8 Best Construction CRM Software for Contractors in 2023
Jess served on the founding team of a successful B2B startup and has used a wide range of sales and marketing tools over the course of her 15-year career. She uses her industry knowledge to deliver the best answers to your questions about sales tools and sales management.
This article is part of a larger series on CRM.
Construction and contractor customer relationship management (CRM) software lets businesses manage sales outreach, bid proposals, job scheduling, and work projects in one system. The best CRM for contractors will have cost-friendly features, an intuitive interface, and robust capabilities to help automate and monitor trade contracting operations. We evaluated dozens of options to identify the top construction CRM software.
- Best overall: HubSpot CRM Suite
- Great for home maintenance businesses: JobNimbus
- Excellent option for general contractors: Jobber
- Solid proposal and deal management tools: Pipedrive
- Best CRM with free project management tools: Insightly
- Best CRM for customization: Zoho CRM
- Ideal for obtaining business on multiple channels: Followup CRM
- Best roofing contractor CRM: AccuLynx
Best CRM for Contractors Compared
Provider | Starting Monthly Price per User* | Free Plan? | Our CRM Rating Out of 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | $30 (2 users) | ✓ | 4.70 |
 | Contact for pricing | ✕ | 4.46 |
 | $9 (1 user) | ✕ | 4.44 |
 | $14.90 | ✕ | 4.44 |
 | $29 | ✓ | 4.36 |
 | $14 | ✓ | 4.34 |
 | Contact for pricing | ✕ | 3.97 |
 | Contact for pricing | ✕ | 3.89 |
*Based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for slightly higher rates.
HubSpot CRM: Best Construction CRM Overall
Overall Score:
4.70 / 5
Pros
- Free plan for unlimited users
- Customizable quotes and a built-in meeting scheduler are available for free
- Robust marketing automation capabilities
Cons
- Paid plans get expensive
- Limited projects management features that aren’t available until Professional plan
- Payment processing not available for free
- You need a complete marketing platform: HubSpot’s greatest capabilities include the marketing and campaign automation features. Users can create detailed audience segments and design email, advertisement, and social media campaigns to target contacts on those lists. Teams can configure automation to schedule campaign deployment based on time or actions, such as recipient clicks, and even host a blog from the CRM system.
- You want to process client payments in your CRM: A unique feature in HubSpot is the payment processing capabilities. Contractors can send payment links within quote documents to collect revenue via automated clearing house (ACH) or integration with Stripe for credit and debit card payments.
- You are a startup contracting business: Despite tight budgets, startup trade contractors must find ways to build brand awareness and generate prospective clients. HubSpot’s free CRM plan offers an intuitive platform with all the CRM essentials, like contact and deal management. There are also advanced capabilities, however, like email campaigns, ads management, website analytics, blog hosting, and Facebook messaging at no cost.
- You need solid, low-cost project management features: HubSpot has basic project management, letting you view deliverables and tasks in a list and store project templates. It cannot, however, provide multi-viewing capabilities on Gantt, Kanban, calendar, or chart views, nor can you associate a project with a contact or account record. Also, project tools are not available until you subscribe to the Professional plan.
- Alternative: Insightly offers a free project management module, and Zoho CRM offers a free, native integration with Zoho Projects. Users can subscribe to Zoho Projects for free or use one of the low-cost paid plans which are $4 or $9 per user, per month.
- You prefer an industry-specific CRM: HubSpot is a general-use CRM because it’s built to support a wide range of different industries. It is not specifically built as a CRM for construction—causing it to require system tailoring and miss out on certain contractor features like an advanced work management system.
- Alternative: JobNimbus and Jobber are our picks for the top two industry-specific CRM systems.
HubSpot CRM Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Each plan offers a 14-day free trial.
**CRM Suite includes sales, marketing, customer service, content management system (CMS), and operations software. Individual modules can be purchased for lower monthly costs.
HubSpot creating payable quotes (Source: HubSpot)
Our Expert Opinion
HubSpot is great for general and specialized trade contractors, regardless of whether they are new, growing, or well-established. It’s the best general-purpose CRM for the construction industry, primarily for its relevant features, like meeting and job scheduling, payment processing, quote generation, and basic project management. We like its use case for startup contractors as many of its robust marketing capabilities, like email and ad campaigns, are easy to use and free for unlimited users.
HubSpot is a top-notch CRM platform for startups, email marketing, and product simplicity. Find out how it can support your business in our full HubSpot CRM review.
