Claude
AI assistant that's strong at long documents: contracts, specs and tender packs.
Our verdict
Great for reading the fine print in builder contracts and specs. It's not legal advice, so get a lawyer for anything serious.
Best for: Reading contracts, specs and long documents
What it does
Claude from Anthropic is a general-purpose AI assistant that's strong at reading and summarising long documents. Upload a contract, spec or tender pack and ask what you're on the hook for, or have it draft emails and quote wording.
AI features
- Long-document reading and summarising
- Writing and drafting
- File and image upload
Other voice notes & admin tools
ChatGPT
General AI assistant for emails, quote wording, SWMS drafts, voice chat and photo questions.
Verdict: The best general-purpose AI to start with. Never send its SWMS or contract wording without checking it, because it can sound confident and still be wrong.
Price: Free plan. Plus A$30/month. Business A$28/seat/month billed annually (min 2 seats).
Chime Labs
Sydney-built AI receptionist for trades that answers calls and books jobs into your job system.
Verdict: A well-priced, AU-built AI receptionist with a real free tier, so you can test it before paying. Booking straight into ServiceM8, Simpro or Fergus needs the A$399 Pro plan, so check which tier you actually need.
Price: Free plan (test calls, built-in diary, 5 quotes a week). Essential A$99/month + GST (100 minutes, then A$0.25/min). Pro A$399/month + GST (uncapped minutes, job-system booking). Enterprise on contract. No lock-in.
Otter.ai
AI transcription and meeting notes for site meetings and client walk-throughs.
Verdict: Handy for meeting-heavy builders. Solo tradies may get enough from ChatGPT's voice mode or a Plaud.
Price: Free Basic plan. Pro $16.99/user/month monthly or $8.33/month annually. Business $30/month or $19.99/month annually. Check currency on site.
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