7 Best Construction Software That Integrates With QuickBooks Online
This article is part of a larger series on Accounting Software.
Construction companies using QuickBooks Online for their accounting may find it necessary to add an integration solution to address unique workflows, like project scheduling and document management. There are plenty of construction software that integrates with QuickBooks, but we compiled a few that we think are the best for unique use cases.
Here are our seven best construction software that integrates with QuickBooks Online:
- ProCore: Best overall QuickBooks construction integration
- CoConstruct: Best for project management
- Buildertrend: Best for document management
- ClockShark: Best for tracking field employees
- ECI Bolt: Best for subcontractor project scheduling
- Acctivate: Best for material and inventory management
- ContractorTools: Best for easy estimation
Not a QuickBooks Online user? Visit the provider’s website to request a 30-day free trial or to sign up right away and receive a 50% discount for three months plus a free meeting with a ProAdvisor to get set up. Note that you may need a paid subscription to integrate QuickBooks with specialized construction software.
Best QuickBooks Online Construction Integrations: Quick Comparison
Software | Pricing | Recommended Usage | Available on the QuickBooks App Store | Continuously Synced | Two-way Integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Custom quote | All-in-one project management | None, but has a built-in connector | ✓ | ✓ |
 | $399 to $999 monthly | Project management and tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | $399 to $999 monthly | Document management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | $20 or $40 monthly per user | Tracking time worked by field employees | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Custom quote | Project scheduling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | $9,995 to $28,995 (one-time); or $833 to $2,416 monthly | Tracking construction material and inventory management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | $9.99 to $49.99 monthly | Creating and managing estimates easily | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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QuickBooks Online, our best small business accounting software, can be customized to almost any business type, including construction companies. However, it has no construction-specific features—which may necessitate you to integrate it with specialized construction solutions. Head to our QuickBooks Online review to learn more about the platform.
ProCore: Best Overall QuickBooks Construction Integration
Overall Score:
4.66 / 5
Pros
- Robust specialized construction features, including project management and estimation
- Can be easily integrated with QuickBooks using Procore’s built-in connector
- Offers streamlined data syncing process
- Allows you to track committed and forecasted costs against your project budget
- Lets you add as many users as needed without an additional fee
Cons
- Doesn’t integrate with QuickBooks Online Simple Start and Essentials
- Is not available on the QuickBooks App Store
- Requires the Procore Project Financials module for integration with QuickBooks
- Doesn’t disclose pricing
Pricing
Procore’s pricing details are undisclosed on the provider’s website. However, it indicates that it charges an upfront annual fee by product and based on your annual construction volume (ACV). You can contact Procore directly to request a customized quote.
Procore is our best overall construction software QuickBooks integration because it’s an all-in-one project management solution. It offers nearly all of the features needed by most companies, instead of just focusing on a single aspect of construction—which is the case in most other specialized software.
Most modern contractors have multifaceted needs, such as equipment tracking, job costing, and time tracking, and we believe that Procore is a cost-effective solution instead of using multiple tools. You can manage all your accounting needs using Procore while QuickBooks Online takes care of your accounting workflows.
In addition to being a complete accounting solution, Procore has a streamlined data syncing process with QuickBooks Online. It offers an enterprise resource planning (ERP) Integrations tool that serves as the staging area for data syncing between Procore and QuickBooks.
For instance, when a subcontractor sends you an invoice for services performed and the invoice is approved, you can submit it to the ERP Integrations tool—where the data is prepared and reviewed before moving to QuickBooks. This way, designated team members can review the invoice before it is further processed in QuickBooks Online.
With the QuickBooks Online integration, you can seamlessly transfer various types of data between the two systems. For example, companies in Procore can be recorded as vendors in QuickBooks, while standard cost codes are transferred to QuickBooks as items.
Additionally, commitment change orders are pushed into QuickBooks Online as new purchase orders. This kind of flexibility helps construction companies avoid the need to enter the same data twice.
While Procore isn’t directly available on the QuickBooks App Store, the provider offers a built-in connector that allows you to integrate the platform with QuickBooks easily.
