9 Best Construction Software Tools For Small Business

Category: Construction | By Cristina Johnson | 29 minute read | Updated Sep 20, 2022
Best Construction Software Tools For Small Business

When it comes to running a small business in the construction industry, you need to find the best construction software for small businesses.

But with so many to choose from, it’s challenging to decide which ones are the best for your business. Technology is rapidly changing the way construction projects are done and how construction firms are run. In fact, the World Economic Forum reported full-scale digitization could lead to savings between $0.7-1.2 trillion (13- 21%) in the Design & Engineering and Construction phases, and $0.3-0.5 trillion (10-17%) in the Operations phase by 2026.

If you are a growing construction firm, you probably already realize the importance of software implementation in construction but how clear are you on the different types, purposes, and benefits of each? 

The 9 Best Construction Software Tools For Small Business

Best for employee and project tracking: ClockShark

Best for project management: Procore

Best for real-time collaboration: Smartsheet

Best for payroll: QuickBooks

Best for custom home builders: CoConstruct

Best for estimating: UDA Constructiononline

Best for equipment tracking: EZOfficeInventory

Best for project collaboration: Touchplan

Best for budget tracking: Archdesk

What Can A Construction Software Do For Your Small Business?

Simply speaking, the right use of the right software solutions for your small business will improve your operations and keep you competitive in many ways. Construction firms are notoriously slow to adapt to change and adopt technology but doing so is the only way you’ll be able to grow your construction business.

You’ve likely heard the buzzword “data” many times over. That’s because data is becoming increasingly necessary to stay in business. Data is the key to getting things done in the right ways, by the right people. Construction software will help you get data so you can make the right decisions moving forward.

Benefits Of Construction Management Software

There are a lot of different types of software to help you manage your construction business. You may already be using software that has proven to be beneficial. For example, accounting software like Quickbooks is a commonly used software for accounting and payroll that speeds up these processes and makes them more accurate.

In the same way, there are other types of construction software that will help you grow your business. Here are just some of the benefits of using construction management software.

Streamline Project Management 

Construction projects have a tendency to experience hiccups due to things like scope creep, change orders, bad weather, or disruptions in the supply chain. Any number of these things will often drive a project to a halt and require you and your employees to scramble to find solutions.

Project management software helps you manage projects from concept to handover, connecting each element of the project along the way. 

Makes Information Accessible And Easy To Find

Rather than sorting through notes, files, and folders, construction software for small businesses makes finding information easy to find and review. With cloud computing, you can access the data you’re looking for, from any PC or smart device, so you no longer have to go to the office to find the information you’re looking for.

Tracks Expenses And Budgets

You need to be able to accurately track expenses and your accounts payable and receivable and the right construction software will make this easy, accurate, and fast. With technology, you can establish your project budgets, manage RFIs, PCOs, and change orders, and collect the financial information you need to avoid going over budget.

Streamline Communication 

Communication is critical in construction but not always easy. The inability to communicate promptly and accurately is a major cause of unnecessary delays and, frequently, avoidable rework. Using technology, however, you can have all pertinent information available in the right places for the right people to access at any time. 

Integrations With Other Software

When you have the right technology, it should work together like a well-oiled machine. Many software are able to integrate making things like project management and administrative duties faster and easier.

Simplifies Reporting 

Data. Data. Data. Again, the use of data is increasingly important to business owners to make important, forward-moving decisions. With the right software, you can create reports on just about any aspect of your company or project(s) you need, to make informed decisions.

Accurate Quotes And Estimating

While most contractors are confident in their abilities to submit bids, without technology they are just “doing it the way it’s always been done,” rather than using accurate job costing information to get a real-time picture of costs. 

With construction software, the guesswork is removed and quotes are more accurate, saving you the risk of underbidding a project.

time tracking for construction

Types Of Construction Management Software

Depending on your needs, different types of construction software for small businesses may be more important to your growth than others. And you don’t need to adopt all software at the same time. 

It’s important to get to know what’s available in terms of software solutions for construction before you can decide which ones to try first. Ultimately, you’ll need to do an honest review of your organization and determine the areas where technology most needs to be implemented to strengthen operations and help your company grow.

