Buyer guide for UK and Irish chimney sweeps and stove installers
TradeFlow (GoTradeFlow on gotradeflow.co.uk) is generic UK trade job software for plumbers, electricians, builders, roofers, HVAC engineers and landscapers. It offers quotes, invoices, scheduling, team timesheets, an AI voice receptionist and a unified lead inbox. It has been advertising to chimney sweeps in trade forums, but its public marketing does not list sweep certificates, warning notices or a chimney sweep industry page. Sweep Certificates is purpose-built for UK and Irish sweeps and stove installers who need trade paperwork, offline mobile access and customer reminders.
TradeFlow is generic UK trade job software at £36 a month for the whole team, with quotes, invoices, a diary and an AI phone receptionist. It is aimed at plumbers, electricians and builders, not chimney sweep certificates. For a sweep or installer who needs certificates, warning notices, an offline phone app, WhatsApp customer reminders and a 30-day trial from £18.50 including VAT, Sweep Certificates is usually the better fit.
This table is based on publicly listed positioning and the features Sweep Certificates provides today. Always check the competitor's current website before making a final decision.
| Area | Sweep Certificates | TradeFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | UK and Irish chimney sweeps and stove installers | Plumbers, electricians, builders, roofers, HVAC engineers, landscapers and "every UK trade" on gotradeflow.co.uk |
| Price | £18.50/month Standard or £24/month Premium, including VAT | £36/month, unlimited users and jobs, no per-seat fees, no contract, cancel anytime |
| Product maturity | Established sweep and installer product with published pricing including VAT | Public pages still describe beta and locked-in pricing after beta, alongside the published £36/month plan and 14-day trial |
| Certificates and warning notices | Purpose-built sweep certificates, warning notices and association templates | Not offered. No chimney sweep industry page on gotradeflow.co.uk. Forum pitches to sweeps mention commissioning and servicing, but those are not on public TradeFlow marketing pages |
| Annual sweep reminders | Email, SMS and WhatsApp reminders to book the next sweep on your schedule | Automated reminders listed, but SMS and AI voice draw from 150 daily credits rather than unlimited sweep-specific rebooking |
| Meta Tech Provider integration for customer reminders and confirmations, with messages paid directly to Meta | WhatsApp is to message TradeFlow AI as a back-office assistant (create enquiry, book job, send invoice), not customer WhatsApp reminders | |
| Mobile and offline | Native iOS and Android app with offline certificates and warning notices on site | Works in the browser on mobile and desktop. No native App Store or Google Play app listed. No public offline claim |
| AI voice receptionist | Not offered | AI answers 24/7, captures details, checks service area, books appointments and creates enquiries. 150 daily credits at 75 credits/min (about 2 minutes if all credits go to voice). Custom-built option £99 one-off, no monthly fees |
| SMS and daily credits | SMS at 4.5p/message; WhatsApp billed directly by Meta | 150 daily credits included. SMS costs 10 credits each (about 15 texts if all credits go to SMS). Email notifications are free |
| Online booking for customers | £10/month Premium add-on with sweep-aware scheduling and public booking profiles | Customer portal listed. No public sweep-style online booking page or booking profiles for chimney sweep customers |
| Job photos | Photos on certificates, warning notices and install records | No mention of job photos on public TradeFlow marketing pages |
| Accounting sync | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage | Pricing page lists Xero, QuickBooks and Sage. CRM page also lists FreeAgent |
| Team pricing | Premium includes 3 users; 4–6 users £29/month; unlimited users £34/month | Unlimited team members on the one £36/month plan. No cheaper solo-sweep tier; a solo sweep pays the same as a team |
| Plan | Sweep Certificates | TradeFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly base plan | £18.50/month Standard, unlimited jobs, incl. VAT | £36/month, unlimited users and jobs, no per-seat fees |
| Solo sweep | £18.50/month Standard | £36/month. No cheaper solo tier |
| Small team (3 users) | £24/month Premium, 3 users included, incl. VAT | £36/month, unlimited users included |
| VAT | Prices on sweepcertificates.co.uk include VAT | VAT not stated on the public gotradeflow.co.uk pricing page |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card | 14-day free trial, no card required; then add a card to continue. CRM page also says no card during beta |
| Daily messaging credits | SMS 4.5p/message; WhatsApp billed directly by Meta | 150 daily credits. SMS 10 credits each. AI voice 75 credits/min. Email notifications free |
| AI voice receptionist add-on | Not offered | Custom-built AI voice receptionist £99 one-off, no monthly fees (homepage) |
A general UK trade business that wants one £36/month plan for unlimited users and jobs, with an AI phone receptionist, quotes, invoices and scheduling in the browser, and sweep certificates are not part of the workflow.
