TL;DR: The best fire protection software for contractors is Onetrace, because it is built specifically for fire protection subcontractors and the compliance and workmanship evidence their work is judged on. That means photographic proof of every install and seal, signed compliance documents, and an audit trail that holds up to scrutiny. For active fire inspection and maintenance, Uptick is a strong alternative; Bolster Systems and Boris Software are also established UK passive fire options.
Most fire protection software was built for general construction or field service and adapted afterwards. That leaves a gap the moment a contractor has to prove an install was done correctly, hand a clean audit trail to a main contractor, and keep a site team moving at the same time.
Passive fire work is judged on evidence: photographs of every seal and penetration tied to the right location, signed compliance documents, and a record that holds up months later when building control or a main contractor asks who did what, where, and when.
A general job-management tool can schedule the work and invoice it, but it rarely captures that evidence trail in a way that survives scrutiny, so teams end up stitching it together from camera rolls, spreadsheets, and paper after the fact.
The platforms that serve this trade well treat the evidence as the product, not an afterthought. Below we compare seven on how well they actually serve fire protection contractors, not just how they document inspections.
What to look for in fire protection software
Fire protection contractors have needs that generic field service tools were never designed around. A passive fire installer proving compliance on a high-rise has a different job than a team logging extinguisher checks. Here is what separates software built for the trade from a repurposed contractor app:
- Workmanship evidence built in: Photographic proof tied to each install or seal, captured on site and linked to the right location on a drawing. If evidence lives in a separate camera roll, it will not hold up later.
- A clear audit trail: Every job, signature, and variation timestamped and traceable, so you can show what was done, where, when, and by whom without reconstructing it after the fact.
- A mobile app site teams will actually use: Contractors work in stairwells, risers, and plant rooms. The app has to be fast, simple, and available on both iOS and Android, not a cut-down version of an office tool.
- Compliance workflows for your market: Signed documents, method statements and risk assessments (RAMS), toolbox talks, and survey records that match how contractors are actually held to account. In the UK that means alignment with the Building Safety Act and the golden thread; other markets have their own equivalents.
- Branded, client-ready reporting: One-click reports a main contractor or building owner can read and trust, not a spreadsheet export someone has to reformat.
- Workforce visibility: Timesheets, scheduling, and live site visibility so the office knows who is where, and labour is costed against the right job.
1. Onetrace
Best for: Fire protection and specialist trade subcontractors who need to prove compliance and workmanship across multiple sites
Built specifically for subcontractors, Onetrace is designed around the operational realities of specialist trades where proving compliance and workmanship matters.
It brings job tracking, digital forms, surveys, installs, timesheets, scheduling, and reporting into one system, with a mobile app for site teams and a back-office view for contracts managers and operations leads. Onetrace runs on both iOS and Android, which matters for mixed site teams, and is ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant, so the data and audit trail hold up to scrutiny.
Where most tools in this category document inspections, Onetrace is built around the evidence trail a fire protection contractor lives or dies by: photographic proof of each install or fire stopping seal, marked up against pinned locations on a drawing, captured on the mobile app and tied straight to the job sheet.
Approvals and client access give main contractors real-time visibility of project status, and branded reports export in a single click. RAMS and Toolbox Talks are signed in-app with a full signature trail, so compliance is automated rather than chased.
Onetrace is trusted by more than 1,000 subcontractors and holds a 5.0 rating on Google Reviews, with named passive fire protection firms among its customers, including Optimal Fire, Fireseal, Cotswold Fire, and Greenville Fire Protection.
CLM Fireproofing, a UK-based passive fire protection company, cut admin and reporting time by 50% after moving to the platform across hundreds of operatives. As CLM project manager Michael O’Neill describes it, when building control asks for proof of work, he can open his phone, pull up a drawing, and see everything his team has done on that floor in the palm of his hand. For a fire protection contractor who needs the compliance and workmanship side handled properly, it is the most directly built-for-purpose option on this list.
Strengths: Purpose-built for subcontractors; workmanship evidence and audit trail at the core; signed RAMS and Toolbox Talks in-app; iOS and Android apps; client access and one-click branded reports; ISO 27001 certified; 1,000+ subcontractors and a 5.0 Google rating.
