10 Best Construction Project Management Software Compared

Civilizations don’t grow out of the ground. They are built, that is, they are planned, designed, constructed and tested through material use. But today the material merges with digital.

In this best construction project management software review, we look at the construction management and contractor software out there. 

If you’re a contractor, foreman or construction firm, you should no longer be asking yourself if you need a construction project system. You should be asking, which one? The construction management programs we review here will surely have something for your construction business needs. We’ll look at things like what each construction app is best for, their pricing plans, and we’ll cover some pros and cons to each system.

Are you ready? Because those towering monuments to the awesomeness of humanity don’t build themselves, but they do get built with more streamlined efficiency when you have the assistance of construction project management technology at your fingertips, or should we say, in your toolbox. 

What is construction management software & what does it do?

What is project management software in general? Project management software is designed to help you run a project from start to finish, setting up workflows that organize people and tasks. Construction management software is the industry-specific iteration of project management software.

The construction industry has benefited greatly since the introduction of digital apps like construction project management software. Construction companies of any size can use these tools first and foremost like a CRM. They can market their construction services, generate new leads, nurture them down the sales pipeline, and win more contracts, all the while they’ll be able to keep track of their overall network of past clients to assist with things like up-selling and cross-selling.

Construction CRMs may mostly seem pricey, especially when compared to some non-construction ones, but since this is a bigger industry, those numbers do add up. If you’d like, you can take a general look at free project management software to see what else is out there. Or, if you need software for special purposes, such as accounting, you can look at alternatives such as our list of the best construction accounting software.

Of course, what we are talking about here are apps made to be contractor software. Financial management and project planning help create estimates for project costs, budgets, do submittals and requests for information or RFIs, purchase orders, bid management, and overall constructing accounting. 

As scheduling software, there are takeoff and planning features which help with things like order measurements, supply management, transportation and other blueprint functionalities like BIM. Communication and messaging tools streamline the collaboration between construction project managers, their team members, suppliers, and other stakeholders like outside subcontractors, specialty contractors and even the clients. 

There is also useful reporting that takes into account data from these great construction project management solutions. Some tools here are time cards, timesheets and time tracking throughout the project progress.

Whether you are a small construction team or a massive multinational construction firm, by now it should be clear this wide range of tools is a massive upgrade from the way things used to be done, those days when Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet was good enough. Those spreadsheets couldn’t do advanced things like forecasting or workflows, nor did it have all the necessary key features to get a construction job successfully completed from pre-planning to the end of the project lifecycle.

So, this is exactly what the best construction project management tools do. Read on for our conclusion as to what is the best construction planning software.

Project management construction software programs comparison chart (top 10 highest rated)

Before we roll up our sleeves and really dig in, here’s a quick table to offer you an overview of the top 10 construction management software programs we’ll be reviewing today. If anything piques your fancy right away, there’s a quick link for you to hop over to the vendor’s site and get more information directly from these companies who make software for construction project management. 

You may also want to look at our project management software comparison for more general tools.

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What is the best construction project management software? Here’s our top 10 list:

It’s time to read about the best construction project management software. This list was carefully assembled from on-the-ground interviews with builders and dealers, plus back-office construction administrative workers.

Of course, we also looked at many construction project management software reviews. Now without further ado, here’s our list:

1. Procore (Best construction management software for builders and contractors overall)

For many users and critics, Procore is some of the best construction management software available today. It’s a favorite across the construction industry with its wide range of project management tools for construction professionals. 

Procore is a construction management platform that was founded in 2002 and today has headquarters in Carpinteria, California, USA. Procore’s various recent acquisitions include Honest Buildings, Esticom, Avata Intelligence, and INDUS.AI.

Pros:

Procore divides its products between task categories like pre-construction, project management, resource management and financial management. You can use Procore for the entire construction lifecycle from project planning on through time tracking of project progress until the entire project is complete. Some key features include BIM (business information modeling) for doing 3D models, real-time labor budgeting and costs, and tools to manage specialty contractors. A punch list, or deficiency list tool, helps with a checklist of final tests and inspections to make sure each job is completed according to specs and designs.

Cons:

You’ll need to contact their sales team to learn about pricing, which some companies think is a helpful way to get users, but the public generally thinks this is a drawback, as people will assume this is so expensive that the vendors are afraid to advertise their price tags. What’s more, there is a learning curve here, but not incredibly steep. The customer support can be a tad difficult to get a hold of.

