Fergus alternatives for air-conditioning installers
Fergus is job-management software for trades, with a focus on workflow, cash flow and job profitability, plus its own payments product. If you install air conditioning, you may find it doesn't size a system, run a heat-load calculation or produce the system drawings your jobs need. Here are the best alternatives — starting with the one built specifically for air conditioning.
1. Vento
Vento is the only UK all-in-one built specifically for air conditioning. Unlike Fergus, it runs a room-by-room heat load as you survey, matches correctly sized units, produces scaled split/multi-split drawings, generates a branded proposal the customer e-signs, takes the deposit and keeps an F-Gas register — one flat-price platform (from £39/mo, not per user).
- Room-by-room heat load built in
- Split & multi-split system design
- Branded proposals, e-sign & deposits
- F-Gas register & leak-check scheduling
- Flat pricing, not per user
- Full workflow on a phone, on site
Why air-con installers look for a Fergus alternative
Fergus is good at showing whether a job made money. For an air-conditioning job, a lot of that margin is decided at the survey, when the equipment is chosen — and room-by-room sizing and system design aren't what Fergus advertises.
Vento runs the sizing and design as you survey, shows the margin while you choose the units, and builds the proposal from the result. See the full Vento vs Fergus comparison.
Vento and Fergus, feature by feature
"Not advertised" means we couldn't find it in what Fergus publishes — features change and vary by plan, so confirm anything that matters to you with them directly.
| Feature | Vento | Fergus |
|---|---|---|
| Air-conditioning design & engineering | ||
| Built specifically for air conditioning | The entire workflow | Not advertised |
| Room-by-room heat-load (Manual J) | Built in, instant | Not advertised |
| Split & multi-split system design | Scaled, construction-issue drawings | Not advertised |
| Unit capacity matching | From a SEER/SCOP catalogue | Not advertised |
| Condenser placement & pipe routing | On the drawing | Not advertised |
| F-Gas register, CO₂e & leak-check scheduling | Built in | Varies by plan — confirm with them |
| Running-cost estimates on proposals (SEER/SCOP) | Automatic | Not advertised |
| Running your business | ||
| Jobs, scheduling & CRM | Yes | Yes |
| Quotes & invoicing | Yes | Yes |
| Branded proposals with e-signature | Good/Better/Best options | Varies by plan — confirm with them |
| 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 by plan — confirm with them |
| Van & store stock | Ledger-backed levels | Varies by plan — confirm with them |
| Purchase orders & invoice matching | Yes | Varies by plan — confirm with them |
| Subcontractor job access | Per-job link, no account | Varies by plan — confirm with them |
| Lone-worker check-ins | Office alerted if missed | Varies by plan — confirm with them |
| Customer portal | Emailed link, no password | Varies by plan — confirm with them |
| Schedule of Rates pricing | Import NHF, PSA or your own | Varies by plan — confirm with them |
| Batch billing for maintenance contracts | Draft, review, commit | Varies by plan — confirm with them |
What to look for in a Fergus alternative
Sizing built in
Does it calculate each room's load, or do you size on a spreadsheet and type the result in?
Design to quote
Does the quote come out of the design, or is it re-keyed in a separate step?
F-Gas against the unit
Is the refrigerant record attached to each installed system, with leak checks scheduled from the charge?
Proposals customers sign
Can the customer sign and pay the deposit on their phone from the proposal?
Contract length
What is the minimum term, and what happens to your data if you leave? Get it in writing.
Published pricing
Is the price published, and is it per user or flat?
Other alternatives
2. Tradify
Simple quoting, scheduling and invoicing for small teams.
3. ServiceM8
A job-management app for small trade and service businesses.
4. Jobber
Job-management and CRM software for home-service and trade businesses.
5. Checker
Job management and certificates for gas, heating, electrical and refrigeration trades.
These are capable general trade platforms; none is an air-conditioning design tool. Features vary by plan — confirm current details on each provider's site.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Fergus alternative for air conditioning installers?
Vento, because it's built for the trade: room-by-room sizing, split and multi-split design, e-signed proposals with deposits, F-Gas records and job management in one platform.
Does Vento show job profitability like Fergus?
Yes — trade cost against sell price per job, margin on the quote while you build it, and a live finance view. The margin is visible when you choose the equipment, not only afterwards.
How much does Vento cost?
Vento's pricing is published and flat per tier: from £39 a month billed annually (£49 month to month). Every plan has a 14-day free trial.
See also: all Vento comparisons, best air-con software 2026, and air conditioning software.
More alternatives pages: Joblogic alternatives, Commusoft alternatives, Simpro alternatives, BigChange alternatives, ServiceM8 alternatives, Tradify alternatives, Jobber alternatives, Powered Now alternatives, Checker alternatives, KORD alternatives, Heatpunk alternatives, Heat Engineer alternatives, Spruce alternatives.
A Fergus alternative built for air-con
Survey, size, design, quote and get paid — one platform for the whole air-conditioning job. 14-day free trial.
Start free trial14-day free trial