The 7 best software solutions for contractors

New software solutions hit the construction industry with every passing year. As a home builder searching for the right fit for your business – and budget – it’s probably starting to feel a little overwhelming. 

That’s why we’ve curated a list of the seven best software solutions for residential contractors that can streamline your operations and help you stay on top of your projects. 

The importance of choosing the right contractor software

Not all construction company software is created equal. And there’s a cost of choosing the wrong one. Some measurable consequences and construction problems include: 

• Project inefficiencies and delays
• Disorganized tasks, missed deadlines and rework
• Gaps in labor, equipment, supply and vendor availability
• Miscommunication, confusion and decreased productivity
• Inaccurate cost estimates and budget control

Any one of these consequences could tank a project on its own, but combine even a few and you’ll see a direct correlation to the loss of client relationships and referral business.. 

That’s why it’s imperative to invest in comprehensive contractor software to ensure you have the necessary tools to streamline workflows, manage projects effectively and deliver successful results. 

Contractor software features to look out for

By choosing the right contractor software, you can position your construction business as an industry leader that’s capable of delivering projects on time, within budget and to – or over – client expectations.

On paper, many software solutions seemingly can meet the average contractor’s needs – it’s not until after implementation that you may realize key features are defective or missing entirely.

We made this list to serve as a reference guide of features to review when selecting construction software for your business. 

1. Project management: These features help construction contractors plan, track and manage all tasks and activities involved in a construction project. These keep everyone on the team in the loop about what tasks need to be accomplished, at what time and by whom. It can encompass scheduling, to-do’s, progress reports, workflow automation and change orders. 
2. Estimating and quoting: These features ensure contractors can accurately quote and plan for all project costs, including material, labor and equipment. Estimates are one of the most important deciding factors for clients when choosing a contractor, and staying on budget can improve client satisfaction. Still, change orders are a part of the construction process, so ensure your software can support ongoing budgeting adjustments. 
3. Job costing: These features allow contractors to track all costs and revenue related to a specific project. It’s critical for contractors to understand true profitability apart from their accounting software, factoring for direct project costs like equipment rentals and for indirect costs like safety training for operating equipment. 
4. Customer relationship management (CRM): These features ensure contractors can track all customers and contacts within a central database. This is a necessity for generating leads for your sales efforts, managing proposals and supporting strong communication. 
5. Document management: These features keep all project information documents safely stored in a central place. By using a centralized document storage system, your team, subcontractors and clients can all access the latest versions of design documents and reference important project information, like contracts and permits. 
6. Billing and invoicing: These features ensure contractors can send bills and get paid faster for their work. This is crucial in ensuring cash flow, especially when there are gaps between task completion and client payment. This also helps lower your liabilities, ensuring you’re able to process quick payments to your subcontractors, vendors and suppliers. 

Comparing the 7 best software solutions for contractors

There are several residential construction software solutions available for contractors to compare and contrast during the software selection process. We’ve compiled a list of the top contenders to help in your search. 

1. Buildertrend

Buildertrend is a powerful solution for contractors, offering a wide range of features to streamline project, financial, sales and customer management.

Buildertrend delivers in all six feature categories listed above, making it easier for contractors to monitor project progress, timelines and budgets. It also offers customer and subcontractor self-service portals for enhanced communication; user-friendly dashboards and reporting; and extra-mile services such as Buildertrend Financing and Buildertrend Payments to help you stand apart from your market competition. 

Buildertrend also offers a comprehensive training and support program, with a multifaceted approach to best fit every contractor’s unique needs. For example, the software provider offers Buildertrend University, a two-day hands-on conference of feature-based classes, training and networking. Other helpful tools include onsite consulting and an online learning academy of on-demand resources in addition to a dedicated support team assigned to your account and an in-depth online Help Center. 

“Phenomenal software. It should replace everything that a construction company uses. The fact that we can give homeowners access to see what’s going on saves us time and stress. It’s 100% worth it.” – Jack, product user

2. Procore

Procore is a construction software striving to improve construction outcomes while minimizing risk. Key features include project and budget tracking while ensuring the project team is well coordinated and on track.

Initial setup of Procore can be time-consuming, and some users report user experience issues and discrepancies in feature availability between mobile and desktop applications. 

“[Procore is] really good for tracking and managing construction defects. [However] when tasks are assigned, sometimes they don’t appear or get assigned to the wrong person.” – Corsina, product user

3. PlanGrid

PlanGrid offers several advantages for contractors, including the ability to streamline collaboration among project teams through real-time access to project plans and documents. 

