Elec-Mate vs Tradecert
Tradecert deserves credit: it brought AI circuit extraction to certification at £18/month with unlimited certificates. The differences are how the AI is charged — Tradecert meters it in tokens, Elec-Mate includes it — and everything beyond certificates: calculators, RAMS, quoting, invoicing, payments and training.
1,000+
UK electricians
“Replaced three separate apps with Elec-Mate. Certs, quotes, and scheduling all in one place.”
Daniel Palmer — DP Electrical
Key Takeaways
- 1Tradecert is the closest competitor to Elec-Mate on certification: unlimited certificates, every major certificate type, and real AI circuit extraction at £18/month with no contract.
- 2The AI pricing model is the first difference: Tradecert gives 250 free AI tokens a month then charges 2p per token; Elec-Mate includes AI board scanning, voice entry, defect coding and remedial pricing without metering — heavy AI users pay the same £19.99.
- 3The scope is the second: Tradecert is a certification app. Elec-Mate adds 70+ BS 7671 calculators, AI RAMS, quoting, invoicing, Stripe payments, Xero sync and 46+ training courses in the same subscription.
- 4On a busy testing week, an electrician scanning boards and coding defects all day wants AI that does not tick a meter.
- 5Both are modern, cloud-synced, mobile-first UK products — this is the fairest fight on this site, and it comes down to metering and scope.
What Is Tradecert?
Tradecert is UK electrical certification software with real AI assistance — EICRs, EICs, Minor Works, solar PV, EV charger, emergency lighting, fire and PAT certificates, with AI circuit extraction from board photos, automated BS 7671-referenced observations, and notes-to-fields input (type or dictate "Ze 0.25" and the field fills). It adds proper team features: real-time multi-user editing, version history, offline sync and free office users, with a Kewtech partnership.
Pricing is per user and per token: £18/month for the first user, £7/month per additional user, with 250 AI tokens included monthly and more at 2p each pay-as-you-go (a free tier offers 200 tokens with watermarked PDFs).
Tradecert's strengths: genuine AI in the certificate workflow, unlimited certificates, strong team collaboration, clean modern app. Of the certification-only products, it is the most technically ambitious.
What Is Elec-Mate?
Elec-Mate covers certification the same way — 16 certificate types to BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, AI Board Scanner, automated observations via Defect Code AI — and then keeps going: Voice Test Entry for hands-free readings, an AI Remedial Cost Estimator that prices the defect list, 70+ BS 7671 calculators, AI RAMS, five specialist AI agents, and the business layer: quoting, invoicing, Stripe payments, Xero sync and job management. Training is included too — 46+ courses and 20,000+ practice questions.
£19.99/month flat, everything included, AI unmetered, 7-day free trial.
Try Elec-Mate free for 7 days
16 certificate types, 70+ calculators, RAMS, quoting, invoicing, AI agents, and 46+ training courses — from £6.99/mo.
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AI: Included vs Metered
Both apps use AI to kill manual data entry: both extract circuits from a board photo, both turn notes into fields, both write regulation-referenced observations. Credit where due — on the certificate itself, Tradecert's AI is real. The differences are the meter and the reach. Tradecert's 250 monthly tokens are a fair allowance for light use; past that, every AI action costs 2p a token, and a full-time inspector's usage adds up — per user.
AI Without a Meter
Board scans, voice test entry, defect coding and remedial pricing — use them on every job, all month, for the same £19.99.
Try it free for 7 daysElec-Mate's AI is part of the subscription: scan every board, speak every schedule of test results, code every defect and price every remedial list without watching a counter. The AI also goes further into the job — the Remedial Cost Estimator turns an unsatisfactory EICR into a priced quotation with real UK trade pricing, which flows straight into Elec-Mate's own quoting and invoicing.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Feature | Elec-Mate | Tradecert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited BS 7671 certificates | |||
| AI circuit extraction from board photos | |||
| AI included without metering | 250 tokens/mo, then 2p/token | ||
| Voice/notes input | Full spoken test-schedule dictation | Notes → fields (e.g. "Ze 0.25") | |
| AI Remedial Cost Estimator (priced quote from defects) | |||
| 5 specialist AI agents (design, cost, H&S…) | |||
| 70+ BS 7671 calculators | |||
| Quoting & invoicing built in | |||
| Stripe payment collection | |||
| AI RAMS generator | |||
| Training courses + mock exams | |||
| Apprentice learning hub | |||
| Cloud sync across devices | |||
| Price | £19.99/mo flat | £18/mo + £7/extra user + AI tokens |
The Verdict
Tradecert is a genuinely good certification app — the AI is real and the pricing is fair. If certificates are all you want and your AI usage is light, it is a credible choice at £18/month.
For £1.99 more, Elec-Mate removes the AI meter and adds the rest of the trade: calculators, RAMS, quoting, invoicing, payments and training. The certificate stops being a standalone document and becomes the middle of a paid job.
Both have free trials — run the same EICR through each, use the AI hard, and check the meter at the end of the week.
What Only Elec-Mate Offers
Unmetered AI, Flat Price
Scan every board and dictate every schedule all month — no tokens, no per-user fees.
AI Remedial Cost Estimator
Defect list in, priced remedial quotation out — with real UK trade pricing.
70+ BS 7671 Calculators
Cable sizing, Zs, volt drop, max demand, adiabatic — beyond any certification-only app.
Quoting, Invoicing & Payments
The certificate flows into a quote, an invoice and a Stripe payment link.
AI RAMS + 5 Specialist Agents
RAMS, circuit design, costing, installation and H&S agents in the same subscription.
Training + Mock Exams
46+ courses and 20,000+ questions — 18th Edition, 2391, AM2, apprentice quals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Trusted by electricians across the UK
Real feedback from real sparks
“Replaced three separate apps with Elec-Mate. Certs, quotes, and scheduling all in one place.”
Daniel Palmer
Sole Trader · DP Electrical
“I've won two contracts this month because I could turn quotes around same-day with the AI cost engineer.”
Nathan Perry
Electrician · NP Electrical Services
“The study centre got me through my AM2. Mock exams and flashcards are brilliant.”
Jake Pizey
3rd Year Apprentice · Apprentice
Use the AI hard. Same price.
Unmetered AI certificates plus calculators, RAMS, quoting and training — free for 7 days.
“Replaced three separate apps with Elec-Mate. Certs, quotes, and scheduling all in one place.”
Daniel Palmer, DP Electrical
From £6.99/mo after trial — less than a coffee a week