Certio vs TestFast: Which EICR App Suits Your Work?

Certio and TestFast are both certificate apps built by working electricians, and both use the Megger MFT-X1 to get readings in without typing. The differences are price, platform and scope. Certio has a Free plan with unlimited certificates, then Starter at £4.99 and Pro at £9.99 a month (certio.uk, checked 2 October 2026). TestFast has a free plan capped at 8 electrical reports a month, then £15 and £30 a month (testfast.uk, checked 2 October 2026). Certio runs as an iPhone app, on Android and in the browser. TestFast runs in the browser and as Windows and Mac desktop apps, with its phone apps listed as coming soon.

What is the difference between Certio and TestFast?

They are closer to each other than most pairs in this market. Both are dedicated electrical certification tools, not job-management suites with a certificate module bolted on, and both were started by electricians who were fed up with typing schedules at night.

Certio is made by Certio Software Ltd. It produces EICRs, EICs, Minor Works certificates and PAT testing records, and its headline features are a circuit schedule built by AI from a photo of the board, voice dictation of readings, live reading of the Megger MFT-X1 screen through the phone camera, and AI-suggested C1, C2, C3 and FI observation wording.

TestFast is a trading name of You Know Us Ltd, registered in Scotland under company number SC892148. Companies House shows that company as incorporated on 5 June 2026 with a registered office in Aberdeen, and a January 2026 press release describes the product entering public beta that month. Its three named features are NoteScribe OCR, which builds a schedule from a photo of the board or a handwritten test sheet; LiveSync, which streams results from a Megger MFT-X1 over Bluetooth; and an Observation Builder that turns rough site notes into coded observations. Its homepage said "Used by 575+ UK electricians" on 2 October 2026.

So the choice is not between a good idea and a bad one. It comes down to what you pay, which device you hold on site and how you want readings to arrive.

How do Certio and TestFast compare feature by feature?

Sources: certio.uk and testfast.uk (home, pricing, download and EICR software pages), all checked on 2 October 2026. Where the TestFast column says "not described", its public pages do not mention the feature. It does not mean we tested the app and found it missing.

What does each one cost over a year?

Both charge a flat monthly fee with no contract, so the sums are simple.

On those figures TestFast Standard costs £60.12 a year more than Certio Pro and £120.12 more than Certio Starter. TestFast Unlimited costs £240.12 a year more than Certio Pro. TestFast's pricing page does not say whether VAT is added, so check at checkout. Certio's site states there is no VAT to add.

The TestFast figure that needs a second look is the credit allowance. Its pricing page says manual entry is always free and that automation uses credits one for one: one circuit row extracted from a photo is one credit, and one site note converted to an observation is one credit. Take an EICR on a 12-circuit board with 8 observations. That is 20 credits. The 500 credits on Standard cover 25 reports like that in a month, and the 100 signup credits on Free cover 5. A top-up pack is £10 for 1,500 credits that never expire, which works out at about 13p for the same report.

For a domestic inspector doing three or four EICRs a week, 500 credits is enough. On commercial work with 40-way boards it runs out quickly, which is what the £30 plan is for. Certio Starter also carries a monthly AI allowance, so heavy users of the board scan should look at Pro. For the wider market, see Best Electrical Certification Software UK 2026: 8 Apps Compared.

How does each get readings from a Megger MFT-X1?

This is the most interesting part of the comparison, because both apps are tied to the same instrument today.

Certio uses the phone camera. You point the phone at the Megger MFT-X1, the app reads the screen live and the value goes into the schedule. There is nothing to pair. It works with the Megger MFT-X1 only at present, with more instruments to follow. Certio also takes readings by voice, which works with any instrument because you are simply saying what you see: "circuit four, Zs nought point eight seven".

TestFast uses Bluetooth. Its LiveSync feature streams the result from the Megger MFT-X1 into the open field when you press test. A Bluetooth value arrives as data, so there is nothing to misread, and the phone or laptop can stay in your pocket or on the floor. The trade-off is pairing and the usual Bluetooth housekeeping.

With any other instrument, both apps come back to manual entry, or voice in Certio's case. Whichever route you use, the reading still has to be judged. IET Guidance Note 3 sets the test sequence and BS 7671 sets the limits: a measured Zs on a B32 circuit still has to sit under the 1.37 Ω in Table 41.3, corrected for temperature, however it reached the form. Our guide to How to Fill In a Schedule of Test Results, Column by Column covers each column, and Maximum Zs Values BS 7671: Tables, 80% Rule and Ze lists the limits.

