Top 10 Contractor Apps Your Team Needs in 2024

In the fast-paced world of construction management, staying organized and efficient is critical. With the advent of contractor apps, project managers now have powerful tools at their fingertips to streamline workflows, enhance communication and drive productivity.
In this post, we’ll explore some of the best apps for contractors available today, each offering unique features and functionalities tailored to the specific needs of general contractors. Whether you need to streamline your team scheduling or find a more efficient way to process your payroll, there’s an app for that.

• 1. Procore
• 2. PlanGrid
• 3. Joist
• 4. Let’sBuild
• 5. Smartsheet
• 6. Fieldwire
• 7. Hubdoc
• 8. CompanyCam
• 9. JobNimbus
• 10. Raken

1. Procore

Best For: All-in-one project management 

Key Features:

• Advanced collaboration with real-time updates and in-app chat
• Project management for all project phases
• Reporting and analytics for project performance

Procore is a versatile app designed for all-in-one construction project management. It offers a suite of tools to help you manage all construction project phases — preconstruction, project management, resource management and financial management. 

Within the app, you’ll find tools for scheduling, progress tracking and resource allocation. It offers robust document sharing, and you can house all of your drawings, files, submittals, RFIs, schedules, safety reports, punch lists and photos.

2. PlanGrid

Best For: Blueprint management 

Key Features:

• Blueprint management and annotation
• Real-time task creation, assigning and tracking
• Team-wide collaboration tools 

PlanGrid is a construction productivity software that focuses on simplifying the process of managing construction blueprints, documents and tasks in the field. It is a centralized platform for accessing and collaborating on project plans, drawings and documents, both online and offline. 

PlanGrid’s intuitive interface and mobile accessibility make it particularly valuable for construction project managers who need seamless blueprint management capabilities. PlanGrid allows users to upload, organize and annotate blueprints directly within the platform. This simplifies the process of accessing and referencing project plans, reducing the risk of errors and miscommunication.

3. Joist

Best For: Estimating and invoicing 

Key Features:

• Customizable templates for estimates 
• In-app invoice creation and sending 
• Payment tracking and invoice reminders 

Joist is an app designed specifically for contractors who need to manage estimates, invoices and projects on the go. The app lets you streamline administrative tasks,  from creating and sending professional estimates to tracking project expenses and invoicing clients. 

One of Joist’s standout features is its comprehensive estimating tools, allowing users to quickly create detailed and professional project estimates. These tools include customizable templates, material and labor cost tracking, and the ability to add photos and notes to estimates for clarity. Joist also allows you to create and send invoices to clients directly from the app, track payments and send reminders for overdue invoices. 

4. Let’sBuild

Best For: Task management 

Key Features:

• Progress reporting to quickly submit updates 
• Digital Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) checklists 
• One-click PDF report generation 

Let’sBuild offers three main products — LB Site Diary, LB Aproplan and LB GenieBelt. Each has its own app with different uses. LB Site Diary is designed for contractors who need to track daily site activities and quickly share progress reports on the go. It allows users to keep detailed logs of manpower and equipment used and create one-click reports that can be configured into reusable templates for efficiency. 

LB Aproplan is designed to manage employee safety protocols in a more streamlined way. It offers mobile site inspections that let you markup and measure plans, sync up punch lists, and create structured data trails for safety forms and protective protocols. LB GenieBelt is specifically for project management and site progress reporting, ideal for contractors who manage repetitive projects. 

5. Smartsheet

Best For: Simple time tracking and project planning

Key Features:

• Easy-to-manipulate spreadsheet-style tracking 
• Unlimited custom fields 
• Multiple views and unlimited sheets

Smartsheet is a time-tracking app that helps users plan, track and manage individual projects. While it’s not geared specifically toward any one field or industry, construction project managers can utilize it to manage projects of all sizes. 

Smartsheet is a hub where you can import individual projects and break each project down by phase. From there, you can assign different tasks within each project phase across your team. Team members can track their time for any task in real time, and time tracking is imported into an automated resource allocation report. This way, you can see how your resources are being used and whether you’re under or over your target. 