JobNimbus: Best for Home Maintenance Businesses
Overall Score:
4.46 / 5
Pros
- Industry-specific CRM designed for solar, roofing, gutter, and home siding businesses
- Excellent contracting features including invoicing, payment processing, and projects management
- Integrates with Zapier, QuickBooks, and Google Calendar
Cons
- Lacks transparent pricing
- Customizable data fields unavailable until Established plan
- Project management requires Growing plan
- You are a home renovation business: JobNimbus is an industry-specific CRM in that it’s intended for contracting businesses and offers relevant built-in features and integrations. It is excellent for home renovation businesses like roofers, solar panel installation specialists, and siding and gutter companies as it integrates with Sunlight Financial—letting users help customers apply for home renovation financing options from the CRM.
- You want to connect your CRM with your accounting system: JobNimbus has a QuickBooks CRM integration which allows small businesses to get more value from their CRM. This makes it easy to sync invoice, payment, estimates, and service data from the CRM to the accounting tool.
- You need an elaborate marketing platform: The JobNimbus outreach and marketing tools are limited to email where users can directly message contacts or automatically send thank-you emails to customers.
- Alternative: HubSpot is the best CRM for contractors with multiple channels, advanced marketing capabilities through ads, email, social media, and content.
- You need free project management features: Though JobNimbus does not provide transparent pricing, we know there is no free plan option and the project management capabilities require the middle-tier plan.
- Alternative: Insightly is a great CRM that offers free project management for up to two users. Another solution is to subscribe to Zoho CRM’s free product and connect to the native Zoho Projects, also available for free.
JobNimbus Plan Overview*
*All plans must be quoted by the provider. Paid plans offer a 14-day free trial.
JobNimbus Sunlight Financial integration
(Source: JobNimbus)
Our Expert Opinion
JobNimbus is one of the top industry-specialized CRMs on this list. While the lack of transparent pricing and advanced marketing capabilities isn’t ideal, users still benefit from the platform’s usability, project management capabilities, and invoicing and payment processing tools. Its solid integrations with QuickBooks and Sunlight Financial also expand the CRM solution’s use case to accounting synchronization and the processing of home renovation loans from one system.
Get in-depth details on this CRM system in our JobNimbus review to see if it’s right for your business.
Jobber: Best Complete Contracting CRM
Overall Score:
4.44 / 5
Pros
- Complete CRM system for general contractors with features for all types of trades
- Scalable paid plan options
- End-to-end features that let users manage every point of the sales and job process from start to finish
Cons
- No free plan
- Poor product usability ratings
- Most sales and marketing features aren’t available until Grow plan
- You are a general contractor: Jobber is the best general contractor CRM tool with elaborate work management features. For example, users can schedule jobs, track job details and progress, and create checklists for clients to see progress. They can also monitor expenses and labor hours and use a routing tool for project managers to oversee and send team members or subtractors to job sites.
- You want to manage contracting sales and jobs in one system: Jobber is a comprehensive job management and contractor sales software built into one product. Users can manage clients, book jobs or meetings, and send estimates and quotes from the same system they manage jobs, send invoices, and process client payments.
- You need low-cost sales and marketing features: One of the major issues with Jobber is that the first three plans focus primarily on managing clients and jobs, leaving most of the lead management and marketing features unavailable until the Grow plan.
- Alternative: HubSpot and Pipedrive can fill in those product needs with solid sales and marketing capabilities.
- You want a highly intuitive CRM system: While Jobber has all the features and CRM integrations a small contracting business needs to operate, its usability ratings are poor in that users, particularly new ones, have trouble operating the features and navigating the interface.
- Alternative: HubSpot is the best general-use CRM for usability while JobNimbus is a great specialty CRM that offers robust product ease of use.
Jobber Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Jobber also offers a 14-day free trial.
Jobber route optimization tool (Source: Jobber)
Our Expert Opinion
Because of its end-to-end and robust trade-specialty features, Jobber is a top pick for the best CRM for small construction businesses and general contractors. We like how the entire process, including lead generation, price estimating, job booking, work completion, invoicing, payment processing, and requesting referrals, can be managed in one interface. Considering all the capabilities included, the pricing is relatively cost-friendly and scalable for growing businesses.
