ScaFixComparison
ScaFix vs SMART Scaffolder
SMART Scaffolder is a UK software family for scaffold contractors: SMART Estimator for 3D models, quotes and material lists on Windows, SMART Manager in the browser, and the Inspector and Handover phone apps. ScaFix is one browser and iPhone app that plans system facade scaffolds and counts their parts. Written by the maker of ScaFix, one of the tools compared. Every SMART fact comes from smartscaffolder.com and cads.co.uk, read on 25 October 2026; corrections to support@scafix.app.
By Ole Emil Frikstad Urstad · How the numbers are computed ·
Should a scaffolding firm choose SMART Scaffolder or ScaFix?
Choose SMART Scaffolder for UK work on Windows that needs quotes, CAD drawings, IFC exchange, inspections and handovers in one family, with TG20:21 checks for tube and fitting. Choose ScaFix for a quick 3D plan and full parts list of a system facade scaffold, in a browser or on an iPhone, with published prices and no structural checks.
ScaFix and SMART Scaffolder side by side
| ScaFix | SMART Scaffolder | Checked | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Browser (PC, Mac, Android) and a native iPhone app, one account; nothing to install on a computer | SMART Estimator, Compliance and RAMS on Windows 10/11 64-bit (23H2 or later); SMART Manager in the browser; Inspector and Handover on iOS 17+ and Android 12+. Not natively on a Mac | 25 October 2026 |
| How a plan starts | Wall lengths and heights typed in, a PDF floor plan, or a LiDAR scan with the iPhone app | Plan drawings imported as PDF, DWG or DXF, an IFC model, or Google Maps imagery for a take-off | 25 October 2026 |
| Scaffold systems | 108 systems from 56 manufacturers in one picker (frame, modular/ringlock, cuplock and others) | «Tube and Fitting, Cuplok, Haki, Layher, Turner Octo, Plettac Metrix, Kwikstage and Frame» in SMART Estimator; tube and fitting only in Compliance and the Revit plug-in | 25 October 2026 |
| Structural check | None: a planning aid, not a structural calculation or approval | TG20:21 checks for tube and fitting independent scaffolds (leg loads, tie duty, bridge beams) in SMART Calculations | 25 October 2026 |
| What you get | 3D model and a complete parts list; CSV or Excel export and a PDF quote in Pro | 3D model, auto-generated quotations, material and load lists, CAD drawings (PDF, DXF); 3D export as IFC, DWG, PDF, HTML | 25 October 2026 |
| Price model | Weekly Pro subscription, or yearly Basic Light, Basic and Pro plans; amounts below, from the price list | Subscription only, by product mix; no perpetual licence; prices on request | 25 October 2026 |
| Trial | No free plan or free trial; the first week of Pro is sold at a low price, then weekly until cancelled | Free trial periods on all products, set up after a conversation with sales (length not stated) | 25 October 2026 |
| On a phone | Plans are made on the iPhone itself (native app) or in a phone browser | SMART Inspector and SMART Handover (inspections, handover certificates, offline with sync); estimating on Windows | 25 October 2026 |
| Stock and accounts | One parts stock per account with a shortage list; no rental, dispatch or invoicing | Load lists for stock control, extra hire tracking in SMART Manager, invoicing exports to QuickBooks, Sage and Xero | 25 October 2026 |
| Vendor | ScaFix, Norway (seller: Ole Emil Frikstad Urstad) | SMART Scaffolder, Broadstone, Dorset (UK) | 25 October 2026 |
A software family against a single planner
SMART Scaffolder covers the life of a UK scaffold job: estimate it in SMART Estimator, run it in SMART Manager, inspect it with SMART Inspector and hand it over with SMART Handover. Each product does one part of that chain, and the data flows between them. For a contractor that wants one vendor from quote to handover certificate, that breadth is the point.
ScaFix covers one step: from the building's walls to the scaffold and its parts. It does that step for 108 system scaffolds in the same app on the web and on the iPhone, so the plan made in the office can be opened on site. It has no inspection or handover module.
