If you've come across the name and want the short version: Service Connect Ireland, usually just called Service Connect, is a marketplace app for booking local services across Ireland. It connects people who need work done with local providers who do it, and keeps the whole job, from first message to final payment, in one place.
What the app actually does
Service Connect covers the jobs Irish households book all the time: plumbers, electricians, cleaners, gardeners, handymen, movers, car maintenance, personal care, childminders, pet sitters, tutors, photographers and handmade or personalised work, across all 26 counties. If what you need doesn't fit neatly into one of those, you can still post it as a job and let providers come to you.
On the other side, providers use Service Connect to find new customers without paying a joining fee or a monthly subscription. They set up a profile, choose the counties and areas they cover, and quote on jobs as they come in.
How booking works
Every booking follows the same steps. You either browse verified providers near you or post a job for free, choosing between asking for quotes or giving a budget, with a timing of flexible, this week, or a specific date. Once you find someone, you settle the price and any details in chat, where a provider can send a custom offer with their own price and conditions. You see the full total, offer plus buyer protection fee, before you accept anything, and nothing is charged while you're still working that out.
In short, a booking runs through the same five stages every time: browse or post, check a provider's reviews, pick a day and time, settle the price in chat, and get a notification once the provider accepts. Booking times in the app are always Irish time, so there's no confusion about when someone is due to arrive.
Your card is only charged once the provider accepts the job. At that point, Stripe processes the payment inside the app, and Service Connect never sees your card number or stores your card details. Stripe then holds the money rather than paying it straight to the provider, so there's a reason for both sides to sort out any problem in chat rather than argue over money that's already changed hands. You can read the full breakdown of what happens after that in how Service Connect Ireland keeps your payment safe.
Who it's for
If you're a client, it's for anyone who'd rather not spend an evening ringing around for quotes on a leaking tap, a garden tidy-up or a house move. Search for a provider in your county, or post the job once and let people who cover your area send you a price. Recommendations on a provider's profile come only from people who actually completed a booking with them, so you're not relying on a favour from a mate.
If you're a provider, it's a way to pick up work without a sign-up fee, a subscription or a commission taken out of your quote. The price you quote is the price you're paid. New providers get a short checklist to work through: set up payouts, list a first service, add a profile photo, upload a qualification, and set working hours, and you can optionally promote a listing to the top of search results from €1.99 as a one-off payment that never renews on its own.
Languages
The app is available in English, Română, Українська and Русский. You can switch language at any time in Settings and it changes the whole app straight away, which is why Service Connect works as well for Ireland's Romanian, Ukrainian and Russian-speaking communities as it does for English speakers.
When can you use it?
Service Connect is coming soon to the App Store on iPhone. If you'd like to try it before the general launch, email support@serviceconnect.ie for early access. An Android app is in development.
Based in Dublin, Service Connect is built to cover the whole country, Donegal to Kerry. If you have more questions, the FAQ covers the basics, or you can read about buyer protection and becoming a provider straight from the homepage.