The Best Construction Project Management Software
Here are the 10 tools I think are best for managing construction projects online:
We're in the midst of a (sometimes painful) joint effort to digitalize our operations across general contractors, developers, engineering firms, and facilities management firms, unifying our models and data from a project's very beginnings through to the ongoing maintenance of the building system.
Moving from a desktop-based software program to an online project management software is just one step in the digital transformation we're undergoing in the construction industry. To help you find the best software for running construction projects online, I've evaluated each one in the section below, explaining its key features and what I think it's best for.
Overviews Of The 10 Best Online Construction Project Management Software
Here’s my take on each online PM tool and why it’s useful. I focused mostly on its use case for construction management companies and general contractors, but these are often in use among developers, renovators, and specialty contractors, too.
Contractor Foreman
Best with team and document management tools
Contractor Foreman is a comprehensive online construction management software that streamlines the workflows of construction project managers, contractors, site supervisors, and team members. It's a cloud-based platform that offers a range of tools including scheduling, budget tracking, and time tracking to manage both projects and teams.
Team management tools include time tracking, scheduling, GPS location tracking, and reporting. Project managers and company leaders can keep track of the time spent on each project and task, and send field teams out to sites based on availability and proximity. The software also has document management capabilities, so users can create, share, and store project-related documents like drawings, plans, and contracts. Its search function allows users to filter through documents by category, title, or keyword, helping them find what they're looking for quickly.
Safety management tools are included to help construction managers ensure that their job sites comply with safety regulations and minimize the risks of accidents or injuries. Inspection forms, checklists, and incident reports can all be managed in the software. The software also manages equipment rentals, tracks inventory, and schedules digital work orders.
Integrations with other apps like QuickBooks, WePay, Outlook 365, Google Calendar, CompanyCam, Gusto, and Angi Leads are available. You can also use a paid Zapier account to unlock additional software integrations. A free 30-day trial is available, and paid plans start at $49 per month, billed annually.
JobNimbus
Best for integrations
One of the biggest challenges faced by construction companies is to have everybody reading from the same page. JobNimbus is designed to mitigate this challenge and ensure that all teams have a central place where they can discuss and determine the details of any project. With the correct information, teams can move faster because they don’t have to wait for someone to clarify something.
The best thing about JobNimbus is that the software is designed specifically for the construction industry. But aren’t they all? If you look at most of the software targeting the construction industry, you will notice that they are made to work in all sectors. This means that you have to do much tweaking and compromising to get the software to work for your construction business. With JobNimbus, you don’t have this problem.
JobNimbus integrates with Quickbooks, Beacon, EagleView, SalesRabbit, CompanyCam, Google Calendar, Accurence, naturalForms, Podium, and Xactware. You can also connect to hundreds of apps with a paid plan through Zapier. This makes them an excellent choice for integrations.
JobNimbus offers customized packages and a 14-day free trial.
Procore
Best for connecting stakeholders with the project owner
Anyone who doubts the developers of Procore when they say that their software is a great construction management software possibly hasn’t seen the tool’s various modules. The software has specific modules designed for the construction company owner, general contractor, or specialty contractor. This means that the tool doesn’t attempt to lump everyone into the same group hoping that they would find some features that work for them.
Procore is an excellent online construction management solution because it comes with tools covering every aspect of the construction business. These tools include project management, project financials, quality and safety, design coordination, invoice management, and bid management.
Procore integrates with Bluebeam, Microsoft Project, Oracle Primavera, Sage 100, Smartsheets, Smartvid.io, Zoom, and another 300 apps.
Procore offers an unlimited user plan based on your company profile. You can contact the company for a free demo.
TopBuilder
Best for subcontractors
The developers of TopBuilder indicate that their software solution is designed for home builders, real estate professionals, new home sales agents, and general contractors. TopBuilder helps these professionals to accomplish preconstruction, sales, and marketing tasks by taking care of the repetitive admin tasks.
One of the best TopBuilder features is that it allows you to track your bids. This makes the software an excellent tool for subcontractors who want to ensure that they keep tabs on the projects they are bidding for, meet project scheduling requirements, and keep job costs low, in the process improving the bottom line. Another feature that makes this an excellent tool for subcontractors is that it provides monthly revenue cash projections.
TopBuilder integrates with BDX, Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Mark Systems, and AtlasRTX.
TopBuilder costs from $35/user/month and offers a free demo.