TG20:21 and tube and fitting
In the UK, tube and fitting scaffolds are designed against the NASC guidance TG20:21. CADS describes SMART Calculations as working out a tube and fitting independent scaffold's leg loads, tie duty and bridge beam checks, with the TG20:21 wind factor. SMART's FAQ says SMART Compliance and the Revit plug-in support tube and fitting only.
ScaFix does not plan tube and fitting scaffolds and does not run TG20 checks. Its catalogue is system scaffolding: frame, modular and cuplock systems with fixed bay lengths, counted from the manufacturers' documents. A tube and fitting job, or one that needs a TG20 compliance sheet, belongs in a tool built for it.
Windows, Mac and phones
SMART Estimator needs a Windows 10 or 11 computer (64-bit, 23H2 or later). The FAQ says the desktop products are only supported on Windows and that running them through Parallels or Boot Camp on a Mac is not tested. SMART Manager opens in any current browser, including Safari.
ScaFix plans in the browser on Windows, Mac and Android and in a native iPhone app; there is nothing to install on the computer. ScaFix's Android app is not on Google Play yet, so Android users plan in Chrome.
Pick SMART Scaffolder if…
- you work in the UK with tube and fitting and need TG20:21 checks and compliance paperwork;
- you want quotes, CAD drawings, IFC exchange and invoicing exports to QuickBooks, Sage or Xero from the estimate;
- inspections and handover certificates on phones belong in the same system as the estimate;
- your estimators work on Windows PCs and a subscription priced by product mix suits you.
Pick ScaFix if…
- your jobs are system facade scaffolds on houses and blocks, and the parts list is what you need first;
- people plan on an iPhone on site or on a Mac, where SMART Estimator does not run natively;
- your yard stocks a system from the catalogue of 108, such as Layher, HAKI, PERI UP, Plettac or Jamax;
- you want a price you can read on the website before you talk to anyone.
What ScaFix does not do
- No structural analysis: no FEM, no TG20 calculation, no tie duty or leg load check. ScaFix is a planning aid, not structural approval.
- No tube and fitting scaffolds, no CAD drawings and no IFC export.
- No rental management, inspections, handover certificates or invoicing.
- No free plan.
What ScaFix costs
From ScaFix's own price list: the first week of Pro costs €0.98, then €9.98 a week until you cancel (cancel in the first week and access ends at once). The yearly plans cost €39.90 (Basic Light), €79.90 (Basic) and €149.90 (Pro) a year. Rounded corners, silos, hanging scaffolds, hoists and mobile and stair towers are Pro only.
Questions and answers
Does SMART Scaffolder run on a Mac?
SMART's FAQ says SMART Estimator, Compliance, RAMS and the Revit plug-in are only supported on Windows; SMART Manager is web based and opens in Safari (read on 25 October 2026). ScaFix runs in any browser and as an iPhone app.
How much does SMART Scaffolder cost?
SMART does not publish prices. Its FAQ says the products are sold by subscription only, priced by the products chosen, with no perpetual licence (read on 25 October 2026).
Does SMART Estimator do TG20 checks?
CADS describes SMART Calculations as checking tube and fitting independent scaffolds to TG20:21: leg loads, tie duty and bridge beams. SMART's home page names «TG2021 Compliance checks» under scaffold design. ScaFix does no TG20 checks.
Which systems does SMART Estimator support?
SMART's FAQ lists tube and fitting, Cuplok, Haki, Layher, Turner Octo, Plettac Metrix, Kwikstage and frame scaffolds for SMART Estimator (read on 25 October 2026).
Can I try SMART Scaffolder?
SMART says it offers free trial periods on all products and prefers a conversation with sales first. ScaFix has no free trial; its first week of Pro is sold at a low price.
Is ScaFix an alternative to SMART Estimator?
For planning a system facade scaffold and counting its parts, yes. For tube and fitting, TG20 checks, quotations with drawings and the inspection and handover apps, SMART does more.
Sources
SMART Scaffolder's own pages (products, the estimating page, the FAQ and the system requirements) and CADS' SMART Calculations page, read on 25 October 2026.
Try one week – €0.98See the demo house in 3DSee ScaFix
First week €0.98, then €9.98/week. Full Pro. Cancel anytime.