Painting Business Software NZ - Quotes, Jobs and Xero for NZ Painters
Automate The Trades is NZ painting business software that handles quoting, invoicing (via Xero), job management, scheduling, and AI-powered chat for painters. Plans start at $99/mo for quoting-only and $199/mo for the full Professional plan. Built specifically for NZ trade businesses.
Page last updated: July 2026
Who This Is For
Solo Painters & Small Crews
You spend too much time on quotes, invoices, and admin. You want a system that handles the business side so you can paint.
Painting Business Owners
You run a team and need quoting, job tracking, scheduling, and invoicing in one place - without paying for enterprise software.
The quoting system generates painting quotes from job details - room count, surface types, condition, and access. It calculates labour hours using production rates, adds materials and overheads, and applies your margin.
AI-powered estimation - Enter job details and get a quote with labour, materials, and margin calculated automatically. Based on NZ painting rates and coverage data.
Quote templates - Save and reuse quote structures for common job types (interior repaint, exterior repaint, new build).
Per-m² and fixed pricing - Quote using per-m² rates, hourly rates, or fixed prices. The system handles the calculation either way.
PDF quotes - Generate professional PDF quotes with your branding, scope of work, paint specifications, and terms.
Mate is an AI assistant built into the platform. It answers business questions, helps with quoting decisions, and provides NZ-specific painting guidance.
Quoting help - Ask Mate to estimate a job, check your rates, or suggest pricing for a specific surface type.
NZ painting knowledge - Mate knows NZ paint brands (Resene, Dulux), coverage rates, labour norms, and trade standards.
Business advice - Get answers on GST, ACC, pricing strategy, and running a painting business in NZ.
Available on the Professional plan.
Mobile Access
Automate The Trades runs in any mobile browser - no app download required.
Quote on site - Create and send quotes from your phone during a site visit.
Check schedule - View your calendar, job details, and customer info on the go.
Works offline-ready - Core features work on mobile data. No need for strong Wi-Fi.
Pricing
Two plans, both billed monthly. No lock-in contracts.
Quoting Plan - $99/month - AI-powered quoting, quote templates, customer CRM, Xero invoicing, mobile access. For painters who need quoting and invoicing sorted.
Professional Plan - $199/month - Everything in Quoting plus job management, scheduling, Mate AI assistant, and team management. For painting businesses running multiple jobs and crew.
Free trial - 14 days - Full access to the Professional plan. No credit card required to start.
All prices are in NZD and exclude GST.
Why Painters Use Automate The Trades
Built for NZ trades - NZ tax rules, NZ paint brands, NZ labour rates, Xero integration. Not a generic US tool adapted for local use.
Reduces quoting time - AI estimation replaces manual spreadsheet calculations. Most quotes take minutes instead of hours.
Protects profit margins - The quoting system includes overheads and margin by default. No more accidentally quoting at cost. See our margin guide for why this matters.
One system, not five - Quoting, invoicing, job tracking, scheduling, and CRM in one platform. Replaces spreadsheets, paper quotes, and disconnected tools.
Automate The Trades is painting business software that handles quoting (AI-powered estimation), invoicing (via Xero), job management, scheduling, customer CRM, and an AI chat assistant called Mate. It is built specifically for NZ trade businesses.
How much does Automate The Trades cost?
The Quoting plan is $99/month and includes AI quoting, templates, CRM, and Xero invoicing. The Professional plan is $199/month and adds job management, scheduling, Mate AI, and team management. Both plans have a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Prices are in NZD excluding GST.
Does Automate The Trades integrate with Xero?
Yes. Xero integration is included on all plans at no extra cost. Accepted quotes convert to Xero invoices in one click, customer contacts sync automatically, and payment status flows back from Xero.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The free trial gives full access to the Professional plan for 14 days. No credit card is required to start.
Is Automate The Trades only for NZ painters?
It is built for NZ trade businesses - NZ tax rules, Xero integration, NZ paint brands, and NZ labour rates are built in. Painters are the primary users, but the platform works for other NZ trades that quote and invoice.
What is Mate AI?
Mate is an AI chat assistant built into Automate The Trades. It helps with quoting decisions, provides NZ-specific painting knowledge (brands, coverage rates, pricing), and answers business questions about GST, ACC, and pricing strategy. Available on the Professional plan.
Related Guides
Learn more about painting business costs and pricing in NZ.