BT| Starting price | Custom quote only. Third-party estimate: ~$339/month at the entry tier |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No — demo only, no free trial offered |
| Upper tiers | Published estimates run up to ~$1,099/month at the top tier; unlimited users included at every level |
| Best for | Custom home builders and larger remodelers running several concurrent projects with subcontractors, selections and client approvals |
| Not ideal for | Anyone who only needs a sales pipeline, or wants a published price before talking to sales |
| Standout feature | Lead tracking and proposals flow into the same project record that carries the schedule, budget, change orders and daily logs |
| Biggest drawback | No published pricing, typically annual contracts, and a CRM that's the simplest part of a much larger platform |
Buildertrend does not publish dollar prices on buildertrend.com; the figures in this review are third-party estimates from independent comparison sites, not vendor-confirmed numbers. Get a written quote before budgeting against them. This review was assessed on vendor documentation, published pricing and third-party review data, not hands-on testing.
The short verdict
Buildertrend earns a 4.1 from us because it solves a problem most CRMs ignore entirely: what happens to a lead after they sign. Once a prospect becomes a client, their contact record doesn't get exported to a different tool — it becomes the project record that carries the schedule, the budget, change orders and daily job-site logs, all visible to the client through a dedicated portal. For a builder currently juggling a separate CRM, a scheduling app and a client-update spreadsheet, replacing all three with one system is a real efficiency gain, and unlimited users at every tier means adding subcontractors and field staff doesn't inflate the bill.
The cost is transparency and focus. Buildertrend publishes no dollar figures anywhere — every tier is a custom quote — and independent estimates put the entry plan around $339 a month, climbing toward $1,099 a month at the top, usually locked into an annual contract. There's no free trial, only a sales demo. And because the CRM is really a pre-sale layer bolted onto a project platform, it's the least developed part of the product: if a sales pipeline is genuinely your only problem, you're buying scheduling, budgeting and daily-log tools you'll never open.
Bottom line: if you're a builder or remodeler who wants leads, the schedule, the budget and the client portal running off one record, Buildertrend is a strong, capable pick. If bid tracking is the entire job, look at Followup CRM instead.
What is Buildertrend?
Buildertrend is construction project management software for schedules, budgets, change orders, daily logs and client communication, with a CRM layered on top for the pre-sale stage. It's built around a single project record: a lead comes in, gets a proposal, and — once won — that same record keeps going, picking up the schedule, the budget, subcontractor assignments and a running log of site conditions the client can see through their own portal login.
That structure is the whole reason to consider it. A lead-tracking tool that hands off to a separate project system means re-entering the client, the address and every commitment made during the sale. Buildertrend's pitch is that nothing gets re-typed, because the CRM and the job are the same object from day one.
Who Buildertrend is (and isn't) for
A strong fit if you…
- Build custom homes or run larger remodeling projects with subcontractors, material selections and client approvals to track
- Manage several concurrent projects and want the schedule, budget and client updates in the same system that captured the original lead
- Value unlimited users over per-seat pricing, since field staff and subcontractors all need logins
- Want a client portal that keeps homeowners updated without constant phone calls
- Can commit to an annual contract and a custom-quote sales process rather than a self-serve signup
Look elsewhere if you…
- Only need to track bids and proposals, not run the job afterward — see Followup CRM, purpose-built for exactly that
- Want a published price before a sales call, rather than a custom quote
- Run smaller, single-trade jobs where a lighter tool like JobNimbus fits the scale better
- Need a free trial to test with real data before signing anything
Pricing: what Buildertrend actually costs
Buildertrend has no published price list; every plan is quoted directly by sales, so the figures below come from independent comparison sites, not a vendor-confirmed rate card. Treat them as a planning range, not a number to hold the sales team to.
| Tier | Estimated price¹ | Users | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | ~$339/month | Unlimited | Typically annual |
| Mid-range | Custom quote | Unlimited | Typically annual |
| Top tier | ~$1,099/month | Unlimited | Typically annual |
¹ Published third-party estimates, not figures confirmed on buildertrend.com. Buildertrend quotes every deal individually; no self-serve checkout or free trial exists on any tier.
What this means for your budget
- A single-project remodeler should expect a quote near the entry estimate of $339 a month, and should ask specifically whether a smaller feature set brings the price down further — the published range doesn't confirm a floor.
- A builder running several concurrent projects with a full crew of subcontractors will likely land in the middle of the range, where unlimited users starts paying for itself compared with a per-seat CRM charging for every field login.
- A larger builder at the top of the range, near $1,099 a month, is still getting unlimited seats included — model that against what the same headcount would cost on a per-user CRM before assuming the sticker price is the whole comparison.
The real risk isn't the dollar figure, it's negotiating without a published anchor. Get a written quote early, and ask directly whether the number includes onboarding, since project platforms this deep often carry setup work that a simple CRM doesn't.
Watch out for: the annual contract and the missing price list together. Ask what happens if you need to downgrade mid-term, and confirm the quote covers your actual subcontractor and field-staff count, not just office users. For a wider view of what CRMs really cost, see our CRM cost breakdown.
Features walkthrough
Lead tracking and proposals
The CRM side covers leads, proposals and the sales pipeline, and the key detail is what happens next: a won lead doesn't get exported anywhere, it becomes the project. That single-record design is Buildertrend's real differentiator over a standalone CRM.
