Vento vs Fergus
Fergus is job-management software for trades, with a focus on workflow and cash flow. Fergus is strong on job workflow, scheduling and keeping trade businesses on top of cash flow. Vento focuses entirely on the air-conditioning survey-to-sale — heat-load sizing, split/multi-split design and F-Gas — rather than general job workflow.
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. Fergus's exact features vary by plan and change over time — confirm current details on Fergus's website.
| Capability | Vento | Fergus |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Varies |
| Online payments & deposits | Card, Klarna, DD, transfer | Yes |
| Service & maintenance plans | Recurring, with certificates | Yes |
| 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 |
"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 Fergus's product — verify current capabilities directly.
Fergus is about whether the job made money
Fergus is job-management software for trades with a real focus on workflow and cash flow — where every job is up to, what has been invoiced, what is still owed, and whether the work is actually profitable. That emphasis is deliberate and it is a genuine strength: plenty of trade businesses are busy and still not making money, and software that shows you which jobs are the problem is worth having.
Profitability starts earlier than most software looks
The thing is that an air-conditioning job's margin is largely decided before anyone opens the job management software. It is decided when someone picks the equipment.
Specify a head a size too big and you have given away margin on every unit. Specify one too small and you have bought yourself a callback, a replacement and an argument. Neither shows up in a profitability report until the money has already gone.
Vento puts the calculation at that moment: load per room, equipment matched against it, trade cost and margin visible while you are choosing, and the proposal built from the result. Air-conditioning sizing and design are not what Fergus advertises — confirm with them. See everything Vento includes.
Both, or one?
If your air-conditioning work is occasional and your real problem is cash flow across a mixed trade business, Fergus is aimed at your problem and Vento is not.
If air conditioning is what you do, the margin question and the sizing question are the same question, and splitting them across two systems is how the answer gets lost.
Vento’s pricing is published and flat: plans start at £49 a month, with the Professional plan at £149 a month including 3 seats and extra seats at £25. Every plan has a 14-day free trial and there is no multi-year term to sign. See the full pricing for what each plan includes.
Frequently asked questions
Does Fergus size air-conditioning systems?
Heat-load calculation and system design are not part of what Fergus advertises — its focus is job workflow, cash flow and profitability across trades. Confirm the current position with them.
Does Vento show job profitability?
Yes — trade cost against sell price per job, margin on the quote while you are building it, and a live P&L view with VAT and HMRC mileage. The difference is that the margin is visible at the point you choose the equipment, not only afterwards.
Which suits a mixed trade business?
If you genuinely run several trades, a general platform fits the business better. Vento is built for firms where air conditioning is the work, not one of six things.
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 Fergus 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 Fergus may suit you. If air conditioning is your business, Vento is built for exactly that.
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