Analytics

You can use construction analytics to collect, analyze, and monitor data to improve project outcomes, reduce risks, and uncover insights you may not have realized before.  With the help of real-time data and automated construction reports, from multiple sources, you can make informed decisions about present and future projects.

Job Costing 

Rather than relying on lost or damaged receipts or guesses and estimates, construction software helps you keep track of your true job costs, from labor to materials and supplies. Accurate job costing includes fixed costs, time-related costs, and quantity-proportional costs and that’s a lot to keep track of. Construction software helps you do this in an accurate and easy way, most often in real-time.

Project Management

From conception to clean-up and handoff, project management software connects every phase of your projects, regardless of size. Management can monitor projects and lead teams from their mobile devices and everyone - from team leaders and CEOs to administrators and laborers - can communicate in real-time. 

Project management software simplifies running a project and makes it easier to stay closer to your timeline and within budget, and to address disruptions in a timely manner.

Specialty Design  

Building design and building information modeling (BIM) software includes computer-aided design (CAD) products frequently used by architecture and construction companies. Many of these products offer tools and libraries specifically targeted toward architectural design and construction, including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, and building information modeling (BIM). These are advanced technologies that many large firms in construction and architecture use.

Safety Management

Construction is a heavily regulated industry when it comes to worker safety and there are a lot of things to track and record. A good safety management software will help you more easily manage safety meetings and establish and maintain a safety management system to avoid non-compliance and keep everyone safe.

Equipment Tracking

A lot of tools and equipment are used in construction projects and, with a lot of different employees using them, it gets difficult to keep track. Equipment tracking software for construction is an easy way to let workers report on which equipment they used and when for how long. You can also use equipment tracking software to schedule maintenance activities.

Best Construction Software For Small Business

When you’re growing your construction business, you can expect to adopt technology to stay competitive and in business. The right construction software for your small business will catapult you in the right direction to grow.

Here are some of the industry’s top construction software for small business



1. ClockShark

Best for: employee and project tracking

ClockShark began as a time tracking and scheduling mobile app that has grown to be a dynamic construction management software, ideal for small- and medium-sized businesses. ClockShark offers multiple features that allow you to better manage your projects from a computer or mobile device.

Pros

  • Very user-friendly design
  • Fast and easy to set up and start using immediately
  • Offers bi-lingual (Spanish) usage
  • Built especially for construction and trades
  • Scales with your business
  • Allows you to keep track of the progress made on every job
  • Easily assigns jobs or tasks to specific employees
  • Exports employee timesheets to your accounting system
  • Multiple construction management features

Cons

  • May not be the best option for companies outside the construction trades and field service industries

Pricing

Starts at just $8/month per user+ $7/month base fee.

Free 14-day trial.

Save Time and Money with ClockShark

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.



2. Procore

Best for: employee and project tracking

Procore is a robust project management platform that provides project management tools for construction firms. Procore allows you to monitor and manage your projects with tools like bill management and scheduling and offers features that allow you to track finances and manage quality and safety on your jobsites.

Pros

  • Multiple construction management features
  • Document management
  • Integrations

Cons

  • May not be the best option for companies outside the construction trades and field service industries
  • Pages don't update in real time or autosave with every keystroke

Pricing

Starts at $667 per month. Free trial.



3. Smartsheet

Best for: real-time collaboration

Smartsheet is a project management software that allows teams to collaborate in real-time and creates automatic workflows. It’s ideal for communicating and provides your employees visibility into current projects and information.

Pros

  • Integrations
  • Easy to use
  • Makes running payroll faster and more accurate

Cons

  • Pages don't update in real time or autosave with every keystroke
  • Takes time to set up
  • Can be complicated
  • Complicated

Pricing

Starts at $9/month per user. Minimum of 3 employees. Free trial.



4. QuickBooks

Best for: payroll

Quickbooks accounting software helps construction companies with their accounting processes. Using Quickbooks for construction, you can track time, do payroll, run reports, and sometimes integrate with other software.

Pros

  • Makes running payroll faster and more accurate
  • Simplifies sending invoices
  • Built for construction

Cons

  • Complicated
  • Issues with duplicated entry

Pricing

Starts at $4/month per employee + $45 base fee. Free trial.




