Choosing and switching
Construction management software for Australian builders and trades
Every option in this category is a trade-off between price, depth and whether your crew will actually use it on site. Here is an honest map of the choices, the questions worth asking, and how we move you across if you pick us.
The four things builders actually choose between
Not brands — categories. Work out which one you are in today, and what it is costing you.
Spreadsheets and a shared drive
Most trades and small builders start here.
Works well for
- Free
- Total flexibility
- Everyone already knows Excel
Where it runs out
- — No single source of truth once two people edit at once
- — Nothing on site — the program lives on the office PC
- — Variations and claims depend on someone remembering
Accounting software with job costing bolted on
Builders who grew out of the shoebox and stopped there.
Works well for
- Your accountant is happy
- Invoices and GST handled
- Bank feeds
Where it runs out
- — No schedule, no site diary, no SWMS, no inductions
- — Cost codes only tell you the damage after the invoice lands
- — Subbies and clients have nowhere to log in
Estimating-only tools
Estimators pricing volume work.
Works well for
- Fast takeoffs
- Good rate libraries
- Clean quote output
Where it runs out
- — The quote is where it stops — the job runs somewhere else
- — Budget never gets compared to what actually got spent
- — Nothing for the crew on site
Enterprise construction platforms
Tier 1 and large commercial contractors.
Works well for
- Deep functionality
- Integrations
- Serious document control
Where it runs out
- — Per-seat pricing punishes you for adding the crew
- — Months of implementation before value
- — Built for a head office, not a supervisor in a ute
Between the spreadsheet and the enterprise platform
Unlimited users, flat price
Every plan covers the whole company — office, supervisors, apprentices, subbies and clients. You never have to decide whether someone is worth a seat.
Hands-free voice entry
Say "SiteStride" and log hours, dictate a diary entry, raise an RFI or shift a date without taking your gloves off. Nothing else in this category does it.
Quote → schedule → site → actual cost
One job record from the priced estimate to the final claim, so budget versus actual is live instead of a post-mortem.
Australian by default
AUD and GST handling, WorkSafe-aligned SWMS and incident forms, progress claims and retentions the way Australian contracts actually run.
Seven questions to ask any vendor
Including us. Take this list into every demo you sit through.
- 01Does the price go up every time I add someone to the crew?
- 02Can a supervisor use it one-handed on site, offline, in the rain?
- 03Does the quote carry its budget into the job, or is it re-typed?
- 04Can I see margin on a live job, or only after it finishes?
- 05Do subbies need an account to sign a SWMS or return an RFQ?
- 06Can my client see progress without ringing me?
- 07Can I get my data out — every job, PDF and CSV — if I leave?
We import your rate book and live jobs in your first week — no charge
The reason most builders stay on a system they have outgrown is the thought of moving. So we do the moving.
Send us what you have
Rate book, price list, current jobs, contacts and open POs — in whatever shape they are in. CSV, spreadsheet, or an export from your current system.
We import it in your first week
We map your rate book, trade directory and live jobs into SiteStride at no charge, and set up your SWMS library and prestart templates with you.
Run one job in parallel
Pick a live job and run it in both systems for a fortnight. If SiteStride is not clearly better on that job, walk away — nothing to unwind.
Switching questions
Do I have to stop using my accounting software?
No. SiteStride runs the job — estimate, program, site records, POs, variations and claims — and produces invoices and CSV exports your bookkeeper can work with. Your accounting package keeps doing the books.
How long does switching take?
Most trade contractors are running live in a few days; builders with a full rate book and several active jobs usually take a week. We do the rate book and job import for you inside the first week at no charge.
What happens to my data if I leave?
You can export every job, estimate, schedule, diary entry and invoice as PDF or CSV at any time, on any plan, without asking us.
Is SiteStride suitable for a one-person trade business?
Yes. The Estimating plan at $149/mo suits a sole trader or estimator pricing work, and there is no seat cost when you take on an apprentice or a second crew.
Before you switch, it helps to know what good looks like: read our guides to critical path scheduling, estimating a residential build and site diaries and SWMS.