The best electrical certification software is the app that gets a correct schedule of test results onto the right BS 7671 form in the least time, works with no signal, and lets you take every certificate with you when you leave. A 12-circuit domestic board is well over 200 separate entries on the schedule, so data entry is where the hours go. Check six things before paying: which edition the forms follow (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 is withdrawn on 15 October 2026), how readings get in, offline behaviour, export, sign-off for more than one user, and the true yearly cost. Published UK prices checked in September and October 2026 run from £0 to £20 plus VAT a month.
- NICEIC and NAPIT assess the certificates you issue, not the software that produced them. Neither scheme requires a particular app or vets third-party ones.
- Amendment 2 is withdrawn on 15 October 2026. Ask every provider which edition its PDFs cite and when the Amendment 4 forms go live.
- Data entry speed matters more than the feature list. Time ten circuits on a real board before you subscribe.
- Plan to hold certificates for 15 years for work in dwellings. Export must give you complete PDFs with schedules, in bulk.
- The software provider is your data processor under UK GDPR, so its terms must contain the eight clauses in Article 28(3).
- Compare the cost over twelve months including VAT, extra users and AI tokens. Pricing models differ so much that headline figures mislead.
- AI features draft; you sign. An app that leaves an unread value blank is safer than one that guesses.
What should electrical certification software do as a minimum?
Electrical certification software is an app or program that produces the certificates and reports required by BS 7671 as PDFs instead of on carbonless pads: the Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC), the Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) and the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), each with its schedules. The difference between the three is the same on screen as on paper. Many apps add PAT records, quotes and invoices.
Whatever the brand, it has to do five jobs: capture readings into the schedule of test results, record observations with their codes, produce one complete PDF the client can open without an account, keep the record where you can find it years later, and do all of that in a cupboard with no signal. The table turns those jobs into ten checks. The rest of this guide explains each one.
| Check | Question for the provider | How to test it in a trial |
|---|---|---|
| Forms | Which BS 7671 edition does each PDF cite? | Read the footer of a certificate you generate |
| Data entry | How do readings get in besides typing? | Time ten circuits on a real board |
| Validation | Does it flag blanks and Zs over the maximum? | Leave a cell empty and enter one high Zs |
| Offline | Can a whole EICR be done with no signal? | Airplane mode from start to finish |
| Sync | What happens if two devices edit one certificate? | Edit on phone and laptop, then reconnect |
| Export | Can I download every certificate in bulk? | Export and open the files on another machine |
| Sign-off | Does each person have their own login? | Issue one certificate through the review step |
| Data protection | Where is the data hosted and who are the sub-processors? | Read the data processing terms |
| Cost | What is the twelve-month total with VAT and users? | Work it out from the published prices |
| Support | Who answers, and do they know BS 7671? | Ask a technical question during the trial |
Do NICEIC and NAPIT have to approve the software?
No. The competent person schemes register businesses and sample the certificates those businesses issue. They do not vet or rank third-party apps, and there is no scheme list of software you must choose from. NICEIC runs its own online certification system for registered businesses, charged per certificate, and puts its name to one desktop package for its branded forms; NAPIT offers members its own software. Neither scheme obliges you to use those products.
What the assessor judges is content. The form must be the right one for the work, the schedules must be complete, the readings plausible, the observation codes justified against IET Guidance Note 3 and Electrical Safety First Best Practice Guide 4, and the declarations signed or otherwise authenticated. BS 7671 has allowed electronic authentication for years, and Section 7 of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 makes electronic signatures admissible in evidence. The IET publishes the Appendix 6 model forms as free downloads and permits contractors to "electronically manipulate" them for their own contracting business, which is the basis on which any app or spreadsheet version is legitimate.
Two practical points follow. A scheme logo may appear on your certificates only if you are registered and the scheme's brand rules allow it, so check how the app handles logos. And NICEIC's scheme rules require records, including certificates, to be kept for a minimum of six years, which makes the export question later in this guide an assessment matter as well as a legal one. The detail is in digital vs paper electrical certificates and how to become NICEIC registered.
Is the app on the right BS 7671 forms for the changeover?
BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026, and the previous version, A2:2022 as amended by A3:2024, is withdrawn on 15 October 2026. NICEIC's Amendment 4 guidance says newly designed work from that date needs Amendment 4 certificates, and that work designed before it can be completed to the previous standard even if it finishes afterwards. So for a few months a contractor may legitimately issue both versions, and the software needs to make clear which one each certificate is on.
The IET's Amendment 4 model EICR shows the differences an inspector will see first.
| Item on the form | Previous form (A2:2022, A3:2024) | A4:2026 form |
|---|---|---|
| Observations section | One list with a code against each item | Split in two: C1 and C2 items, then C3 and FI items |
| Effect of FI on the outcome | Treated as making the assessment unsatisfactory | C3 and FI stated to be advisory |
| Earthing arrangement | TN-C, TN-S, TN-C-S, TT, IT | Protective neutral bonding (PNB) can also be selected |
| NICEIC form reference | 18.3 | 18.4 |
Ask three questions of any provider: which edition does each certificate type cite today, on what date do the Amendment 4 versions go live, and can a certificate started on the old form still be finished on it? Then check the answer yourself by reading the edition reference on a PDF you generate. That applies to Certio as much as anyone: its certificates follow the current BS 7671:2018 model forms, and the app is being updated for the Amendment 4 forms ahead of the withdrawal date. A provider that cannot give a straight answer now will be just as slow at the next amendment.
How do readings get into the schedule, and how fast?
Typing is the bottleneck. Each circuit on the schedule takes 20 or more entries once circuit details, continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, Zs and RCD results are in, which is how a 12-way board passes 200. The apps on the market attack that in different ways, and this is where they differ most.
| Entry method | What it saves | What to check | Published examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typing with pick-lists and copy-down | Repeated circuit details | How many taps one circuit takes | Every app |
| AI board photo | Circuit descriptions, device types and ratings | Whether unread values are left blank or guessed | Certio, Tradecert, iCertifi, Elec-Mate |
| Bluetooth from the instrument | Typing each reading | Which instrument models are supported | Megger CertSuite (Megger instruments), TestFast (Megger MFT-X1) |
| Camera reading of the instrument | Typing each reading, no pairing | Which models, and whether you confirm before it saves | Certio (live screen reading, Megger MFT-X1 only for now), iCertifi (photographed meter display) |
| Voice dictation | Hands stay on the probes | Accuracy with site noise | Certio, Elec-Mate |
| Import of an old certificate | Re-entering the last report | How errors in the old report are handled | Tradecert |
Feature lists were read from each provider's own site between 12 September and 2 October 2026, and they change, so confirm before you buy. Instrument support is always model-specific. If the app's capture feature does not name your instrument, assume it does not work with it.
Validation matters as much as capture. A useful app compares each measured Zs with the maximum Zs for the device, flags empty cells before issue, and will not let an EICR go out with no overall assessment. Paper does none of that. The guide to filling in a schedule of test results lists the mistakes an assessor finds most often, and most of them are blanks.
Will it work with no signal?
The consumer unit is rarely somewhere with good reception. A basement plant room on a commercial EICR or the cupboard under the stairs in a Victorian terrace will often have none. Software that saves each field to a server as you go will hang, and in the worst case lose the reading you just took.
Check three things. Can you start and complete a whole certificate, including photos, with no connection? When the connection returns, does it sync once and cleanly, or can it duplicate or overwrite a certificate edited on two devices? And do AI features degrade gracefully, letting you carry on by hand? "Works offline" covers a range. Certly's published information, read on 29 September 2026, said a certificate must be started online and that image upload is unavailable offline, which is workable only if you remember to open the job in the van.
Test with airplane mode on a real job, not a demo board. Ten minutes will tell you more than any feature table.
Can you get every certificate out, and will the archive last 15 years?
You will need your certificates for longer than most subscriptions last. Three periods apply.
| Period | Who it applies to | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Six years minimum | Scheme-registered contractors, all work | NICEIC scheme rules; Limitation Act 1980 for contract claims |
| 15 years | Work in dwellings completed after 28 June 2022 | Defective Premises Act 1972 as amended by the Building Safety Act 2022 |
| Until the next inspection | Landlords in England holding the current EICR | Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 |
A rewire or consumer unit change in a house is exactly the work a 15-year claim can reach, and councils can fine a landlord up to £40,000 for electrical safety breaches, so clients come back for copies years later. The fuller picture is in how long to keep electrical certificates.
