Fergus vs ProTakip: Why Carpet Cleaners Choose ProTakip

ProTakip's team has built software for carpet-cleaning businesses for 22 years. We started before smartphones existed, putting carpet-cleaning software on bank POS terminals so crews could take an order and print a receipt for the customer at the door. Today the same team ships one app for Android, iPhone and the web, used by carpet, rug and upholstery cleaners in Türkiye and internationally. This Fergus vs ProTakip comparison is written for owners of small cleaning teams, roughly 1 to 15 people, deciding which system to run the business on. ProTakip is carpet cleaning software and cleaning business software: order, customer and payment tracking for carpet, rug and upholstery cleaning businesses, also used by dry cleaners and home and office cleaning teams.

Fergus is job management software from New Zealand for plumbers, electricians and builders, sold as a monthly subscription with extra charges for additional timesheet users, contractors and text messages.

The decisive difference is simple: the Fergus bill grows with every field worker you add and every text you send, while ProTakip is one flat fee of $20 a month with unlimited users, SMS and WhatsApp updates built in, no contract, and the first three months free. ProTakip is a carpet and upholstery cleaning program, not aimed at plumbing, electrical or building work; if you clean carpets, rugs or sofas, read on.

All prices, ratings and review themes below are as of September 2026. Fergus pricing comes from Fergus's website; ratings and review excerpts come from the Google Play and Apple App Store listings and a sample of recent reviews. If you are building a shortlist, you can also see all comparisons.

Fergus vs ProTakip at a glance

For a small carpet-cleaning team, ProTakip is the better buy: one flat fee of $20 a month for unlimited users, the same full app on Android, iPhone and web, and a pickup-to-delivery workflow built for rugs. The table shows where Fergus differs, with every figure dated September 2026.

Swipe the table sideways to see both columns →

Try it free for 3 monthsNo card needed. Then $20 a month, unlimited users, no contract.

What Fergus offers

Fergus is job management software for trade businesses that quote, buy materials, send staff to site, log hours and invoice. According to Fergus's website (September 2026), both paid plans include quoting, job cards, timesheets, calendars, materials tracking, recurring jobs, invoicing, payments and connections to Xero, QuickBooks and MYOB, with Professional adding job phases, purchase orders, checklists, health and safety modules and reporting. It is priced as a monthly subscription, with card processing at 2.95% + 30¢ per transaction and a free onboarding hour offered with the trial.

What Fergus really costs in 2026

Prices as published on Fergus's website in September 2026, in US dollars. Fergus bills monthly; we could not find an annual prepaid price on its site, so the yearly figures below are simply twelve monthly payments.

• Basic: from $53 per month, which is $636 a year. Quoting, job cards, timesheets, calendars, materials, recurring jobs, mobile app, invoicing, payments, accounting integrations and email alerts.
• Professional: from $75 per month, marked "most popular", which is $900 a year. Adds GPS tracking, checklists, job phases, tasks, file and photo uploads, purchase orders, tiered pricing, health and safety, reporting and phone, email and chat support.
• Enterprise 10+: custom pricing for businesses with ten or more staff. You cannot see this price without contacting Fergus.

Then come the costs on top of the plan. Each timesheet user starts at $26 a month, so every helper you add is at least another $312 a year. Contractor users cost $4 per user per day. Text messages are sold at $15 per 100: a business sending 400 pickup reminders and "your rugs are ready" updates a month pays about $60 a month, or $720 a year, in texts alone. Card processing is 2.95% + 30¢ per transaction, and certificates are listed at $30 (1–9 staff) or $80 (10+ staff).

Worked example: an owner with four field staff. Take Professional at $900 a year, assume it covers the owner's own login, and add four timesheet users at $312 each ($1,248). That is $2,148 a year before a single text. Add 400 texts a month and the team is at $2,868 a year, before any card fees. Hire a fifth person and the bill rises again.

On ProTakip the same five-person team pays one flat fee of $20 a month ($240 a year). Every driver, washer and helper gets their own login at no extra cost, automatic SMS and WhatsApp updates are part of the workflow, there is no contract, you can cancel any month, and the first three months cost nothing. For current pricing, see protakip.com.

Start your free three months from the ProTakip download page — no card, no contract.

What Fergus users complain about in recent reviews

In a sample of 91 recent Google Play reviews, the two biggest themes were app slowness and crashes, and much of it relates to the newer Fergus Go app. Several reviewers said the original app worked better.