Pricing:

Contact Procore via their website to request a demo for your construction business or to get some more information about the costs. 

Procore

2. eSUB (Best simple construction project management software for small business)

eSUB is a top contractor software for small business and independent contractors, especially for jobs like electrical, plumbing, masonry, concrete, drywall and HVAC. eSUB has been in the game for over three decades, and was early adopters of web-based contractor management systems back in 2008.

Pros:

eSUB’s simplest Field Cam plan is a mobile app that includes unlimited projects, unlimited contacts, document management with unlimited storage, and a project summary dashboard. It’s also great for taking photos of job sites for records and planning, as well as for communicating specs to the team. More advanced features offer time management and daily reports for your construction accounting purposes.

Construction firms who get the eSUB premium project management solutions get tools for change orders, submittals, requests for information or RFIs, milestones and audit logs. Finally, eSUB promises to streamline project workflows to help save construction teams time otherwise spent on easy and repetitive task management. 

Cons:

eSUB scores good points for being user friendly, which is key for a construction planning solution, but some feel that this means the tools and functionalities are a bit lightweight at the upper end of project scales. Also, the tools for construction accounting software are not as amazing as similar platforms, but they are decent.

Pricing:

The eSUB Field Cam mobile app is $20 per user per month billed annually. There are then three packages with more advanced tools: Base, Advanced and Premium, and for these prices, contact eSUB to request a demo.

eSUB

3. CoConstruct (Top residential construction management software)

CoConstruct has been around since 2004. Its HQ is in Charlottesville, Virginia. It’s been on Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing company list for a while thanks to its construction management solutions. 

As a software solution for the construction industry, CoConstruct is useful for many purposes. However, for this article, it stands out as being the top construction management app for remodeling, renovations, home building and other residential construction projects. 

Pros:

CoConstruct lets you manage your bills with a Quickbooks integration. You can also scan receipts and push or approve bills. There is good project estimating and bid management functionality. You get tools for account invoicing which allows for things like change order tracking and expense workflows.

Streamline the proposal writing process while coordinating schedules with a field office, outside stakeholders, subcontractors or clients. CoConstruct can also be a handy little construction CRM tool to manage your network. 

Cons:

Although this might be less important for contractors than other platform solution users, some have made negative comments about CoConstruct’s dashboards and interfaces, saying they look and feel a bit old fashioned and are therefore not as intuitive as they can be. 

Pricing:

CoConstruct has two plans. The Standard plan is $99 per month for the first 2 months, then $349 per month after that. Per year this plan is $2,899. The Plus plan is $399 per month for the first 2 months, then $599 per month afterward. Per year this plan is $4,999.

CoConstruct

4. Buildertrend (Great commercial construction project management software)

The Buildertrend story is one all about the marriage of construction projects with software solutions. What started out in a basement in Omaha in 2006 became this set of project management tools for general contractors, subcontractors and the construction industry in general.

While Buildertrend has features for home builders, specialty contractors and remodeling jobs, perhaps its strongest selling points are for being a solid construction management system for commercial contractors, helping with everything from pre-sales to accounting and financial planning. 

Pros:

The Core Buildertrend module includes tools for project scheduling software, to-dos and task management, team member messaging services, customer proposals and client payment processing. There are time cards and timesheet functionalities. More premium features help with tasks like job costing and other tools from typical project estimating software. There are also advanced features for change orders, RFIs (requests for information), budgeting and warranties. 

Cons:

Buildertrend offers a small amount of customizability, but perhaps you have less customization than with other competing construction project systems. What’s more, the data-entry stage during your onboarding requires a bit of work, but it will pay off if you take the time to migrate rich and robust data to Buildertrend. 

Pricing:

The Buildertrend Core plan is $99 per month for the first 2 months, then $349 per month after that. Yearly it costs $2,899. Buildertrend’s Pro plan is $399 per month for the first 2 months, then $599 per month afterwards. Yearly it costs $4,999. (Yes, these are exactly the same prices as CoConstruct, that is not a copy/paste error.)

