Best Buildertrend Alternative: Why Planyard is the Perfect Choice

Buildertrend is a popular construction project management tool, but for teams prioritizing financial efficiency and simplicity, Planyard stands out as a compelling alternative. In this guide, we’ll compare Buildertrend with Planyard and highlight other alternatives to meet various business needs.

Why Budget Management Matters in Construction

Efficient project budget management is crucial for preventing cost overruns and maximizing profitability. It requires diligent cost tracking, proactive forecasting, and effective risk management. While many ERP and accounting tools primarily work as reporting tools for construction cost control, Planyard offers a distinct advantage. Developed by construction professionals, Planyard eliminates the need for spreadsheets and redundant data entry. It streamlines financial workflows and provides real-time budgets and forecasts, ensuring seamless project oversight.

How Buildertrend Budget Management Works

Buildertrend users track the project budget on Buildertrend. Invoices are processed in accounting software like Xero and Quickbooks, so users must manually match them to corresponding budget items on the accounting system. After approval, the costs are reflected in Buildertrend.

How Planyard Budget Management Works

Planyard simplifies the workflow by centralizing all processes. Users upload the budget into Planyard and directly manage commitments such as purchase and subcontractor orders in the platform. When invoices arrive, Planyard AI matches them to the correct purchase orders, updates the budget in real-time, and forwards the information to accounting systems so there is a single source of data entry company-wide.

Common Challenges with Buildertrend Financial Processes

1. Limited Financial Tracking and Job Profitability: Buildertrend users often struggle with tracking job profitability in real-time. Unlike other solutions, Buildertrend doesn’t allow users to input and track projects' purchase and resale prices, making it harder to gauge profitability as the project progresses.
2. Complex and Manual Data Entry: Many users report that Buildertrend requires extensive manual input, especially when managing cost codes, budgets, and change orders. This increases the risk of errors and adds unnecessary complexity to financial processes.
3. Integration Issues with accounting: While Buildertrend offers integration with Xero and QuickBooks, many users find that the integration does not work as smoothly as expected. Issues with syncing data, importing invoices, and keeping financial records up to date create inefficiencies and frustrations.
4. Lack of Customization in Cost-Plus Budgeting: Buildertrend doesn’t handle cost-plus budgets as effectively as some alternatives. Users looking for more flexibility in managing client billing and adjusting budgets to reflect changes often find Builder trend's capabilities lacking.
5. Limited Change Order Management: Managing change orders can be cumbersome, with Buildertrend not offering the flexibility or automation required for fast adjustments. This results in delays and manual adjustments, which complicate the financial tracking process.
6. High Costs and Implementation Time: Buildertrend is known for its high pricing structure and extended implementation periods. While the platform offers many features, the cost can be prohibitive for small to mid-sized construction businesses. The lengthy setup time also requires more effort to get teams up and running.
7. Invoice and Billing Issues: Users find generating and sharing invoices with clients on Buildertrend cumbersome. The system often falls short of providing the transparency and ease needed for efficient billing, especially when clients request invoice numbers or want detailed billing information.

These challenges make it difficult for construction teams to efficiently manage finances, increasing the need for a more user-friendly and effective solution like Planyard.

Why Users Consider Buildertend Alternatives like Planyard

1. Better Financial Tracking for Job Profitability and Change Management
   • Planyard excels in providing clear insights into job profitability, with dynamic tools to track changes in costs and budgets throughout a project's lifecycle.
2. Seamless Accounting Integration
   • Designed to reduce manual entry and errors, Planyard offers a smoother, more reliable integration with QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, and MYOB compared to Buildertrend.
3. Intuitive and Transparent Budgeting Tools
   • Planyard simplifies estimating, cost tracking, and forecasting, making it easier for users to prevent cost overruns and track project profitability.
4. Designed by Construction Professionals
   • Built specifically for the construction industry, Planyard ensures that financial workflows align with how the project managers and quantity surveyors work. It serves as a single source of data entry company-wide, helping save the teams valuable time reporting the same information in several places.
5. Easy Transition from Spreadsheets
   • Perfect for teams currently using spreadsheets, Planyard is designed to be simple to get started in hours without IT or sales support, with a follow guide, an easy-to-follow getting-started guide, and online implementation support to make the transition effortless.
6. Ideal for cost-plus and open-budget projects
   • Planyard allows all the stakeholders, including the clients, to track the project financials in one place in real time on an intuitive online interface.
7. Advanced Features for Growing Teams
   • For companies looking to implement more thorough processes, Planyard includes advanced functionalities like:
     • Payment application automation
     • Subcontractor and vendor bidding automation
     • Multi-currency support
     • Approval workflows
     • Contacts database and category management
     • Cost estimating tools
     • Sales pipeline management

Costs and Implementation

Buildertrend Costs: Buildertrend pricing starts at $399 monthly for up to three users (billed annually at $4,788). Additional users cost extra, and advanced features like QuickBooks integration or financial tools may incur added fees, potentially increasing costs for scaling teams.

Planyard Costs: Pricing starts at $33/month (approximately $396/year) for small teams and $425/month (roughly $5,100/year) for larger teams. These plans include all essential features, such as automated cost tracking, QuickBooks integration, and advanced project financials, with no hidden fees.

Implementation: Buildertrend requires a moderate onboarding process, with users often reporting a learning curve to utilize its extensive features fully.
On the other hand, Planyard is designed for quick setup, enabling teams to become fully operational within hours. Its intuitive interface and clear onboarding process make it ideal for teams transitioning from spreadsheets or other platforms.

Conclusion: Why Planyard is the Best Buildertrend Alternative

For construction teams looking for an affordable and easy-to-use alternative to Buildertrend, Planyard is the ideal solution. With its intuitive interface, robust financial tracking, and seamless accounting integration, Planyard allows teams to manage their budgets, job profitability, and change orders with ease—without the complexity and high costs of Buildertrend. Its simplified processes and advanced features make it the perfect choice for businesses that want to streamline their financial workflows and reduce errors.

Ready to simplify your financial management? Start your free trial with Planyard today!