"Constantly plagued by loading issues and a lot of the time it doesn't load at all or you'll be sitting for 30s to a minute." — Google Play review, 2026

"If i swap to another app to check photos or details of something fegus will shut down and delete my work with no draft saved." — Google Play review, 2026

Other reviewers describe missing functionality in the mobile app compared with the older version: not being able to enter a supplier document, create a job with multiple contact details, or get customer sign-offs, and one asked for "more functionality for the owners/managers". Reviewers have also mentioned that the phone app lacks a navigation tab, and that support felt AI-driven, with no human easy to reach, which contrasts with the phone, email and chat support Fergus lists on its Professional plan.

"I have contacted Fergus multiple times but still no fix. The old app didn't have these problems." — Google Play review, 2026

On iPhone the Fergus Go app has only 8 ratings (4.25 average), so there is little independent signal about the iOS experience. In our Play sample, the developer replied to about 16% of reviews.

Why carpet cleaners choose ProTakip

22 years of carpet cleaning, not a trades tool with a carpet page. Fergus was shaped around quotes, materials and job costing for tradespeople. ProTakip was shaped around one thing for more than two decades: carpets, rugs and upholstery that are collected, washed, made ready and delivered back. The order pipeline follows exactly that path, with pickup and delivery lists, price per square metre or per item, quotes and an appointments calendar around it.

The same full app on Android, iPhone and web. There is no separate field app that lags behind the office software. Every platform gets the same version on the same day, so the whole team sees identical screens.

Everything you need at the customer's door.

• Photos attached at pickup record each rug's condition and end "it was not like this before" disputes.
• QR-coded labels show each item's place in the order ("3 / 7"), printed from the phone on a Bluetooth thermal printer, with the receipt printed the same way.
• Automatic delivery route optimisation, with maps, navigation and vehicle GPS tracking, gets the van through the day with fewer miles.

Know who is calling on Android before you answer. With Caller ID on Android, a card appears before the phone rings with the customer's name, address, notes, balance and open orders by stage, even with the app closed and no signal. In the office, it works through a USB caller-ID device or a cloud switchboard integration.

Customer updates without buying text packs. ProTakip sends automatic SMS and WhatsApp notifications at every stage, including for international customers, and each customer gets a tracking link to see where their order is. A WhatsApp Business inbox sits inside the app. Our guide to customer notifications over WhatsApp shows how this cuts "is it ready yet?" calls.

Unlimited users, no contract, your data stays yours. One flat monthly fee covers the whole team and every feature. There is no annual contract, no setup fee and no per-technician charge. Your data is yours.

People who answer. Support is live and human inside the app, backed by an AI assistant and remote screen-share, and our team moves your data across for free. Owners rate the result 5.0 on Google Play (37 reviews) and 4.98 on the App Store (46 ratings) as of September 2026, and every written review across both stores is five stars.

Start free for three months, no card needed.

Head-to-head: the five differences that decide it

ProTakip comes out ahead on each of the five points below for a small carpet-cleaning business; each one ends with what it means for your crew.

Pricing grows with Fergus and stays flat with ProTakip

Fergus starts at $53 or $75 a month, then adds $26 a month per timesheet user, $4 per contractor per day, $15 per 100 texts and 2.95% + 30¢ on card payments. For a team of five or six, the extras can outweigh the base plan. ProTakip charges one flat subscription however many staff log in. The consequence: you give every driver and helper their own login without doing arithmetic first.

One full app everywhere beats an office system with a separate field app

Fergus pairs its office software with the Fergus Go mobile app, and reviewers report 30-second to one-minute loads, lost work and missing owner functions. ProTakip is one codebase on Android, iPhone and web, released the same day on every platform. The consequence: your crew works on the same complete app as the office, and the owner is never waiting for a feature to reach the phone.

Customer updates are included, not metered

Fergus includes email alerts and sells SMS at $15 per 100; WhatsApp is not verified. ProTakip sends SMS and WhatsApp updates automatically at every stage and gives each customer a tracking link. The consequence: fewer calls interrupt the wash floor, and you never ration reminders.

Caller ID turns every ring into an informed answer

Caller ID is not among the Fergus features we could verify. ProTakip shows the caller's name, balance and open orders on Android before you answer, even with no signal, and pops the same card on the office PC through a switchboard or USB device. The consequence: you greet customers by name and tell them where their rug is without searching.

Built for carpet cleaning, not adapted from trades

Fergus is shaped around quotes, materials, purchase orders and timesheets for electrical and plumbing businesses and builders. ProTakip is a carpet and upholstery cleaning program, not aimed at those trades or at HVAC and air-conditioning service. Its core loop is square-metre pricing, condition photos, QR labels, ready lists and delivery routes. The consequence: no workarounds, because the software already follows the way a rug moves through your business.

