Last reviewed: 22 July 2026
Construction cost control software tracks committed and actual costs against budget while the work is still in progress, so overruns surface in time to act on rather than in the month-end accounts. The tools below approach that job differently: some sit inside a wider construction management platform, some do one thing well for one kind of team, and one serves the owner's side of the table. This comparison covers what each one does best and how to choose between them.
The shortlist at a glance
| Software | Best for | Cost control approach |
|---|---|---|
| Archdesk | Contractors who want cost control tied to delivery records | Commitments captured at the point of order, allocated to cost codes automatically, reconciled against budget continuously; CVR (cost value reconciliation), CPI and SPI from live records |
| Procore | Large general contractors standardizing on one platform | Budget, commitments and change events inside a broad project management platform |
| Planyard | Small and mid-size contractors moving off spreadsheets | Budget vs actual tracking with purchase orders, subcontracts and change orders, synced to accounting |
| Mastt | Owners and owners' representatives running capital programs | Owner-side cost tracking, forecasting and payment tracking across a portfolio of projects |
| LiveCosts | Small contractors tracking site costs daily | Invoice and delivery capture against project budgets, connected to accounting software |
| Buildertrend | Residential builders and remodelers | Job costs inside a sales-to-completion workflow with estimates and change orders |
| CMiC | Enterprise contractors running ERP-level financials | Unified financials and project delivery in a single enterprise database |
How we chose
Every tool here is judged on the same questions: how costs are captured (commitments when the order is placed, or invoices after the money is spent), how budgets and forecasts stay current, whether reporting works at both project and portfolio level, and which teams the tool genuinely suits. Descriptions are based on each vendor's published capabilities, not scores. We build Archdesk, we rank it first, and we argue the case rather than assume it; the other six are genuine alternatives, and for some teams the better fit.
1. Archdesk
Archdesk is construction management software with cost control at its core. Purchase orders, subcontracts and contract values are captured at the point of commitment and allocated to cost codes automatically, so the budget position reflects money the project has promised, not just invoices that have arrived. The monthly CVR (cost value reconciliation) comes straight from those live records, and CPI and SPI are available at both project and portfolio level.
The argument for ranking it first is the connection between cost control and everything else: valuations, site records, procurement and payment applications run on the same records the costs do, one place and one record instead of a monthly reconciliation exercise between systems. External collaborators such as subcontractors, clients and consultants are free, which matters when cost data depends on other parties keeping their side current. Pricing is quote-based.
Best for: contractors and subcontractors who want the cost position produced from live delivery records rather than assembled at month-end.
2. Procore
Procore is the most widely known construction management platform, and its cost tools live inside that platform: budgets, commitments, change events and invoicing sit alongside project management, quality and safety. That is the point of Procore; you standardize the whole business on one system, and cost control comes with it.
Best for: large general contractors that want one platform across many teams and can invest in rolling it out.
3. Planyard
Planyard focuses on budget control for small and mid-size contractors: budget vs actual tracking, purchase orders, subcontract management and change orders, with two-way syncs to accounting tools such as QuickBooks and Xero. It is deliberately narrower than a full platform, which keeps it quick to adopt.
Best for: smaller teams replacing budget spreadsheets without changing how the rest of the business runs.
4. Mastt
Mastt works the other side of the contract: it is built for owners, owners' representatives and project management consultancies tracking capital projects and programs. Cost tracking, forecasting, contract and payment tracking roll up into portfolio dashboards.
Best for: owner-side teams who need program-level cost visibility rather than contractor-side job costing.
5. LiveCosts
LiveCosts tracks project costs for small contractors: supplier invoices and deliveries are captured against project budgets and pushed to the accounting system. It concentrates on making daily cost capture easy rather than on wider project management.
Best for: small contractors whose main problem is knowing what a live job has spent this week.
6. Buildertrend
Buildertrend serves residential builders and remodelers, with job costs tracked inside a workflow that runs from sales and estimates through change orders to client billing, including a client portal.
Best for: residential builders who want cost tracking inside a homeowner-facing process.
7. CMiC
CMiC is enterprise construction ERP: financials, payroll, project delivery and asset management in a single database. It suits contractors at a scale where the accounting system and the project system must be the same system, and where an ERP implementation program is realistic.
Best for: enterprise general contractors consolidating financials and operations into one ERP.
Matching the tool to the team
The honest way to shortlist: owner-side teams should look at Mastt; enterprise contractors weighing a full ERP should look at CMiC; residential builders at Buildertrend; very small contractors who only need spend visibility at LiveCosts or Planyard. Contractors and subcontractors in between, who need commitments, cost codes, CVR (cost value reconciliation) reporting and delivery records in one system, are the teams Archdesk is built for, with Procore the platform alternative at the larger end. A structured cost code list is the foundation whichever tool you pick.
Frequently asked questions
What is construction cost control software?
Construction cost control software tracks a project's committed and actual costs against its budget while the work is in progress. The better systems capture costs at the point of commitment, when a purchase order or subcontract is signed, so the forecast final cost stays realistic months before invoices arrive.
What is the difference between cost control and job costing?
Job costing records what each job has actually cost, coded by cost type, and is the historical record. Cost control uses those records plus commitments and budgets to manage the outcome while it can still be changed. Good software does both from the same data.
What is a CVR (cost value reconciliation)?
A CVR (cost value reconciliation) compares the cost a project has incurred with the value of the work done, typically monthly. It is standard practice for UK contractors and increasingly used elsewhere, because it exposes margin erosion, under-claimed work and unbilled revenue project by project.
