Buildertrend Reviews

“Last year update messed everything up

Pros

I can access almost all our project data going back five years which has been very helpful for referencing past work and tracking our history.

Cons

The software update from last year completely broke everything. There's no auto-save feature and even after hitting save multiple times, closing a window still shows unsaved changes warnings. No shortcut keys exist for basic functions like save, ok, cancel or even CTRL F which wastes so much time scrolling through windows. You can't move or resize windows either making it really difficult for me. This gets especially frustrating when editing online documents as the popup window can't be resized so many right-click menu options become inaccessible when the menu extends beyond the window boundaries. Documents aren't available for offline viewing either. The estimate and budget tab columns can't be resized or reordered, forcing constant side-to-side scrolling if your mouse supports it. Without a horizontal scroll wheel, you have to scroll down to the bottom to use the tiny scroll bar, then back up to find your line item, then down again to scroll left and continue working. The proposal format used to be organized and customizable to match our preferences. Now there's no way to show subgroup totals or create subgroups at all and the line item formatting looks bulky and terrible with zero customization options. When items link to Square, you can't modify numbers or text from the BT side making it impossible to easily adjust wording or totals in proposals. Updating things in Square and syncing back creates duplicate items that must be deleted individually one by one. The old version worked fine but this new version only removed useful functions while adding features that don't work properly. The only usable feature is TODOs for field crews but there are no TODOs for estimating or office staff. Since our subs and vendors don't use the platform, all the communication and scheduling features go unused.

“scheduling features are nice

Pros

In my role as a Superintendent, the things I depend on most are the daily log, project progress photos and the scheduling tools.

Cons

I can't really comment beyond that because I've only used it for those specific functions mentioned earlier.

“effective for planning projects

Pros

I can easily schedule my projects on the calendar thanks to clearly defined checkpoints.

Cons

At first I had some trouble finding my way around but after I became familiar with the platform it felt really nice to use.

“avoid it at all costs

Pros

The only thing that stood out were their promises about how useful it would be.

Cons

What really bothered me was that they kept insisting the software could perform features that it clearly couldn't. I ended up several thousand dollars in between subscription charges and setup labor and spent countless hours on support calls trying to make it work. Only after all that did we find out it simply couldn't do what the salesperson promised. It felt like a huge, avoidable waste of my time.

“Friendly staff

Pros

Having everything I need in one place is very convenient. The support team is really approachable and always ready to help when I have questions.

Cons

Only downside is I don't have enough time to dive deeper and learn all the features it offers.

“Invoicing and reporting could be improved

Pros

I really like how flexible the calendar system is and the way it handles production scheduling, gives me tons of options for planning things out.

Cons

Bookkeeping features could use some work and I've had issues with invoicing functionality. The reporting tools aren't as solid as I'd hoped either.

“Useful photo feature

Pros

It has made my day-to-day so much simpler. What I appreciate most is being able to dispatch tasks to subcontractors and monitor everything through their Daily Logs. I no longer have to visit the site to get the full picture. I can handle the work by reviewing the photos and notes they upload. The app also records the date, time and GPS location of every entry which I rely on as evidence that we completed a task at a particular moment and if anything occurs afterward, I can show it wasn't caused by our team.

Cons

I really don't have any complaints as It's been very useful. I can quickly create, assign and close tasks through the platform. It's simple and genuinely helpful for keeping things moving.

“Requires a lot of manual entry

Pros

Honestly there are some newer alternatives out there now that perform better.

Cons

The whole proposals and estimates setup is frustrating. They're separate modules and even when you try importing proposals to estimates, you lose templating for allowances and selections. No matter how I approach it, there's always tons of manual entry for every new job, plus duplicate work with allowances and selections. Price increases happen constantly while they focus on random features instead of fixing the main problems. They keep rolling out partial fixes that don't really solve anything. Try finding their videos on YouTube and you'll come up empty. Nothing there at all. Compare that to JobTread (where I ended up moving my business), they have plenty of videos showing exactly how everything works. Makes you wonder what they're trying to hide.

