Fergus vs Neto

Fergus vs Neto: The Complete 2026 Comparison for Australian Trades & Construction

Our Harvard-educated consultants have implemented both Fergus and Neto for Australian businesses. Here is what 12+ of experience has taught us about choosing between them.

Features compared

50+

Clients advised

98%

Client retention

12+

Years experience

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Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature analysis for Fergus and Neto.

Industry fit

Fergus

Fergus provides industry fit functionality, popular with Trades & Construction businesses

Neto

Neto provides industry fit functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

On paper industry fit looks similar across Fergus and Neto, but the admin experience, reporting, and permission model tend to be the real differentiators.

Job management

Fergus

Photo and document management on jobs provides a visual record of work completed, useful for compliance and dispute resolution

Neto

Built-in warehouse management with pick, pack, and ship workflows suits businesses handling their own fulfilment

Both platforms are strong here. Fergus emphasises this as a core strength, and Neto also invests heavily in job management. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Quoting and invoicing

Fergus

Price book with labour rates, materials, and assemblies allows consistent quoting across the team with accurate margin calculations

Neto

Neto provides quoting and invoicing functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

Fergus highlights quoting and invoicing as a core strength. Neto offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Scheduling and dispatch

Fergus

Fergus provides scheduling and dispatch functionality, popular with Trades & Construction businesses

Neto

Neto provides scheduling and dispatch functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

On paper scheduling and dispatch looks similar across Fergus and Neto, but the admin experience, reporting, and permission model tend to be the real differentiators.

Mobile field access

Fergus

Limitation: Mobile app functionality is adequate but less polished than ServiceM8, particularly for offline form completion and photo capture

Neto

Neto manages orders, products, customers, inventory and 4 more object types

If mobile field access is a daily-use area for your team, the onboarding curve and keyboard ergonomics matter more than feature counts - trial both with a real operator, not an evaluator.

Compliance features

Fergus

Photo and document management on jobs provides a visual record of work completed, useful for compliance and dispute resolution

Neto

B2B features with customer-specific pricing, payment terms, and trade accounts cater to wholesale alongside retail selling

Both platforms are strong here. Fergus emphasises this as a core strength, and Neto also invests heavily in compliance features. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Reporting

Fergus

Limitation: Reporting capabilities, while improving, lack the customisation depth that larger businesses need for management-level analysis

Neto

Neto includes reporting capabilities. Feature depth varies by plan tier

If reporting is a daily-use area for your team, the onboarding curve and keyboard ergonomics matter more than feature counts - trial both with a real operator, not an evaluator.

Client management

Fergus

Photo and document management on jobs provides a visual record of work completed, useful for compliance and dispute resolution

Neto

Built-in warehouse management with pick, pack, and ship workflows suits businesses handling their own fulfilment

Both platforms are strong here. Fergus emphasises this as a core strength, and Neto also invests heavily in client management. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Inventory and materials

Fergus

Real-time job costing shows profit margins as work progresses, with labour, materials, and subcontractor costs tracked against quoted amounts

Neto

Australian-built platform (now Maropost Commerce Cloud) combining e-commerce, POS, inventory, and fulfilment in a single system

Both platforms are strong here. Fergus emphasises this as a core strength, and Neto also invests heavily in inventory and materials. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Integrations with accounting

Fergus

Real-time job costing shows profit margins as work progresses, with labour, materials, and subcontractor costs tracked against quoted amounts

Neto

Multi-channel selling across website, eBay, Amazon, and physical POS with synchronised inventory prevents overselling

Both platforms are strong here. Fergus emphasises this as a core strength, and Neto also invests heavily in integrations with accounting. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Ease of setup

Fergus

Fergus may require guided implementation for complex setups

Neto

Neto provides onboarding resources. Setup complexity depends on your configuration requirements

If ease of setup is a daily-use area for your team, the onboarding curve and keyboard ergonomics matter more than feature counts - trial both with a real operator, not an evaluator.

Value for money

Fergus

Basic from approximately $49/month (up to 3 users), Growing from approximately $99/month (up to 10 users), Established from approximately $199/month (unlimited users) (AUD). Annual billing discounts available.

Neto

Custom pricing based on revenue and order volume, typically from approximately $250-500+/month (AUD). Setup and migration fees apply. POS hardware sold separately. Annual contracts standard.

Pricing models differ significantly. Compare the total cost of ownership including add-ons and per-user fees, not just the headline price.

Pricing Comparison

General pricing information for each platform.

Fergus

Pricing is indicative only and subject to change. We recommend contacting the vendor for a tailored quote based on your Australian business needs.

Neto

Custom pricing based on revenue and order volume, typically from approximately $250-500+/month (AUD). Setup and migration fees apply. POS hardware sold separately. Annual contracts standard.

These figures are estimates based on publicly available pricing. Actual costs depend on your usage, team size, and any negotiated rates.

Pros & Cons

An honest look at the strengths and limitations of each platform.

