Some builders get by on a couple of tools and a pile of spreadsheets; others run a dozen tools that don't talk to each other. Neither works well for long. The right construction software stack depends on your size, the kind of projects you take on and how much complexity your team can manage. This guide covers what you need, what each tool costs and how they should connect.
The Essential Stack: 6 Categories Every Builder Needs
Whatever your size, you need software that covers these six jobs. The real choice is whether you use separate tools or one all-in-one platform.
1. Estimating and Takeoff
Why it matters: Accurate estimates win jobs and protect margins. Spreadsheet-based estimating is slow and error-prone — a single missed line item can wipe out a job's margin.
Buildxact
Price: From $149/month | Best for: Residential builders and renovators
Australian-built, excellent supplier price lists, integrates with Xero, easy to learn
Less suited for large commercial projects, limited multi-user collaboration
Cubit Estimating
Price: From $199/month | Best for: Commercial and residential builders wanting detailed takeoffs
Powerful quantity takeoff from plans, Australian pricing databases, detailed cost breakdowns
Steeper learning curve, desktop-based (cloud version improving)
ProEst
Price: Custom pricing (typically $200-$400/month) | Best for: Mid-size commercial builders and subcontractors
Cloud-based, excellent reporting, integrates with project management tools
US-focused pricing databases (need to configure for Australian rates)
2. Project Management
Why it matters: Keeping jobs on time and on budget requires real-time visibility. Site managers need mobile access to schedules, documents, and communications. Office staff need to know what is happening on every job without making phone calls.
Procore
Price: Custom pricing (typically $500-$2,000/month based on volume) | Best for: Mid-size to large builders running multiple concurrent projects
Industry standard, excellent document management, powerful subcontractor management, mobile app
Expensive for small builders, complex to set up, requires training investment
Buildertrend
Price: From $199/month | Best for: Residential builders and remodellers
All-in-one (project management + CRM + financial tools), great client portal, mobile-friendly
US-focused (some features assume US workflows), financial features not as deep as dedicated accounting
Co-construct (now Buildertrend)
Price: Merged into Buildertrend | Best for: Custom home builders wanting client collaboration tools
Excellent client selection and change order management
Now part of Buildertrend — transition may affect existing users
3. Accounting
Why it matters: Construction accounting is different from standard business accounting. You need job costing, progress claims, retention tracking, and subcontractor payment management. Your accounting software must handle these or integrate with tools that do.
Xero
Price: From $52/month | Best for: Small to mid-size builders wanting cloud accounting with strong integrations
Excellent app ecosystem, bank feeds, GST handling, mobile app, 1,000+ integrations
Limited native job costing (need add-ons), not designed for construction-specific accounting
MYOB Business
Price: From $54/month | Best for: Builders wanting built-in job costing without add-ons
Native job tracking, Australian-built with strong ATO compliance, payroll included
Fewer integrations than Xero, interface less modern, weaker app ecosystem
QuickBooks Online
Price: From $35/month | Best for: Sole traders and very small builders
Affordable, easy to use, reasonable job tracking
Smaller Australian partner network, less construction-specific functionality
4. Job Costing
Why it matters: Knowing whether a job is profitable before it finishes is the difference between profitable builders and those who wonder where the money went. Real-time job costing catches cost blowouts while there is still time to do something about them.
Buildxact (built-in)
Price: Included in Buildxact subscription | Best for: Builders already using Buildxact for estimating
Seamless from estimate to job cost tracking, Xero integration, mobile time tracking
Less detailed than dedicated job costing tools for complex commercial work
ServiceM8
Price: From $9/month | Best for: Trades businesses and small builders doing maintenance and small jobs
Excellent mobile app, quoting, invoicing, job tracking, Xero integration
Not suited for large construction projects, limited progress claim management
Custom job costing solution
Price: Depends on scope — we give a fixed quote after a free initial chat | Best for: Builders with unique costing methods or complex multi-phase projects
Built exactly to your process, integrates with your existing systems
Higher upfront cost, requires ongoing maintenance
5. Scheduling and Resource Management
Why it matters: Double-booked trades, idle crews, and material delays are the biggest preventable costs in construction. Proper scheduling software makes clashes and gaps visible before they turn into delays.