Look for three things. Bulk export of every issued certificate as a PDF with its schedules in the same file, because Section H of the model EICR says the report is valid only with its schedules attached. Export of the underlying data in an open format such as CSV, so another product could import it. And terms that say the certificates and customer records are yours, with a stated period after cancellation before anything is deleted. Then run the export during the trial and open the files on a different machine. A backup that only reloads into the same product is not an archive.
What should the data protection terms say?
A certificate carries names, addresses, signatures and photos of people's homes. Under UK GDPR you are the data controller and the software provider is your processor, and Article 28 requires a written contract between you. The Information Commissioner's Office lists eight terms that contract must contain. A provider's data processing agreement should tick every row.
| Required term (UK GDPR Article 28(3)) | What it means for certificate software |
|---|---|
| Acts only on your documented instructions | It cannot reuse your customers' data for its own purposes |
| Confidentiality | Its staff with access are bound to secrecy |
| Security | Encryption and access controls to the Article 32 standard |
| Sub-processors only with authorisation | It names its hosting and AI suppliers and tells you of changes |
| Help with individuals' rights | You can find, export or delete one person's records |
| Help with breaches and assessments | It tells you promptly so you can meet the 72-hour reporting limit |
| Delete or return at the end | You get your data back, then it is erased |
| Audits and information | It will show evidence that it complies |
Ask where the data is hosted, and whether photos sent for AI processing leave the UK and how long the AI supplier keeps them. Most electricians also owe the ICO data protection fee themselves, which is £52 a year for a micro business, with a penalty of up to £4,350 for not paying when you should.
Does it cope with more than one user and QS review?
A sole trader signs their own work. Once a second person completes certificates, the firm needs personal logins and a review step, because the scheme holds the Qualified Supervisor responsible for every certificate issued. A shared login makes an electronic signature worthless as evidence. Good implementations hold the certificate in draft, show the supervisor a queue, record who reviewed it and when, and lock it once issued. What that review should cover is in QS sign-off explained.
This is also where costs diverge. Per-user and per-machine pricing can double or triple the bill for a three-person firm, as the next section shows. Ask whether an office-only user who reviews but never tests is charged at the same rate as an engineer.
What will it really cost over a year?
Providers charge in at least seven different ways, so the only fair comparison is the twelve-month total for your own certificate count and head count. The examples are published prices with the date each was checked, and 20% VAT has been added where the provider charges it.
| Pricing model | Published example and date checked | One user, 12 months | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Certio Free: unlimited certificates, a small Certio mark on PDFs, no AI (7 Oct 2026). TestFast free plan: capped at 8 electrical reports a month (2 Oct 2026) | £0 | Marks on PDFs, monthly caps |
| Flat subscription | Certio Starter £4.99 and Pro £9.99 a month, no VAT to add (7 Oct 2026). Certly £14.99 plus VAT a month or £149.99 plus VAT a year (29 Sep 2026) | Certio £59.88 or £119.88. Certly £215.86 monthly, £179.99 on the annual plan | Whether VAT is on top |
| Per user | Tradecert £18 a month plus £7 per extra user, plus VAT (12 Sep 2026) | £259.20. Three users: £460.80 | Every extra login |
| Per machine | U Certify Electrics Pro £59.99 ex VAT a year per Windows machine (2 Oct 2026) | £71.99 | Each extra computer; no mobile app |
| Per certificate | NICEIC online certificates £1.55 plus VAT each, as quoted by Manchester Compliance in February 2026 | £186 at 100 certificates | Rising volume |
| One-off purchase | Zerta Pro £6.99 once to export and brand PDFs, Android only (3 Oct 2026) | £6.99 | Platform and scope |
| Share of invoices | Tradehand: no monthly fee, 5% of the invoices it collects, with call answering and chasing included (1 Oct 2026) | £1,800 if £3,000 a month is collected through it | Cost rises with turnover |
AI is a further variable. Tradecert's plan included 250 AI tokens a month with extra tokens at 2p when checked, and Certio Starter carries a small monthly AI allowance, so heavy board scanning can outrun the headline on either. The eight-app comparison works the yearly cost through for each product, and how to price an EICR shows where software fits into your rate.