The Power Tools
Best for connecting the construction accounting team with other project teams
The Power Tools is software designed to ensure a flow of information between the construction accounting team and other sections of a construction project. The SaaS software has several modules, including Accounting, Payroll, JCPM, Bid Solicitation, Estimating, Work Orders, Equipment, Lien Tracking, Apps, and Calendar.
The Power Tools is an excellent tool because it’s backed by a team that will do everything in its power to ensure that the tool is customized to your exact needs. The tool is also an extensive package, ensuring that you don’t move between many tools to accomplish distinct tasks.
The Power Tools integrates with Microsoft Outlook.
You can contact the company to get an idea of its price plans and schedule a demo.
Yookkan
Best free construction project management software
When you look at Yookkan’s ease of use, it becomes clear that the tool is designed for individuals that are new to construction project management. The tool’s automated Gantt chart allows you to view key actions, dates, and milestones. The automated project summary dashboards help you determine how much progress individuals and groups have made, and track time allocated, costs, and risks.
One of the most useful Yookkan features is multiple tracking, available on the multitracking dashboard. The multitracking dashboard makes it easier to place each project within the context of the bigger picture and determine what needs to be prioritized. Added to this, you can use this tool for planning meetings and managing risks.
Yookkan integrates with Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, and iCal.
Yookkan costs from $6/user/month and offers a free version as well as a free trial of all the paid plans.
CrewTracks
Best for construction project human resources management
CrewTracks helps teams in the construction industry manage field crews digitally. Its scheduling and dispatch features make it possible to communicate with teams in the field and collect administrative data. Using this tool, you can also assign jobs to team leaders and crews.
One feature that I find extremely useful with this tool is the mobile app that facilitates information sharing. Using the app, crews can clock in for work and report injuries. If you have tasks that need to be monitored, you can use the app’s GPS feature. Added to this, the application provides details like the weather and stores job photos and notes.
CrewTracks integrates with accounting software tools, including QuickBooks, and other software such as CompuEase, Foundation, and Sage 300cloud.
CrewTracks costs from $10-25/person/month, depending on the features you need. They offer a free demo to help you decide.
Neo Intelligence
Best digital construction site diary
Neo Intelligence seems to have every feature required by project managers focusing specifically on the operations side of construction. The app facilitates staff communication, enabling managers to send bulk SMS, allocate job site tasks, and give instructions to the staff. Other features include site diary management with the ability to add images, drawings, and notes that update in the cloud in real-time.
I have this tool on my top ten list of the best online construction management software because of its possibilities when it comes to managing every operations aspect of a project. For instance, it delivers timesheets as soon as employees clock in for work, automating the payroll and ensuring that all employees are paid according to time worked.
Neo Intelligence integrates with Jobpac, Vista, simPRO, Workbench, and CAT Projects, among others.
Neo Intelligence does not provide pricing details, but you can request a free demo by contacting the company.
Fieldwire
Best for generating construction project reports
The designers of Fieldwire identify three core use cases for their software: using collaborative markups for managing different versions of plans, tracking issues using checklists, 360-degree photos and annotations, and task scheduling and management. Fieldwire gathers information and uses it to create easy-to-understand project activity reports.
One of the great features of Fieldwire is that it is built to work efficiently both online and offline. This means that teams do not stop collaborating when facing network issues or when in places that don’t have a network at all. This software saves time because it can replace existing drawing sheets with new versions together with all hyperlinks and markups.
Fieldwire integrates with Google Drive, Microsoft Excel, Dropbox Business, and Box.
Fieldwire costs from $29/user/month and offers a forever-free plan for small businesses with up to five users.
123Worx
Best enterprise-grade construction management tool
It’s easy for a software provider to promise “solutions for every project.” The challenge comes in living up to this promise. When you look at the various modules available with 123Worx, it’s clear that the software lives up to the promise. It provides a complete suite of modules for a construction business, including business management, project management, collaboration management, and productivity and management tools.
123Worx deserves to be on any top list because it is a comprehensive tool. The tool helps teams accomplish any task in the construction industry you can think of: request for information (RFI), submittals, estimating, punch lists, change order management, CRM, and project management. Users can fully customize the software to meet the specific needs of any business.
123Worx integrates with Microsoft 365, Gmail, Quickbooks Accountant, Calendly, SendGrid, and Google Maps. 123Worx Enterprise boasts integration with your company’s existing ERP system using industry-standard API as well as other off-the-shelf apps, making it a competitive choice between their offerings.