Scheduling and daily logs
Project schedules, task dependencies and daily job-site logs give the office and the field the same view of where a project stands, with photo and note capture built for updating from a phone on site.
Budgets and change orders
Budgets track against actuals as costs come in, and change orders route through approval before they hit the client's bill — the kind of paperwork that gets lost in email on a job running purely off a CRM and a spreadsheet.
Client portal
Homeowners get their own login to see schedule updates, selections, change orders and messages, which cuts down the phone tag that eats an office manager's day on a multi-month remodel.
Selections and subcontractor management
Material and finish selections are tracked against budget and schedule, and subcontractor records tie trade, scope and communication back to the specific job, so nothing about who's doing what lives in a separate spreadsheet.
Ease of use and setup
Buildertrend scores 4.0 on ease of use, and the number reflects a trade-off rather than a flaw: the platform does more than a single-purpose CRM, so there's more to learn during onboarding. Builders who get the most out of it tend to assign someone to configure schedules, budget templates and portal settings properly up front rather than expecting the software to work well without any setup. Day-to-day use of the schedule, daily logs and client messaging is generally described as straightforward once the initial configuration is done.
Integrations and API
Buildertrend connects to QuickBooks and other accounting tools for job costing, plus common calendar and document tools that a builder's office already runs on. It's a construction-specific integration set rather than the broad marketplace a general CRM like HubSpot offers, which fits its focus — the platform is built to be the system of record for the job, not one node in a wider stack of unrelated software.
Support
Support is available through Buildertrend's own team by phone and email, with the depth of onboarding help typically scaling with the size of the deal. Because the platform bundles this much — scheduling, budgets, client portal, CRM — a builder evaluating Buildertrend should ask specifically about onboarding time and who configures the initial project templates, since a rushed setup is the most common source of frustration reviewers mention.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Leads and proposals flow into the same record that carries the schedule, budget and daily logs
- Unlimited users at every tier, not billed per seat
- Strong client portal cuts down phone tag on multi-month jobs
- Change orders and budgets tracked against actuals in one place
- Built specifically for residential builders and remodelers running concurrent projects
- G2 rates it 4.2 stars across 175 reviews
Cons
- No published pricing anywhere — every quote is custom
- No free trial, demo only
- Contracts are typically annual
- The CRM/sales-pipeline piece is the simplest part of the product
- Overkill if a sales pipeline is genuinely your only need
- Setup takes real time given how many modules the platform bundles
Buildertrend vs the alternatives
| Tool | Starting price | Free plan/trial | Choose it over Buildertrend when… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Followup CRM | $99/user/mo annual | 30-day money-back | Bid tracking is the whole job, not running the project after |
| Procore | Quote by construction volume | Demo | You run large commercial jobs, not residential builds |
| JobNimbus | Quote-based (~$225/mo est.) | Demo | You're a roofer or exterior specialty contractor, not a home builder |
| HubSpot CRM | Free; $9/seat | Yes (2 seats) | You just want lead tracking, not a full project platform |
Buildertrend vs Followup CRM is the comparison worth running before you buy either. They're not really competitors — Buildertrend is a project platform with a CRM built in, while Followup CRM is a narrow bid-tracking specialist with no project management at all. If your business already has a separate system for running the job, or doesn't need one because projects are short, Followup CRM's focused pipeline and construction-ERP integrations may be the entire solution at a fraction of the setup. If the job itself needs to live somewhere after the sale, that's what Buildertrend is actually for.
For the full shortlist of construction CRM options, see our best CRM for construction guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Buildertrend cost?
Buildertrend doesn't publish pricing — every plan is a custom quote. Third-party estimates put the entry tier around $339 a month, scaling up to roughly $1,099 a month at the top, with unlimited users included at every level. There's no free trial, and contracts are typically annual.
Does Buildertrend offer a free trial?
No. Buildertrend offers a sales demo, not a free trial or free plan. You'll need a quote before testing it with your own project data.
Is Buildertrend a CRM or a project management platform?
It's primarily construction project management software — schedules, budgets, change orders, daily logs and a client portal — with a CRM built in for the pre-sale stage, so leads flow into the same record that later runs the job.
Is Buildertrend good for a small remodeling business?
It can work for a single-project remodeler, but it's built for builders running several concurrent jobs with subcontractors and client approvals. A shop that mostly needs a sales pipeline is usually better served by a lighter tool like Followup CRM.
Buildertrend vs Followup CRM: which should I choose?
Buildertrend is a project platform with a CRM layered on for builders who want the schedule, budget and client portal in one system. Followup CRM is a narrow bid-tracking sales tool with no project management, built for subcontractors whose only problem is a leaky bid pipeline. Choose Buildertrend if the job needs to live in the same system; choose Followup CRM if bid tracking is the entire job.
Does Buildertrend charge per user?
No. Unlike most CRMs on this site, Buildertrend includes unlimited users at every published price estimate, which matters once subcontractors and field staff all need a login.
Final verdict
Buildertrend earns its 4.1 by doing something few CRMs attempt: carrying a lead all the way through to a finished job on a single record, with unlimited users and a client portal that genuinely reduces admin overhead on a multi-month build. What holds it back from scoring higher is transparency and focus — no published price, no free trial, an annual contract, and a CRM layer that's clearly secondary to the project-management core. If you're a custom builder or remodeler who wants the whole job in one system, it's a strong shortlist pick. If a sales pipeline is genuinely your only problem, buy Followup CRM instead and save the platform cost for later.
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