PlanGrid’s mobile app allows contractors to access project information from anywhere, which enhances flexibility while at the project site or shuffling between suppliers. However, the application has limited budgeting, bidding and project management features.

“PlanGrid is geared toward construction managers looking for a better way to manage drawings and blueprints. It doesn’t do everything you might find in a more comprehensive construction management platform.” – DP Taylor, small business expert

4. Tradify

Tradify’s strongest feature is arguably its task management capabilities. It allows contractors to easily assign and track tasks for their team. It also supports real-time communication with team members, subcontractors and clients.

Several reviewers report the biggest downside of the product is the lack of availability offline. 

“Tradify has saved me heaps of time on invoicing and quotes on my phone. [However, it’s] not available offline and the calendar is not shareable with Google calendars.” – Jason, product user 

5. Owner Insite

Owner Insite offers contractors a comprehensive set of features designed to streamline project management. It offers a robust document management feature, securely storing and organizing all project documents in one central location for easy access and reference. Reviewers also highlight Owner Insite’s bid management tool to help contractors effectively allocate their resources in relation to project budgets.

However, the interface of this software solution is reported to be complex, limiting feature usage by some customers.

“Owner Insite is an excellent owner-based construction project management software system. At times, it can be difficult to use with lack of consistency in how certain items are used by contractors.” – Michael M., project manager and product user 

6. FieldEdge

FieldEdge offers a range of features including task management and scheduling, as well as a comprehensive integration interface to connect with popular platforms such as QuickBooks and Google Calendar. 

FieldEdge offers reporting and analytic capabilities, although there are some limitations with customization options.

“I like the amount of options the overall program offers [– however] we’ve encountered multiple issues with ‘downtime’ when the FieldEdge system gets interrupted and the office and technicians cannot log in. I would like to see them roll out the option to pull custom reports vs. the built-in ones.” – Haley, product user

7. Premier

Premier is a construction company software with comprehensive project management features. Contractors can use it to track and manage project costs, labor expenses and overall project progress. This helps ensure better cost control and budget management. 

Premier also offers some reporting features, although some users have commented on usability issues throughout the modules. 

“[It] offers a lot for the costs to use this program, however, its low cost compared to other programs does mean that it lacks some of the features of larger companies [such as] usability of project management modules.” – Robert, product user

Why Buildertrend is the best software for contractors

What it does	How it does it	Customer success story
Estimating and managing budgets	Realistically plan, allocate resources and support timelines from the start. Understand overspending at a glance and improve expense forecasting. Then, automate the proposal process.	Casey Construction Company
Change orders and purchase orders	Gain better control and track costs, even during changing project scope.	Sneller Custom Homes & Remodeling
Job costing	Gain visibility into individual project profitability.	Vaughan + Co
Online payments, invoices and accounting	Get paid faster – and from anywhere. Create, send and track invoices through the system. Then, sync your data with your favorite accounting software to reduce double entry and error.	Krueger Brothers Construction
Customer Portal	Keep clients in the loop with a portal where they can view upcoming invoices and make payments online.	Chris Ledet Homes
Communication and documentation	Save everything in writing, so you’re protected in the case of a dispute. Keep your team and clients updated with clear communication in one place.	Sidar Builders
Scheduling, timelines and task management	The ability to designate total workdays and add multiple tiers of work activity per scheduled item. Then, designate work items as “dependent” on other individual tasks, so they don’t clear for work start until the predecessor is completed. These are often referred to as “waterfall” activities.	Building Homes for Heroes
Mobile access	Accurately record and manage and access details of a project from anywhere, at any time.	Cove Builders
Job comments and messages	Apart from messages, contractors can gain real-time insights from subs – and subs can easily gain answers to RFIs – with commenting functionality available on Bids, Change Orders, Daily Logs, Files, Bills, Purchase Orders, Scheduling and more.	Cardinal Crest Homes
Daily Logs and To-Do’s	Provide daily updates for what’s happening on projects and access To-Do’s that are due from the subcontractor on any specific job.	BrightLeaf Homes
Purchase orders and bills	Reference any outstanding POs or lien waivers awaiting sign-off to ensure subs are being paid on time and accurately.	Brown Haven Homes

Find out how the best contractor software can improve your business.

Best software for contractors FAQs

Get answers to the most common questions about the best software for contractors.