Buildertrend Reviews

“Works well for estimating and bidding

Pros

I'm impressed with the estimating side of this software. It works really well for what we need. The bidding features are solid too, provided people have a basic grasp of technology. Sadly, the construction industry itself often ignores tech.

Cons

When I print the budget page I can't get a quick overview. Instead I have to collapse each line item individually which is tedious. There's no way for me to archive incoming invoices. While I can send invoices and they track correctly, keeping received invoices isn't supported. The mobile app feels very underdeveloped. Since my crew is mostly working in the field and trying to handle a lot of tasks while moving, not having proposals available on mobile is a big problem. Also, template mark-ups do not carry over with the templates.

“Keeps everyone on the same page

Pros

This platform adds a lot of structure through the range of tools it includes. It's an excellent way to keep contractors, subcontractors, staff and the homeowner all aligned. The app has also helped us cut down on our reliance on paper.

Cons

It packs in so many features that getting to grips with them can be pretty overwhelming. Even after I figure out how specific tools work, I struggle to transfer that know-how to other team members or newly hired staff.

“easy transition

Pros

I get everything I need in one platform! It's really user-friendly and the estimating and scheduling features feel familiar because they mirror the other software I've used. That made switching over to this system fairly simple. I haven't connected our QuickBooks yet so I'm planning to try that integration soon.

Cons

We'd love to see a dedicated page for interior design. Right now there are photos, specs and selection tools but we want a way to arrange different choices by theme for each room. Being able to present curated style options like multiple themed palettes per room would make organizing selections much easier.

“awful customer support

Pros

I appreciated how well customer integration worked and the platform remained reliable when I used it out on job sites in the field.

Cons

Unfortunately I found the customer support to be absolutely awful. The sales team knew exactly what our needs were and why we needed certain features, yet they misled us just to close the deal. About six months after onboarding I discovered the truth about the QuickBooks connection, in short, it was terrible. We had hoped to remove duplicate data entry points, not add more of them. The document management is dreadful, feeling like an old DOS-era interface where I can't even scroll smoothly between photos. I also ran into a major workflow limitation. You can't set one entity to be a customer and simultaneously a trades partner or subcontractor which is a common scenario for us.

“Inadequate estimating tools

Pros

After trying several different programs across my working life, I honestly can't say there's much about this one that I like.

Cons

I find the estimating tools woefully inadequate. What used to take me five to six hours to put together, detailing every separate cost item clients expect now drags on for two days. When a supplier changes a price, there's no option to pick which proposals get updated and which shouldn't. It forces an all-or-nothing update. That means I end up manually editing each proposal one by one which wastes a lot of my time.

“customer communication and scheduling features stand out

Pros

Out of all the tools here, the two I appreciate most are customer communication and scheduling. I find most other capabilities resemble what competitors offer but these two features truly stand apart.

Cons

While I don't use every feature available on the platform, I find most of them are pretty similar to what other products in this category provide. Also, from my perspective the iPhone app feels dated and could really benefit from a refresh right now.

“awesome cRM

Pros

It is a wonderful CRM. The project scheduling functions operate smoothly, although we don't take advantage of every option available. I find estimating and budget controls relatively simple to use. I appreciate the tools for overseeing projects at a strategic level but they fall short when it comes to managing on-site tasks and everyday operations.

Cons

I'm frustrated by the lack of flexibility in how we can use the program. It forces us to follow its built-in workflow instead of letting us adapt it to our processes. We're pretty much stuck doing things the system dictates. On top of that, several template-related functions won't transfer when you import a new job which means building templates can feel pointless and doesn't save the time it should. From a field perspective, the project management tools for site superintendents are weak. They miss a number of day-to-day features that our crews actually rely on.

“Offers a lot of features

Pros

Because the platform packs so many integrated features and capabilities, I personally experience a number of real advantages whenever I'm using it on a daily basis.

Cons

Since the most recent updates I've found that a lot of the simplicity has been taken away and I'm now having to do more manual tasks. The engineering team needs to spend time with end users to learn how the changes they introduce affect people like me who use the system.

“shows me location of workers

Pros

I really like that I can view the exact location of every worker and I find the edit feature helpful as it lets me fix clocking-in and out entries so I can correct things when I forget to clock in or out.