Buildertrend

5. LetsBuild (Good construction project scheduling software)

Once upon a time, you had two very good construction management platforms, one called GenieBelt and the other called APROPLAN. Then, in 2019, these two systems merged to become today’s well-known LetsBuild project management system for construction companies. These days the platform claims to have over 10,000 active users.

LetsBuild wins our category for the best construction management solution if you need good project scheduling and planning. It has a special focus on giving users real-time visibility and control over project tracking, as well as good scheduling tools, communication features and administrative functionality.  

Pros:

All plans come with free access for your subcontractors or other third-parties, as well as unlimited data storage and a useful mobile app. You can set up easy blueprints with automation workflows in the project planning phase, with constant up-to-date project status reports coming in throughout the project lifecycle. Other project scheduling pros include complex Gantt charts, which can then be used to create actionable tasks with or without dependencies, and to-do items. There are also lean and agile planning features for fast tasks and short-term projects.

Cons:

While LetsBuild does try and have features for every aspect of construction project management, not all are as effective as the best project scheduling and planning toolkit. Among the lesser set of tools include features for managing project costs and budget forecasting, however, just because they are not superior does not mean they are totally useless. Finally, there is no pricing information on their website, which is lame.

Pricing:

Visit LetsBuild’s pricing page on their website to learn more about how they match pricing with your construction company’s specific needs, though they do recommend always getting an up-front one-year subscription. 

LetsBuild

6. PlanSwift (Great construction organization software)

PlanSwift is part of the family of construction programs made by ConstructConnect, which also makes OnCenter as an estimating software and SmartBid as a construction bid management app. Planswift is good construction software for organizing takeoffs, a key component of pre-construction planning.

Takeoff planning is all done with simple drag and drop clicking. This tool assists general contractors in things like cost forecasting and adapting to changes like a sudden price markup. PlanSwift is also used for measuring job sites with digital linear tools, ordering materials based on measurements, and planning for electrical, HVAC, drywall, landscape or painting projects. 

Pros:

PlanSwift offers small and medium-sized contractors a lot of powerful tools to plan and execute the early stages of a construction project. For this reason it’s great for the organization of smaller-scale real estate jobs and renovations. When used on-premise at a job site, it minimizes measurement and order mistakes which saves time and money. Additionally, PlanSwift has got you covered for good business information modeling, or BIM estimating.

Cons:

As this is such a great takeoff construction app, it may also be too razor focused, which means you’ll end up paying for additional apps, whether by PlanSwist’f parent company ConstructConnect, or with another construction planning software provider. 

Pricing:

PlanSwift Professional costs $1595 flat, and this comes with free support and upgrades for one year. After that, you can continue getting upgrades and customer support for $300 per license per year, but perhaps more if you have add-ons or plugins. 

PlanSwift

7. Contractor Foreman (Best construction software for small builders)

Based out of Forest City, North Carolina, and fond of quoting Gandhi on their homepage, the people who founded Contractor Foreman had the needs of small construction companies in mind when they launched this construction management app. 

Contractor Foreman has modules of tools to manage your construction projects, your accounting and financials, your team members and subcontractors, as well as your documents.

Pros:

Handle projects, scheduling and work orders, along with giving your clients a clients portal where they can get automated notifications via email or text each day. Contractor Foreman also has a nice template library, and the templates are easily customizable too. These are good for budgets, invoices, project plans, purchase orders, and scheduling. As a small contractor tool, you get wonderful team tools like team chats and group to-do’s. Another benefit here is that it is among the cheapest construction management software ever.

Cons:

Not too many cons aside from the obvious, which is that though there is a very affordable version of Contractor Software, it could be a bit limiting if you need the more advanced stuff. Now, you can always get the premium version, so it’s not like you’ll necessarily have to switch to something new just because you’re scaling up. 

Pricing:

The Standard plan is $49 per month, paid annually, and it’s good for 3 users. The Plus plan for 8 users is $87 per month, paid annually. Next for 15 users is the Pro plan that’s $123 per month, annually. Finally the Unlimited plan costs $148 per month on an annual basis.

Contractor Foreman

8. Houzz Pro (Top construction management CRM system)

Houzz Pro is the professional product version of Houzz, which is an app for everyday users to design and plan their homes or other spaces. Houzz Pro is more than an app, but a comprehensive set of features geared for contractors and designers who also need a CRM to win new leads and close more deals.

