Accounting software for construction: what to compare

What accounting software does for a builder

Accounting software is where a business records what it earns and spends. Invoices go out, bills come in, and the bank feed fills in the rest. A general contractor or small builder needs the same basics as any other business.

The extra need is knowing what each job earned. That's often called job costing: matching costs to the project they belong to. Not every plan includes it, so check the plan table before you pay.

This page compares what three makers list. It isn't tax or accounting advice. Ask your accountant how your books should be set up.

FreshBooks plans and project features

FreshBooks listed Lite, Plus, Premium and Select plans on 2 November 2026. Its page showed regular prices of US$23, US$43 and US$70 a month for the first three, with an introductory discount for new customers. Select wasn't priced on the page. ¹

Premium and Select list "Check project profitability". Every plan lists "Unlimited Time-Tracking". ¹

FreshBooks limits how many clients you can bill: "Send invoices to 5 clients" on Lite and "Send invoices to 50 clients" on Plus. Premium lists "Send invoices to unlimited clients". A builder with many small customers may reach those caps. ¹

Xero: project tracking sits on the top plan

Xero listed three U.S. plans on 2 November 2026: Early at US$27 a month, Growing at US$59 and Established at US$97. New customers saw a first-six-month offer of US$2.70, US$5.90 and US$9.70, and the page said the offer ran until 2 November 2026. ²

Only Established lists "Track time and costs for projects". Early also caps bills and invoices: it lists "Enter 5 bills" and "Send quotes and 20 invoices". ²

Xero says "No per-user license fees". For a crew with several office staff, that could matter. ²

Zoho Books: project profitability from Professional

Zoho Books listed a Free plan and paid plans from Standard to Ultimate on 2 November 2026. Standard was US$20 a month, or US$15 billed annually. Professional was US$50, or US$40 billed annually. ³

"Project profitability" and "Bill timesheets" appear from the Professional plan up. The page doesn't use the phrase job costing, so ask the maker how it handles costs by job before relying on it. ³

Questions to ask before you choose

Prices show only part of the picture. Ask these questions during any free trial. ¹

- Does the plan with project tracking cost more than the one you'd otherwise pick? On all three makers, it does. - How many clients will you bill, and how many people need a login? FreshBooks lists "Send invoices to 5 clients" on Lite and "Send invoices to 50 clients" on Plus. Xero says "No per-user license fees". Check each page for what extra users cost. ^{1 2} - Can you try your own jobs in it? Enter one real project, with its bills and invoices, and see whether the profit figure makes sense to you. - Does your accountant already use one of them? That can save you time.

Crew scheduling is a separate job from accounting, and tradespeople who dispatch crews may want field service software for jobs, dispatch and invoices. Our guide to staff scheduling software is written for restaurants, but it shows how scheduling tools are priced.

We haven't used any of these products. The trial is your test.