Cons

When a project's name isn't already in the selection list, I have no idea how to add it and that creates difficulties for crew members who start new jobs while older projects are missing from the list because there's limited space in the dropdown.

“appreciate the scheduling features

Pros

I've found the platform packs a ton of built-in tools. I especially liked using the project Gantts and the other scheduling tools.

Cons

Everything felt clumsy and outdated. The interface looks like something from Windows 07 and I thought the price was higher than comparable alternatives.

“Impressive client portal

Pros

Really impressed with the client portal. My current software doesn't offer anything as polished and interactive as Buildertrend's. The dashboard is also a strong point and makes oversight simple. I appreciate the daily logs as they're a handy little communication tool for keeping projects on track. Lastly, the sub-portal is excellent.

Cons

It's a pain trying to pull reports for lead management and marketing. When I set up the Fanny it relies on the previous stage but that reliance isn't automated. If somebody gets assigned to a stage and it doesn't get marked complete on the day it should, nothing happens automatically so I have to handle dependencies by hand. For our team, juggling about 30 projects spread across pre-production, in-progress and post-production phases means constantly logging in and sorting out these manual steps which becomes really time-consuming. That said if you're managing fewer than five projects at once, the extra busywork is hardly noticeable.

“excellent for keeping things organized

Pros

For keeping my business organized, I've found this software excellent. It's very specific and detailed which really helps me manage projects efficiently.

Cons

For our company, this software provides far more granular features than we actually need. I can see it being ideal for electricians or plumbers who need to track suppliers and materials used, keeping everything organized under the right projects.

“can customize it according to our needs

Pros

It comes loaded with so many features that it's really helped us simplify and organize our entire operation. Every department can customize the software's functions to their specific needs and they can all still communicate with each other. It's been a wonderful addition.

Cons

I honestly don't have any real complaints. There was a learning curve but their customer support is phenomenal which made it manageable for us.

“Gantt schedules organize our workflow

Pros

Creating Gantt schedules with this tool allowed me to organize our whole project management workflow which has become the feature I appreciate most about the software.

Cons

Overall I haven't faced any problems because the entire platform is simple to use so I don't have any complaints.

“Disappointing performance

Pros

Honestly the entire app is confusing to me. I ended up having to set up my own locations and manually assign prices because nothing I looked for was easy to find. I didn't like it at all.

Cons

I hated nearly everything about their setup. They're charging a lot and I was forced to create my own pricing sheet after struggling to make the system work for me.

“convenient UI

Pros

I've found the UI to be really simple, the desktop-to-mobile sync works well, coaching is reachable and it links smartly to QuickBooks.

Cons

There's a significant amount of back-end setup I had to do before it became truly usable, the lead-generation contact form felt weak and the limited number of projects sometimes restricted my workflow.

“Overpriced software with terrible performance

Pros

Job-costing features are helpful. Being able to handle communications inside a single system is useful to me and I can quickly share photos and documents when needed.

Cons

I get flooded with messages even after I switch notifications off which is really frustrating. Customers frequently can't log in and I've seen ongoing problems with the payment processing too. The integration with QuickBooks feels hostile, it doesn't play nicely and entering taxes is hard. I don't like that the Proposal/Estimate area forces a plain-text layout instead of letting me use Word. There's no 24-hour support, no quick fixes offered and when half the system acts up every day it feels overpriced for what we actually get.

“easy to submit pricing

Pros

I find it pretty simple to submit pricing and to look over job documents and purchase orders. Scheduled reminders and notifications also help keep our team organized and on schedule.

Cons

My only issue isn't really with the program but with how some people on the backend use it. It can only deliver its full value when everyone adopts it properly, yet I still see builders clinging to Excel spreadsheets which makes it easy for the app's budgeting and scheduling tools to get ignored or underused, undermining what the software can actually accomplish.

“Fantastic photo upload capability

Pros

Appreciate the scheduling tools, the photo upload capability and the integration with QuickBooks.

Cons

I don't really have major complaints as it meets our needs well. However getting it connected to QuickBooks can take a bit of time.

“Monitors the entire project

Pros

I'm finding it easy to get started with and to show my clients. It's an excellent way to keep track of the entire project and to organize communication between the client and the subcontractors.

Cons

Overall I don't see any drawbacks, it ran smoothly and honestly made my day-to-day work feel a thousand times easier.