Pipedrive: Best for Proposal Management
Overall Score:
4.44 / 5
Pros
- Low-cost artificial intelligence (AI) features for sales insights
- Solid deal management features that include deal rotting and simple quote proposal generation through Smart Docs
- Robust system customization and integrations to convert into CRM software for construction
Cons
- No free plan
- Projects management limited to sales and marketing
- Not an industry-specific CRM—lacks job scheduling and payment processing
- You send a high volume of proposals: Many general and specialty contractors use the high-volume strategy for their sales plan, submitting bids to as many job opportunities as possible and hoping a few will land. Pipedrive is great for these tactics as it has excellent deal tracking and proposal generation features. Its Smart Docs tool auto-fills proposals and quotes using stored CRM data for quick document generation and deployment.
- You want a simple way to manage leads and bids: While Pipedrive doesn’t give construction businesses advanced modules for managing jobs, it offers easy-to-use contact and deal management features. The features are simple to learn for most contractors to build relationships.
- You need an industry-specific CRM: Pipedrive is one of the most popular small business CRMs on the market. However, it’s considered general-use and lacks crucial construction management CRM features like jobs management, built-in payment processing from invoices, and job scheduling.
- Alternative: JobNimbus and Jobber are the best specialty CRMs on this list.
- You need free sales features: Despite its excellent sales capabilities and scalable paid plans, Pipedrive does not offer a free-forever plan for new contractors to develop client relationships early on.
- Alternative: HubSpot and Zoho CRM are the best free CRM systems on this list, with lead and deal management capabilities.
Pipedrive Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown; monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Paid plans include a 14-day free trial.
Pipedrive Smart Docs creating quote (Source: Pipedrive)
Our Expert Opinion
Pipedrive is an excellent CRM solution for a small construction business, assuming they don’t need to manage jobs and projects within the system. As a popular general-use CRM, it offers email communications and robust deal, lead, and pipeline management features that aren’t found in most specialty CRMs. We like the idea of using Pipedrive to get many bid submissions out. Its unique Smart Docs tool can automate proposal generation for users to send more bids out quickly.
Our Pipedrive review offers a complete picture of the CRM’s features, integrations, use cases, and insight into how users feel about the product.
Insightly: Best for Free Project Management Tools
Overall Score:
4.36 / 5
Pros
- Includes built-in project management on the free plan
- Mobile CRM options with project, contact, and lead management, voice notes, and data sync to the calendar and contact records
- Great lead management tools that include web-to-lead capture, auto-lead assignment, and automated email deployment
Cons
- Marketing and customer service modules require a separate software product for an additional cost
- Free plan limited to two users
- Expensive for quotes, pricebooks, and products management
- You need free project management features: Insightly is great for new trade contractors who need a no-cost solution for tracking client and job deliverables. Its free plan includes a built-in project management tool with milestone and process tracking, task management, and standard contact management features.
- You want to manage contracting operations on the go: Insightly offers a solid mobile CRM application for teams to oversee sales opportunities, contacts, and leads. Additionally, the mobile app allows access to the project management module for managers to monitor and update job progress remotely.
- You need low-cost quote management: Insightly does not begin offering features to quote generation and stored price books for contractors to send job estimates until the Enterprise plan for $99 per user, monthly.
- Alternative: HubSpot offers basic quote customization and generation features on its Free plan.
- You need built-in marketing capabilities: One issue with Insightly is the CRM product is exclusively focused on sales and projects, forcing users to subscribe to a separate, native software for marketing features that requires an additional cost.
- Alternative: HubSpot and Zoho CRM are the best alternatives that offer email, social media, and ads management within the main CRM system.
Insightly Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing based on annual billing with a per-user monthly breakdown; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Insightly offers a 14-day free trial on paid plans.
Insightly tracking project milestones (Source: Insightly)
Our Expert Opinion
Insightly is a general-use CRM particularly useful for contractors and construction businesses because of its built-in project management capabilities. We like that those features are available at no cost, even though only two users can access that module on the free plan. Insightly also has a solid mobile app, allowing users to track job or sales progress on the go, as well as lead management features that offer automated generation, assignment, and outreach through email.
Insightly is an excellent lead, opportunity, and project management system. See if it’s the right provider for your business in our full Insightly CRM review.
Zoho CRM: Best for System Customization
Overall Score:
4.34 / 5
Pros
- Free native integration to Zoho Projects for project management
- Free plan includes workflow automation and deals and account management
- Robust system customization options to convert into a CRM for construction
Cons
- Some poor experience ratings for setting up and navigating the CRM
- Quote and invoice generation not available until Professional plan
- Not an industry-specific CRM, and lacks payment processing and job management features
- You want a complete system through customization: Though a general-use option, Zoho is a top, customizable CRM that can be tailored into a construction CRM. Users can design data fields, modules, and layouts within the platform. They can also extend its capabilities by integrating with native tools like Zoho Projects and Zoho Finance Suite to oversee jobs and contractor invoicing, expenses, and bookkeeping activity.
