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simPRO is powerful software for big, complex trade operations — projects, inventory, progress claims. Stagex is lighter to run and adds the thing simPRO can’t: the client funds each stage into escrow before work starts, released on sign-off.
No credit card. No lock-in. Funds held by a licensed Australian trustee.
The row no job-management app can tick
Every other tradie app helps you send the invoice faster. Stagex makes sure the money is already there before you pick up a tool — ring-fenced in a regulated Australian trust account (Zai Pty Ltd, AFSL 461841) and released the moment each stage is signed off. That is the difference between getting paid faster and getting paid, full stop.
simPRO is an enterprise-grade operating platform for the trades, built for larger commercial contractors with project management, inventory and progress claims. Here is where each genuinely fits — no spin.
simPRO is enterprise trade software — deep project, inventory and asset management. Stagex is leaner and payment-certain: the money for each stage is secured before the work, not claimed after it.
| Feature | Stagex | simPRO |
|---|---|---|
| Funds held in escrow before work starts | Yes. The client funds each stage into a regulated Australian trust account (Zai Pty Ltd, AFSL 461841) before you pick up a tool. Released stage-by-stage on sign-off. | No. simPRO is job-management software — it sends the invoice, it does not hold or guarantee the customer's money. |
| Progress claims vs pre-funded escrow | The stage is funded into escrow before work starts and releases on sign-off — payment is secured, not just claimed. | Strong progress-claim / progress-invoicing tools — but a progress claim is still a request the client must choose to pay.[1] |
| How you actually get paid | Milestone funds are already in escrow. Mark the stage done, client signs off, money lands within 7 days — typically 1-2 business days via NPP. No invoice to chase. | Invoice + online payment links. Faster to send, but the customer still chooses whether and when to pay. simPRO does not de-risk the payment itself.[1] |
| Project, inventory & asset management | Focused on jobs, milestones and escrow — not a full ERP. | Comprehensive project, inventory and asset management — simPRO’s core enterprise strength.[1] |
| Setup & learning curve | Sign up and quote a job the same day. No implementation project. | Powerful but heavier — typically an onboarding/implementation for larger teams. |
| Payment protection if a client won’t pay | Completed-stage funds are already in escrow. File evidence; structured dispute resolution releases them. | None at the platform level — an unpaid progress claim is yours to pursue. |
| Accounting integration | Two-way Xero sync. | Integrates with Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks.[1] |
Funds held in escrow before work starts
Yes. The client funds each stage into a regulated Australian trust account (Zai Pty Ltd, AFSL 461841) before you pick up a tool. Released stage-by-stage on sign-off.
No. simPRO is job-management software — it sends the invoice, it does not hold or guarantee the customer's money.
Progress claims vs pre-funded escrow
The stage is funded into escrow before work starts and releases on sign-off — payment is secured, not just claimed.
Strong progress-claim / progress-invoicing tools — but a progress claim is still a request the client must choose to pay.[1]
How you actually get paid
Milestone funds are already in escrow. Mark the stage done, client signs off, money lands within 7 days — typically 1-2 business days via NPP. No invoice to chase.
Invoice + online payment links. Faster to send, but the customer still chooses whether and when to pay. simPRO does not de-risk the payment itself.[1]
Project, inventory & asset management
Focused on jobs, milestones and escrow — not a full ERP.
Comprehensive project, inventory and asset management — simPRO’s core enterprise strength.[1]
Setup & learning curve
Sign up and quote a job the same day. No implementation project.
Powerful but heavier — typically an onboarding/implementation for larger teams.
Payment protection if a client won’t pay
Completed-stage funds are already in escrow. File evidence; structured dispute resolution releases them.
None at the platform level — an unpaid progress claim is yours to pursue.
Accounting integration
Two-way Xero sync.
Integrates with Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks.[1]
A tick in the simPRO column means simPRO genuinely leads on that row. We call it where they do.
Sources
Claims about simPRO reflect its own public product and pricing pages as at 2026. Feature sets change — confirm current details on simprogroup.com. Stagex is not affiliated with or endorsed by simPRO.
Trustee-held escrow
Zai Pty Ltd · AFSL 461841
7-day payouts
After milestone sign-off
No lock-in
Month-to-month, cancel anytime
Dispute cover
Funds already set aside
For large commercial operations that need deep project, inventory and asset management, simPRO is in a different weight class and Stagex isn’t trying to replace that. For trade businesses that want staged jobs paid with certainty and far less overhead, Stagex is the leaner, payment-first choice.
A progress claim is a formal request for payment the client still has to action. Stagex escrow means the money for that stage is already funded into a regulated trust account before you start, and it releases within days of sign-off. It is the difference between claiming payment and having it secured.
No. simPRO manages projects and generates progress claims/invoices, but it does not hold or guarantee the customer’s money. Stagex holds each milestone in a regulated Australian trust account (Zai Pty Ltd, AFSL 461841) before work starts.
Within 7 days of the client signing off a milestone — typically 1-2 business days via NPP, because the escrow is pre-funded.
Stagex Professional is $59/mo. The first $30,000 funded into escrow per job is fee-free; above that a flat 1.6% escrow fee applies to the amount over $30,000. simPRO is quoted per business — check simprogroup.com for current pricing.
Cancel anytime. Bring one staged job through Stagex this week and see what guaranteed, chase-free payment feels like.
Stage by stage. Always paid.