Opus vs Fergus: Full business management vs trades job software
Fergus is a solid trades job management tool at $48 to $72 per user. But it has no CRM, no team chat, no AI, and limited financial features. Opus gives you the full business stack for $25 per user.
The fundamental difference
Fergus speaks trades. Opus speaks business. Your choice depends on where you need the most help.
Fergus
Trades Job Management
Fergus is built for trades businesses. It understands materials, suppliers, purchase orders, and job margins in a way that general business tools don't.
Strengths
Gaps for growing businesses
Opus
Complete Business Management
Opus covers the full business: projects, finances, CRM, chat, equipment, and AI analytics. One subscription, one login, one platform.
Strengths
Trade-offs vs Fergus
Feature-by-feature comparison
An honest look at where each platform excels.
| Feature Area | O Opus | F Fergus |
|---|---|---|
| Project Management | Full pipeline management with visual boards, drag-and-drop stages, project numbering, cost-to-complete analysis, and profit tracking per project. | Job management with quoting, scheduling, and job costing. Built specifically for trades workflows with material and labour tracking. |
| Financial Management | Built-in invoicing, bill management, expense tracking, budgets, loan tracking, and cash-flow forecasting. All synced live with Xero. | Invoicing and quoting with margin tracking. Purchase orders for materials. No bill management, no expense tracking, no cash-flow forecasting. |
| CRM & Client Management | Integrated CRM with client enrichment, contact search, lead pipeline, and client portal tied to projects and invoices. | Customer database and site management. No lead pipeline, no enrichment, no client portal. |
| Team Communication | Built-in threaded messaging, project-level chat, and @mentions. No separate Slack subscription needed. | Job notes and internal comments on jobs. No real-time team chat or threaded messaging. |
| Trades-Specific Features | General business management. Not built specifically for trades, but handles any project-based business model. | Purpose-built for trades: material tracking, supplier management, purchase orders, margin calculators, and compliance documentation. This is Fergus's strength. |
| AI & Analytics | Claude-powered AI assistant for natural-language queries across all business data. AI expense categorisation and financial forecasting. | Job profitability reports and team performance dashboards. No AI features. |
| Xero Integration | Deep native two-way Xero integration. Invoices, bills, expenses, and chart of accounts sync automatically. | Xero integration for syncing invoices and contacts. Functional but not bidirectional. |
| Equipment Tracking | Dedicated equipment registry with service histories, depreciation tracking, receipt scanning, and assignment to projects. | No dedicated equipment management. Some asset tracking possible through custom fields. |
Fergus's higher Trades-Specific rating reflects its purpose-built material and supplier features.
The hidden cost: building around Fergus
Fergus handles trades jobs. Everything else is another subscription.
Typical Fergus Stack
Per user/month for a 10-person team
Fergus Professional
Job management, POs, reporting
Pipedrive / HubSpot
CRM and lead tracking
Slack Pro
Team messaging
Xero Growing
Accounting (shared cost)
Opus Professional
Everything included. One subscription.
Project Management
Pipeline, boards, tasks, proposals
Financial Management
Invoicing, bills, expenses, budgets
Xero Integration
Native two-way sync, no middleware
CRM & Client Portal
Lead pipeline, contacts, enrichment
Team Chat
Project messaging, threads, @mentions
Equipment Tracking
Asset registry, depreciation, service logs
AI Business Intelligence
Available as add-on ($24.99/mo)
Which one is right for you?
Both serve trades and service businesses. The right pick depends on your primary need.
Choose Fergus if you…
- Run a pure trades business (plumbing, electrical, HVAC)
- Need material tracking and supplier purchase orders
- Rely on margin calculators for accurate quoting
- Have simple CRM needs (just a customer database)
- Need trades-specific compliance documentation
- Want a tool that speaks your industry language
Choose Opus if you…
- Need project management AND financial tracking in one tool
- Want CRM, team chat, and equipment tracking included
- Use Xero and want automatic two-way data sync
- Track project profitability and need financial dashboards
- Have outgrown trades-only tools and need business analytics
- Want AI-powered intelligence across all your data
- Are a growing business (5 to 100 people) paying less per user
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from teams comparing Opus and Fergus.
Is Opus a direct replacement for Fergus?
It depends on your business type. Fergus is purpose-built for trades businesses (plumbers, electricians, builders) with features like material tracking, supplier management, purchase orders, and margin calculators. Opus is a broader business management platform with CRM, team chat, AI analytics, and deeper Xero integration. If you need trades-specific features like material costing and supplier purchase orders, Fergus has the edge. If you need the full business lifecycle managed in one platform, Opus is the better fit.
How does pricing compare?
Fergus charges $48/user/month on the Starter plan (basic job management) and $72/user/month on the Professional plan (full features including purchase orders and reporting). Opus Professional at $25/user/month includes project management, financial management, CRM, team chat, equipment tracking, and native Xero integration. For a 10-person team, that's $720/month with Fergus Professional vs $250/month with Opus.
What does Opus offer that Fergus doesn't?
CRM with lead pipeline and client enrichment, built-in team messaging and project chat, equipment tracking with depreciation, AI business intelligence, cash-flow forecasting, bill management, visual pipeline boards with drag-and-drop, two-way Xero sync, and a client portal. These are core platform features.
What does Fergus offer that Opus doesn't?
Material tracking and cost estimation per job, supplier management with purchase orders, margin calculators for quoting, compliance documentation management, site-specific job tracking (multiple sites per customer), and trades-specific reporting templates. Fergus understands the trades workflow in a way that general business tools don't.
Does Opus work for plumbing, electrical, or building businesses?
Yes, Opus works for any project-based business. Many construction and engineering companies use Opus. However, if your daily workflow revolves around material costing, purchase orders to suppliers, and trades-specific margin calculations, Fergus has purpose-built tools for that. Opus is stronger when the business has grown beyond pure trades into broader project management and needs CRM, financial tracking, and analytics.
Can I migrate from Fergus to Opus?
Yes. Opus supports project and client data import. Our support team can help you map Fergus jobs, clients, and financial data into Opus. The transition typically takes a few days depending on data volume. We recommend running both systems in parallel for a week to ensure everything transfers correctly.
Who is Opus best suited for?
Opus is built for small-to-medium businesses (5 to 100 people) that manage the full business cycle. It works best for businesses that have grown beyond simple job management and need project profitability tracking, CRM, team collaboration, and AI analytics alongside project management. Professional services, construction, engineering, and multi-service businesses are the strongest fit.
Ready to manage your whole business, not just trades jobs?
Join Australian businesses that upgraded from job software to full business management. Start your free trial of Opus today.
Free 14-day trial · No credit card required · Cancel anytime