If you are looking for a Powered Now alternative, HiveSuite offers AI-powered reporting through HiveIntel, a full customer portal on every plan, and flat-fee pricing - alongside its own compliance certificate generation and document builder. Both are UK-built, but HiveSuite takes a more modern approach to analytics and customer-facing tools.
Powered Now is one of the most established UK trade management platforms - particularly strong for regulated trades that need a broad library of statutory compliance documents, CIS deductions, and Making Tax Digital. HiveSuite is the newer alternative with its own compliance certificate generation and document builder, AI analytics, a full customer portal on every plan, and flat-fee pricing that doesn't scale per user. This page gives you an honest, category-by-category comparison to help you decide which is the better fit.
Also see: HiveSuite vs Powered Now - Full Feature Comparison
Key Facts - HiveSuite vs Powered Now
- Both platforms are UK-built with native VAT handling and GBP pricing
- Powered Now: stronger on statutory form library (Gas Safe, EICR, fire alarm, oil, pest control)
- HiveSuite: stronger on AI reporting (HiveIntel), customer portal, and flat-fee pricing
- Powered Now pricing: per-user from ~£28/user/month + VAT - HiveSuite: flat-fee from £34.99/month inc. VAT
- Powered Now has CIS and MTD VAT filing built in - HiveSuite handles MTD via QuickBooks/Xero integration
- Last verified:
| Looking for... | Choose |
|---|---|
| Compliance certificate generation | Both |
| Direct MTD VAT submission to HMRC | Powered Now |
| CIS deductions and Domestic Reverse Charge | Powered Now |
| Customer portal on every plan (approve, pay, message) | HiveSuite |
| AI-powered reporting and natural language queries | HiveSuite |
| Flat-fee pricing that doesn't scale per user | HiveSuite |
| Inventory tracking with stock levels and purchase orders | HiveSuite |
| Native offline mobile app for field teams | Powered Now |
| Stripe payments included on every plan | HiveSuite |
How We Scored This Comparison
We evaluated both platforms across eight categories that matter most to UK contractors and mobile service businesses:
- Mobile Invoicing - creating, sending, and tracking invoices from the field
- Compliance Documents - certificates, RAMS, statutory forms, and audit trails
- Scheduling and Dispatch - calendar views, crew assignments, and recurring jobs
- Customer Portal - self-service access for clients to approve, pay, and communicate
- AI and Reporting - data queries, dashboards, and intelligent automation
- Pricing and Value - cost at different team sizes and what is included
- CIS and MTD Tax Features - CIS deductions, Domestic Reverse Charge, and MTD VAT filing
- Mobile App - native apps, offline capability, and field experience
HiveSuite wins 5 of 8 categories, with one draw and two Powered Now wins. Compliance Documents is a draw - Powered Now has more pre-built forms, but HiveSuite's builder lets you create and save your own with conditional logic and AI assistance. Powered Now takes CIS/MTD features (unique) and Mobile App (native offline). Read on for the full breakdown.
The Quick Summary
| Category | HiveSuite | Powered Now | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Invoicing | Recurring invoices, reminder board, Stripe on all plans, interactive quotes with portal approval | Standard invoicing, online payments, PDF delivery; CIS invoicing for subcontractors | HiveSuite (general billing); Powered Now (CIS/subcontractor workflows) |
| Compliance Documents | Compliance certificate generation and document builder (certs, RAMS, checklists, method statements) with UK-standard templates, numbered PDFs, digital signature capture, expiry tracking, portal sharing | 50+ pre-built statutory forms (Gas Safe, EICR, fire alarm, oil, pest control) with e-signatures | Draw (different strengths) |
| Scheduling and Dispatch | Calendar views, crew assignments, conflict detection, job request inbox | Calendar scheduling, recurring jobs, team diary | Tie |
| Customer Portal | Full branded portal on ALL plans - approve quotes, pay invoices, view jobs, message, upload files | Available on Premium plan only (~£40/user/month + VAT) | HiveSuite |
| AI and Reporting | HiveIntel: natural language queries, visual query builder, dashboards, scheduled exports - all plans | AI Text (writing assistance) - Premium plan only | HiveSuite |
| Pricing and Value | Flat fee from £34.99/month (VAT included). All features on all plans. 30-day trial. | Per-user ~£28-40/user/month + VAT. Features gated by tier. Frequent promotions. | HiveSuite (predictable team pricing); Powered Now (can be cheaper for sole traders with promotions) |
| CIS and MTD Features | Not currently supported | CIS deductions, Domestic Reverse Charge, direct MTD VAT submission to HMRC | Powered Now |
| Mobile App | iOS PWA + native Android app | Native iOS + Android apps with offline mode | Powered Now (native offline support) |
Mobile Invoicing Compared
Both platforms let field teams create and send invoices on the go, but HiveSuite includes more invoicing features as standard across every plan.