A UK or Irish chimney sweep or stove installer who needs sweep certificates, warning notices, appliance history, a native offline phone app, WhatsApp customer reminders, online booking for sweeps and accounting sync from £18.50/month including VAT.
TradeFlow lists one plan at £36/month with unlimited users and jobs, no per-seat fees, no contract and a 14-day free trial with no card required. VAT is not stated on the public pricing page. The CRM page also describes the product as in beta, with no card required during beta and locked-in pricing after beta. Sweep Certificates Standard is £18.50/month or Premium £24/month with three users included, all including VAT, with annual billing at 12 months for the price of 11 and a 30-day free trial with no card. Pricing and features below are based on publicly listed information from gotradeflow.co.uk and may change. Check each provider's website before deciding.
Sweep Certificates is designed around the way small UK and Irish sweep and installer businesses work: unlimited jobs per month, trade-specific paperwork, automated reminders, quotes, invoices and accounting sync without a heavy setup project.
Choose TradeFlow (GoTradeFlow) if you are a general trade business that wants unlimited team members on one plan, an AI phone receptionist and browser-based job admin, and you do not need sweep certificates, warning notices, offline van work or WhatsApp customer reminders.
Choose Sweep Certificates if you need sweep and installer paperwork, a native offline iOS and Android app, WhatsApp customer reminders, online booking that understands chimney counts, and accounting sync, especially if you work in rural areas with poor signal or want a lower entry price for a solo sweep.
Sweep Certificates is a strong TradeFlow alternative when you need sweep certificates, warning notices, a native offline phone app, WhatsApp customer reminders and accounting sync from £18.50/month including VAT. TradeFlow suits general UK trades wanting unlimited users on one £36/month plan with quotes, invoices, scheduling and an AI phone receptionist in the browser. TradeFlow has advertised to chimney sweeps in trade forums, but its public site does not list sweep certificates or warning notices.
No. TradeFlow is built for general UK trades such as plumbers, electricians and builders. Its public marketing pages do not offer chimney sweep certificates, warning notices or association templates. Forum pitches have mentioned commissioning certificates and survey forms, but those are not listed on gotradeflow.co.uk. Sweep Certificates includes purpose-built sweep and installer paperwork.
TradeFlow lists one plan at £36/month with unlimited users and jobs. VAT is not stated on its public pricing page. Sweep Certificates Standard is £18.50/month including VAT, and Premium is £24/month with three users included. A solo sweep pays the same £36/month on TradeFlow as a team of ten. Check gotradeflow.co.uk and sweepcertificates.co.uk for current prices.
TradeFlow works in the browser on mobile and desktop. It is not listed as a native App Store or Google Play app, and there is no public offline claim. That can be a weak fit on the van in rural areas with poor signal. Sweep Certificates has native iOS and Android apps designed to work offline for certificates and warning notices on site.
TradeFlow includes 150 daily credits. SMS costs 10 credits each, so that is about 15 texts if all credits go to SMS. AI voice costs 75 credits per minute, so about 2 minutes if all credits go to voice. Email notifications are free. Their pricing graphic shows example mixes, but that sample is not the cap. Sweep Certificates charges SMS at 4.5p per message and WhatsApp is billed directly by Meta.
TradeFlow lists a customer portal on its public pages, but not a sweep-style public online booking page or booking profiles for chimney sweep customers. Sweep Certificates offers online booking as a £10/month Premium add-on with chimney count, travel and diary rules, plus public profiles on booking.sweepcertificates.co.uk.
No, but there is no cheaper solo tier. TradeFlow's one plan is £36/month with unlimited users and jobs, so a solo sweep pays the same as a larger team. Sweep Certificates Standard is £18.50/month for a solo sweep, with Premium at £24/month including three users.
TradeFlow's pricing page lists Xero, QuickBooks and Sage. Its CRM page also lists FreeAgent. Sweep Certificates syncs invoices to Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage as part of the core sweep and installer workflow.
Try Sweep Certificates free and see how certificates, reminders, quotes, invoices and customer records fit together in one place.