Operon vs Fergus

Operon vs Fergus: Job Management Comparison

Choose the job management platform that delivers more value. Compare features, pricing, and capabilities side-by-side.

What is Operon?

Job management for Australian trades and field service businesses. Free forever option with paid tiers starting at AU$50/month. Part of the Hykmah operations ecosystem with unlimited users on all paid tiers, flexible job add-ons, and included access to inventory management (Stockwise) and B2B portal (Orderlink) on the same subscription.

Learn more about Operon

83% Lower Cost for a 10-User Team

Fergus Professional with 10 timesheet users costs $295/month. Operon Professional is $50/month with timesheets included — no per-user charges.

Platform vs Product

Includes inventory management (Stockwise) and B2B portal (Orderlink) in your subscription — Fergus is jobs-only and requires a separate vendor for every other capability.

Timesheets Included — No Add-On

Fergus charges $22/month per timesheet user on top of the base plan. A 5-person team on Fergus adds $110/month in timesheet fees alone. Timesheets are included in Operon Professional at no extra cost.

Phone Support Included

Fergus Basic ($53/month) offers email and chat support only. Phone support requires upgrading to Professional ($75/month). Operon includes phone support on all paid tiers.

Operon Flat-Rate Platform + Job Add-Ons

$0 AUD/month Free (1 user, 30Jobs/month)

$50 AUD/month Professional (Unlimited users, 150 Jobs/month)

$350 AUD/month Premium (Unlimited users, 500 Jobs/month)

Custom
Enterprise(unlimited users, unlimited Jobs/month)

Job add-ons: Professional and above

$15/month +50 jobs ($0.30 Jobs)

$25/month +100 jobs ($0.25 Jobs)

$75/month +350 jobs ($0.21 Jobs)

$175/month +1,000 jobs ($0.175 Job)

Includes on all paid tiers:

Unlimited users
Job management, quoting, invoicing, scheduling
Timesheets
Accounting sync (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks)
Phone, email and chat support
Customer portal (Professional+)
Second Hykmah product included (e.g. Stockwise)
Standard reports

Example: 10-user team, 150 jobs/month

Monthly cost: $50/month (timesheets included)

Annual cost: $600/year

Fergus Base + Per-User Timesheet Add-Ons

From $53 AUD/month Basic (Email and chat only)

From $75 AUD/month Professional (Phone, email and chat)

Contact sales Enterprise (10+) (Custom)

Additional costs on top of base price:

Timesheet users: +$22/month per user
Contractor users: $4 per user per day
Certificates: $30/month (1–9 staff), $80/month (10+ staff)
SMS alerts and reminders: $15 per 100 texts
Credit card payments: 2.95% + $0.30 per transaction

Example: 10-user team, 150 jobs/month (with timesheets)

Monthly cost: $295/month (Professional $75 + 10×$22 timesheet users)

Annual cost: $3,540/year

Team Size

Fergus Tier

Fergus Cost (timesheets incl.)

Operon

Operon Cost

Annual Saving

1 user

Basic

$53/month (no timesheets)

Professional

$50/month

$36/year

1 user

Professional

$75/month (no timesheets)

Professional

$50/month

$300/year

3 users

Professional + timesheets

$75 + 3×$22 = $141/month

Professional

$50/month

$1,092/year

5 users

Professional + timesheets

$75 + 5×$22 = $185/month

Professional

$50/month

$1,620/year

10 users

Professional + timesheets

$75 + 10×$22 = $295/month

Professional

$50/month

$2,940/year

15 users

Professional + timesheets

$75 + 15×$22 = $405/month

Professional

$50/month

$4,260/year

Potential Annual Savings with Operon

3-user team with timesheets:

Save $1,092/year

Operon $600/year vs Fergus Professional + timesheets $1,692/year

5-user team with timesheets:

Save $1,620/year

Operon $600/year vs Fergus Professional + timesheets $2,220/year

10-user team with timesheets:

Save $2,940/year

Operon $600/year vs Fergus Professional + timesheets $3,540/year

Plus: Hykmah includes inventory management (Stockwise) in your Professional subscription — Fergus has no inventory capability. Adding Unleashed for inventory costs $528+/month. That's an additional $6,336+/year in savings when you factor in the full stack.

