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Field Service · head to head

Percepto vs Tradify

Percepto logo

Percepto

Field Service

Drone-in-a-box inspection with the AIM software that runs the missions and reads the results

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tradify logo

Tradify

Field Service

Job management for one to twenty person trade businesses

From
$47/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Percepto aIM is built for Percepto aircraft and base stations, so buying the software is buying the fleet, and a site that already owns DJI or other drones cannot bring them into it.; Tradify pricing is flat per user with no volume tiering, so a twenty person firm pays twenty times the headline rate and the economics get worse, not better, as you grow into the top of its stated market.
  • They diverge on capability: Percepto covers Drone-in-a-box base station, Tradify covers Quoting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Percepto and Tradify actually diverge.

Attributes where Percepto and Tradify differ
AttributePerceptoTradify
Starting priceOn request$47/month
Pricing modelquotePer user per month
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Field Service).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Percepto

  • Drone-in-a-box base station
  • Autonomous scheduled missions
  • AIM mission management
  • Optical gas imaging payload
  • Thermal and visual inspection
  • Change detection
  • Alarm-triggered response
  • Georeferenced asset history

Only in Tradify

  • Quoting
  • Scheduling
  • Job tracking
  • Timesheets
  • Invoicing
  • Purchase orders
  • SmartTools
  • Accounting sync

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Percepto

  • A refinery replacing manual methane leak detection rounds with scheduled optical gas imaging flightsnot Tradify
  • A remote mine site that cannot economically station inspection crews and needs weekly stockpile and infrastructure surveysnot Tradify
  • A utility substation network needing thermal inspection of switchgear on a fixed cycle with an auditable recordnot Tradify
  • A port or tailings facility that wants an automatic aerial response when an alarm fires at three in the morningnot Tradify

Tradify

  • A three person electrical contractor on Xero wants quotes, timesheets and invoices in one app and refuses to sit through a demo or pay a setup fee.not Percepto
  • A plumbing firm needs technicians recording labour hours against jobs from a phone so the invoice reflects what was actually spent rather than what the office guessed.not Percepto
  • A UK trade business wants published pricing in pounds it can budget against, instead of the quote-only approach ServiceTitan and FieldEdge take.not Percepto
  • A builder wants to send professionally branded quotes fast enough to be first to respond, where the win rate depends on turnaround more than on document sophistication.not Percepto

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Percepto

  • AIM is built for Percepto aircraft and base stations, so buying the software is buying the fleet, and a site that already owns DJI or other drones cannot bring them into it.
  • Everything depends on beyond-visual-line-of-sight regulatory approval, which is strong in the United States and patchy elsewhere, so a European or Asian site may face a materially different operating envelope for the same money.
  • Pricing is a per-site annual programme covering hardware, software and support, with no published rates, so comparing it against hiring an inspection contractor requires a full proposal.
  • The base station is fixed infrastructure requiring power, connectivity and a site survey, which means a linear asset such as a pipeline needs several installations rather than one system.
  • Weather, wind limits and airspace restrictions still ground flights, so the inspection schedule an operator plans around is a best case, and manual fallback procedures still have to exist.

Tradify

  • Pricing is flat per user with no volume tiering, so a twenty person firm pays twenty times the headline rate and the economics get worse, not better, as you grow into the top of its stated market.
  • The advertised per-user price excludes SMS, which is charged per message, the Instant Website add-on at roughly ten pounds a month, and Stripe card processing fees, so a Pro seat sending two hundred texts a month can cost close to double the sticker price.
  • There is no free tier and no permanently free single-user plan, so a sole trader testing the water is paying from the end of the trial.
  • Inventory and stock control are minimal: it can bundle kits and raise purchase orders but will not track stock levels on vans or in a store, which rules it out for firms carrying real parts inventory.
  • It has no service agreement, recurring maintenance contract or flat-rate pricebook functionality, so HVAC and other maintenance-contract businesses outgrow it quickly and end up moving to FieldEdge or ServiceTitan.

Pricing, plan by plan

Percepto

On request
  • Percepto AIM programme$undefined/year
    • Base station and aircraft
    • AIM software subscription
    • Site survey, installation and regulatory support

Tradify

$47/month
  • Lite$47/month
    • Jobs, notes and job tracking
    • Scheduling with Google Calendar sync
    • Quoting and invoicing
  • Pro$51/month
    • Everything in Lite
    • Custom branding on documents
    • Automatic appointment, quote and payment reminders
  • Plus$61/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • SmartRead for bills and SmartWrite AI tools
    • Purchase orders, job tasks and kit bundles
  • Custom$undefined/month
    • Negotiated for larger teams
    • Contact sales

Which should you pick?

Choose Percepto if

  • You need drone-in-a-box base station.
  • You also want autonomous scheduled missions.
Percepto review

Choose Tradify if

  • You need quoting.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want scheduling.
Tradify review

Questions people ask

Is Percepto or Tradify better?
Neither clearly leads. Percepto starts at On request and Tradify at $47/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Percepto or Tradify?
Percepto starts at On request and Tradify at $47/month.
Does Percepto or Tradify run on more platforms?
Percepto runs on Web. Tradify runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Percepto best used for?
Percepto is most often used for a refinery replacing manual methane leak detection rounds with scheduled optical gas imaging flights, a remote mine site that cannot economically station inspection crews and needs weekly stockpile and infrastructure surveys, a utility substation network needing thermal inspection of switchgear on a fixed cycle with an auditable record, a port or tailings facility that wants an automatic aerial response when an alarm fires at three in the morning. Of those, a refinery replacing manual methane leak detection rounds with scheduled optical gas imaging flights and a remote mine site that cannot economically station inspection crews and needs weekly stockpile and infrastructure surveys are not what Tradify is typically brought in for.
What can Percepto do that Tradify cannot?
Percepto covers Drone-in-a-box base station, Autonomous scheduled missions, AIM mission management, Optical gas imaging payload. Tradify covers Quoting, Scheduling, Job tracking, Timesheets.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Percepto: Can I use Percepto AIM with drones I already own?

No. The system is designed around Percepto's own aircraft and base station.

Tradify: How much does Tradify actually cost per month?

Around 47 US dollars per user per month on Lite, 51 on Pro and 61 on Plus, or roughly 34, 37 and 44 pounds in the UK. Multiply by every user, then add SMS and any add-ons.

Percepto: Do I need a pilot on site?

Not in jurisdictions where beyond-visual-line-of-sight operation is approved. Confirm the approval position for your country before committing.

Tradify: Does Tradify replace my accounting software?

No. It syncs invoices and contacts to Xero, QuickBooks Online or MYOB, and you still need one of them.

Percepto: What does it cost?

Percepto does not publish pricing. Expect an annual per-site programme covering hardware, the AIM subscription and support.

Tradify: Is there a setup or implementation fee?

No. Unlike the enterprise field service platforms there is no onboarding charge, and most firms configure it themselves.

Percepto: Can it detect gas leaks?

Yes, with an optical gas imaging payload, which is one of the main reasons oil and gas operators buy it.

Tradify: How big a team can it handle?

It is designed for roughly one to twenty users. Beyond that the flat per-user pricing and the lack of dispatch optimisation and service agreements start to hurt.

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