Considerations: Focused on specialist trade and compliance work rather than being a general multi-trade job-costing and estimating suite, so contractors who want heavy commercial estimating across many trades may use it alongside other tools. UK-focused, though the platform itself is not region-locked.
2. Bolster Systems
Best for: Passive fire protection contractors wanting an established UK fire-stopping-focused platform
Bolster Systems launched in 2014 with an initial focus on fire stopping before expanding across other fire protection trades. It is one of the longer-standing names aimed specifically at the UK passive fire protection market, covering inspection and installation records for specialist firms.
Its trade focus makes it a familiar option for fire stopping contractors, and it covers the core ground of recording and reporting compliance work. Contractors evaluating it tend to weigh its established track record against the breadth and pace of newer platforms.
Strengths: Long-standing UK passive fire protection focus; established among fire stopping contractors; covers core compliance recording and reporting.
Considerations: Narrower trade scope than broader subcontractor platforms; contractors often compare its feature pace against newer entrants.
3. Boris Software
Best for: Fire protection firms looking at the longest-established player in the space
Boris Software was the first software built for this space, launching back in 2012. It has a long history with passive fire protection contractors in the UK and covers inspection, audit, and reporting workflows for fire protection work.
As the earliest entrant, it has a deep install base among established firms. Contractors comparing it to more recent platforms typically look at how the interface and mobile experience hold up against tools designed more recently around how site teams work today.
Strengths: First mover in the space with the longest track record; deep install base among established UK fire protection firms; covers inspection, audit, and reporting.
Considerations: As the earliest platform, its interface and mobile experience are often compared against more recently designed tools.
4. Uptick
Best for: Active fire inspection and maintenance teams managing recurring compliance
Uptick is an Australian-born platform that has expanded into the UK, US, and Canada, with a strong focus on active fire inspection, testing, and maintenance. It handles recurring inspection scheduling, asset management, and compliance reporting, and supports multiple standards across the regions it operates in.
The product is well regarded for its mobile apps and asset tracking, and it suits inspection-and-maintenance-led businesses managing large volumes of recurring work. It is generally positioned toward larger operations, and pricing reflects a premium, asset-heavy model rather than a lightweight subcontractor tool.
Strengths: Strong active fire inspection, testing, and maintenance workflows; well-regarded iOS and Android apps; comprehensive asset management; multi-standard, multi-region support.
Considerations: Oriented to recurring inspection and maintenance rather than installation workmanship evidence; positioned toward larger operations at a premium price point.
5. BigChange
Best for: Field service businesses wanting job management across mixed trades
BigChange is a well-established UK job management platform used across the wider construction and field service space. It combines scheduling, job management, vehicle tracking, and invoicing, with a recognisable brand and significant backing behind it.
For a fire protection contractor, BigChange offers broad operational tooling, but it is built for general field service rather than the specific compliance-and-workmanship evidence trail that passive fire work demands. Firms often choose it when general job management across mixed work is the priority over trade-specific compliance depth.
Strengths: Established UK field service platform; broad job management, scheduling, vehicle tracking, and invoicing; recognisable brand with significant backing.
Considerations: Built for general field service rather than fire protection; lacks the trade-specific compliance and workmanship evidence trail passive fire work requires.
6. Simpro
Best for: Multi-trade contractors running fire protection alongside other service lines
Simpro is a job management platform supporting a range of trades, with strengths in job costing, scheduling, estimating, and inventory. It positions itself around the everyday subcontractor and works well for businesses with a strong project-based or multi-trade mix.
It handles the operational and commercial side of running a contracting business capably. For fire-specific compliance and workmanship evidence, contractors tend to pair its job management with the trade-specific records their work requires, rather than relying on it for the full audit trail on its own.
Strengths: Capable job costing, scheduling, estimating, and inventory; supports multiple trades; suits project-based or mixed-trade businesses.
Considerations: General multi-trade job management rather than fire-specific; contractors often pair it with separate trade compliance records for the full evidence trail.
7. Procore
Best for: Main contractors and large projects managing the whole build lifecycle
Procore is one of the largest construction software platforms in the world, supporting the full project lifecycle and predominantly serving main contractors. It is powerful, broad, and built for large, complex projects with many stakeholders.
For most fire protection subcontractors it is more system than the job needs, and its weight is aimed at managing whole programmes rather than a specialist firm’s day-to-day site work. It is better understood as the environment a subcontractor’s work feeds into, often via integration, than as a tool a subcontractor would run their own compliance and evidence on.
