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.
Sube el presupuesto de tu proyecto y sigue el progreso financiero en tiempo real
No se requiere tarjeta de crédito. No necesitas ventas ni soporte técnico.
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.
Estimación
€49
/ month / project manager
Estimación de costos
Esencial
€99
/ month / project manager
€40
Usualmente seleccionado para: ingenieros de obra, clientes, estimadores o auditores.
for supporting staff
Perfecto para roles de apoyo o partes interesadas: accede a funciones esenciales del proyecto y visualiza datos financieros clave sin permisos completos de la plataforma, permitiendo a los usuarios mantenerse informados y contribuir sin tareas prácticas.Usualmente seleccionado para: ingenieros de obra, clientes, estimadores o auditores.
Estimación y control de presupuesto
- Todo en Estimación
- Rastrear presupuestos y gastos reales
- Gestionar facturas de compra automáticamente
- Reutilizar datos de costos de proyectos activos para estimaciones
- Sincronizar facturas con Xero y QuickBooks
Profesional
€149
/ month / project manager
€40
Usualmente seleccionado para: ingenieros de obra, clientes, estimadores o auditores.
for supporting staff
Perfecto para roles de apoyo o partes interesadas: accede a funciones esenciales del proyecto y visualiza datos financieros clave sin permisos completos de la plataforma, permitiendo a los usuarios mantenerse informados y contribuir sin tareas prácticas.Usualmente seleccionado para: ingenieros de obra, clientes, estimadores o auditores.
Estimación, control de costos y gestión de órdenes de compra
- Todo en Esencial
- Emitir y gestionar órdenes de compra
- Rastrear costos comprometidos en el presupuesto
- Prever la rentabilidad del proyecto en tiempo real
- Crear previsiones de flujo de caja
- Gestionar contratos con clientes e informes de progreso
Ultimate
€199
/ month / project manager
€40
Usualmente seleccionado para: ingenieros de obra, clientes, estimadores o auditores.
for supporting staff
Perfecto para roles de apoyo o partes interesadas: accede a funciones esenciales del proyecto y visualiza datos financieros clave sin permisos completos de la plataforma, permitiendo a los usuarios mantenerse informados y contribuir sin tareas prácticas.Usualmente seleccionado para: ingenieros de obra, clientes, estimadores o auditores.
Funcionalidad completa
- Todo en Profesional
- Automatizar cotizaciones de subcontratistas y proveedores
- Rastrear subcontratos y progreso
- Gestionar órdenes de cambio de subcontratistas
- Recopilar aplicaciones de pago de subcontratistas
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.