Built-in QuickBooks Online connector in Procore
- Enables you to create project schedules and timelines and monitor progress until completed
- Also integrates with QuickBooks Desktop
- Allows you to capture and track data from the field, including daily logs, progress photos, and site observations
- Lets you process requests for information (RFIs) and submittals for efficient project communication
- Tracks project finances, manage budgets, and handle change orders and payment requests
- Provides customized reports and dashboards for insights into project performance and trends
- Includes a mobile app that allows you to manage your projects on the go
- General contractors that manage complex construction projects
- Residential builders that handle various construction phases, from planning and permitting to scheduling and budgeting
- Commercial builders that require detailed project scheduling, budget tracking, and real-time reporting
- Construction companies currently using QuickBooks Online Plus or Advanced but not Simple Start or Essentials
CoConstruct: Best QuickBooks Online Construction Integration for Project Management
Overall Score:
4.63 / 5
Pros
- All plans support unlimited number of users and projects
- Offers monthly subscription options
- Can be integrated directly from within QuickBooks Online
- Includes bills and purchase order management features
- Allows you to send out customized estimates
Cons
- Can't automatically assign an expense as a product or service for budget tracking purpose
- Lacks equipment management features
- Has no advanced reporting in the entry-level plan
- Can be expensive for small-scale contractors
Pricing
- Essential: $399 per month
- Advanced: $699 per month
- Complete: $999 per month
With the QuickBooks Online integration, data flows automatically from estimates, selections, change orders, bids, and budgets, to and from QuickBooks Online. Changes made in either CoConstruct or QuickBooks platform are reflected in real time across both systems.
Furthermore, CoConstruct stands out as the sole platform within the QuickBooks Online app marketplace that offers a bidirectional sync capability for retrieving actual job costs from QuickBooks Online.
CoConstruct has been acquired by Buildertrend but still remains as a standalone platform. Buildertrend and CoConstruct can be purchased and installed separately from within the QuickBooks App Store.
Construction companies integrate CoConstruct with QuickBooks due to its comprehensive project management features, including estimating, scheduling, time tracking, and budget vs. actuals tracking. It allows you to easily create new projects and track them until they are completed.
The provider offers flexible monthly pricing plans, and all the standard features required by most construction companies are offered within each plan. In contrast, other providers charge a separate fee for each construction module.
Additionally, CoCconstruct offers financial management features that can support your construction business. For instance, it allows you to create invoices from scratch or from an estimate and then send it to your customer. When you upgrade to the higher plan, you’ll be able to track all your bills across your projects.
CoConstruct offers direct integration with QuickBooks Online—meaning you can set it up directly from within your QuickBooks Online dashboard. This is a convenient option because you won’t have to use a third-party connector or undergo an extensive integration process to sync your data.
CoConstruct integration through the QuickBooks Online App Store
- Lets you create, compare, and send bid requests in one place
- Allows you to create, manage, and track change orders from the office or on the go with the mobile app
- Includes a built-in lead tracker to manage prospective customers
- Enables you to set up project schedules and view in different ways, including Gantt chart, sync with your Google Calendar, iCal, or Outlook
- Allows you to upload and access view photos, videos, and document files at any time
- Midsized to large construction companies looking to streamline their project management workflows
- Contractors with multiple users who need flexible monthly pricing options
- General contractors that often consolidate job cost data from various job sites
- Construction companies that engage in client prospecting, sales, and business development activities
Buildertrend: Best QuickBooks Integration for Document Management
Overall Score:
4.41 / 5
Pros
- Can store and manage an unlimited number of documents
- Allows you to share and request signatures on documents through the Customer Portal
- Can be set up directly from QuickBooks Online
- Includes a Time Clock feature
- Has a built-in customer relationship management (CRM) system
- Allows you to create invoices from estimates
Cons
- Offers change order management only in the higher plan
- Is unable to manage and track equipment
- Can’t sync QuickBooks credit card credits
- Can be expensive for small-scale contractors
Pricing
- Essential: $399 per month
- Advanced: $699 per month
- Complete: $999 per month
Buildertrend provides a two-way sync with QuickBooks Online—meaning data can flow back and forth between the two systems. When a customer sends you an invoice in Buildertrend, it will automatically flow into QuickBooks. When the invoice is marked paid in QuickBooks, the corresponding invoice in Buildertrend will also be marked as paid.
Also, the two-way sync streamlines employee time tracking. Using Buildertrend’s Time Clock feature, administrators can approve employee shifts, and once approved, they can be pushed into your QuickBooks Online timesheets. The job title and line items will be replicated, making it easy to process payroll in QuickBooks.
Buildertrend can store various documents, including drawings, specifications, contracts, change orders, progress reports, and safety plans. This makes Buildertrend one of our best construction accounting software, particularly for construction file management.
To share documents with your customers, Buildertrend has a dedicated client portal where they can view all the content you’ve shared with them. You can share and request electronic signatures on documents and add progress photos and videos to keep them updated on the project.
Just like CoConstruct, you can purchase and set up Buildertrend directly from the QuickBooks App Store.
