Subcontractors face constant challenges like tight deadlines, resource tracking, and maintaining clear communication with contractors. These hurdles can impact project efficiency and outcomes. Subcontractor apps help tackle these issues by streamlining workflows, improving communication, and enhancing project tracking. In this article, we review six top apps that empower subcontractors to work smarter and deliver better results.
Young construction worker using his digital tablet while at a building site
Review of 6 Subcontractor Apps
Below we look at six different subcontractor apps in detail, paying particular attention to key features, pricing, and pros & cons.
Please note that all information is provided without guarantee. If you have any questions, please contact the respective developers.
PlanRadar
PlanRadar is a platform for documentation, communication, and reporting in construction and real estate projects. The software and app provide comprehensive construction management, enabling efficient work assignment, progress tracking, and seamless information exchange between clients, general contractors, subcontractors, and other stakeholders. This positively impacts the entire project, with 91% of users reporting increased efficiency when using PlanRadar.
📱 Available for Android, iOS, and web browser.
⚙️ Key Features:
- Customizable checklists and forms allow users to tailor different processes and functions of the app according to their requirements and needs.
- Digital construction plans and BIM integration enable seamless integration with digital blueprints and BIM models, allowing general contractors and subcontractors to attach issues or tasks directly to specific locations on-site.
- Real-time issue tracking and ticket management for immediate reporting and resolution of defects, ensuring quick turnaround on site issues and minimizing delays.
💲 Pricing:
- Free trial available: Yes
- Annual: From $ 32/mo.
- Monthly: From $ 35/mo.
Pros & Cons
✅ Flexible: As a subcontractor app, PlanRadar stands out for its extensive customization options, making it adaptable to a wide variety of industries, processes, and company needs.
✅ Easy to use: The platform’s intuitive and well-structured interface allows users to get started within minutes. Additionally, the responsive support team ensures prompt assistance when needed.
✅ Superior tracking: From construction defects to health and safety or due diligence, PlanRadar provides comprehensive tools to document and monitor every aspect of a construction project. The innovative SiteView feature even integrates 360-degree photos into digital plans for enhanced visualization.
❌ Extensive customization options: For smaller teams or simpler projects, the wide range of customization options may be unnecessary and add complexity.
Ensure simple documentation, transparent collaboration and efficient reporting and try PlanRadar now free for 30 days!
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Autodesk Build
Autodesk Build is a construction management platform used to streamline the workflows of subcontractors and others by integrating quality control, issue tracking, and safety features with project management tools. Part of the Autodesk Construction Cloud suite, it helps subcontractors collaborate seamlessly with contractors and other stakeholders while ensuring compliance with quality and safety standards.
📱 Available for Android, iOS and web browser.
⚙️ Key Features:
- Real-time issue tracking for easy tracking and resolving issues.
- Photo and document management for uploading and managing photos, documents, and reports to provide visual evidence and enhance project transparency.
- Integration with Autodesk ecosystem offers access to different tools for.
💲 Pricing:
- Free trial available: Yes
- Annual: From $1,625.
Pros & Cons
✅ Comprehensive functionality: Combines essential subcontractor tools like issue tracking, safety management, and document sharing in one platform.
✅ Integrated analytics: Provides insights into project performance, allowing subcontractors to address issues proactively and improve efficiency.
❌ Steep learning curve: The extensive feature set of this app for subcontractors may require training to fully utilize, especially for users new to the platform.
❌ High cost: The pricing may not be ideal for smaller subcontractors or those with limited budgets.
Letsbuild
LetsBuild is a quality management platform designed to streamline defect tracking, handovers, and QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment) processes. Subcontractors and general contractors use it to standardize workflows, improve communication, and ensure compliance with safety and quality standards on construction sites.
📱 Available for Web, Android, iOS.