Operon Approach

Professional: $50 AUD/month

(Unlimited users with timesheets, 150 jobs/month)

Stockwise inventory: included as 2nd product

Total: $50 AUD/month

Inventory management included in Professional tier at no extra cost

Fergus Approach

Fergus Professional: $75 AUD/month (5 users, timesheets not yet included)

Timesheet users: $110 AUD/month (5 × $22)

Unleashed Core + support: ~$528 AUD/month

(Separate vendor required — Fergus has no inventory)

Estimated total: $713+ AUD/month

Estimated saving with Operon: $663/month

($7,956/year)

Most job management platforms solve one problem. When your business needs inventory tracking, B2B ordering, or subscription billing, you're shopping for another vendor — another monthly bill, another login, and manual work to keep everything in sync.

Fergus is a job management product only. Inventory, B2B portals, and subscription management all require separate vendors, separate subscriptions, and separate data entry. On top of that, Fergus charges $22/month per user just to access timesheets — a feature most trades businesses consider essential.

Hykmah is different:

When you subscribe to Operon, you can add Stockwise (inventory), Orderlink (B2B ordering), or other products to the same subscription — no extra product fees, no new vendor, no re-entering data between systems.

Real-World Example: 5-Person Team

Option 1: Hykmah Professional

Operon (unlimited users, timesheets included) + Stockwise (inventory): $50 AUD/month

Total: $50 AUD/month

One subscription, one login
Jobs and inventory connected by default.

Estimated saving: $663/month ($7,956/year)

Option 2: Multiple Vendors

Fergus Professional: $75 AUD/month

Timesheet users (5): $110 AUD/month Unleashed Core + support: ~$528 AUD/month (Separate vendor for inventory)

Estimated Total: $713+ AUD/month

Multiple logins
Manual data sync,
Two vendor relationships

What's Included in Your Hykmah Subscription

Professional Tier ($50/month)

Access to 2 products (e.g. Operon + Stockwise)
Operon: unlimited users, 150 jobs/month, timesheets included
Stockwise: 3 users included (extra users $15/month each)
No additional product fees

Premium Tier ($350/month)

Access to 5 products (Operon, Stockwise, Orderlink, Sellwise, Recuron)
Operon: unlimited users, 500 jobs/month
One subscription, one bill

The Products You Can Add

Stockwise — Inventory Management

Multi-channel inventory management. Track parts and materials against jobs. Real-time stock visibility across locations. Pairs directly with Operon for parts on job.

View Stockwise→

Orderlink — B2B Customer Portal

Let wholesale customers place orders directly. Real-time inventory availability. Orders flow into Stockwise without manual re-entry

View Orderlink →

Sellwise — D2C Ecommerce (Coming Soon)

Zero transaction fees. Built-in marketing. Inventory managed through Stockwise.

View Sellwise →

Recuron — Subscription Management

Recurring billing and subscription management. Inventory allocation for subscription products.

View Recuron →

Marketbridge - Marketplace Sync

Centralised inventory and order management across Amazon, eBay, and other marketplaces.

View Marketbridge →

Buildtrack - Construction

Job costing, subcontractor coordination, and progress tracking for builders and contractors.

View Buildtrack →

Need

Fergus

Hykmah

Timesheets

+$22/month per user — charged on top of base price

Included on all paid tiers

Phone support

Professional only ($75/month+) — not on Basic

Included on all paid tiers

Inventory management

Separate vendor required (e.g. Unleashed $528+/month)

Stockwise — included in your subscription

B2B customer ordering portal

Separate vendor required

Orderlink — included in your subscription

Subscription management

Separate vendor required

Recuron — included in your subscription

D2C ecommerce

Separate vendor required

Sellwise — included in your subscription

Contractor users

$4/user/day

Unlimited users on all paid tiers

When to Choose Each Platform

Choose Operon If:

Your team uses timesheets — Operon includes them; Fergus charges $22/month per user
You need jobs and inventory on one platform without paying for two separate systems
You want phone support without paying for a higher-tier plan
You need predictable flat-rate pricing that doesn't scale with team size
You're building toward a full operations platform with inventory, B2B, and customer portals
You're a small to mid-market Australian trades or field service business

Key Vulnerabilities of Fergus:

Timesheets are a paid add-on at $22/month per user — this is a significant and often unexpected cost for growing teams
Phone support not available on Basic — email and chat only unless you upgrade to Professional
No inventory management at any price — requires a separate vendor
No B2B portal or customer ordering capability
Contractor users charged at $4/user/day — adds up quickly on project-heavy businesses
Certificates charged separately — $30/month (1–9 staff) or $80/month (10+ staff) as an ongoing add-on
SMS alerts cost extra — $15 per 100 texts, separate from the subscription

Choose Fergus If:

You need a highly proven platform with 20,000+ active tradies and an established NZ/AU reputation
You rely on Fergus-specific compliance features such as SWMS, health and safety forms, and hazard management
You're a 1–2 person operation where the base price is competitive and timesheets aren't needed
You need advanced reporting (business reporting, financial reporting, advanced reporting) that Operon doesn't yet match
You use Fergus's supplier integrations with automated materials ordering that aren't yet available in Operon

Operon vs ServiceM8

View Comparison →

Operon vs Tradify

View Comparison →

Operon vs Jobber

View Comparison →

How much can I save by switching from Fergus to Operon?

Savings depend heavily on team size and whether you use timesheets. A 5-person team using timesheets on Fergus Professional pays $185/month — Operon Professional is $50/month, saving $1,620/year. Factor in a separate inventory system like Unleashed and a 5-person team switching to Operon + Stockwise saves over $7,900/year.

Does Operon include timesheets?

Yes. Timesheets are included in Operon Professional at no extra cost. Fergus charges $22/month per timesheet user on top of the base plan price. For a 5-person team, that adds $110/month in timesheet fees alone.

Does Fergus include phone support on the basic plan?

No. Fergus Basic ($53/month) offers email and chat support only. Phone support requires upgrading to Fergus Professional ($75/month). Operon includes phone and email support on all paid tiers from Professional onwards.

Does Fergus include inventory management?

No. Fergus is a job management product only. There is no inventory management at any tier. Adding Unleashed for inventory costs $528+/month on top of your Fergus subscription. Operon includes Stockwise as a second product on the same Professional subscription at no extra cost.

How does contractor pricing work on Fergus vs Operon?

Fergus charges $4 per contractor user per day — this can add significantly for project-heavy businesses using subcontractors. Operon includes unlimited users on all paid tiers with no daily or per-user contractor charges.

What are the main differences between Operon and Fergus?

The key differences are: (1) Operon includes timesheets — Fergus charges $22/month per user extra; (2) Operon includes phone support on all paid tiers — Fergus Basic is email/chat only; (3) Operon includes a second product such as Stockwise inventory on the same subscription — Fergus is jobs-only; (4) Fergus has a longer market track record and more mature compliance features; (5) for teams of 3+, Operon is meaningfully cheaper once timesheet costs are factored in.

Ready to Save?

$1,092–$7,956+ Per Year?

Join Australian trades and field service businesses managing jobs without per-user timesheet fees or disconnected inventory systems. Operon includes unlimited users, timesheets, and inventory management on one subscription.

Free tier available Unlimited users on all paid tiers No credit card required

Start Free Trial Book a Demo

Operon vs Fergus: Job Management Comparison

What is Operon?

Why Choose Operon Over Fergus?

83% Lower Cost for a 10-User Team

Platform vs Product

Timesheets Included — No Add-On

Phone Support Included

Pricing Comparison

What You Actually Pay Based on Team Size

Potential Annual Savings with Operon

Scaling Comparison: 5-User Team

Operon Approach

Fergus Approach

Real-World Example: 5-Person Team

Option 1: Hykmah Professional

Option 2: Multiple Vendors

What's Included in Your Hykmah Subscription

Professional Tier ($50/month)

Premium Tier ($350/month)

The Products You Can Add

Stockwise — Inventory Management

Orderlink — B2B Customer Portal

Sellwise — D2C Ecommerce (Coming Soon)

Recuron — Subscription Management

Marketbridge - Marketplace Sync

Buildtrack - Construction

Why This Matters vs Fergus

When to Choose Each Platform

Choose Operon If:

Key Vulnerabilities of Fergus:

Choose Fergus If:

Compare Operon with Other Platforms

Operon vs ServiceM8

Operon vs Tradify

Operon vs Jobber

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Save?

$1,092–$7,956+ Per Year?