Budgeting and job cost codes
Planyard: Full budget management with real-time EAC and CVR.
ApprovalMax: No budget control; approvals occur at ledger level only.
ApprovalMax vs Planyard (UK & Ireland)
This comparison explains how Planyard and ApprovalMax differ for UK and Ireland construction teams. We cover approvals, job costing, valuations, retentions, CIS and pricing transparency.
On this page
- Reviews at a glance
- Quick summary
- Side-by-side comparison
- Why UK teams pick Planyard
- Why teams pick ApprovalMax
- Feature matrix (UK view)
- Implementation timelines
- Who should choose what
- Pricing & packages
- FAQ and sources
Reviews at a glance
Current public ratings from Capterra UK and the Xero App Store.
| Programme | Rating | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Planyard (Xero App Store) | 4.8 / 5.0 |  Praised for job costing, valuations and construction visibility with Xero. |
| Planyard (Capterra UK) | 4.6 / 5.0 | Rated highly by QSs and FDs for simplicity and control. |
| ApprovalMax (Xero App Store) | 4.8 / 5.0 | Strong ratings for automating bill and PO approvals in Xero and QuickBooks. |
| ApprovalMax (Capterra UK) | 4.7 / 5.0 | Recognised for approval routing and audit trails; limited budgeting context. |
Quick summary
- Planyard. End-to-end construction cost control with budgets, valuations, retentions, CIS and forecasting. Integrates with Xero, Sage and QuickBooks.
- ApprovalMax. Approvals automation for bills and purchase orders layered on Xero or QuickBooks. Focused on routing and sign-off, not cost tracking.
- Fit. ApprovalMax suits teams needing simple approvals. Planyard fits contractors needing full job costing, valuations and CVR visibility.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Planyard | ApprovalMax |
|---|---|---|
| UK fit | Designed for UK construction: valuations, retentions, CIS alignment |
 Supports CIS documents in Xero but no valuation or retention features |
| Core use case | Job costing, budgets, valuations, forecasting | Approvals for bills and purchase orders |
| Reporting | Live CVR, EAC and project cash flow |
Approval logs only; no budget reporting |
| Integration | Xero, QuickBooks, Sage Accounting | Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite |
| Pricing transparency | Public GBP pricing, free trial |
By quote, per-organisation pricing |
| Best for | Contractors and developers needing full cost control and forecasting | Finance teams wanting approval workflows without project costing |
Why UK teams pick Planyard
- Built for construction. Native valuations, retentions, variations and CIS workflows.
- End-to-end visibility. Live budgets, commitments and CVR without Excel.
- Ledger integration. Approved invoices sync directly to Xero, Sage or QuickBooks.
- Fast rollout. Pilot a project in days with transparent GBP pricing.
Why teams pick ApprovalMax
- Simple approvals. Fast setup for routing bills and purchase orders to approvers.
- Audit trail. Clear approval history and fraud-control checks.
- Unlimited users. Per-organisation pricing allows broad access.
- Ledger focus. Works within Xero or QuickBooks to streamline sign-off, but not linked to project budgets.
Feature comparison (UK view)
Core features and UK-specific capabilities.
Valuations and retentions
Planyard: Built-in subcontractor and client valuations with retention schedules and certificates.
ApprovalMax: Not supported; relies entirely on accounting system for CIS entries.
Upload your project budget and follow the financial progress in real-time
No credit card required. No sales or IT support needed.
Approvals and audit trail
Planyard: Approvals are part of a wider budget and valuation workflow.
ApprovalMax: Dedicated approval routing and audit trail tool without project context.
Implementation timelines
| Product | Typical duration | Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Planyard | a day to a week |
|
| ApprovalMax | Same day to a week |
|
Who should choose what
- Choose Planyard if you need construction-specific cost control, valuations, retentions and forecasting alongside approvals.
- Choose ApprovalMax if you simply need a fast, reliable approval workflow for bills and purchase orders without job costing or budgets.
Pricing and packages
Planyard has transparent GBP pricing and a free trial. ApprovalMax pricing is per organisation and available by quote.
Estimating
£40
/ month / project manager
Cost Estimating
Essential
£82
/ month / project manager
£33
Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
for supporting staff
Perfect for support roles or stakeholders—gain access to essential project features and view key financial data without full platform permissions, enabling users to stay informed and contribute without hands-on tasks.Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
Estimating and Budget Control
- Everything in Estimating
- Track budgets and actual spend
- Manage purchase invoices automatically
- Reuse active project cost data for estimating
- Sync invoices to Xero and QuickBooks
Professional
£123
/ month / project manager
£33
Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
for supporting staff
Perfect for support roles or stakeholders—gain access to essential project features and view key financial data without full platform permissions, enabling users to stay informed and contribute without hands-on tasks.Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
Estimating, Cost Control and Purchase Orders Management
- Everything in Essential
- Issue and manage purchase orders
- Track committed cost on the budget
- Forecast project profitability in real-time
- Create cashflow forecasts
- Manage client contracts and progress reports
Ultimate
£164
/ month / project manager
£33
Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
for supporting staff
Perfect for support roles or stakeholders—gain access to essential project features and view key financial data without full platform permissions, enabling users to stay informed and contribute without hands-on tasks.Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
Full Functionality
- Everything in Professional
- Automate subcontractor and vendor quoting
- Track subcontracts and progress
- Manage subcontractor variations
- Collect subcontractor valuations
In one paragraph
ApprovalMax is an approvals-only solution that automates bill and purchase order sign-off in Xero or QuickBooks but does not connect to job budgets or handle valuations or retentions. Planyard provides the full construction-specific alternative — with live budgets, valuations, retentions, CIS workflows and forecasting integrated with accounting. For approvals alone, choose ApprovalMax. For complete cost control, choose Planyard.
Sources and last updated: Capterra UK and Xero App Store listings, ApprovalMax and Planyard pricing pages, and product documentation (Nov 2025). Last reviewed 5 November 2025.