HiveSuite Mobile Invoicing
- Recurring invoices with automatic scheduling on all plans
- Invoice reminder board - a visual pipeline of outstanding payments
- Stripe payment processing on ALL plans (no upgrade required)
- Interactive quotes that customers can approve, comment on, and pay from the portal
- Multi-line quotes and invoices with grouped line items
- QuickBooks and Xero sync for automatic reconciliation
- Custom invoice templates with your branding
- UK VAT handling built in natively
Powered Now Mobile Invoicing
- Invoice creation and PDF delivery from iOS and Android
- Online payment links
- Xero and QuickBooks integration
- CIS invoicing and Domestic Reverse Charge (a genuine advantage for subcontractors)
- Direct MTD VAT submission to HMRC (no accounting software needed for VAT returns)
For many contractors, HiveSuite's recurring invoices, visual reminder board, and portal-based quote approval add up to a faster payment workflow. If you're a subcontractor who needs CIS deductions on invoices or wants to file VAT directly without a separate accounting package, Powered Now has a genuine advantage here.
Full Feature Comparison
| Feature | HiveSuite | Powered Now | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job Management | Full job tracking, custom status workflows, custom fields, pipeline view | Job management, work tracking, team diary | Tie |
| Quoting | Interactive quotes, AI-assisted content, file attachments, custom fields, customer portal approval | Professional quotes, PDF delivery, online approval | HiveSuite |
| Invoicing | Recurring invoices, reminder board, Stripe on all plans, multi-line grouped items | Standard invoicing, CIS deductions, Domestic Reverse Charge, MTD VAT | HiveSuite (general billing); Powered Now (regulated/CIS trades) |
| Customer Portal | Full self-service portal on ALL plans - approve quotes, pay invoices, view jobs, message, upload files | Available on Premium plan only (~£40/user/month + VAT) | HiveSuite |
| Inventory | Stock-level tracking, low-stock alerts, purchase orders, supplier directory, auto-deduct on invoicing | Supplier invoices and purchase orders - no stock-level tracking | HiveSuite |
| AI and Reporting | HiveIntel: natural language queries, visual query builder, custom dashboards, scheduled exports. HiveAssist: contextual AI help. All plans. | AI Text (writing assistance) on Premium only | HiveSuite |
| Compliance Documents | Compliance certificate generation and document builder (certs, RAMS, checklists, method statements) with UK-standard templates, numbered PDFs, digital signature capture, issue/expiry dates, conditional fields, portal sharing | 50+ pre-built statutory forms (Gas Safe, EICR, fire alarm, oil, pest control) with e-signature | Draw (different strengths) |
| CIS / Domestic Reverse Charge | Not currently supported | CIS deductions + Domestic Reverse Charge built in | Powered Now |
| Making Tax Digital | Via QuickBooks or Xero integration | Direct MTD VAT submission to HMRC built in | Powered Now |
| Custom Fields | Custom fields on customers, quotes, invoices, and jobs with calculated field support | Limited custom field options | HiveSuite |
| Accounting Integration | QuickBooks + Xero on all plans | Xero + QuickBooks | Tie |
| Online Payments | Stripe on ALL plans - no tier upgrade required | Online payment links available | HiveSuite |
| Mobile App | iOS PWA + native Android app | Native iOS + Android apps, works offline | Powered Now (native offline support) |
| Free Trial | 30 days, no credit card, all features | Free trial available; limited free version available | HiveSuite |
| UK Origin | Built in the UK | Built in the UK | Tie |
Pricing Breakdown
HiveSuite Pricing (GBP, all prices include VAT)
| Plan | Monthly Price | Admins | Team Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | £34.99/month | 1 admin | 2 team members |
