Dave

Dave vs Buildertrend

As of January 2026

Which Contractor Software is Right for Your Business?

Buildertrend is enterprise software with enterprise pricing—great if you're building custom homes and have office staff to run it. Dave is for contractors who want to get back to work, not learn complicated software.

Quick Comparison

Dave

The easy-to-use contractor app

$40/month

when billed annually

Buildertrend

Construction project management

From $299 to $1099 per month

DaveOUR SOLUTION

The easy-to-use contractor app

Dave is built for owner-operators who want to get the job done without faffing around with complicated software. It handles estimates, invoicing, project organization, and scheduling in one dead-simple app.

Dave's key features:

  • •Dead-simple setup – no training needed
  • •Professional estimates that win jobs
  • •Invoicing that gets you paid faster
  • •Project organization to keep your crew in check
  • •Schedule jobs and your crew with ease
  • •Professional client portal for estimates & invoices
  • •Send quotes & bills via email and SMS text
  • •Job-site photos and notes
  • •Collect 5-star Google Reviews automatically
  • •Built-in CRM to manage your clients

"Dave just works. I can bang out an estimate in the truck, send an invoice, and know exactly where my crew needs to be. No nonsense."

$40/month when billed annually

Strengths:

  • ✓Built for owner-operators, not enterprise
  • ✓No steep learning curve
  • ✓Syncs with Quickbooks
  • ✓Works great on your phone at the job site
  • ✓Fair pricing for small businesses
  • ✓Helps you look professional to clients
  • ✓Client portal makes approvals & payments easy

Limitations:

  • •Not for massive companies with 50+ trucks
  • •Focused on the essentials, not the bells and whistles
  • •Won't make your coffee (yet)

Best for:

Owner-operators and small teams who want to look professional and stay organized without hiring an IT department

Get organized, win jobs, and impress clients.

No credit card required.

Buildertrend

Construction project management

A heavy-duty platform for big construction firms and custom home builders. It's got everything but the kitchen sink, but be prepared to pay for it.

Buildertrend's key features:

  • •Full-blown project management
  • •Detailed financial reporting
  • •Client & sub portals
  • •Change order management
  • •Selections management
  • •Warranty tracking
  • •Daily logs
From $299 to $1099 per month

Strengths:

  • ✓Handles massive, complex projects well
  • ✓Great for large teams and office staff
  • ✓Client portal is fancy
  • ✓Connects everyone (subs, clients, office)

Limitations:

  • •Way too expensive for the everyday contractor
  • •Requires weeks of training to learn
  • •Overkill for straightforward jobs
  • •Can feel like you need a degree to operate it

Best for:

Large general contractors and custom home builders doing multi-million dollar projects

Key Differences: Dave vs Buildertrend

Pricing

Dave: $40/month when billed annually

Buildertrend: Costs an arm and a leg ($299-$1099/mo)

Dave is priced for the everyday contractor. Buildertrend is priced for big companies with big budgets.

Ease of Use

Dave: 5-minute setup, easy as pie

Buildertrend: Requires serious training and setup time

You can start using Dave today. Buildertrend takes weeks to get rolling properly.

Who it's for

Dave: Owner-operators doing normal jobs

Buildertrend: Big GCs building custom homes

Dave is built for the guys on site. Buildertrend is built for project managers in the office.

Features

Dave: The essentials: Estimates, Invoices, Organization, Scheduling

Buildertrend: Everything under the sun (complex Gantt charts, etc.)

Dave keeps it simple so you can work fast. Buildertrend has powerful tools if you actually need them (and have time to use them).

How to Choose Between Dave and Buildertrend

Here's the deal:

Go with Dave if:

  • • You're a small to medium contractor
  • • You want to get estimates out fast
  • • You don't have time to learn complex software
  • • You want to keep your overhead low
  • • You focus on residential projects

Go with Buildertrend if:

  • • You're building custom homes from scratch
  • • You have a dedicated office staff
  • • You need complex financial tracking
  • • You manage dozens of subs on one job
  • • Budget isn't an issue

More Contractor Software Resources

Complete Contractor Software Comparison

See how Dave compares to all the other guys including Joist, Jobber, and more.

Dave Features Overview

Learn more about how Dave helps with estimates, invoicing, organization, and scheduling.

Ready to give Dave a shot?

Join the other owner-operators who've stopped fighting with software and started getting more work done.