Best Construction Estimating Software (2023) (2023)

Buildxact is an Australian-based company with offices in Austin, Texas, in the U.S. for domestic products. The company was founded in 2011. It is a cloud-based solution for contractors and builders. Buildxact touts that it helps to elevate residential construction industry professionals because builders can be more transparent about pricing.

The simplicity of the system allows builders to use one system from the takeoff to the invoice. It claims to make the process 80% faster and only requires two hours of lead time to get started using the product.

Buildxact allows you to upload a PDF of the plans to perform takeoffs on-screen within minutes. Builders can use the on-page scales to measure jobs quickly for accurate pricing. Takeoffs are automatically linked to the item costs so that you don’t need to input them every time manually. In fact, if you work with a pro dealer, you can integrate the system for even faster estimating.

You can try Buildxact with a 14-day free trial. From there, the company offers three plans:

• Entry: $149 per month for one user
• Pro: $249 per month for two users
• Teams: $399 per month for four users

The Entry plan doesn’t offer project management or Gantt charts. In fact, it limits capabilities to estimates and quote builders. You need the Pro or Teams plan to get purchase order variation, accounting integrations and flexible invoicing. The Teams plan also allows you to grant user access controls.

Who should use it:

Buildxact is a great fit for general contractors looking for an all-in-one solution that is affordable and functional.

PlanSwift by ConstructConnect takes the paper out of planning. This helps to make the process cheaper, faster and, overall, easier. By uploading the plans, the software then allows single-click options to perform takeoffs. This moves a takeoff from guesstimating to knowing exactly what is needed down to the nail.

The software boasts that it is easy to use, though the software does offer training for $300 with the purchase of the package. PlanSwift also touts its top-rated customer support team that is there to help customers fix problems and understand estimating to utilize the software best.

Try the software with no credit card required. If you love it as much as they think you will, the cost for the annual license is $1,913. The $300 training option is one-on-one custom training to walk you through the nuances of the software that will help you save time and money.

Who should use it:

PlanSwift breaks jobs down into the components needed and can segregate what a tradesman needs to properly bid and complete a job.

Contractor Foreman is a cost-effective estimating tool that offers a 30-day free trial. Unlike PlanSwift, training and support are always free, and you lock in the price once you subscribe so that if Contractor Foreman raises its prices, you won’t pay more.

There are four plans with Contractor Foreman:

• Standard: $49 per month
• Plus: $87 per month, if paid annually
• Pro: $123 per month, if paid annually
• Unlimited: $148 per month, if paid annually

The Plus plan goes beyond the basics of estimating and includes features such as eight users with three hours of free private training. The company offers a 100-day satisfaction guarantee on top of its 30-day free trial. Not only can you perform estimating, but you can also do scheduling and manage multiple projects from the system. Track service tickets and permits in the system and give clients a portal to see the progress and costs of their own projects.

Take projects from estimating to invoicing with a few clicks of the mouse. Change orders are made easy as well, with an upload of new project plans that then change the required materials and costs. Overall, Contractor Foreman is a comprehensive estimating and project management tool for contractors to use.

Who should use it:

Contractor Foreman is the most cost-effective solution on the market for general contractors to get an estimating tool with comprehensive features.

RedTeam was founded in 2006 with headquarters located in Orlando, Florida. This software solution is a one-stop shop for running your general contractor business. The solution goes beyond just estimating from takeoffs; it allows for job site collaboration where collaborators don’t need to log in to participate. Contractors can track equipment and vendors, using daily reports to see how the project progresses.

RedTeam integrates with Intuit QuickBooks, helping contractors take the numbers from their jobs and implement them into the right categories in the bookkeeping software, making tax prep and business development a cinch.

RedTeam received accolades as a Front Runner from Software Advice and is on the Shortlist for Capterra. However, it doesn’t have a free trial to test out the platform as with other software options. You’ll need to schedule a demo to get to know the features and find out the cost.

Who should use it:

RedTeam’s customer satisfaction rate makes it a natural choice for experienced contractors looking for the most efficient estimating software and job completion tools out there.

UDA ConstructionOnline has its roots in UDA Technologies, which started in 1999 when it released its first version of the construction estimating software. It’s proud to work with more than 850,000 construction pros worldwide. It offers solutions for residential, specialty, commercial and industrial construction, making it a clear choice for contractors with diverse portfolios.

UDA ConstructionOnline doesn’t offer a free trial, but does allow you to demo the product to see how the features work and whether it is easy to use. There are four residential plans that are billed annually:

• Pro: $370 per month
• Team: $740 per month
• Business: $1,110 per month
• Enterprise: $2,915 per month

The Pro plan has everything that a general contractor would need for an independently run company. Core tools include document and photo management, construction calendars and to-do lists. There is project estimating that moves directly into proposals and contracts for simplicity. Clients can log in to portals to see the progress of a project while the general contractor has access to Gantt chart scheduling.

As you move up in plans, you get integration with QuickBooks, inbound email storage and online contract signatures. Business plans give you employee time clocks and the ability to output reports to Microsoft Excel.

Who should use it:

UDA ConstructionOnline has the tools for big companies to manage massive projects and teams of contractors.