Vento vs Checker
Checker is job management and certificate software for UK and Irish trades — gas, heating, electrical, oil, refrigeration and renewables. Checker is strong on certificates — gas safety records, electrical certificates and OFTEC forms — alongside quotes, invoices, payments and a diary, in an app that works offline. Vento is built only for air conditioning and air-to-air heat pumps, so the sizing, system design, proposals and F-Gas are the workflow rather than one trade among many.
The comparison below is at a category level: both handle the day-to-day admin of running a trade business, but only Vento is built around air-conditioning design and engineering. Checker's exact features vary by plan and change over time — confirm current details on Checker's website.
| Capability | Vento | Checker |
|---|---|---|
| Air-conditioning design & engineering | ||
| Built specifically for air conditioning | The entire workflow | No |
| Room-by-room heat-load (Manual J) | Built in, instant | No |
| Split & multi-split system design | Scaled, construction-issue drawings | No |
| Unit capacity matching | From a SEER/SCOP catalogue | No |
| Condenser placement & pipe routing | On the drawing | No |
| F-Gas register, CO₂e & leak-check scheduling | Built in | Varies |
| Running-cost estimates on proposals (SEER/SCOP) | Automatic | No |
| Running your business | ||
| Jobs, scheduling & CRM | Yes | Yes |
| Quotes & invoicing | Yes | Yes |
| Branded proposals with e-signature | Good/Better/Best options | Not advertised |
| Online payments & deposits | Card, Klarna, DD, transfer | Yes |
| Service & maintenance plans | Recurring, with certificates | Varies |
| Mobile app for on-site work | Full workflow on a phone | Yes |
| Running the operation | ||
| Dispatch board | Drag-and-drop, per engineer | Yes |
| Route planning | From Professional | Varies |
| Van & store stock | Ledger-backed levels | Varies |
| Purchase orders & invoice matching | Yes | Varies |
| Subcontractor job access | Per-job link, no account | Varies |
| Lone-worker check-ins | Office alerted if missed | Varies |
| Customer portal | Emailed link, no password | Varies |
| Schedule of Rates pricing | Import NHF, PSA or your own | Varies |
| Batch billing for maintenance contracts | Draft, review, commit | Varies |
| Specific to this comparison | ||
| Gas safety, electrical & OFTEC certificates | No — commissioning & F-Gas certificates only | Yes |
"Varies" means the capability exists in some form or depends on plan/integration. General field-service platforms cover many trades; air-con-specific engineering like room-by-room heat-load and refrigerant system design is not something they set out to do. We don't speak for Checker's product — verify current capabilities directly.
Checker is a certificates-first trade app
Checker serves several trades — gas, heating, electrical, oil, refrigeration and renewables — and its strength is certificates: gas safety records, electrical certificates and OFTEC forms, alongside quotes, invoices, card payments and a diary, in an app that works offline. For a heating engineer who issues certificates every day, that's the job.
Where air-con firms need more
An air-conditioning job is decided at the survey: the load in each room, the units that meet it, and a design a condenser can serve. Room-by-room sizing and system design aren't what Checker advertises, so they'd sit in a separate tool. Vento runs them as you survey and builds the proposal from the result.
Checker advertises F-Gas records. Vento attaches them to each installed system — refrigerant, charge and CO₂e, leak checks scheduled from the charge, and a refrigerant register — so the record comes out of the job you designed.
Vento doesn't produce gas safety or electrical certificates. If your business is mainly gas and heating with occasional air conditioning, a certificates app fits better.
Frequently asked questions
Does Checker size air-conditioning systems?
Heat-load calculation and system design aren't part of what Checker advertises — it focuses on job management and certificates across trades. Confirm with them if it matters to you.
Does Vento produce gas safety certificates?
No. Vento produces commissioning and F-Gas certificates for air-conditioning installs. For gas safety records and electrical certificates you'd need a certificates app.
Where Vento wins for air-con installers
- The engineering is built in — Room-by-room heat load, capacity matching and scaled system drawings are part of the workflow — not a separate CAD seat, spreadsheet or add-on a general tool can't provide.
- Purpose-built, not adapted — Vento only does air conditioning, so surveying, sizing, drawings and F-Gas fit how your jobs actually run — where Checker is built to serve many trades at once.
- Win the job on the visit — Survey, design, proposal, e-sign and deposit happen in one visit, so you leave with a signed job and money in the bank.
If you run several trades, a broad platform like Checker may suit you. If air conditioning is your business, Vento is built for exactly that.
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