How do the board photo and observation tools differ?

Both apps build the circuit schedule from a photo of the consumer unit. Certio's AI reads the ways, device types and ratings, and leaves a value blank where it cannot read it. TestFast's NoteScribe reads the circuit labels, "typed, handwritten, faded", and will also scan a handwritten test sheet. That second trick matters if you still record on paper on site and type up at home.

Observations work differently too. Certio suggests wording and a classification code for you to accept, edit or reject. TestFast converts your rough notes in bulk into coded observations. Either way the code is the inspector's decision. Electrical Safety First's Best Practice Guide 4 remains the reference for whether a defect is C1, C2, C3 or FI, and the declaration on the report carries your signature, not the software's. See EICR Observation Codes Explained: C1, C2, C3 and FI and How to Write EICR Observations That Stand Up.

Which devices does each one run on?

Check this before anything else, because it decides what you are holding at the board.

Certio's iPhone app has been on the UK App Store since 23 September 2026. The Android app is a direct download from certio.uk while the Google Play listing is in review, and the same login works in any browser. It works offline and syncs when signal returns.

TestFast's download page on 2 October 2026 offered Windows and macOS desktop apps and said Android and iOS were "following at the end of September", still marked as coming soon. Until those arrive you use TestFast on a phone or tablet through the browser, and it says it keeps working through weak signal and syncs afterwards. If you type up on a laptop in the van, a proper desktop app is a real advantage. If you work phone-in-hand, an installed app is.

Which certificates does each one cover?

TestFast covers more ground. Beyond the EICR, EIC and Minor Works it lists domestic smoke detection, an emergency lighting annual test, EV charging equipment, a ventilation test certificate to Approved Document F and an electrical danger notification, with emergency lighting installation and solar array test forms marked as coming soon. Certio covers the four that most domestic and small commercial electricians issue every week: EICR, EIC, Minor Works and PAT testing records.

On the standard itself, BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026, and the IET and NICEIC give 15 October 2026 as the date the previous edition is withdrawn. TestFast labels its EICR, EIC and Minor Works as A4:2026. Certio's forms follow the current BS 7671:2018 model forms, and the app is being updated for Amendment 4 ahead of that date. If you issue fire or emergency lighting paperwork, read Fire Alarm Certificate BS 5839-6: Grades and Categories and Emergency Lighting Certificate: BS 5266-1 Testing and Records first, because those forms come from different standards.

Who should pick which?

Pick Certio if you want the lowest monthly cost, you work from an iPhone or Android phone, you like dictating readings, or you want quotes and invoices in the same app on Pro. Its Free plan suits anyone who issues more than 8 certificates a month and does not mind the Certio mark.

Pick TestFast if you want MFT-X1 results over Bluetooth, you type up on a Windows or Mac machine, you scan handwritten test sheets, or you need the smoke detection, emergency lighting, EV or ventilation forms in the same tool. Its free plan gives you the automation to try, within 8 reports a month.

Landlord work is a fair test for both. GOV.UK guidance on the private rented sector regulations requires an inspection at least every five years, so the same properties come round again and the previous report is worth having to hand.

How should you trial them fairly?

Run the same job through both. Use a real 10-way or 12-way domestic board, not a demo.

1. Photograph the board in each app and count the corrections needed.
2. Enter one circuit's full set of readings by each method on offer.
3. Write three observations from your own notes and compare the wording.
4. Issue the PDF and read it as the client would.
5. Do it once with no signal.

Time each run. How Long Does an EICR Take? Typical Times by Property Type gives typical on-site times to compare against, and Electrical Certification Software: What to Look For (Buyer's Guide) lists the questions to ask any vendor. For how Certio stacks up against other models, see Certio vs Tradehand: Certificate App or 5% Job Platform? and Certio vs Quickler: WhatsApp Reports or a Certificate App?.

How Certio helps

Certio produces the EICR, EIC, Minor Works certificate and PAT records on the BS 7671 model forms and turns them into branded PDFs. Photograph the consumer unit and the circuit schedule drafts itself; point the phone camera at a Megger MFT-X1 and the reading goes straight into the schedule of test results, or dictate it while your hands stay on the probes. Suggested observation wording with the regulation reference is there for you to check and confirm. The judgement stays yours; the typing goes. Starter is free for 7 days, then £4.99 a month.

Written by the Certio team. Last checked 2 October 2026.