⚙️ Key features:
- Customizable reports
- Defect management
- Photo documentation
- Project management
- Statistics dashboards
💲 Pricing:
- Free trial available: No
- Annual: Custom pricing
- Monthly: Custom pricing
Pros & Cons
✅ Modern interface: LetsBuild features a clean, user-friendly design, making navigation and interaction straightforward.
✅ Responsive customer support: The platform offers robust support to address user concerns and ensure a smooth experience.
❌ Initial learning curve: Familiarizing yourself with the app’s various functions may require some time and effort.
❌ Restricted customization: The standardized workflows may not meet the needs of companies with complex or highly specific processes that require more flexibility.
BuildCalc
BuildCalc is a powerful construction calculator designed to help subcontractors perform precise measurements, estimates, and calculations on-site. It streamlines tasks like material estimation, roof calculations, and stair layouts, making it an essential tool for improving accuracy and efficiency during construction projects.
📱 Available for Android and iOS.
⚙️ Key Features:
- Advanced construction calculations, including area, volume, and material estimates.
- Specialized functions for roofing, stair layouts, and baluster spacing.
- Unit conversions for feet, inches, meters, and other measurements.
- Integrated project management tools, such as task lists and notes.
💲 Pricing:
- One-time purchase price of $24.99.
Pros & Cons:
✅ Comprehensive functionality: Covers a wide range of construction-specific calculations, reducing manual errors.
✅ User-friendly design: Simplifies complex calculations, making it accessible to subcontractors with varying levels of expertise.
❌ Limited integration: BuildCalc doesn’t integrate with broader project management or other subcontractor apps, which could limit its scope.
Raken
Raken is a solution focused on simplifying daily reporting, time tracking, and safety management for construction teams. It emphasizes ease of use, though its feature set is narrower compared to some competitors. For subcontractors and construction companies in general who want to cover a fixed range of activities, Raken can be a good option.
📱 Available for Android, iOS, and web browser.
⚙️ Key Features:
- Daily progress reporting with photos, videos, and detailed notes.
- Time and production tracking for labor hours, equipment usage, and material management.
- Safety and quality management tools, including customizable checklists and incident reporting.
💲 Pricing:
- Free trial available: Yes
- Annual: Custom
- Monthly: Custom
Pros & Cons:
✅ Intuitive Interface: Raken’s user-friendly design allows subcontractors and other users to adopt it quickly, minimizing training time and boosting productivity.
✅ Streamlined Reporting: The app accelerates the creation of consistent daily reports, saving valuable time and ensuring thorough documentation.
❌ Limited Customization: While functional, Raken’s features may fall short for users who need highly tailored solutions for their projects.
❌ Simplistic Feature Set: Its focus on simplicity means it may lack advanced tools needed for managing large-scale or complex construction projects.
PlanHub
PlanHub ist a platform with the aim to simplify preconstruction. It connects subcontractors with general contractors, streamlining bid management, takeoff, estimation, and insights. PlanHub aims to enhance efficiency, reduce administrative burdens, and increase the likelihood of successful project bids for subcontractors.
📱 Available for Android, iOS, and web browser.
⚙️ Key Features:
- Access to a centralized hub with numerous construction projects tailored to specific trades and locations.
- Streamlined bid management tools to organize, track, and submit bids efficiently.
- Document sharing for blueprints, specifications, and project-related materials.
- Integrated messaging tools for direct communication with general contractors.
💲 Pricing:
- Free trial available: Yes
- Annual: From $ 1,299
Pros & Cons
✅ User-friendly interface: PlanHub features an intuitive design, which simplifies navigation and reduces the learning curve.
✅ Extensive subcontractor database: The platform provides access to a broad network of subcontractors, facilitating connections and collaboration opportunities.
❌ Subscription costs: Some users may find the pricing structure to be expensive.
❌ Limited document organization: PlanHub‘s document management system lacks some advanced features, making it challenging to organize and retrieve project files efficiently.