| Small Team POPULAR | £89.99/month | 5 admins | 5 team members |
| Growing Team | £149.99/month | 10 admins | 10 team members |
| Professional | £249.99/month | 20 admins | Unlimited |
| Enterprise | £499.99/month | 50 admins | Unlimited |
All features on all plans. No feature tiers. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
Powered Now Pricing (GBP, prices subject to VAT)
- Business: ~£28/user/month
- Professional: ~£32/user/month
- Premium: ~£40/user/month (customer portal and AI Text on this tier only)
- Annual billing available for savings
- Free trial and limited free version available
Powered Now Pricing Instability
Powered Now has run significant promotional offers at various points (up to 65% off), which makes like-for-like cost comparisons difficult. The prices above represent standard rates. Always check Powered Now's current pricing page directly - promotional discounts are not guaranteed to continue. For a team of 5 at standard Business tier rates, expect roughly £140/month before VAT versus HiveSuite's £89.99/month including VAT.
Which Platform Is Right for You?
Choose HiveSuite if...
- You want a Customer Portal for clients to approve quotes and pay - included on every plan
- AI analytics and business intelligence matter to you (HiveIntel, all plans)
- Inventory management with stock tracking and purchase orders is part of your workflow
- You have a team and want predictable flat-fee pricing that doesn't scale per user
- Compliance documents (certificates, RAMS, checklists, method statements) with expiry tracking and portal sharing are important
- Custom fields across jobs, quotes, and customers are important
- You want transparent, stable pricing without promotional uncertainty
- A 30-day free trial with all features and no credit card is important to you
Choose Powered Now if...
- You need the broadest library of pre-built UK statutory certificates (Gas Safe, EICR, fire alarm, oil) with minimal setup
- CIS deductions and Domestic Reverse Charge are core to your billing workflow
- You want to file MTD VAT returns directly to HMRC without a separate accounting package
- Native iOS and Android apps with full offline support are critical for your field team
- You are a gas engineer, electrician, or other regulated tradesperson issuing specialist certificates at high volume
The Bottom Line
Powered Now retains genuine advantages for specific workflows. CIS deductions, Domestic Reverse Charge, and direct MTD VAT submission to HMRC are exclusive to Powered Now. It also ships with a larger library of pre-built statutory forms - though HiveSuite's certificate builder lets you create, customise, and save your own templates with conditional fields and AI assistance, so the gap is narrower than it first appears.
For many UK contractors and mobile service businesses, HiveSuite covers more ground. It wins 5 of 8 comparison categories with one draw: a full customer portal on every plan, HiveIntel AI analytics included as standard, inventory management with stock tracking, compliance certificate generation with UK-standard templates, and flat-fee pricing that stays predictable as your team grows. Unlike Powered Now, there are no per-user charges, no feature tiers, and no promotional pricing that could change without notice.
If CIS and MTD are not part of your billing workflow, HiveSuite gives you more capability at a lower and more predictable cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Relevant for: Trade Businesses, Plumbers, Builders. See how HiveSuite is built for your trade.
Still comparing options?
Browse all software comparisons, or see our ranked reviews: Best UK Job Management Software 2026 (10 platforms compared) and Best Sole Trader Software UK 2026 (6 platforms for one-person businesses). Also see: HiveSuite vs Powered Now, Tradify Alternative, Fergus Alternative.
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