“They listen to customers

Pros

Our team relies on the scheduling tool and the invite feature to bring subcontractors into jobs most of the time which makes each project's processes more transparent. Our showrooms have started using it too. It cuts down on back-and-forth and puts more eyes on the timeline so everyone stays accountable.

Cons

I don't have any real complaints. The software already does more than we require and keeps giving us chances to learn. More regular, scheduled training would help those of us juggling packed calendars since technology evolves fast. Still, I'm happy that the product keeps innovating and listens to users' needs and responds to feedback quickly.

“Wide range of features

Pros

I've used it as project management software for construction, mostly residential projects. I relied on it for tracking project progress, managing costs and staying in touch with clients. The platform offers a wide range of features and user levels to work with. It includes purchase orders, change orders, invoicing, blueprint management, selections and more. Having everything consolidated in one spot makes it simple to get a high-level overview and drill into any specific detail when needed. BT also syncs with QuickBooks which makes accounting much easier.

Cons

Getting BT set up took me quite a while and I needed training to really understand how to use it. If you're technically comfortable, you might get by without formal training but I found you'd miss many of the valuable features that make it worthwhile. Another pain point is the QuickBooks sync, it can throw errors and requires everything to line up perfectly. From my experience, it's safest to build your chart of accounts and items in QuickBooks first and then import them into BT during setup so you know the accounts are linked and accurate.

“convenient estimate and proposal template

Pros

I found the estimate and proposal templates very simple to work with and we used them frequently. Whenever we had several similar jobs, we made a reusable template which meant sending out estimates and proposals happened very fast overall.

Cons

When it came to the mobile app, it was nearly unusable. It kept crashing or wouldn't load and only had a few of the desktop features so my crew used it just for the time clock. If we needed to access the system in the field, we all ended up opening mobile web browsers on our phones to load full site.

“Helps keep my projects organized

Pros

One thing I really appreciate about it is how it lets me keep the projects I oversee organized and I find the interface well laid out and very simple to use.

Cons

There isn't anything that I personally dislike or would call a negative.

“Unprofessional staff

Pros

While the platform's features are excellent, I've been put off by their company culture and the behavior of the staff, who come across as unprofessional and rude.

Cons

The salesperson handling our account was very rude and unprofessional. We were prepared to buy the software but we ultimately walked away because their sales rep's attitude left us so turned off and disappointed with the entire experience.

“suitable for residential construction projects

Pros

My experience included cooperative customer support team, smooth movement across the different modules and smooth integration with QuickBooks.

Cons

We found the platform is primarily geared toward residential construction projects, whereas our work is focused on municipal and commercial contracting.

“Great ease of use

Pros

I find it extremely easy to use and our installers genuinely love using it every day.

Cons

The mobile version needs work because it's not very friendly to different screen sizes.

“one of the best project management software

Pros

Notable features include employee time tracking swift customer support and explicit project management.

Cons

High expense associated with using the software.

“Daily task got easy

Pros

Versatile features applicable to various tasks enhancing overall functionality.

Cons

No major cons and the tool is great for daily servicerelated tasks.

“Buildertrend

Pros

Buildertrend proves essential for keeping jobs on track.

Cons

The software is complex and requires training for effective use.

“A must have and essential tool for business management.

Pros

Userfriendly easy navigation an everyday necessity for business users.

Cons

No identified areas for change or modification.

“The best applications for construction Management by coordinating and integrating team tasks

Pros

Buildertrend empowers users to access project data and files anytime anywhere. This capability is especially valuable for those spending significant time on construction sites allowing them to check daily schedules and records on the go facilitating constant communication and providing realtime updates on actual work progress. The platform promotes information sharing among team members enhancing efficiency in completing multiple tasks simultaneously.

Cons

Despite being highly customizable Buildertrend is easy to use with suitable subscription prices.