Buildertrend integration through the QuickBooks Online App Store
- Lets you set up daily logs to better track the progress of your projects
- Includes a built-in calendar so that you can view all your projects for the month
- Allows you to create and assign tasks to your team members
- Enables you to track your remote team member’s work hours by letting them clock in and out from their mobile devices
- Lets you create, manage, and track change orders from your office or your mobile device
- Custom homebuilders that often deal with a wide array of project documents, including architectural plans, design sketches, contracts, and permits
- Commercial construction firms dealing with blueprints, engineering drawings, contracts, and compliance documents
- Property developers involved in land development, planning, and construction
- Design-build companies that store design plans, project specifications, and client communications
ClockShark: Best QuickBooks Online Integration for Tracking Field Employees
Overall Score:
4.36 / 5
Pros
- Lets you track multiple team members from a single timesheet app
- Syncs data every 60 minutes
- Includes geofencing features
- Works offline; syncs data when you get back online
- Offers advanced job costing controls
- Lets you track time from your smartphones
- Includes scheduling and paid time-off features
Cons
- Has other construction features but are offered separately
- Offers advanced job costing control only in the higher plan
- Can drain mobile battery when using the GPS feature
Pricing
- Standard: $20 per user monthly; plus $8 monthly per additional user
- Pro: $40 per user monthly; plus $10 monthly per additional user
You can request a 14-day free trial or purchase right away and get a 50% discount.
When integrated with QuickBooks Online, ClockShark allows you to sync your data to QuickBooks. For instance, after reviewing an employee’s timesheet in ClockShark, you can simply click the QuickBooks export button to move the time entries to QuickBooks—which you can use for processing payroll.
Additionally, you can import your existing customers, employees, and service items from QuickBooks to ClockShark. This way, you won’t have to reenter the data you’ve already entered in QuickBooks.
ClockShark offers enhanced time tracking features that are not offered in QuickBooks Time, QuickBooks’ built-in time tracking integration. For instance, ClockShark allows you to set and allocate budgets for each construction project and compare expected labor costs and actual expenses.
The system also offers additional features to streamline other aspects of your construction operations, including CRM and job costing. Once you add a job in ClockShark, your crew members can choose which job to work on. When the time entries are recorded in the system, you can push them into QuickBooks Online for invoicing.
Another thing we like about ClockShark is its Mobile Time Clock app, which allows managers to track time worked by their employees, schedule shifts, track who’s working, and manage projects from start to finish.
ClockShark can be integrated directly from your QuickBooks Online dashboard. To ensure that QuickBooks accurately records sourced data from ClockShark, you can easily configure the mapping settings. This ensures that data captured in ClockShark, such as employee hours, job codes, or service items are recorded in the appropriate locations in QuickBooks.
Configure mapping options for QuickBooks Online and ClockShark integration
- Lets you set up geofences around job sites that will alert employees to log in when they enter and clock out when they leave
- Includes a Kiosk Clock that lets your members lock in and out using a unique four-digit PIN with facial recognition
- Enables you to track your employees’ location in real time, allowing you to see which is the closest one to call during an emergency
- Allows you to schedule jobs based on your technician’s availability
- Homebuilders who need to track labor costs across multiple construction sites
- Service and maintenance companies that need to log work hours and materials and send billing and labor costs to QuickBooks for reporting
- General contractors that need geofencing features to monitor crew attendance and track equipment movement,
- Specialty trade companies, such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and electrical service providers, that need to allocate labor costs to specific projects
ECI Bolt: Best QuickBooks Construction Integration for Subcontractor Project Scheduling
Overall Score:
4.35 / 5
Pros
- Can create and manage schedules from your office or in the field with the mobile app
- Allows you to reschedule jobs and provide reasons why a job needs rescheduled
- Allows you to access job schedules online and offline
- Allows you to store and track order history, plans, photos, material pull sheets, and more
- Includes document management features
- Supports two-way integration with QuickBooks Online
Cons
- Pricing is not disclosed by the provider
- Limited information about its features
- Is not as comprehensive as other construction software
- No equipment management features
- Too many glitches as reported by users
Pricing
ECI Software Solutions, the company behind Bolt, doesn’t indicate the software’s pricing information on its website. You may need to contact its sales team to request a customized quote.
With the QuickBooks integration in ECI Bolt, you can sync important data, such as customers, invoices, and estimates, between the two systems. You can generate invoices in ECI Bolt, even if you don’t use QuickBooks. However, with the QuickBooks integration, you can synchronize your invoice and customer data bi-directionally between the two systems so that you don’t have to update the same data twice.
