Best Construction Project Management Software

Leap combines multiple features and tools in one place to make it easy to manage construction projects from proposals and bids to task and job management. The software was built by contractors, so the features you need should be there. Users can create tasks for employees, appointments with clients or subs and track the progress of all ongoing projects.

You can create estimates and quotes, proposals and contracts, collect digital signatures and send invoices all from Leap. There’s no need to connect to third-party storage solutions—Leap offers unlimited cloud storage for all your documents, photos and data. Leap integrates with QuickBooks, Google tools and Zendesk, which increases the software’s functionality to a degree. The QuickBooks accounting integration is limited, though. You’ll be able to sync invoices between your accounting and project management software, but P&L will require double manual entry (in Leap and QuickBooks).

Although there is no free trial or free plan for Leap, it is an affordable option, especially for small contractors that have few users on the software. There’s a $US500 ($779 AUD) one-time setup fee for Leap Team, which includes help from an account manager to customise your software for your business. The monthly cost starts at $US75 ($123 AUD) per user—there are two tiers: Essential and Team.

Who should use it:
Residential and home improvement contractors will find everything they need in one place at an affordable price with Leap. It’s one of the most complete construction project management software solutions available for small businesses in Australia.

Fieldwire is a cloud-based project management solution that includes most of the tools you would need to run a construction business. It isn’t software made specifically for residential or commercial construction, and it’s flexible enough for use by subcontractors up to general contractors. Fieldwire lets each user create tasks, view plans and create or access digital punch lists, which saves a lot of time both in the field and the office.

Having all your documents in one place makes it far easier to offer transparency to clients, so they can see timestamps, change orders and requests for information (RFIs), if requested. Fieldwire relies on you using a third-party storage solution, such as Dropbox, so you’ll likely have to pay for a storage app in addition to Fieldwire. There’s also no specific tool to create bids or proposals, but you can create custom forms and templates, so you can create them yourself and track them in Fieldwire.

There is a free plan available, which you can treat as a trial option to see if it fits your business. To use the storage app integrations with Fieldwire, you’ll have to opt for at least the Fieldwire Business plan, which costs $US59 ($92 AUD) per user, per month, if paid annually. The highest tier (Enterprise) requires you to contact Fieldwire for pricing, but it offers an open application programming interface (API) that allows you to integrate any software you use. Paid plans start at $US39 ($61 AUD) per user, per month and go as high as $US89 ($139 AUD) per user, per month for the most premium tier of service.

Contractor Foreman follows the typical structure of most construction project management software—it’s cloud-based, so you can access it from your mobile phone, PC or tablet as long as you have an internet connection and the app. What sets Contractor Foreman apart from its competitors is its ease of use. Its user interface offers an intuitive flow, so you can easily get to your tasks, documents, client information, work and change orders, invoices and punch lists.

It’s important to choose the plan that makes the most sense for your business. The lower-tier plans include most of what you need to run a project. The higher-tier plans include the financial features you may need, such as bid management, job costing reports, digital signatures and QuickBooks integrations.

There is a 30-day free trial available, so you can test all the features to make sure it’s right for your company. Most construction project management software has a pricing structure that charges you per user, per month, but Contractor Foreman charges a flat monthly fee for a limited number of users until you hit the highest tier, at which point you can have unlimited users.

Buildertrend is an expensive choice, but it’s one of the more complete apps for all aspects of your business—from pre-sales and project management to invoicing and real-time communication. You can connect Buildertrend with your website for easy lead capture. It also offers email marketing tools, so you can create automated email campaigns for clients. Of course, there are also estimate and proposal templates, and you can collect digital signatures.

The project management tools let you create and track tasks, attach documents and photos to projects and assign tasks to workers. Integrate your preferred calendar, so you can track schedules easily and create work-in-progress reports to track billings and profits. Invoicing, bid requests and payment processing are all included, and you can integrate your accounting software to automatically update invoice information in Buildertrend and QuickBooks or Xero.

Houzz Pro is a bit of a hybrid construction project management software solution. Its focus is on lead generation for small contractors or subbies looking for individual projects, such as home renovation projects. However, it includes the basic tools you would need to offer proposals and manage orders, billing and invoices for landscapers, home builders and interior designers.

Perhaps the most valuable features are for lead generation. On Houzz Pro, you can create a profile to showcase past projects, get lists of verified leads and reach out directly to leads to submit a bid on a project. Beyond the marketing features, you’ll find the cloud-based app lets you connect with your team and clients to offer transparency to all parties. Create proposals from templates, or make your own, set up a timeline so clients know when they can expect a finished product and deliver estimates and invoices—and accept payment through the app. You can also update to-do lists and track project progress in real-time.

There’s a free trial available for every plan. The Starter plan is $85 AUD per month, the Essential plan is $143 AUD per month

One caveat to mention is that dissatisfied Houzz Pro customers are quick to post reviews. There are some good reviews for the service and software, but there are lots of negative ones, too. Not every user has gotten great leads, and many say that cancelling a subscription in the US can be difficult, at best. But it receives top marks for us for its country-specific website, which allows users to view pricing in Australian dollars, rather than converting to US.

As a general project management software, monday.com can work well for both construction companies and subcontractors. It’s a flexible option that’s easy to use and affordable, but you won’t find any industry-specific features or tools in this app. This is a simple and elegant way to ensure everyone on the team knows who is doing what, when each task will be done and the status of each task.

There is a free version available that may be useful for a solo entrepreneur (though it allows for two users), but it’s limiting. Paid plans range from $11 AUD to $22 AUD per user per month (if billed annually, with a three-user minimum), and with each tier come more useful features, such as automations and integrations. You can offer guest access to the app at the mid-tier level, which could be useful to show a client the progress of a project.

Storage is generous, but not unlimited, so you may have to delete files or photos along the way as you add new projects. Integrating other apps through Zapier may help to extend the functionality of monday.com for your construction company’s needs, but you won’t get a lot of help with this unless you opt for the highest-priced plan.