- You run an account-based contracting business: Many contractors operate as account-based, so their work engagements are on-retainer whenever the client needs maintenance or repairs. These are common in homeowners and condo associations, small hotels, and office buildings. Zoho is excellent for this operation for its free account management module to oversee contacts and activities associated with client accounts.
- You need a simple construction CRM: Zoho CRM lacks solid product usability ratings and features specifically for managing contractor operations, like job tracking, payment processing, and built-in project management.
- Alternative: JobNimbus is the best CRM for construction, with specialty features and an intuitive platform.
- You want no-cost quoting capabilities: Zoho offers an inventory management system that allows contractors to store price books and vendor data and create and send quotes and invoices. Unfortunately, that feature requires the Professional plan subscription for $23 per user, monthly.
- Alternative: HubSpot offers quoting tools starting on its free-forever plan.
Zoho CRM Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Zoho CRM comes with a 15-day free trial on the paid plans.
Zoho CRM projects management native integration. (Source: Zoho)
Our Expert Opinion
Zoho differentiates itself from the other popular CRMs through its customization. It’s a complete system for tailoring options, and a wide range of third-party and native integrations allow it to become an industry-specific software, such as a construction CRM. We also like the cost-friendliness of the product, which can scale nicely as a contracting business grows. Many crucial features, like deal and account management, workflow automation, and sales activity tracking, are free.
Check out our Zoho CRM review for complete insights on the product to see if it’s right for your business.
Followup CRM: Best for Multi-channel Engagement
Overall Score:
3.97 / 5
Pros
- Solid construction CRM with built-in project management and integrations with third-party field service and project management tools
- Includes advanced bid management tools like a bid calendar, proposal generator, and task reminders for bid activities
- Lets contractors run direct sales, mass marketing, and bid campaigns in one platform
Cons
- No free plan
- Lacks transparent pricing and the first-tier plan gets expensive
- Relatively small number of third-party integration options
- You need a robust construction CRM: Followup CRM is one of the best CRMs for construction thanks to its combined bid and project management features. It also integrates with field service management, external project management, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools to extend its capabilities further.
- You use various channels to obtain clients and contracts: Depending on the sales operations, contractors may obtain work exclusively through mass marketing, direct sales outreach, or submitting bid proposals to requests. Those using all three options can enjoy Followup CRM’s features. It offers bulk emails with automated sequences, lead management and nurturing with automated follow-ups, and robust tools for creating, tracking, and submitting bids.
- You need a cost-friendly construction CRM: Though the provider uses custom pricing based on the business, we know the Followup CRM starting price is $4,500 per year for up to five users and basic CRM features.
- Alternative: Jobber is a great alternative that’s also a specialty CRM that starts at $16 per user, monthly.
- You want free marketing features: Followup CRM does not offer a free-forever plan for new construction and contracting businesses looking to build brand awareness early on.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM is the best option for free marketing capabilities, offering ads management, email campaigns, a landing page designer, and web form creation tools on the Free plan.
Followup CRM Pricing Plan & Overview*
Followup CRM uses customizable pricing for each paid plan based on users and modular requirements. The provider also offers a Basic option, which costs $4,500 annually for up to five users, plus optional add-ons like a proposal generator, business intelligence (AI) analytics, custom integrations, direct connection with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and custom projects.
*Paid plans offer a 30-day, money-back guarantee.
Followup CRM proposal generator (Source: Followup CRM)
Our Expert Opinion
Compared to other industry-specific products, Followup CRM prioritizes outreach and revenue generation. While it offers built-in project tracking and specialty integrations for running a day-to-day contracting business, we found the multi-channel management capabilities most useful for a construction business. The modules include features for mass marketing through email campaigns, direct sales outreach and lead nurturing, and finally, bid management.
AccuLynx: Best for Roofing Businesses
Overall Score:
3.89 / 5
Pros
- Highly specialized for roofers with features like aerial measuring, material estimators, and photo capture
- Built-in project management with labor and production tracking
- Offers commission tracking tools
Cons
- Lacks transparent pricing
- No free plan option
- Minimal mass marketing capabilities
- You want to manage your entire roofing business in one system: AccuLynx is a highly specialized platform for roofers to manage all aspects of their business. It offers modules for sales lead and opportunity management, work production for roofing services, project management, and finance tools like commission tracking, marketing and job expense tracking, loss of revenue, and profit analysis.
