Is Omni Field an alternative to ServiceM8 for a small trade business?

Yes. Both are built for small operators running a handful of vans. Omni Field is based in Cape Town, bills in South African Rand, sends customer updates by email and WhatsApp, and includes a website builder on every plan. ServiceM8 is headquartered in Australia.

Does the Omni Field app work on both Android and iPhone?

Yes. The technician app is an installable progressive web app, so it runs from the browser on Android and on iOS without separate store downloads. Your team does not have to standardise on one handset brand.

What happens when a technician loses signal in a basement or a rural area?

Work continues in the app and is held in a sync queue, which uploads once the connection returns. The app is offline tolerant rather than fully offline, so plan for a sync rather than assuming every feature behaves identically without a network.

Is there a free plan?

Yes, a Free plan at R0. There is also a 30 day trial of the paid features with no credit card required, so you can put a real month of jobs through the system before choosing a plan.

Where does the information about ServiceM8 on this page come from?

From ServiceM8's public website at servicem8.com, checked on 3 September 2026. We describe Omni Field's own capabilities and point you at their site for theirs, rather than publishing a feature grid that goes stale.

Comparison

Omni Field and ServiceM8, compared for small African trades

Omni Field is job management software for small trade and service businesses across Africa, billed in South African Rand with a Free plan and a 30 day trial. ServiceM8 is a job management app for small trade businesses, headquartered in Australia, with subscription plans published on its website. Both are aimed at small operators.

Start free See pricing

Information about ServiceM8 comes from their public website, checked 2026-09-03. ServiceM8 is based in Australia and is Subscription plans, published on their website..

Why teams choose Omni Field

Omni Field runs on Android and on iOS as an installable PWA, so a two van operation does not need everyone on the same brand of phone.
Billing is processed in South African Rand, with prices shown in local currency for South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Rwanda and Côte d'Ivoire at a fixed rate.
Paystack collects card and bank payments straight from the invoice, with payouts in 2 to 3 days and a 1% transaction charge, and no separate merchant account.
Customer updates go out by email and WhatsApp, which suits customers who reply on WhatsApp and ignore email.
A tenant website builder is included on every paid plan from PaYu upward, so a sole trader gets a web presence without another monthly bill.

When ServiceM8 may suit you better

ServiceM8 is a job management app for small trade businesses, headquartered in Australia.

ServiceM8 is headquartered in Australia and its published material is written for small trade businesses in that market. If you trade in Australia or New Zealand, it is worth reading their site closely before choosing.
Omni Field's route optimisation is built around a service day of appointments rather than a courier round. It handles up to 60 stops per technician, and an operation with longer stop lists than that should test the limit first.
Omni Field is a young platform, founded in 2025. A business that wants a deep library of third-party add-ons built up over a decade should check what it actually depends on.

What Omni Field gives an African service business

What Omni Field provides, by capability
Capability	Omni Field
Billing currency	South African Rand, with local currency display for South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Rwanda and Côte d'Ivoire.Fixed conversion rate, and the Rand amount is shown before payment.
Plans and entry price	Free at R0 for a sole trader getting started, PaYu at R149 per month plus R149 per technician seat, Growth at R349 per month including one technician.All advertised prices include 15% VAT.
Taking payment from customers	Paystack card and bank payments from the invoice, payouts in 2 to 3 days, 1% transaction charge.
Customer notifications	Email and WhatsApp, sent as the job moves through its stages.
Field app	An installable PWA on Android and iOS, which keeps working through a dropped signal and syncs the queue afterwards.Offline tolerant with a sync queue, not a fully offline application.
Scheduling and dispatch	One board for the day's work, with jobs assigned to technicians and status updated from the field.
Quoting and invoicing	Quote on site, convert the accepted quote to a job, and invoice from the completed work.
Business website	A tenant website builder is included from PaYu upward. It is not on the Free plan.
Assets and inventory	Keep a register of stock, parts and customer equipment, linked to the jobs that used them.
Client portal	Customers can sign in to view their jobs, quotes and invoices, and to pay online.

Questions about switching

How Omni Field lines up against the other platforms African service businesses look at.

Try it on your own jobs

30 days free, no credit card. Prices include VAT and billing is processed in South African Rand.

Start free