General contractors are a broad category. Some run service-based businesses (small repairs, handyman work, maintenance). Others manage projects (remodeling, renovations, custom builds). The right software depends on which type of work dominates your business.
After evaluating the leading platforms, Jobber wins for service-based general contractors, while Buildertrend wins for larger project-based operations.
Affordable ($49–129/mo), excellent mobile app, easy scheduling. Perfect for handyman, repair, and general maintenance work with 1–5 day jobs.
Purpose-built for project management: budgets, material tracking, subcontractor management, daily reports. Essential for 2+ week projects with multiple moving parts.
For general contractors, the realistic options are:
This matters because the two types of work have different software needs:
Service-Based Work (1–5 day jobs): A handyman gets a call for a clogged sink, a dishwasher repair, or cabinet fixes. Jobs are quick, simple, and move fast. You need fast scheduling, easy invoicing, and good mobile app. Jobber is built for this.
Project-Based Work (2+ weeks): A GC bids on a kitchen remodel. The project takes 3 weeks, involves multiple tradespeople, requires material ordering, budget tracking, and change order management. Buildertrend is built for this.
If your business is 70%+ service work, use Jobber. If it's 70%+ projects, use Buildertrend. If it's mixed, Buildertrend is more capable (but overkill if service work dominates).
| Feature | Jobber | Buildertrend | ServiceTitan | CoConstruct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job scheduling | ✓ Excellent | ✓ Good | ✓ Good | ✓ Good |
| Project budgeting | ✗ Basic | ✓ Advanced | ✗ | ✓ Advanced |
| Material tracking | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Subcontractor management | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mobile app (field) | ✓ Excellent | ✓ Good | ✓ Good | ✓ Good |
| Customer portal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Estimating | ✓ Basic | ✓ Advanced | ✓ Basic | ✓ Advanced |
| GPS tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Platform | Entry Price | For 5 Users | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber | $49/mo | $129/mo | Service-based GCs |
| Buildertrend | $99/mo | $400+/mo | Project-based GCs |
| ServiceTitan | $199+/mo | $600+/mo | HVAC/Plumbing (not GCs) |
| CoConstruct | $99/mo | Custom pricing | Design-focused remodeling |
For service-based work, Jobber is far cheaper. For project-based work, Buildertrend's added cost is justified by features you actually need (budgets, material tracking, subcontractor management).
For most general contractors: if your work is service-based, start with Jobber. It's cheap, fast, and your team will adopt it immediately. As you grow and take on bigger projects, you might graduate to Buildertrend. If you're already running project-based work, skip Jobber and go straight to Buildertrend.