Procore (scheduling module)
Price: Included with Procore subscription | Best for: Builders already using Procore for project management
Integrated with project management, Gantt charts, resource loading, lookahead scheduling
Requires Procore subscription (expensive for small builders)
Microsoft Project / Planner
Price: From $10/user/month | Best for: Builders comfortable with Microsoft tools wanting Gantt chart scheduling
Powerful scheduling, widely understood, integrates with Microsoft 365
Not construction-specific, no mobile-friendly site access, learning curve
Buildxact scheduling
Price: Included in Buildxact subscription | Best for: Residential builders wanting simple drag-and-drop scheduling
Visual scheduling, linked to estimates and job costs, easy to learn
Less powerful than dedicated scheduling tools for complex multi-trade coordination
6. Safety and Compliance
Why it matters: WHS compliance is non-negotiable in Australian construction. Paper-based SWMS, site diaries, and incident reports are slow, hard to audit, and easy to lose. Digital tools keep compliance records complete, easy to find and ready for an audit.
SafetyCulture (iAuditor)
Price: Free for basic, $24/user/month for Premium | Best for: All builders needing digital safety checklists and site inspections
Excellent mobile app, customisable checklists, photo evidence, incident reporting, free tier
Not a full project management tool, requires discipline to maintain
HammerTech
Price: Custom pricing (typically $300-$800/month) | Best for: Mid-size builders wanting comprehensive safety management
Australian-built, covers SWMS, inductions, permits, incident reporting, prequalification
More expensive, may be overkill for small residential builders
Procore Safety module
Price: Included with Procore subscription | Best for: Builders already using Procore
Integrated with project management, incident tracking, observation reporting
Requires full Procore subscription
How the Stack Should Connect
The tools only pay off when information flows between them, so nobody types the same thing twice. In a well-connected construction stack:
Estimating → Project Management: an accepted estimate becomes a project with its budget lines, schedule and tasks already set up, without retyping the scope or pricing.
Project Management → Accounting: progress claims, variations and subcontractor invoices flow into the accounts, so job costs stay up to date.
Time Tracking → Payroll and Job Costing: site staff clock on and off on their phones, and the hours go to payroll and to each job's labour cost. No paper timesheets.
Safety → Project Management: incidents, inspections and SWMS are linked to the right project, so the paperwork is always with the job.
Everything → Reporting: once the systems are connected, job profit, cash flow, schedule and safety can be seen in one place without anyone pulling reports together by hand.
Budget Guide by Builder Size
Small Builder / 4-15 Staff ($1M-$5M revenue)
Monthly software budget: Moderate — several connected subscriptions
Recommended stack: Buildxact or Buildertrend + Xero + SafetyCulture Premium + Deputy (timesheets)
Key consideration: This is where integration starts to matter. Make sure your estimating, accounting and time tracking tools are connected. Manual data transfer between systems costs more than the software itself.
Mid-Size Builder / 15-50 Staff ($5M-$20M revenue)
Monthly software budget: Higher — platform licences per user
Recommended stack: Procore or Buildertrend + Xero/MYOB + Cubit (estimating) + HammerTech (safety) + Deputy
Key consideration: At this scale, you need dedicated tools for each function and proper integration between them. Consider a custom integration layer to connect your systems. Costs depend on how many systems are involved and how much needs to be custom-built, so get it scoped and quoted before you commit.
5 Common Mistakes Builders Make
Mistake 1: Buying too much too early
A sole trader does not need Procore. A 5-person builder does not need a $3,000/month software stack. Start with the tools that solve your biggest problem and add more as you grow. We see builders paying for software they barely use.
Mistake 2: Not integrating your tools
Buildxact for estimating and Xero for accounting is a good combination, but not if someone has to retype data between them. If your tools are not connected, you are paying for the software and for the manual data entry. Check how a tool connects to your other systems before you buy it.
Mistake 3: Ignoring mobile access
Construction happens on job sites, not in offices. Any tool that requires a desktop computer to use effectively is the wrong tool for construction. Site managers, supervisors, and trades need to access schedules, documents, and timesheets from their phones.
Mistake 4: Choosing based on features instead of fit
The tool with the most features is rarely the best choice. Choose based on how well it fits your actual workflow. A simple tool your team actually uses beats a powerful tool they avoid. Get your site managers to test drive any tool before you buy it.
Mistake 5: Skipping training
Site teams are rarely excited about new software. If you buy a tool and expect people to work it out themselves, most of them will not use it. Budget for proper on-site training, create cheat sheets for common tasks, and have a champion on each site who can help others.
For more, see our Procore vs Buildertrend comparison, our construction job costing service and our Xero vs MYOB comparison.
Need Help Connecting Your Construction Software?
We help Australian builders choose and connect their software so jobs, costs and accounts line up, and your systems support the way you run projects instead of getting in the way.