6. Fieldwire

Best For: Collaborative blueprint creation 

Key Features:

• Collaborative blueprint mockup tools 
• Plan viewing tool to compare blueprint versions 
• In-app teammate dispatching for jobs 

Fieldwire is a construction software platform that lets you store blueprints and files, collaborate with colleagues and create and assign tasks. The software offers a collaborative approach to managing blueprint mockups, with tools that allow users to share ideas and notes and make annotations. 

Aside from its blueprint capabilities, Fieldwire also has a project management feature that lets you create and assign tasks. You can add specific details to each individual task, such as cost, deadline, manpower required and location. Helpful task management views allow you to view all tasks by priority in a Kanban-style view or in a calendar view where you can drag and drop specific tasks. 

7. Hubdoc

Best For: Efficient data entry and filing 

Key Features:

• Connects to other accounting systems like QuickBooks or Sage
• Auto-populates invoice data
• Secure cloud storage, accessible anywhere 

If you need to streamline your financial bookkeeping, Hubdoc is a great resource that can save you time and effort with financial data entry. When you upload documents to Hubdoc, such as your invoices, it automatically extracts key data like contact details, dates and transactions. Once data is extracted and captured, the data is synced to zero across your accounts. 

Hubdoc lets you upload documents by snapping a photo on your phone and uploading it to your desktop or via the mobile app. Hubdoc then scans the photos, extracts the data and stores the information. You can organize documents with tags and virtual folders, and documents are categorized automatically once uploaded, making the entire process a breeze.

8. CompanyCam

Best For: Jobsite photo documentation 

Key Features: 

• Unlimited cloud storage 
• Real-time photo data and project locator 
• Add text, annotations and drawings directly to photos

If you take photos and videos on the job site, this app is for you. The cloud-based photo app allows you to create projects for each job site, and it uses GPS to save each project by location. Once you have your projects set up, any photos you take are automatically organized into the corresponding job site folder. Every photo includes the date and time stamp, along with who took the photo. 

CompanyCam also has collaborative features that let you set up your entire team to have access to your site photos. You can quickly add team members by email, and you can select their desired permissions to determine their access level. Once you have your team set up, any photo or video a team member takes using CompanyCam is instantly available for all members. 

9. JobNimbus

Best For: Sales tracking and customer relationship management (CRM)

Key Features:

• Automation feature (digital personal assistant) 
• Boards feature to move jobs through the pipeline
• Custom sales workflows

JobNimbus is an all-in-one CRM and project management solution. While it can be suitable for all construction contractors, it’s specifically geared towards roofing professionals within the construction industry. JobNimbus was designed to streamline communication across teams, helping pros better manage customer contacts, project scheduling, lead acquisition and even payments and invoicing. 

One popular feature of JobNimbus is the Boards feature, which provides instant access to job statuses within the sales pipeline. You can move individual jobs and projects through the sales process and automate activities like sending customer follow-up emails or changing job statuses as they progress through the production process. Workflows can be customized both on the web and within the app, either in-office or on the go. 

10. Raken

Best For: Streamlined daily reporting

Key Features:

• Digital documentation for daily reporting
• Reporting functionality with branded PDF reports 
• Time tracking and scheduling functionality

Raken is a construction management app designed to streamline daily reporting and project documentation for construction teams. It simplifies capturing on-the-job data by allowing users to create detailed daily reports, complete with photos, notes and weather conditions, all directly from the app while on the job site. 

Raken also offers time-tracking and scheduling tools, making it easy for contractors and project managers to track labor hours and subcontractor progress, as well as keep projects on schedule. Raken also offers reporting capabilities and can combine all data into branded PDF reports. 

From comprehensive platforms like Procore and Autodesk Build to specialized solutions like PlanGrid and Raken, each app caters to specific needs and priorities within the construction industry. With the variety of construction apps and apps for contractors available, you can streamline project management, improve team scheduling and find more efficiency on the job site.

As you position your business for success, contact BigRentz for your equipment rental needs.