Coming up with accurate estimates, maintaining profitability, and managing your projects can feel like juggling a million balls when it comes to the day-to-day chaos of running a construction company. Construction budgeting software helps reign in uncertainty and take control of your finances across multiple projects.
And if you’re still running everything on antiquated spreadsheets, it’s time for an upgrade! These construction budget management software will ensure that you never have to deal with version confusion, manual data errors, or a lack of cross-project visibility again.
With features like real-time expense tracking, cost forecasting, and change order integration, you’ll benefit from complete visibility and control. So, you can focus on delivering successful builds that exceed expectations, instead of chasing numbers.
However, not all construction budget management software is created equal. We curated some of the top platforms available today to help you fast-track your procurement process:
Table of Contents
1. Bauwise
Bauwise is a full-service construction budget management suite. It has already been used in over 10,000 projects, including by Merko, Ramm Ehitus, and Nordecon to help manage over €10 billion in budgets.
The dashboard is designed to balance the need for a broad, top-down overview of each project’s impact on your budget with the ability to drill down into each one. The robust breakdown structure allows you to track budgetary details across budget line items.
Everything is out in the open, so there’s no need to generate detailed reports to know exactly where your finances stand at every level.
Features
- Robust third-party integration with accounting tools, like Dynamics 365 Business Central, Odoo, SAP, QuickBooks, and more.
- Control budgets proactively by converting planned expenses into actual ones with a single click.
- Easily generate project budgets based on your company’s job cost structure or create custom ones.
- Customer relationship management via owner collaboration tools and editable permissions.
Pros
- Highly granular budget visibility at every level.
- Includes localized tax and markup configuration for EU and global markets
- Easy to deploy for first-time users with active support.
- Reusable items and grouping tools eliminate duplicate work.
Cons
- The user manual/documentation is still in development
User Reviews
“I am using Bauwise in Spain and it is super helpful in terms of managing real-time costs and the budget, keeping the payment information about invoices up-to-date and etc. Highly recommended for professional developers and main contractors!”
— Raido Pärn CEO
“Bauwise software helps us to track and compare our construction budget with actual costs from accounting in real time. The easy to use online cost allocation and approval workflow has made us more efficient. Our team now has only one “Excel spreadsheet,” and that’s Bauwise.com
— Toomas ToompuuToomas Toompuu, CEO of Bauest
2. Jonas Construction Software
This is not just construction budget management software but an A-to-Z ERP solution for construction companies. As such, it doesn’t offer a dedicated budgeting platform, with most of these features being embedded in its accounting and project management toolkits.
Still, you get all the essentials you need, such as managing financial transactions, tracking expenses, processing payroll, and generating financial reports.
It’s a relatively new budget management software, with room to grow and mature. However, its seamless integration across different construction disciplines makes it a convenient option.
Features
- Full suite of project management, accounting, service, and integrated operations tools for construction businesses.
- Fully GAAP-compliant General Ledger makes tracking all financial records easy
- Flexible selection of accounting periods that are easy to run budgets against
Pros
- All-in-one solution for construction businesses
- Highly rated customer support
- Generally more affordable than more well-known competitors
Cons
- Could improve its mobile platform support
- Some features are difficult to implement and use
User Reviews
“Jonas does everything we need it to do. When something is not working, the Jonas team can take over your computer (with your permission and supervision) and fix it remotely. They do so in a timely manner.”
“We were using multiple programs that Jonas would be replacing which was a part of our grief. Now that we have fully launched Jonas it has been a blessing. While we do occasionally find a challenge here and there, all-in-all the program has and does perform as we need it to.”
3. Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate (CRE)
Sage 300 is a unique entry. As a legacy ERP solution tailored to contractors, developers, and property managers, it’s not a fully true SaaS/cloud-native solution like the others on this list.
Hosting Sage 300 locally means you have full control over configuration, run-time, and compliance & security. However, it does come at the cost of a weaker API ecosystem and requiring third-party cloud hosting for remote access.
Sage is a relatively rare solution for businesses that need to bridge the gap between construction firms and real estate developers.
Features
- Track subcontracts, purchase orders, cost changes, and progress billing tightly tied to jobs
- Extensive financial suite, including AP/AR, cash management, payroll, AIA billing, and equipment cost tracking.
- Centralized storage for contracts, invoices, RFIs, and lease agreements, plus tools for dispatch, service ticketing, and equipment scheduling.
- Many native Sage add-ons (Estimating, Field Ops, Project Center).
Pros
- Easy to export data to Excel
- Highly customizable and configurable
- Advanced reporting for individual modules
Cons
- User interface feels outdated
- More difficult to set up and maintain (not cloud-native)
User Reviews
“Sage has been a wonderful software to use for our tenants and has truly streamlined many processes into one, however, the software could use a bit of updating. It seems a bit old and outdated although all of the functions are still relevant, it just could be a bit more user friendly.”
— Caitlynn Dickerson, TrustRadius
4. CoConstruct
CoConstruct was acquired by Buildertrend in 2021, another popular construction management software company. It still operates as a distinct product and there is no indication that it will be shut down or fully absorbed into Buildertrend. However, it does leave the door open to transition fully into the Buildertrend ecosystem while retaining CoConstruct as your main budgeting solution.
Features
- Cost-code‑organized budgeting to easily track spending against estimates.