Whatever the software costs, set it against time. An app that saves 20 minutes on each of 100 reports a year gives back 33 hours, which is worth far more than the difference between any two subscriptions in the table.
How far can you trust the AI features?
AI in this category does four things: board scanning, where a photo of the consumer unit drafts the circuit schedule; reading capture from the instrument; voice entry; and suggested wording and codes for observations.
Each has a known failure. Board scans struggle with faded or handwritten labels, mixed manufacturers and boards photographed at an angle. Camera capture can drop a decimal point on a glare-affected screen. Voice entry mishears in a plant room. Suggested observations can propose a code that is arguable on paper but not what you would give having seen the installation.
So judge the workflow, not the demo. The app should show what it captured before it commits, mark AI-filled cells so you can see what to check, and leave a value blank when it cannot read it. A blank gets noticed at review; a confident wrong 32 A against a 6 A lighting circuit may not. The person signing is responsible under BS 7671 for every entry, and IET Guidance Note 3 and Best Practice Guide 4 remain the references for coding, as covered in how to write EICR observations. When trialling, let the AI draft ten circuits, correct them against the board, and count the corrections. More than one in ten means you are proofreading, not saving time.
How do you run a fair trial on a real job?
A trial on the provider's demo board proves nothing. Use the next real EICR, and run two apps side by side if you can.
- Before leaving, note the trial length and whether a card was taken. Trials checked in September 2026 ranged from 7 to 30 days.
- On site, switch to airplane mode before opening the certificate.
- Enter the board: time how long ten circuits take by each method the app offers.
- Enter one Zs above the maximum and leave one cell blank. See whether the app objects.
- Add two observations with photos, one C2 and one C3, and check the wording and regulation references it offers.
- Reconnect, sync, and open the certificate on a second device.
- Issue the PDF to yourself. Read it on a phone as a letting agent would, and check the edition, the schedules and the signatures.
- Export everything and open the files on another computer.
- Send support one technical question and note how long a useful answer takes.
Score what you found. The weights below suit a sole trader doing mostly domestic EICRs; shift points towards sign-off and cost per user if you run a team.
| Criterion | Points | Scores full marks when |
|---|---|---|
| Correct forms for the edition | 20 | The PDF cites the edition you are working to and nothing is missing |
| Data entry speed | 20 | Ten circuits take half the time of typing them |
| Offline and sync | 15 | Whole job done in airplane mode, one clean sync |
| Validation | 10 | Blank cell and high Zs both flagged |
| Export and ownership | 15 | Bulk PDFs with schedules, opened elsewhere |
| Twelve-month cost | 10 | Total known in advance, no token surprises |
| Sign-off and users | 5 | Personal logins and a recorded review |
| Support | 5 | A competent answer within a working day |
What are the red flags?
- The provider cannot say which BS 7671 edition its forms follow, or when they were last updated.
- Schedules are issued as separate files from the certificate.
- No bulk export, or export only in a format the same product can read.
- A third-party app implies a scheme has vetted it. Schemes assess certificates, not apps.
- Instrument capture is advertised without naming the supported models.
- AI fills every cell with no indication of which values it was unsure of.
- The whole team is expected to share one login.
- Prices are shown without saying whether VAT is added.
- The app store listing has not been updated for more than a year.
- The terms allow deletion of your data immediately on cancellation.
Where is Certio not the right choice?
A buyer's guide on a vendor's site should say where the vendor's product does not fit. Certio covers the EICR, EIC, Minor Works certificate and PAT records. It does not produce EV charger, solar PV, fire alarm or emergency lighting certificates, so a multi-discipline contractor may need a second app for those. Its live camera reading works with the Megger MFT-X1 only at present; with any other instrument you would be using voice or typing. And its forms follow the current BS 7671:2018 model forms while the Amendment 4 update is finished, so ask the same edition question of Certio that you ask of everyone else. The published facts are on the Certio fact sheet.
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.