Per-certificate fees vs a flat monthly plan
Certification software bills two ways: per certificate or flat subscription. At three or four reports a week the difference is real money — and the per-certificate model has a second sting: locked certificates.
Who charges per certificate
- NICEIC Online Certification System — billed per use. NICEIC's own pitch is "no software, no platform fees, just pay for what you use"; electricians on trade forums report around £1.20 per certificate finalised. Volume users also report the per-use billing simply scales with workload — your best month is your most expensive.
- Legacy desk software (Electraform-style) — credit- or certificate-based, and notoriously: completed certificates get locked after sign-off. Need to correct a typo or reissue for the tenant after payment lapsed? That's another charge.
- Per-report app add-ons — several mobile apps are free to fill in but charge per export/PDF.
Who charges a flat rate
- Unlimited-certificate subscriptions — e.g. Tradecert at £18/month with "unlimited certificates, no contract", additional users about £7/month, and AI-assist features metered separately via tokens (250 free monthly, ~2p each after). Comparable all-in-one platforms sit in the £15–£40/month band.
- Scheme membership (NICEIC/NAPIT annual assessment) — a fixed annual business cost; certification within their online tools is usually still per-use.
- Free generators — browser tools like this one: unlimited PDF generation, local archive, zero marginal cost per certificate.
The maths at volume
| Reports per month | Per-certificate (~£1.20) | Subscription £18/mo | Free generator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | ~£6 | £18 | £0 |
| 15 | ~£18 | £18 | £0 |
| 40 | ~£48 | £18 | £0 |
| 100 (facilities/portfolio work) | ~£120 | £18–£39 | £0 |
Below ~15 certificates a month the models are comparable; above it, per-certificate billing quietly becomes one of the bigger line items in the van. The locked-certificate problem is separate from price — it bites exactly when a client asks for a reissue years later.
What to check before you commit
- Are completed certificates editable after sign-off, or do edits cost again?
- Is there an offline mode? Site work happens in cellars and lofts with no signal; cloud-only editors stall.
- Per-user fees — office staff and mates' logins can double the subscription.
- Data ownership and export — can you take your job archive (CSV/JSON) with you if you leave?
- Where the report form matches the current edition — BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 model forms, with the residential inspection schedule and full test-results columns.
Our position: the generator here is free forever for the form and PDF, with a local client archive and full offline PWA. Pro extras (unlimited saved reports, logo & signature on the certificate, batch export) are £9/month-equivalent — unlocked on this device for 7 days by viewing a sponsor message, or kept permanently on a flat monthly plan. No per-certificate meter, no locked certificates, and the whole archive exports as JSON. Try it now.
Sources: niceic.com (Online Certification System: "just pay for what you use"); trade-forum reports of ~£1.20/finalised certificate; tradecert.app pricing page (£18/month, +£7/additional user, 250 AI tokens); Tradecert's comparison pages on per-certificate locking in legacy software; MyBuilder/ElectriciansForums threads on certificate charge disputes.
FAQ
Does NICEIC charge per certificate?
The NICEIC Online Certification System is billed per use — NICEIC describe it as 'no software, no platform fees, just pay for what you use'. Electricians on trade forums report charges of around £1.20 per certificate finalised on the platform.
Why do electricians dislike per-certificate pricing?
Two reasons: volume pricing is unpredictable (a good month costs more), and with some desk software completed certificates get locked behind further payments — a post-signature edit or a copy for the tenant costs again.
How much does unlimited-certificate software cost?
Unlimited electrical certification subscriptions start around £18/month (Tradecert) with additional users at about £7 each; feature-limited free tiers and free generators exist but usually cap saved jobs or watermarks.
What is the cheapest way to produce EICRs?
For paperwork only: a free generator with local storage (like this site) costs nothing and works offline. You still need scheme membership separately for Building Control notification — scheme fees are per business, not per certificate.
Basis & sources
Primary sources only — the statute, form or paper this page is built on.
- IET Model Forms (BS 7671:2018+A4:2026) — current standard and model forms
- Approved Document P (2013 edition, effective 6 April 2013) — Part P approved document