- Real-time expense tracking, invoicing, and forecasting down to the profit margin impact
- Integration with QuickBooks for automatic sync of bills, invoices, and committed costs
- Tools that allow clients to transparently view and understand budget changes on cost-plus or fixed-price projects
Pros
- The platform is generally user-friendly and mobile accessible
- Easy to communicate with customers and sub-contractors
- Starts at a relatively affordable price point
Cons
- Some aspects are “clunky,” such as estimations and invoicing
- It may be difficult to migrate away from in the future
User Reviews
“CoConstruct is a very useful tool. The software is very thoughtfully designed. The Budgets, Purchase Orders and Change Orders are all relatively smooth and easy to use.”
“The estimating tool is very clunky. It doesn’t allow you to load all the various estimates received from subs into the system and choose which options to select and automatically update the budget.”
5. Procore
Procore is one of the most recognizable names in the construction management software space. Procore’s all-in-one has been used to manage 3,000,000+ projects across 150+ countries, partnering with massive brands like Honeywell and Greystar.
As a highly mature system with a vast toolkit, it’s targeted more at large-scale organizations than small, medium, or growing builders. It may also be overkill if you’re specifically looking for a budgeting solution. However, Procore won’t be lacking advanced budgeting tools like smaller all-in-one competitors, like Jonas.
Features
- The Budget Changes Tool enables real-time tracking and approval workflows for budget modifications.
- Forecast to Complete feature projects future costs based on current real-time data.
- The Integrated Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) ties budgets directly to schedules, resources, and cost codes.
- Procore Construction Network connects budgeting to vendor communications, centralizing quote comparisons, subcontractor budgeting, and bid tracking.
Pros
- Excellent mobile capabilities for agents in the field
- Extensive support for popular third-party integrations
- Track record of software improvements and updates
- Strong investment in AI technology
Cons
- Too complex/expensive for smaller projects
- Some users report performance issues
User Reviews
“Procore is crafted and tailored for the complex stuff. Having multiple sites running at the same time, we have been able to keep up with all of them without any issues. Monitoring them in every step of the cycle up to completion.”
How to Choose the Best Construction Budget Management Software for Your Needs?
As you can see, while there’s a lot of overlap, different solutions focus on different aspects of budget management. There’s no one solution that’s best under all circumstances. The trick lies in finding one that ticks all the essentials while catering its approach and unique features to your individual circumstances.
The main things you want your construction budget management software to do efficiently is:
- Provide full visibility over all your committed costs and change orders
- Track profitability fluctuations across the lifespan of the project
- Provide real-time data and insights to support quick and accurate decision-making
Ideally, your chosen solution should not only offer this capability at the project-level, but also across your entire portfolio at any time.
With that in mind, here are the most important considerations you should use to compare and select the right construction budget management software for your projects:
- Streamlined budget actions: Look for features like templates, reusable elements, generative tools, etc. that help you speed up tedious and repetitive actions.
- Centralized, real-time syncing: This is important, as expenses and change orders can come suddenly and from transparent sources. Having access to up-to-date data is crucial to staying on top of your project’s financial status and triage.
- Visibility and ease of use: It should be easy to navigate to different aspects of budget management and to get an insightful overview so you can identify and respond to any red flags quickly
- Reporting and insights: This allows you to get specific answers by cross-checking different data points. Forecasting tools are also useful to see where your current trajectory is headed and share insights with stakeholders.
- Broad integration support: You generally use construction budget software alongside accounting, project management, and CRM solutions. Integration with your current/preferred tech stack will make your back-office work more fluent and efficient.
- Document management: Features like audit trails, automated version tracking, change history logs, and built-in sharing tools help teams collaborate more effectively, resolve disputes faster, and stay compliant with industry regulations.
FAQs
What is construction budget management software?
Construction budget software helps plan, track, and control project costs with tools like cost forecasting, expense tracking, change order management, and performance reporting. It identifies budget issues early and helps you stay on track, so you can plan your spending and monitor the profitability of your projects.
Construction budget management vs change order vs accounting software: What’s the difference?
Accounting software is commonly confused with budgeting software but serves a very different purpose. Accounting’s main focus is on record-keeping financials and executing processes (such as payroll and third-party payments) once they’ve already been committed.
Accounting is generally not concerned with the inner workings or profitability of individual projects but with maintaining the construction business’s cash flow.
Change order software is a vital component of budgeting software that helps track impromptu changes to the original scope, cost, or timeline of a project. For example, when you discover in the middle of construction that you need more material or if an accident sets back your deadline.
Budget software uses this information to manage the financials of a project and forecast its profitability.
How much does construction budget management software cost?
Pricing is usually dependent on a custom quote because the needs and scale of construction companies can vary greatly. Costs can range from a few hundred dollars per month for smaller teams to several thousand for enterprise solutions.
Factors like user count, project volume, required features, and integration needs all influence the final price. Some vendors also offer tiered or modular pricing whereby you can add individual services at extra cost. For others, their project budgeting tools may be bundled under their project management or accounting solutions.
Conclusion
Ready to take charge of your project budgets?
Picking the right construction budget management software will help you never feel like you’re constantly doing damage control with unexpected costs, outdated spreadsheets, inaccurate forecasts, or miscommunications.
Don’t just take our word for it; use this information to hone in on the best solution for your unique requirements.
Bauwise is built with budgeting at its core — giving you full visibility into costs, forecasts, and approvals from day one. So, you can get your projects across the line no matter what gets thrown at you, while staying on the right side of your balance sheets.
