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.
Carregue o orçamento do seu projeto e acompanhe o progresso financeiro em tempo real
Não é necessário cartão de crédito. Sem necessidade de vendas ou suporte de TI.
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.
Orçamentação
€49
/ month / project manager
Estimativa de custos
Essencial
€99
/ month / project manager
€40
Normalmente selecionado para: engenheiros de obra, clientes, orçamentistas ou auditores.
for supporting staff
Perfeito para funções de apoio ou partes interessadas—obtenha acesso a recursos essenciais do projeto e visualize dados financeiros chave sem permissões completas da plataforma, permitindo que os usuários se mantenham informados e contribuam sem tarefas práticas.Normalmente selecionado para: engenheiros de obra, clientes, orçamentistas ou auditores.
Orçamentação e controlo de orçamento
- Tudo no Orçamentação
- Acompanhe orçamentos e despesas reais
- Gerencie faturas de compra automaticamente
- Reutilize dados de custos de projetos ativos para orçamentação
- Sincronize faturas com Xero e QuickBooks
Profissional
€149
/ month / project manager
€40
Normalmente selecionado para: engenheiros de obra, clientes, orçamentistas ou auditores.
for supporting staff
Perfeito para funções de apoio ou partes interessadas—obtenha acesso a recursos essenciais do projeto e visualize dados financeiros chave sem permissões completas da plataforma, permitindo que os usuários se mantenham informados e contribuam sem tarefas práticas.Normalmente selecionado para: engenheiros de obra, clientes, orçamentistas ou auditores.
Orçamentação, controlo de custos e gestão de ordens de compra
- Tudo no Essencial
- Emita e gerencie ordens de compra
- Acompanhe custos comprometidos no orçamento
- Preveja a rentabilidade do projeto em tempo real
- Crie previsões de fluxo de caixa
- Gerencie contratos com clientes e relatórios de progresso
Ultimate
€199
/ month / project manager
€40
Normalmente selecionado para: engenheiros de obra, clientes, orçamentistas ou auditores.
for supporting staff
Perfeito para funções de apoio ou partes interessadas—obtenha acesso a recursos essenciais do projeto e visualize dados financeiros chave sem permissões completas da plataforma, permitindo que os usuários se mantenham informados e contribuam sem tarefas práticas.Normalmente selecionado para: engenheiros de obra, clientes, orçamentistas ou auditores.
Funcionalidade completa
- Tudo no Profissional
- Automatize cotações de subcontratados e fornecedores
- Acompanhe subcontratos e progresso
- Gerencie ordens de alteração de subcontratados
- Recolha pedidos de pagamento de subcontratados
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.