5. CoConstruct

Best for: custom home builders

This software is built for construction companies and has a lot of features to help streamline projects. You can useCoConstruct to manage finances, track time, do estimates, improve communications, and more.

Pros

  • Built for construction
  • Intuitive and easy to use
  • Has a lot of functionality for construction companies

Cons

  • Issues with duplicated entry
  • Complex to use

Pricing

Starts at $99/month. No free trial. 



6. UDA Constructiononline

Best for: estimating

UDA Constructiononline is a construction estimating and job costing software that provides options for project management to help you stay on top of projects. From estimates and Change Orders to communication and reporting, this software platform offers quite a bit of features.

Pros

  • Has a lot of functionality for construction companies
  • Helpful customer service
  • Easy to use

Cons

  • Complex to use
  • Needs other UDA software to get maximum functionality
  • Limited customization
  • Challenging to enter multiple assets

Pricing

Starts at $270/month billed annually. Free trial. 



7. EZOfficeInventory

Best for: equipment tracking

EZOfficeInventory is a software solution used to track assets such as equipment. Using EZOfficeInventory, you can track equipment regardless of location and plan maintenance from within the app.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Collaborative scheduling process

Cons

  • Challenging to enter multiple assets
  • Limited search capability
  • Not intuitive so not as easy to use

Pricing

Starts at $35/month billed annually. Free trial. 



8. Touchplan

Best for: project collaboration

Touchplan is a construction planning software that helps with real-time data and insight. It helps understanding the project health, risks and performance. 

Pros

  • Collaborative scheduling process
  • Helps you pull together time frame on when the project will be completed
  • Customizable

Cons

  • Not intuitive so not as easy to use
  • Frequent glitches
  • Not enough room for customization

Pricing

Starts at $590/month. Free trial. 



9. Archdesk

Best for: budget tracking

Archdesk is a project management software for construction that includes project workflows, scheduling, document management, and budgeting tools.

Pros

  • Customizable
  • Easy to share information to and from the field
  • Frequent upgrades

Cons

  • Not intuitive so not as easy to use
  • Confusing permissions cause records/documents to be deleted
  • Limited integrations

Pricing

Contact for pricing. No free trial. 

Choose The Best Construction Software Tools for Your Small Business

As technology continues to expand and become an intrinsic part of the future, today’s small construction companies will need to begin adopting it. The best construction software tools for your company will depend on your current and future needs but it’s important you choose the right one for you. 


Compare the Best Construction Software Tools For Small Business

PricingFree Trial
Starts at just $8/month per user + $7/month base fee.
Starts at $667 per month. 
Starts at $9/month per user. Minimum of 3 employees. 
Starts at $4/month per employee + $45 base fee.
Starts at $99/month. 
Starts at $270/month billed annually.
Starts at $35/month billed annually. 
Starts at $590/month. 
Contact for pricing. 

FAQ For Construction Software for Small Businesses



How Does Construction Management Software Work?

Most construction management software is cloud-based which means the data is stored on an external server where it can be accessed from just about anywhere. It also keeps your data secure with encryption. Any information such as timesheet data, customer information, etc., is uploaded to the cloud in real-time so the data is available anytime. Most construction software comes with desktop and mobile apps that work with either iOS or Android smartphones.

Is Construction Software Management Worth the Cost?

Yes. As with investing in any tool for a project, it is an investment. When you factor in the amount of time and resources that are saved when you use the right construction software solution, you’ll save money. The key is to get the right one for your business. As you grow, you can always upgrade to a more robust solution but to start, you may want to try to get an affordable option that gives you as many features as possible.

How Do I Choose the Best Construction Management Software 

The key is to do an honest assessment of your company right now. You can’t fix something if you don’t know it’s broken and running a business is hard work. But you can ask yourself questions like:

  • What information do I wish I had?
  • What processes are taking too long?
  • What data do I need to make it easier to grow my company?

Honest answers to questions like this will help point you in the right direction as far as the features you need for a construction software for small business. 

9,500+ companies use ClockShark to track employees and save time every month.

Get Started Free

No credit card required.