Comparison

R.A.T Work App vs Cowstail

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

R.A.T Work App

Features
Read full description

R.A.T Work is a comprehensive platform developed to streamline the way IRATA rope access technicians and employers connect, collaborate, and manage essential documentation. Purpose built for the rope access industry, where efficiency, compliance, and trust are paramount. FOR TECHNICIANS Find and apply for rope access work faster than ever. Browse jobs near you, apply in seconds, and track your application status in real-time. Set your availability and get discovered by employers in your area. Manage all your professional documents in one place โ€” store your IRATA credentials, CSCS cards, and LOLER certificates, set expiry alerts, and share them with employers instantly. Sign job documents, RAMS, and training day materials digitally before work begins. Create and send professional invoices with automatic CIS deductions, track payment status, and download PDFs โ€” all without leaving the app. Stay connected with your project team through real-time group chat, access method statements and safety documentation, and report incidents or near-misses instantly. FOR EMPLOYERS Post jobs with detailed requirements, manage applications, and accept the right technicians with one tap. View technician profiles, certifications, and ratings before making a decision. Create and manage RAMS documents with AI-powered safety suggestions, link them to specific jobs, and track signature completion across your entire team. Run training days with digital document signing โ€” trainees must sign all documents before accessing the project group. Build your team with favourites, manage your blacklist, and keep a complete history of every technician you've worked with. Receive signed documents directly to your email the moment a trainee completes their paperwork. BUILT FOR COMPLIANCE Digital signatures, document tracking, incident reporting, RIDDOR classification, and certificate verification โ€” everything you need to stay compliant on every job. Download R.A.T Work today and experience the smarter way to manage rope access work.

About

Cowstail

Features
Read full description

Cowstail is the admin side of rope access, sorted from your phone. Built for IRATA and SPRAT technicians who would rather be on the ropes than on the paperwork. Find work, get paid, stay compliant. FIND WORK THAT FITS YOUR TICKETS Companies post rope access jobs; you see the ones matching your level and tickets. Apply with a snapshot you control, get offers, and accepted jobs land straight in your schedule with calendar sync. No open directory: your data is only shared when you decide. INVOICES THAT GET YOU PAID Create a professional invoice in under a minute. Automatic numbering, VAT and CIS handled, payment details on the document, and a public link your client can open without installing anything. See when it was viewed, log payments, chase overdues. KIT & LOLER, NEVER OUT OF DATE Your rig lives in the app: every descender, harness and rope with serial numbers and inspection dates. Cowstail tracks your 6-month LOLER thorough examinations and reminds you before anything lapses. QUALS IN A VERIFIABLE WALLET IRATA and SPRAT cards, first aid, offshore tickets: scan them once and carry them all. Share a revocable link so a company can verify your quals without endless photo requests. Expiry reminders included. TAX WITHOUT THE SHOEBOX Log expenses as they happen (scan the receipt, we read it). Income and outgoings organised by UK tax year, so self-assessment stops being an archaeology project. CAREER & LOGBOOK Your hours, your jobs, your progression towards the next level, all in one record. BUILT FOR COMPANIES TOO Post jobs, manage applicants, build your tech roster, plan projects and book crew with conflict checking. Auto-drafted invoices when a job wraps. Share any job as a link straight into your WhatsApp groups and socials: it opens as a proper job page, and applications land back in the app. PRIVATE BY DESIGN UK GDPR. Data hosted in the EU, encrypted in transit and at rest, daily tested backups. No ads, no data selling, ever. Read more at cowstail.app/security.html Free for solo technicians. No card required.

Screenshots

R.A.T Work App4 screens
Cowstail4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Cowstail at none against R.A.T Work App's shown. R.A.T Work App's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

R.A.T Work App ships an update every 9 days, Cowstail every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
R.A.T Work App versus Cowstail: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterR.A.T Work AppCowstail
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 6 days โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better16.4
Further details โ€” not scored
Size56 MB58 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperROPE ACCESS TECHNICIAN WORK LTDCowstail LTD

In-app purchases

None

R.A.T Work App

No in-app purchases

None

Cowstail

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is R.A.T Work App free?
R.A.T Work App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cowstail free?
Cowstail is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do R.A.T Work App or Cowstail have ads?
R.A.T Work App shows ads; Cowstail does not.
Which is updated more often, R.A.T Work App or Cowstail?
R.A.T Work App ships an update every 9 days, and Cowstail every 6 days. Most recently, R.A.T Work App was updated on October 21, 2026 and Cowstail on October 25, 2026.

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