Vento vs Payaca
Payaca is quoting, invoicing and job-management software for trades. Payaca is good at building quotes, taking payments and managing workflow across trades. Vento does the air-con survey and design that produces the quote in the first place — then e-signs it and takes the deposit on the same platform.
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. Payaca's exact features vary by plan and change over time — confirm current details on Payaca's website.
| Capability | Vento | Payaca |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Payaca's product — verify current capabilities directly.
The closest thing to a quoting rival
Of the general platforms, Payaca is the one that takes the quote itself most seriously. Good-looking proposals, options the customer can choose between, finance, payments, and a workflow built around winning the job rather than just recording it. If your complaint about job software is that the quote looks like an invoice, that is a real difference and worth saying plainly.
It also leans towards renewables — heat pumps, solar, EV — which is a growing part of many installers' work and a sensible place to specialise.
Renewables quoting is not air-conditioning design
Here is the distinction that matters if you fit air conditioning. A strong quoting tool makes the document persuasive. It does not work out that the back bedroom needs 2.6 kW, that the chosen head is the wrong capacity for it, or that the condenser cannot sit where the customer wants it.
Air-conditioning sizing and system design are not what Payaca sets out to do, as far as their own marketing goes — confirm it with them. So the engineering still happens before the quote, in whatever you use today.
Vento is the other way round: the design is the source, and the proposal is generated from it. Change the unit on a room and the drawing, the capacity check and the price all move together, because they are the same record. See everything Vento includes.
If you do both renewables and air conditioning
Plenty of firms do, and it is a fair reason to look hard at both. The honest answer is that neither tool covers the other's ground completely today.
What we would ask yourself is which half of the work carries the risk. A mis-sized air-conditioning system is a callback, a replacement head and an argument about who pays; a slightly plainer quote is a lost job you can win back. Put the software where the risk is.
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 Payaca size air-conditioning systems?
Room-by-room heat-load calculation and split or multi-split system design are not part of what Payaca advertises — it is a quoting and job-management platform with a renewables emphasis. Confirm the current position with them directly.
Which is better for heat pumps?
Depends which heat pumps. For air-to-water and solar, Payaca's renewables focus is aimed squarely at that work. For air-to-air — the reversible systems most air-conditioning installers fit — Vento sizes and designs them and keeps the F-Gas record, which is the part a quoting tool leaves to you.
Can Vento produce option-based quotes?
Yes. Every proposal can carry Good, Better and Best options with real units and real prices against each, and the customer picks one and signs it online.
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 Payaca 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 Payaca may suit you. If air conditioning is your business, Vento is built for exactly that.
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