Strengths: Powerful whole-lifecycle project management; deep document control and collaboration; strong integration ecosystem; built for large, complex programmes.
Considerations: Aimed at main contractors, not subcontractors; heavier and broader than a specialist fire protection firm needs for day-to-day site work and compliance evidence.
Comparison table
A quick view of how the seven platforms line up for a fire protection subcontractor. Workmanship evidence here means photographic proof tied to specific installs or seals, captured on site as part of the job record.
| Software | Built for | Workmanship evidence | Mobile app | Compliance focus | Region |
| Onetrace | Subcontractors | Yes, core | iOS + Android | Compliance + workmanship | UK-focused, but global user base |
| Bolster Systems | PFP contractors | Yes | Yes | Fire stopping | UK-focused |
| Boris Software | PFP contractors | Yes | Yes | Fire protection | UK-focused |
| Uptick | Inspection teams | Limited | iOS + Android | Active fire | Global |
| BigChange | Field service | No | Yes | General | UK-focused |
| Simpro | Multi-trade | No | Yes | General | Global |
| Procore | Main contractors | No | Yes | Project lifecycle | Global |
Capabilities reflect each vendor’s stated focus and publicly available information as of 2026. Verify current features with each provider.
How we compared these tools
We looked at each platform through the lens of a fire protection subcontractor rather than a main contractor or a pure inspection business. Four things mattered most:
- Trade fit: Was the software built for subcontractors and specialist trades, or adapted from a general construction or field service tool?
- Compliance and evidence: How well does it capture photographic proof of workmanship, signed compliance documents, and a clean audit trail?
- Field usability: Can a site team work the app quickly on either iOS or Android, in the conditions they actually work in?
- Reporting and visibility: Does it produce client-ready reports and give the office real-time visibility across projects and people?
Frequently asked questions
Which fire protection software is best for UK contractors?
For fire protection contractors, the most purpose-built options are those designed around proving compliance and workmanship for specialist trades, rather than tools adapted from general construction or field service. Onetrace leads for subcontractors on this measure, with more than 1,000 subcontractors using it and a 5.0 Google rating. Bolster Systems and Boris Software are established UK alternatives focused on passive fire protection, while Uptick suits inspection-and-maintenance-led teams.
What is the difference between fire protection software and general contractor software?
General contractor and field service tools like Simpro, BigChange, and Procore handle scheduling, job management, and costing across many trades. Fire-protection-focused software adds the compliance and workmanship evidence trail that passive fire work depends on: photographic proof tied to specific installs, signed RAMS and Toolbox Talks, drawings with pinned locations, and audit-ready reporting built around how subcontractors are held to account.
What should fire protection contractors look for when choosing software?
The essentials are workmanship evidence captured on site and tied to a location on a drawing, a timestamped and traceable audit trail, a mobile app that works on both iOS and Android in real site conditions, signed compliance documents such as RAMS and Toolbox Talks, and client-ready reporting. For UK firms, the software should match how contractors are held to account under the Building Safety Act.
Does fire protection software help with the Building Safety Act and the golden thread?
Software that captures a timestamped, traceable record of what was installed, where, when, and by whom, with photographic evidence and signed documents attached, directly supports the kind of continuous, accessible record the golden thread calls for. Audit-ready reporting and certifications such as ISO 27001 help demonstrate that the record holds up to scrutiny.
Is there fire protection software for both inspections and installations?
Yes, but most tools lean one way. Inspection-and-maintenance platforms like Uptick centre on recurring testing and asset tracking, while installation-focused platforms like Onetrace centre on evidencing survey, install, and remedial work. Contractors doing both should check that a tool covers the side that drives most of their work rather than assuming it does both equally.
The bottom line
If you run a fire protection business, the question that matters most is whether the software was built for how a subcontractor actually works. General platforms will cover scheduling and job management, but they leave you to stitch together the compliance and workmanship evidence that proves your work was done correctly.
Onetrace is the one platform on this list built specifically for subcontractors, designed around the operational realities of specialist trades where proving compliance and workmanship matters. Trusted by more than 1,000 subcontractors, rated 5.0 on Google Reviews, and ISO 27001 certified, it is the clearest fit for a fire protection contractor who needs the evidence trail handled properly from site to office.