7 ways contractor apps transform projects
Here seven ways that contractor apps could radically change how you run your projects:
1. Assign tasks more easily
Practically every worker today will own a smartphone. This means that everyone on your building site can easily download subcontractor software onto their device. You can then assign each worker a list of tasks within the contractor app. Once a job is complete, the subcontractor simply ticks it off their checklist and you can see how much work has been finished each day. Say goodbye to paper checklists and half-hour meetings each morning to assign tasks.
2. Avoid misunderstandings
Imagine an HVAC contractor who is working on a large office project. She has been sent to repair a faulty machine and has been told verbally that it is on the fifth floor behind a column in the south east corner. However, once she arrives, no air conditioners are to be seen.
However, if she could use subcontractor app on her smartphone, she could double check the building blueprint to find the air conditioner in question. What’s more, if she did have any doubts, she could use mobile chat functionality to check she was indeed in the right place.
3. Boost trust
The best contractor apps will store all information and tasks assigned to individual subcontractors in a centralised location. This means that everybody can transparently see who did what and when they did it – reducing the risk of disputes further down the line. Subcontractors can also take photos of jobs that they have completed to provide additional evidence.
4. Better for multilingual sites
Most major construction projects today are multinational, multi-lingual workplaces. Sometimes, however, this can result in miscommunications. The lead contractor might ask subcontractors to do one thing, but they misunderstand and do another.
Once again, contractor apps can help here. The lead contractor can indicate exactly where they want work done on a blueprint and include marked up photographs of the issue. Everyone can then see the visuals using a smartphone. As a result, you don’t need to be fluent in another language to get the message across.
5. Reduces the need to physically check all work
Construction managers spend hundreds of hours over the course of a project physically visiting places around the site verifying what has been done. This is hugely time-consuming.
However, the best contractor apps save you a lot of time by taking advantage of the powerful cameras built into today’s smartphones. Subcontractors can easily take photos of their work, which experienced managers can view and sign off without physically inspecting each and every job.
6. Improve resource usage
How many subcontractors are currently on your site? What are they doing? Do they all have tasks allocated to them? Subcontractor apps can help you identify how busy workers site are and ensure that they all have jobs to be getting on with. This improves productivity and reduces downtime. And that ultimately saves you money.
7. More compliant
Construction sites today must demonstrate compliance with multiple regulations covering health and safety, as well as meeting the customer’s daily reporting requirements. Once again contractor apps make it much easier to meet these requirements.
You could, for instance, use a form that asks subcontractors to read your health and safety policy whenever they are onboarded to your project. Similarly, you could use data from your checklists to collate progress reports that are sent electronically to the project manager and customer every day.
How to choose the best contractor app for you
There is a wide variety of subcontractor software and apps and snagging apps available to download today. How can you narrow down your options?
Identify your problems
Each construction company works in unique environments. Create a list of the construction site problems that you face, then draw up a list of features that could address these issues.
For example, when projects are near completion, do you find that the process of fixing snags often takes several weeks – whereas you would like it to take a few days? A snagging app would make sense here.
Define your end goal
Choosing subcontractor software is ultimately about digitally transforming your business to become more efficient and productive. What specific end goals do you want to achieve from using contractor or snagging apps?
Define specific measures such as an improvement in project closure times, reduced downtime or cutting the number of days that subcontractors spend on-site by 5%.
Test different apps
Create a shortlist of contractor apps which meet most of (if not all) your needs. Request a demo or download a free trial to see if they work for you.
Add PlanRadar to your shortlist of contractor apps
PlanRadar is an award-winning subcontractor, project management and snagging app which helps site managers, subcontractors, and others to improve their workflow. We’ve packed PlanRadar full of features which help you improve efficiency, boost productivity and finish projects faster. We also offer a free 30-day trial and free product demonstrations, so you can be certain that our software is the right choice for you.
To get started with PlanRadar contact us for a demo or register for a free trial today.