Additionally, when you have QuickBooks Payroll, time entries logged in Bolt can be transferred to QuickBooks for payroll processing.
ECI Bolt, or simply Bolt, allows you to easily create, view, and manage project schedules from your office or mobile device. You can easily assign tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress in real-time. As changes occur or new tasks are added, you can update the schedule on the spot so that your team members are always updated.
One of the most notable features of Bolt is that it provides automatic confirmations to ensure that the job site is ready. For instance, it provides photos showing the current condition of the job site, helping team members and managers determine whether the job site is ready for them to begin their work. Additionally, Bolt will provide documentation about the reason a job needs to be rescheduled when it’s not ready.
You can set up the Bolt integration directly from the QuickBooks App Store. To connect your operational and financial transactions, the QuickBooks Online integration enables financial data to flow automatically between Bolt and QuickBooks. You can easily track expenses, manage invoices, and monitor project costs in QuickBooks, all while overseeing project details in Bolt.
Bolt integration through the QuickBooks Online App Store
- Allows you to track time, location, and specific activity assigned to each crew
- Lets you organize assembly and parts into specific pull sheets
- Generates profit and loss reports based on invoiced totals and accurate material and labor costs
- Lets you create estimates from existing templates
- Includes a lost profit calculator
- Subcontractors requiring detailed task management for their specialized construction projects
- Subcontractors dealing with complex scheduling requirements, such as coordinating multiple tasks across different phases
- Contractors managing multiple remote crews across various locations
Acctivate: Best QuickBooks Construction Integration for Material & Inventory Management
Overall Score:
4.07 / 5
Pros
- Offers robust inventory management features
- Is available in the QuickBooks App Store
- Can manage multichannel sales
- Tracks unlimited amount of products in real time at any location
- Includes purchasing management features
Cons
- Is expensive for small-scale construction companies
- Offers user-defined fields, but these are limited
- Has a steep learning curve
Pricing
Acctivate is offered in two pricing models:
1. One-time payment
- Starter: $9,995
- Professional: $17,995
- Enterprise: $28,995
2. “Baker’s Dozen” financing for 13 months
- Starter: $833 per month
- Professional: $1,500 per month
- Enterprise: $2,416 per month
When connected to QuickBooks Online, Acctivate serves as your complete inventory software while QuickBooks does the reporting job. Acctivate’s inventory module offers specialized features not found in QuickBooks, such as the ability to track and allocate inventory based on individual projects.
By integrating with Acctivate, your financial data is synchronized, allowing you to have a comprehensive view of your business’s financial health. You can sync various types of data, such as sales, purchases, expenses, and invoices.
Acctivate streamlines your sales processes by enabling you to manage customer orders, create quotes, and generate sales orders. Once orders are confirmed, you can track order fulfillment and monitor the progress of each sale. Acctivate also provides tools for CRM, helping you manage customer interactions and preferences.
The software also extends its capabilities to warehouse management, allowing you to optimize your warehouse layout and manage picking, packing, and shipping processes. You can also use Acctivate to manage production processes, track work orders, and monitor material usage.
Furthermore, it offers spend management and budget control features to manage expenses related to procurement and vendor relationships. You can set budgets, allocate funds, and monitor spending patterns. Additionally, you can generate reports and insights to identify cost-saving opportunities, negotiate favorable terms with vendors, and enhance your procurement strategies.
To integrate Acctivate with QuickBooks, go to the QuickBooks app marketplace and search for the Acctivate Inventory Management software.
Acctivate integration through the QuickBooks Online App Store
- Allows you to mark inventory items as reserved or committed for specific purposes, even though they have not physically left your inventory yet
- Lets you keep a detailed record of the history of your supplies inventory
- Enables you to assign specific costs to individual lots or serialized items within your inventory
- Helps you handle and track sales calls, quote requests, customer communications, and more
- Commercial contractors managing inventory for different projects and locations
- Homebuilders who construct multiple houses simultaneously and need to manage the inventory of construction materials
- Companies supplying construction materials, such as lumber, steel, and concrete
ContractorTools: Best QuickBooks Construction Integration for Easy Estimation
Overall Score:
4.01 / 5
Pros
- Offers premade cost and job templates to easily create estimates
- Includes unlimited estimates in all plans
- Integrates directly with QuickBooks Online
- Is more affordable than most other construction software
- Lets you create invoices and receive payments
- Can add Craftsman Costbooks to your subscription to access over 40,000 construction cost items
Cons
- Has change order management only in the most expensive plan
- Is not as robust as other construction accounting software
- Is unable to sync projects created in QuickBooks
Pricing
- Basic: $9.99 monthly for one user
- Essentials: $19.99 monthly for up to three users
- Pro: $49.99 monthly for up to five users
You can try ContractorTools for free for 30 days.