Among the CRM features of Houzz Pro, this app assists you with your email marketing too, which comes with nicely done templates. You can use this to attract attention to your company and nurture your leads. 

Pros:

As mentioned above, Houzz Pro is the best construction project management software if you need CRM functionality. But this is also a great system for doing home design, and therefore is a favorite in real estate. It also happens to include some top grade document management. The starter pricing is another reason this is a great construction project app.

Cons:

We don't want to imply that CRM takes precedence over typical construction management tools, but it is a con at least in terms of their self marketing that it appears so to people comparative shopping for a construction management solution that’ll give them all the features like job costing, RFIs, change orders, punch lists, submittals and more. Because Houzz Pro does indeed do most of these things, despite appearances. 

Pricing:

The Essentials plan costs $49 for the first 3 months, then $99 per month, while the more lightweight Starter plan is straight up $65 per month. It’s the Ultimate Plan where you get the best marketing and CRM tools, and that is a whopping $399 per month.

Houzz Pro

9. Buildxact (Best construction project management app for dealers)

Here’s one that comes from the land down under. Buildxact was founded in Australia in 2011. Today, though, the company is HQ’d in Austin, TX, where many tech companies have thought about migrating to in recent years.

Buildxact is a no-nonsense costs and budget management system for contractors, builders, remodelers and dealers. It covers the standard range of features for customer management, pre-construction planning, project management and financial tools. 

Pros:

The advantages of Buildxact are really on the dealer end. This is a top tool for dealers needing construction management to handle things like generating leads, pre-sale planning and execution, as well as a slew of customer insights and integration tools. What’s more, there is a free version of the dealer package with Buildxact, which gets you unlimited connections with builders and manufacturers, lead tracking and management, job costing, estimate templates and custom quotes. 

Cons:

Some reviewers have noted that getting the best customer support from Buildxact is not a one hundred percent guaranteed thing each time you need it. Also, when it comes to the dealer package, you'll surely want to jump off the free plan at some point and start paying the piper for the superior toolset.

Pricing:

Buildxact for Dealers has a free plan, and the Pro plan is $150 per month. The Entry plan for builders and remodelers costs $149 per month, while the Pro plan is $249 per month. 

Buildxact

10. JobNimbus (Good construction job management software)

JobNimbus is another one of the best construction project planning apps that fuses good CRM functionality to help contractors get more jobs and earn more cash. They aim to streamline the process from the initial project planning to completion of the entire project in a user friendly way.

JobNimbus breaks down their use cases by various construction industries like deck and patio, window and door, concrete, fencing, flooring, roofing, landscaping and remodeling, among others. It’s a useful solution for real estate contractors.

Pros:

As far as construction job organization, JobNimbus stands out for its efficiency, simplicity and streamlined set of tools from new leads to closed deals. It’s easy to manage open jobs in a visually pleasing dashboard. It’s also a great system for its automations and workflows, which assist teams with things like auto notifications or status updates. For accounting, you get integrations with tools like Quickbooks.

Cons:

Once again, this is another company that insists on getting you in touch with someone from their sales team before they begin to talk about price, which can make some potential buyers nervous when there are no clear-cut upfront costs. Another drawback is the lack of tools to handle task dependencies and Gantt charts.

Pricing:

For bespoke pricing, contact JobNimbus through their website. 

JobNimbus

Which is the best software for construction project management in my company? Our conclusion

So, which is truly the best project management software for construction? Well, it should be of little surprise that ProCore gets the gold medal in today’s race. Many other reviewers agree, perhaps 3 out of 5 of them. But remember, different construction software companies tailor their tools to different kinds of construction firms and construction industries. Some are better for CRM, others are better for construction accounting, while still others do planning, scheduling and task management best. 

Some notable nods go to eSUB and Contractor Foreman for being great small business construction planning systems. As for residential and real estate, let's mention CoConstruct and Houzz Pro one more time.

We trust that answers your questions about the best software for contractors. But don’t fret, we’ll always be putting out the freshest reviews as updates and upgrades are deployed, new tools are launched, and new construction project management companies enter the scene.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it may have been built quicker, with less mistakes, and a more organized and happier workforce, if the planning of the building of Rome had been done with something like ProCore, eSUB, CoConstruct or Buildertrend. 

Contractors, am I right?