records per BS 5839
- Maintenance records with test results
- Defect logging and remedial tracking
Most platforms give you a form builder and call it compliance. That's not compliance — it's a blank piece of paper.
Muster tracks engineer qualifications and expiry dates, generates RAMS, and creates certificates from job data. The BAFE-specific dashboard is in development, but the foundation — competency tracking, risk assessments, cert generation — is already there.
Our recommendation
For most UK fire and security contractors, Muster offers the best value in 2026
No platform perfectly serves fire and security yet. simPRO comes closest for large firms but costs 2-3x more and has no AI. Muster gives you certificates, compliance foundations, GPS, AI, and flat-rate pricing — at a fraction of the enterprise cost.
If you're a large firm (20+): simPRO has the deepest project management. Budget accordingly.
If you just need quoting: Tradify works for small firms who don't do their own certificates or compliance.
If you need the most features per pound: Muster. It's not close.
See how Muster handles fire and security workflows
30-minute demo with your actual job types. Fire alarm commissioning, CCTV certs, engineer tracking, and scheduling.
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