123Worx offers multiple pricing plans, and you will need to contact the company to find out what each plan costs. You can also request a free demo.
Summary Chart
Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Contractor Foreman Best with team and document management tools | A 30-day free trial is available upon sign-up. | Contractor Foreman’s plans start at $49 per month, billed annually. | Visit Website |
2 | JobNimbus Best for integrations | 14-day free trial | Visit Website | |
3 | Procore Best for connecting stakeholders with the project owner | Free demo | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
4 | TopBuilder Best for subcontractors | Free demo | From $35/user/month | Visit Website |
5 | The Power Tools Best for connecting the construction accounting team with other project teams | Not available | Visit Website | |
6 | Yookkan Best free construction project management software | Offers Free version as well as a free trial of all the paid plans | From $6/user/month | Visit Website |
7 | CrewTracks Best for construction project human resources management | Free demo | From $10-25/person/month | Visit Website |
8 | Neo Intelligence Best digital construction site diary | Free demo | Visit Website | |
9 | Fieldwire Best for generating construction project reports | Not available | Free plan for up to 5 users | Visit Website |
10 | 123Worx Best enterprise-grade construction management tool | Free demo | Visit Website |
Other Online Construction PM Software Options
Here are a few more that didn’t make the top list, but they’re still great tool, so I included them here for you to check out:
- monday.com
Best for project timeline visualizations
- Projectworks
Best for its robust reporting features
- Jobber
Best for construction projects administration tasks
- Wrike
Best for construction companies in a fast-changing environment
- Bridgit Bench
Best for construction project workforce planning
- InEight
Best for improving construction project staff utilization
- BuildBook
Best for construction business sales and marketing teams
- Vizzn
Best for construction project dispatch and schedulin
- eSUB
Best for field reporting and tracking
- Spectrum
Best for document and drawing management
- Service Titan
Best for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical firms
- LaborChart
Best for managing the employee database
- Bosch RefinemySite
Best for teams following the lean principle
- Revizto
Best for construction project issue tracking
- ProjectSight
Best for job costing, budget, and cost management
- RedTeam
Best for managing construction documents and contracts
- Buildertrend
Best for managing complex construction projects
- Autodesk Construction Cloud
Best iOs and Android apps
- Houzz Pro
Best for remodelers
- CoConstruct
Best for home builders
Selection Criteria For Online Construction PM Tools
Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
Usability: I looked for PM software that's not only useful for construction but also available on multiple devices and through mobile apps. This is because PM software is increasingly being used around site, with project managers and coordinators bringing a tablet to different areas of the site to compare the build progress with the plan and make notes.
Integrations: Is it easy to connect with other tools? Any pre-built integrations? Integrations ensure that I can incorporate the tool that I have selected into other tools I already use, like accounting software, in case the tool doesn’t have all the features I need.
Value for $: How appropriate is the price for the features, capabilities, and use case? Is pricing clear, transparent, and flexible? I look for a product that assists construction companies in achieving more while doing less.
Key Features
When looking for construction management software, these are the features I consider a must:
- Document management and storage: Every construction project involves a massive collection of documents shared by the project owner, preconstruction teams, field teams, and other interested parties. Therefore, I need a tool that can help me store and retrieve documents pertaining to the entire project easily.
- Submittals: An architect always wants to ensure that the construction process uses the correct products and materials. Consequently, contractors submit information about materials and equipment they will use before purchasing them. A good tool would have functionality facilitating these submittals.
- Workload Assignments: In the project life cycle, it’s vital to be clear about who is doing what and who did what. This ensures that when I meet challenges or issues that need to be addressed, I know whom to go to. Thus, I need a task management feature that helps me manage workflows.
- Tracking: I want a tool that provides daily logs to track project progress in real-time.
- Change orders requests: This function allows various parties involved in the project to submit proposed changes to the latest project plan.
- Reporting: This ensures that I have a summary of what is happening in different parts of the project. A tool with this feature can assist you in determining where resources are being used and where they are needed most.
- Team Collaboration: In construction projects, various stakeholders need to communicate and request information or additional details. I am looking for a tool that facilitates collaboration in a single place.
What Do You Think?
Have you used any of the online construction project management tools we feature above in your construction project? If so, how did the tool improve your processes, or what did you feel was lacking?
Please share your thoughts in the comments so other PMs can learn from your experience.