Why ProTakip is the best Fergus alternative for a small carpet-cleaning business

ProTakip is carpet cleaning software and cleaning business software for one-to-fifteen-person teams; this is why it is the best Fergus alternative for that business.

If you collect carpets, rugs or upholstery, clean them and bring them back, or run a small cleaning team from your phones, ProTakip is the stronger buy. We have spent 22 years on this one trade, from bank POS terminals printing receipts at the door to today's app on Android, iPhone and web. Photos, QR labels, Bluetooth receipts, automatic SMS and WhatsApp, Caller ID on Android and route optimisation all come in one app your whole team can use.

The money side is just as clear. On Fergus, an owner with four field staff is past $2,100 a year before sending a text, and the bill rises with every hire and every hundred messages. With us, that team pays one flat monthly fee with unlimited users, no contract and no setup fee, and the first three months are free with no card. Instead of accounting sync, you get a built-in cash register, receivables and reports on your phone.

And when something goes wrong, a person answers inside the app. For more reading, see our guide on how to choose cleaning business software, the Jobber vs ProTakip, Kickserv vs ProTakip, Tradify vs ProTakip and ServiceM8 vs ProTakip comparisons, and, for route-heavy teams, delivery scheduling and route planning.

A note from the founder. We built ProTakip for carpet-cleaning owners tired of paying for every new hire and fighting menus made for other trades. No sales pitch: use it free for three months with your whole team, no card needed. If it works for you, it is $20 a month. If it doesn't, you leave, and your data is yours.

Start free for three months, no card required: download ProTakip and run your next week of orders on it — the same full app on Android, iPhone and web, unlimited users, no contract.

Switching from Fergus to ProTakip without losing data

You do not have to re-type anything. Our team imports your customer lists and orders from your current software. Because the first three months are free with no credit card, you can run Fergus and ProTakip side by side for a couple of weeks, move one crew or one route first, and cancel Fergus once your team is comfortable. The full process is in our switching and data migration guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Fergus cost compared with ProTakip?

According to Fergus's website in September 2026, Basic starts at $53 per month ($636 a year) and Professional at $75 per month ($900 a year), with Enterprise quoted for 10+ staff. Timesheet users start at $26 per month each, contractors cost $4 per user per day, SMS is $15 per 100 texts and card payments cost 2.95% + 30¢. An owner with four field staff on Professional passes $2,100 a year before a single text is sent. ProTakip is one flat subscription of $20 a month ($240 a year) with unlimited users and all features, no contract, and the first three months are free.

Is Fergus or ProTakip better for carpet and rug cleaning?

ProTakip. First, it was built for carpet cleaning: our team has made carpet-cleaning software for 22 years, and the app follows your real pickup, wash, ready and delivery pipeline with price per square metre, photos at pickup, QR labels and Bluetooth receipts. Second, it costs the same however many people you add, with automatic SMS and WhatsApp at every stage included. Fergus is designed for plumbers, electricians and builders who quote and cost jobs.

Does ProTakip integrate with Xero or QuickBooks like Fergus?

As of September 2026 ProTakip has no Xero, QuickBooks or MYOB integration and no card payment processing. Instead it gives you a built-in cash register, income and expense tracking, receivables and daily, weekly and monthly reports, so you see what came in and who still owes you from your phone, without paying for or maintaining a separate package. If you need a QuickBooks, Xero, Square, Stripe or other sync, tell us in the in-app chat: we build the connection for your account, and the first three months are free while we do.

Can I move my customer data from Fergus to ProTakip?

Yes. The ProTakip team does the data migration for you, including customer lists and orders exported from your current software. You can run both systems side by side during the first three months, which are free and need no credit card, and cancel Fergus once your team is comfortable. Because Fergus bills monthly with no lock-in, there is no contract to wait out.

What do Fergus reviews say about the mobile app?

In our September 2026 sample of 91 recent Google Play reviews, the most common themes were slow loading and crashes in the newer Fergus Go app, with several reviewers saying the older app worked better and that support felt AI-driven. ProTakip runs the same full app on Android, iPhone and web, is rated 5.0 on Google Play and 4.98 on the App Store, and is backed by live human support.

Fergus is a trademark of its respective owner. ProTakip is not affiliated with or endorsed by Fergus. Competitor pricing and ratings are as published on the vendor's website or app stores on 27 September 2026 and may change.