ContractorTools allows you to easily create estimates by using a template that is pre-populated with all your typical items. To create estimates, you must first create a job and assign it to a customer. You can then easily add a customer by selecting from the dropdown list. If your customers are synced in QuickBooks Online, then you’ll see all active QuickBooks customers on the list.
After creating the job and assigning it to a customer, you can proceed to create an estimate for the project by providing the required details, such as the quantity, units, and cost. Once the estimate is created, you can sync it with QuickBooks Online to send to your customer.
Since ContractorTools is focused on estimation, the job and estimate entry forms are very simple and easy to complete. When creating a job, you can use a blank template or choose from existing templates (e.g., kitchen and bath remodel templates, residential template brief, and residential template-detailed).
On the downside, ContractorTools lacks some other essential features, like equipment management and budget management. If you require a more complete QuickBooks construction integration, you may consider an alternative like Procore. However, if you only need a simple construction estimating software that integrates with QuickBooks, ContractorTools is a decent option.
You can set up ContractorTools easily from your QuickBooks Online dashboard. The integration lets you sync different types of data, including accounts, customers, employees, payment terms, payment methods, estimates, change orders, tax codes, items, and credit memos, between QuickBooks and ContractorTools.
List of data that can be synced between QuickBooks and ContractorTools
- Allows you to filter your lists of customers and jobs by tags, status, and more
- Lets you adjust the format of the estimate document and then send it to your customer as a PDF file
- Enables you to create change order and credits when subscribed to the higher plans
- Allows you to manage tax rates and taxabilities by cost type
- Residential contractors looking for an easy way to send estimates for home improvement projects
- Small commercial contractors seeking an affordable yet comprehensive estimation solution
How We Evaluated QuickBooks Construction Integrations
We used the following rubric to properly score and evaluate our seven best construction software that integrates with QuickBooks Online.
25%
QUICKBOOKS INTEGRATION
20%
EASE OF IMPLEMENTATION
10%
PRICING
15%
CONSTRUCTION FEATURES
15%
CONSTRUCTION REPORTING
10%
MOBILE APP
5%
USER REVIEWS
25% of Overall Score
A good QuickBooks construction integration should be able to sync various types of data, such as invoices, job items, service codes, vendors, and payment details.
20% of Overall Score
Most of the software on this list is available directly on the QuickBooks App Store and can be set up directly from within your QuickBooks Online account. However, other providers also have a built-in connector that makes the integration process easier.
10% of Overall Score
The best QuickBooks construction software should be reasonably priced and scalable. Some software charges a hefty one-time fee while some offer flexible monthly plans for companies that anticipate growth.
15% of Overall Score
15% of Overall Score
QuickBooks Online has no construction-specific reports, so we determined what reports can be integrated through the software and how customizable the reports and the dashboards are.
10% of Overall Score
The ability to manage projects, create estimates, and coordinate with field members is important for construction companies.
5% of Overall Score
We checked out online reviews from users on popular review websites, such as Software Advice and G2.
*Percentages of overall score
How To Manage QuickBooks Integrations
Once you’ve successfully integrated an app with QuickBooks (either through QuickBooks or the integration software provider’s website), you can manage it through the My Apps page under Apps in QuickBooks. To help you better manage your integrated apps, QuickBooks Online has a new feature called diagnostic dashboard.
The diagnostic dashboard in My Apps shows a list of all the apps connected to QuickBooks Online and their real-time connection statuses. This tool alerts you of any connection errors that may affect your app integrations. Additionally, it provides a recommended action button to help you reset or fix the connection problem.
Diagnostic dashboard in QuickBooks Online (Source: QuickBooks)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Integrating a specialized construction software with your QuickBooks Online allows you to sync important data, such as customers, vendors, job codes, and invoices, between the systems. This lets you connect your financial and project management processes without entering the same data twice.
While it depends on your unique business needs, some of the most essential features that you may integrate with QuickBooks include project scheduling, cost estimation, progress tracking, document management, and collaboration tools.
Yes, there are apps that are directly available from the QuickBooks App Store, and you can install them right from your QuickBooks Online account.
Bottom Line
When looking for the best construction project management software that integrates with QuickBooks, carefully assess the specific features you want to achieve or optimize. For instance, if you want a comprehensive all-in-one QuickBooks construction integration solution, consider Procore. If you only need integrated features for estimate management, ContractorTools might be suitable for you. If you require enhanced time tracking for field employees, ClockShark is a great choice.