- You need to improve your complex sales operation: Roofing comes with a complex sales process involving lead generation, providing estimates, getting proposals out for signatures, and invoicing. Some sales cycles require permit acquisitions and checking mortgage statuses before you order materials and work can begin. AccuLynx can manage the long sales process and the steps after with its commission tracking tools.
- You need advanced marketing tools: While a powerful sales CRM, AccuLynx is limited to email and text campaigns—lacking other robust marketing capabilities such as ads and social media management.
- Alternative: HubSpot and Zoho CRM are solid CRM systems for mass marketing and brand development.
- You are a general contractor: Because it’s meant to be a roofing business management and CRM platform, it doesn’t have features to manage subcontractors or large-scale construction projects.
- Alternative: Jobber is the best alternative where managing general contractor sales and operations are the top use cases.
AccuLynx Pricing Plan & Overview*
AccuLynx offers customizable pricing based on user and feature needs. Teams have the option of two plans that include various tools within business management, sales, communication, and financial management modules.
*Plans must be quoted by the provider.
AccuLynx work schedule tracking (Source: AccuLynx)
Our Expert Opinion
AccuLynx markets itself as a roofing CRM and has niche capabilities for roofing businesses. Since it’s narrowly focused, you can use the modules to manage an entire business, not just sales or bid pipelines. Some extra features have finance management for commission tracking and performance analysis. It also has tools to oversee roofing service production, like labor tracking, aerial measuring, and the ability to order materials from suppliers.
How We Evaluated the Best Construction CRM Systems
To determine the best construction CRM software, we evaluated each product in terms of overall feature offerings. For example, we expect each product to offer a mobile application and a solid range of third-party integration options. The providers should also provide features specifically relevant to a construction or trade contracting operation, like built-in project management, job scheduling, and estimate generation. Finally, we looked at crucial product attributes like price and customer support availability.
The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process of the best CRM for contractors:
30%
Niche/Advanced Features
25%
General Features
15%
Pricing
15%
Help & Support
15%
Expert Score
30% of Overall Score
We evaluated niche features specifically used for trade and construction businesses. Built-in project management, for instance, lets teams oversee client work deliverables and sales operations in the same system. We also looked at other essential capabilities like job scheduling, document management, and creating and sending quotes or invoices from the CRM.
25% of Overall Score
We looked at overall features crucial to any CRM system, regardless of whether or not its primary use case is construction. A mobile app, for example, lets contractors manage sales and projects while on the go. We also wanted to see plenty of system customization options, reporting and analytics tools, and third-party integrations with general-use products and industry-specific software.
15% of Overall Score
Pricing considered free plan availability and various scalable pricing options businesses could afford as they grow. We also checked for options to pay monthly or save by paying annually. Finally, we looked at the costs of using the features specific to construction management and whether those niche capabilities are free.
15% of Overall Score
Extensive support and service help prevent poor user experiences and outcomes users may encounter while using any contractor CRM systems. Help and support were evaluated in terms of customer service hours and the availability of support via phone, live chat, and email. We also looked at self-service and help center resources users can access, like tutorials, forums, or training modules.
15% of Overall Score
In addition to firsthand experience with these CRM and construction management systems, we evaluated what actual users say about each product according to reviews. These criteria consider how customers feel to gain insight into value for the price paid, ease of use when operating and navigating the CRM, and how users feel about the CRM’s features.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A construction CRM is a software product that lets general contractors or specialty trade businesses manage sales, marketing, and operations. While there are industry-specific platforms built exclusively for contractors, teams can also invest in a general CRM that contains specialty features, such as job scheduling, project management, bid tracking, and quote generation.
The purpose of using any type of industry-specific tool is work and data centralization. Therefore, the benefits of using a contractor system are that users can manage their sales, projects, and revenue collection activity on a single interface. These capabilities will include tools to oversee leads, clients, marketing campaigns, and work deliverables. Additionally, they’ll have invoicing and payment processing all in one platform to help stay organized and improve cross-team collaboration.
Bottom Line
A construction CRM lets teams oversee sales activities, marketing campaigns, and client projects in one platform. While we ranked HubSpot as the best CRM for contractors overall, other products could be better suited depending on your needs. JobNimbus, for instance, is an industry-specific CRM designed for construction businesses with project management and invoicing capabilities. Alternatively, Zoho CRM is a highly customizable, general-purpose system for users to tailor for contractor operations.