Fergus

Pros

Real-time job costing shows profit margins as work progresses, with labour, materials, and subcontractor costs tracked against quoted amounts
Built for New Zealand and Australian trade businesses with GST handling, Xero/MYOB integration, and workflows matching local trade practices
Price book with labour rates, materials, and assemblies allows consistent quoting across the team with accurate margin calculations
Photo and document management on jobs provides a visual record of work completed, useful for compliance and dispute resolution
Subcontractor management tracks third-party costs against jobs and generates purchase orders for clear cost attribution

Cons

Feature set is less comprehensive than SimPRO for large contractors needing advanced asset management and multi-branch operations
Mobile app functionality is adequate but less polished than ServiceM8, particularly for offline form completion and photo capture
Integration ecosystem is limited primarily to accounting software (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks) with fewer connections to other business tools
Reporting capabilities, while improving, lack the customisation depth that larger businesses need for management-level analysis

Neto

Pros

Australian-built platform (now Maropost Commerce Cloud) combining e-commerce, POS, inventory, and fulfilment in a single system
Multi-channel selling across website, eBay, Amazon, and physical POS with synchronised inventory prevents overselling
Built-in warehouse management with pick, pack, and ship workflows suits businesses handling their own fulfilment
B2B features with customer-specific pricing, payment terms, and trade accounts cater to wholesale alongside retail selling
Xero and MYOB integration designed for Australian tax compliance with GST handling built into the platform

Cons

Platform has undergone significant ownership changes (Neto to Maropost) creating uncertainty about long-term product direction
Website design templates are limited compared to Shopify and Squarespace, often requiring developer customisation for modern designs
Integration ecosystem is smaller than Shopify, with fewer third-party apps and extensions available
Customer support quality has been inconsistent during the transition to Maropost, with longer response times reported

Best For

Which tool suits which use case.

Choose Fergus if you need

✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations
✓ Specialised compliance
✓ Field service operations
✓ Trades & Construction businesses
✓ Complex data models (jobs, quotes, invoices and more)

Choose Neto if you need

✓ Industry-specific workflows
✓ Complex data models (orders, products, customers and more)
✓ Manufacturing organisations
✓ Retail & E-commerce businesses
✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations

Expert Verdict

Our Harvard-educated consultants' take on this comparison.

Clever Ops Recommendation

Choose Fergus if small to mid-sized trade businesses in New Zealand and Australia that need real-time job costing with margin visibility and tight accounting integration. Choose Neto if Australian retail and wholesale businesses that need multi-channel selling with integrated warehouse management and POS, particularly those selling across marketplaces and their own website. Avoid Fergus if large multi-branch contractors needing SimPRO depth of asset management and project complexity, or sole traders where simpler tools like ServiceM8 provide sufficient features. Avoid Neto if businesses wanting the simplicity and app ecosystem of Shopify, or those concerned about platform stability during the ongoing Maropost transition. If you are still weighing the trade-offs, Clever Ops offers a free assessment where our Harvard-educated consultants map your requirements to the right platform.

Migration Notes

What to know about switching between Fergus and Neto.

Migrating Between Fergus and Neto

Clever Ops takes a low-risk approach to migrating between Fergus and Neto. We run both systems in parallel during the transition, transferring your core data in stages and verifying data at each step. Your team continues working in the existing system until the new one is fully validated. The process typically takes 4-8 weeks, followed by 3 months of hands-on support.

Fergus vs Neto FAQ

Yes. Both platforms share several common data object types (including contacts and core records), which simplifies field mapping. Clever Ops runs a structured migration process: discovery, data mapping, test migration, verification, and cutover. Most migrations complete within 4-8 weeks, with 3 months of post-migration support included.

Both Fergus and Neto provide standard security measures including encryption, access controls, and compliance certifications. Fergus uses a REST API and Neto uses REST, both supporting secure data transfer. For Australian businesses handling sensitive data under the Privacy Act, data residency and local support are worth verifying with each vendor. Clever Ops, based in Gippsland, Victoria, can review each platform's security posture against your compliance requirements during a free assessment.

Switching costs include data migration, team retraining, workflow rebuilding, and potential downtime. Fergus pricing: Basic from approximately $49/month (up to 3 users), Growing from approximately $99/month (up to 10 users), Established from approximately $199/month (unlimited users) (AUD). Neto pricing: Custom pricing based on revenue and order volume, typically from approximately $250-500+/month (AUD). Beyond licensing costs, budget for implementation (Clever Ops typically completes migrations in 4-8 weeks) and training. We run parallel systems during transitions and provide 3 months of post-migration support to minimise disruption.

Yes, both platforms are used by Australian businesses. Fergus is popular with Trades & Construction in Australia. Neto is widely used by Retail & E-commerce and Manufacturing. Key Australian considerations include AUD pricing, local support hours, GST handling, and data residency. Fergus offers Australian-specific pricing. Clever Ops, based in Gippsland, Victoria, factors these nuances into every recommendation.

Fergus uses a REST API (REST API with API key authentication. Limited public documentation. Primary integrations through Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks. Zapier connection available for additional tool connections.), while Neto uses a REST API (REST API with API key authentication. JSON responses. Rate limits apply. Documentation available through the Neto/Maropost developer portal. Webhook support for order and inventory events.). Fergus supports 8 core data objects; Neto supports 8. With 12+ of integration experience, Clever Ops can tell you exactly how each API performs in production.

For Trades & Construction businesses, prioritise: Industry fit, Job management, Quoting and invoicing, Scheduling and dispatch, Mobile field access. Fergus is strong on Real-time job costing shows profit margins as work progresses, with labour, materials, and subcontractor costs tracked against quoted amounts. Neto excels at Australian-built platform (now Maropost Commerce Cloud) combining e-commerce, POS, inventory, and fulfilment in a single system. Clever Ops can help you build a weighted requirements list and score each platform against it.

We audit your current workflows, team size, budget, and growth plans, then recommend the platform that fits. Our advice is vendor-neutral: we do not earn commissions from Fergus, Neto, or any vendor. Our Harvard-educated consultants have helped 50+ businesses make informed technology decisions over 12+. Book a free assessment to get started.

Neto is more commonly used in Retail & E-commerce. Fergus is stronger in Trades & Construction. That said, popularity alone should not drive your decision. The right tool depends on your specific processes and integration needs. Clever Ops can advise based on what we have seen work for similar businesses.