Approvals and purchase orders
Planyard manages purchase orders, subcontracts and supplier approvals in one place. QuickBooks records only the approved cost once synced.
QuickBooks Online vs Planyard
Looking for a QuickBooks alternative for construction job costing? This page compares QuickBooks Online (QBO) and Planyard — where each fits, what they cover, and how they work together for UK construction teams.
Short answer: QuickBooks handles accounting and VAT; Planyard manages project-side budgets, approvals, valuations, and forecasting. Many contractors use both together — so only approved, fully coded costs hit QuickBooks automatically.
On this page
- Scope and fit
- Reviews at a glance
- Feature-by-feature comparison
- Approvals and job costing workflows
- Implementation time
- Who should choose what
What they do (scope at a glance)
- QuickBooks Online — Cloud accounting with Chart of Accounts, supplier bills, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting. Some basic job-cost tracking via Projects, but limited approvals or forecasting.
- Planyard — Construction job costing and project control: estimating, budgets vs actuals, purchase orders, multi-step approvals, subcontractor and client valuations, retentions, variations, and live forecasting. Syncs only approved, coded costs to QuickBooks Online with supplier, category, VAT/currency, and the invoice PDF attached.
Reviews at a glance
Public ratings from Capterra UK.
| Programme | Rating | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | 4.3 / 5.0 |  Great for bookkeeping and small business accounting; job costing and approvals need add-ons or spreadsheets. |
| Planyard | 4.6 / 5.0 | Praised for ease of use, visibility, and clean QuickBooks/Xero/Sage sync. Reviewers highlight less manual entry and a full audit trail. |
Quotes: “Planyard integrates perfectly with QuickBooks.” · “Finally stopped updating endless cost spreadsheets.”
Quick summary
- QuickBooks. Excellent for accounting, VAT, and reporting. Basic project tracking, but limited visibility on job profitability.
- Planyard. Full commercial control with budgets, POs, valuations, and live forecasting. Designed for project managers and finance teams who want to avoid spreadsheet rebuilds.
- Together. Approval-only sync ensures QuickBooks holds clean, coded costs. No duplicates, no drafts, no re-typing.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | QuickBooks (alone) | Planyard (alone) | Planyard + QuickBooks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-step approvals (routes, thresholds) |  Basic bill approval |
Configurable multi-step approvals |
Full routing with audit trail before posting |
| 3-way match (PO ↔ delivery ↔ invoice) | Manual |
Automated, blocks mismatches |
Full 3-way match; only approved bills sync |
| PO control (raise against budget) | Not native |
Linked to live budgets |
Prevents over-commitment before posting to QuickBooks |
| Invoice capture (email-in/OCR) | Built-in via QuickBooks Capture |
OCR + PO/valuation link |
Unified capture + approval + sync |
| Approval-only sync | Manual posting |
Automatic once approved |
Keeps ledger clean |
| Mapping to categories/accounts | Within QuickBooks |
Uses synced Chart |
Accurate mapping with every posted bill |
| Attachments (PDF, refs in accounting) | Supported |
Auto-sends with post |
All bills arrive in QuickBooks with PDFs and metadata |
| Live variance & forecasting (EAC) | Limited reporting |
Real-time CVR & forecasting |
Shared visibility across finance & site |
| CIS & reverse charge VAT | Applied in QuickBooks |
Ensures correct coding and supplier linkage |
Coding enforced project-side; rules applied in QuickBooks |
| Full audit trail | Financial approvals logged |
Full project approval history |
End-to-end transparency |
| No re-typing (site → budget → accounting) | Manual entry common |
Seamless workflow |
Fully automated, duplicate-free |
What posts to accounting
- Posts: Approved bills/credit notes with supplier, account code, VAT/currency, and invoice PDF.
- Doesn’t post: Estimates, budgets, detailed time records (only summaries).
- System of record: Accounting stays in QuickBooks; Planyard manages approvals and live job costing.
Features in detail
How they handle approvals, job costing, valuations, retentions and forecasting.
Valuations and retentions
Planyard manages subcontractor and client valuations and tracks retentions. Approved items flow to QuickBooks as coded bills for payment.
Upload your project budget and track financial progress in real-time
No credit card required. No sales or IT support needed.
Live CVR and forecasting
Planyard updates project CVR and EAC automatically as invoices and variations are approved. QuickBooks reflects the same totals in financial reports.
CIS and compliance
QuickBooks applies CIS and reverse charge VAT automatically when posted bills arrive. Planyard ensures supplier linkage and coding so the deductions apply correctly.
Implementation timelines
| System | Typical duration | Typical steps |
|---|---|---|
| Planyard + QuickBooks | 1–5 days |
|
| QuickBooks alone | Immediate |
|
Who should choose what
- Choose Planyard if you need proper job costing — budgets, POs, valuations, retentions, forecasting and approvals — without spreadsheets.
- Choose QuickBooks if you only need accounting, VAT, CIS and basic Projects tracking.
- Choose both if you want a joined-up workflow: Planyard for project control, QuickBooks for accounting and compliance.
Pricing and packages
Planyard has transparent per-user plans and a free trial. QuickBooks Online starts from around £15/month. The QuickBooks integration is included in all Planyard plans.
Estimating
$52
/ month / project manager
Cost Estimating
Essential
$105
/ month / project manager
$43
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 spending
- Manage purchase invoices automatically
- Reuse active project cost data for estimating
- Sync invoices to Xero and QuickBooks
Professional
$158
/ month / project manager
$43
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 costs on the budget
- Forecast project profitability in real-time
- Create cash flow forecasts
- Manage client contracts and progress reports
Ultimate
$210
/ month / project manager
$43
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 change orders
- Collect subcontractor payment applications
In one paragraph
QuickBooks keeps your books compliant; Planyard keeps your projects profitable. QuickBooks handles accounting, VAT and CIS, while Planyard manages budgets, purchase orders, valuations, retentions and approvals. The integration means only approved, fully coded costs reach QuickBooks — no spreadsheets, no duplicates, no re-typing.
Sources and last updated. Intuit QuickBooks UK documentation (CIS, Projects), Planyard Capterra UK listings, and customer case studies. Last reviewed 8 October 2025.