For a long time, CoConstruct was the gold standard for custom home builders and remodelers. It defined the category of residential construction management software.
But the landscape has changed.
Since the acquisition of CoConstruct by BuilderTrend, many General Contractors (GCs) in the $1M–$15M revenue range have noticed a shift. Prices have crept up, support structures have changed, and the software has become an “all-in-one” behemoth.
For a massive design-build firm with 50 employees, that complexity might be necessary. But for a mid-sized General Contractor who just wants to land the job, manage the budget, and organize the files, CoConstruct can feel like renting a semi-truck when all you needed was a pickup.
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to CoConstruct—one that focuses on the work rather than the workflow—you are not alone. Here is why the market is shifting toward simpler, focused tools, and how you can save thousands of dollars a year without sacrificing organization.
The primary reason legacy platforms like CoConstruct are expensive is that they charge you for the entire lifecycle of a business, not just the construction of a project.
When you sign up for CoConstruct, you are paying for:
If you use 100% of these features, the high monthly fee (often hundreds or even over a thousand dollars a month depending on volume) might be justified.
But ask yourself: How much of the software do you actually use?
Most GCs we speak to use about 20% of the platform. They use it to send bid invites, track the budget, and store files. They ignore the CRM (because they use email), they ignore the complex scheduling (because things change daily anyway), and they ignore the warranty tracking.
You are paying for a buffet, but you’re only eating a salad.
There is another cost to complex software that doesn’t show up on your credit card statement: Subcontractor annoyance.
CoConstruct and similar enterprise tools often require subcontractors to create accounts, log in to portals, and navigate complex interfaces just to view a set of plans or submit a bid.
In a busy construction market, the harder you make it for a sub to bid, the fewer bids you get.
If your “cheaper alternative” is simply Excel, you solve the cost problem but introduce a chaos problem. You need a middle ground—software that organizes your bids and files but treats your subcontractors like partners, not data entry clerks.
If you are a Custom Home Builder or Remodeler doing between $1M and $15M in revenue, you likely don’t need an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. You need a Project Management & Bidding Tool.
Here are the three core features you should prioritize when looking for a cost-effective replacement.
The heart of your business is the budget. CoConstruct’s budget tool is powerful, but it can be rigid. You want a tool that allows you to:
The Alternative Approach: Look for software that uses AI or smart parsing to read your PDF proposals and help you organize them into the budget automatically. You shouldn’t have to manually type data from a PDF into a complex form field.
This is where the specialized tools shine. Instead of forcing subs into a portal, modern micro-SaaS platforms focus on Invitations to Bid (ITB) tracking.
A simpler tool will allow you to see a dashboard of your subs without forcing them to jump through hoops. This ensures you get more coverage on every trade, which ultimately saves you money on the build.
CoConstruct has file storage, but it is often buried deep within specific job folders that are hard to share. You need a “Digital Plan Room”—a central source of truth for plans, permits, and specs that you can share with a simple link.
To be fair, we want to be honest about who shouldn’t switch. A cheaper alternative is not always the right move if your business complexity demands it.
You should stay on CoConstruct if:
If those are deal-breakers, the high price tag of CoConstruct is the cost of doing business.
However, if you are a builder who manages projects by being on-site and staying on top of your numbers, you can save massive amounts of overhead by switching to a dedicated Bidding and Budgeting tool.
Our software was built for the Excel Refugee—the contractor who is growing out of spreadsheets but refuses to pay enterprise prices for features they don’t need.
Here is how we compare:
| Feature | Enterprise Tools (CoConstruct/BuilderTrend) | Our Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | High monthly fees + Setup fees | Affordable, flat pricing |
| Bidding | Requires Sub Portals | Email-based & Frictionless |
| Budgeting | Rigid & Complex | Flexible & Intuitive |
| Files | Buried in tabs | Centralized Cloud Storage |
| AI | Limited | PDF-to-Budget Automation |
| Learning Curve | Weeks/Months | Minutes |
Profit margin in construction is hard enough to maintain without overhead eating into it. Every dollar you spend on unused software features is a dollar that isn’t going toward your bottom line or your next project.
If you are tired of the price hikes and the complexity, it might be time to look for a specialized tool.
Focus on what actually moves the needle: Getting accurate bids, organizing your budget, and building the project.
Ready to streamline your bidding process without the enterprise price tag? Try our simple alternative today.