Industry Insights

13 Best Construction Billing Software for Subcontractors in 2026

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Most "construction billing software" lists are written for general contractors. Subcontractors have a different problem: custom GC pay app forms, lower-tier lien waivers, and months-long retainage chases.
  • The 13 tools below range from point solutions built for subs to full ERPs that treat billing as one module among dozens.
  • Pricing is rarely public. I’ve denoted where vendors haven’t published rates and instead pointed to third-party estimates.
  • If you're billing multiple GCs each month in Excel or your accounting system's generic invoice module, that's usually the sign it's time to look at dedicated construction billing software.

A specialty subcontractor doesn't bill like a retail business. You've got a schedule of values (SOV), a different pay app form for every GC (sometimes every project!), retainage you need to chase, and lien waivers that have to go out (and come back signed) before you see a check. Do that across 20 or 30 active projects with a spreadsheet and a shared inbox, and something is going to slip.

That's usually the moment a controller or A/R lead starts Googling "construction billing software." Maybe you've outgrown the manual process entirely. Maybe you already have QuickBooks or even a construction ERP, but its billing module wasn't built with your workflow in mind. Either way, you're not looking for a generic invoicing tool. You need something that understands AIA® billing, GC portals, and the compliance paperwork that comes with every pay app.

We looked at 13 of the most common tools subcontractors evaluate, from purpose-built billing software to the ERPs that have some kind of billing module. Here's what each one actually does, who it's built for, and what it costs (when publicly listed).

What Is Construction Billing Software?

Construction billing software automates the progress billing process for contractors. It generates pay applications, tracks retainage, manages change orders, and gets invoices to the right person at the right client. Unlike generic invoicing tools, it's built to handle multi-page pay app packages, SOV math, taxes, and the compliance documents (like lien waivers) that are often included in the pay app package. 

For subcontractors specifically, the best construction billing software also needs to handle something GCs never have to think about: submitting billing information across different clients, with different requirements, forms, and due dates, across different submission portals.

Whether you search for it as contractor billing software, billing software for a construction company, or subcontractor billing software, the need is the same: replace manual progress billing with something built to handle GC forms, retainage, compliance, and collections automatically.

Signs You Need Construction Billing Software

If any of these are true for your team, it's worth taking a serious look at dedicated billing software for contractors:

  • You're re-keying the same schedule of values into three or four different GC pay app formats every month.
  • Retainage tracking lives in a side spreadsheet that only one person understands.
  • Pay apps get rejected because of missing signatures, incorrect calculations, or the wrong lien waiver attached (or missing altogether).
  • Nobody has real-time visibility into which invoices are stuck, which are past due, and why.
  • Your accounting system technically has an "invoice" button, but it wasn't built for AIA®-style progress billing, so you’re relegated to producing PDF versions manually.
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13 Best Construction Billing Software for Subcontractors

This list is unranked, with one exception: Siteline is first because it's the only tool on it built exclusively for subcontractor billing, not adapted from a GC tool or bolted onto a broader ERP.

1. Siteline

Siteline is construction billing software built specifically for commercial trade contractors. It's not an accounting system; it does not replace your ERP. It sits alongside construction accounting systems (integrating with many of them), handling the part those systems were never designed for: the monthly billing cycle—from pay app generation through lien waivers—change orders, collections, A/R reporting, and cash flow forecasting.

Subs use Siteline as their billing command center. Instead of rebuilding a pay app from scratch every month in whatever format a GC demands, Siteline auto-generates the correct form (standard AIA®-style G702®/G703®) or any custom GC format (it already have more than 17,000 in its system), pre-filled with accurate project data pulled straight from your ERP.

Top Features of Siteline's Construction Billing Software

  • Generate accurate, GC-specific pay applications (AIA®-style G702®/G703® or any custom format) with SOVs, retainage, and taxes calculated automatically.
  • Submit pay apps directly through GC portals (like Textura and Procore Pay) with no manual re-entry.
  • Send, track, and automatically follow up on lien waiver requests for every vendor on the job, then bundle signed waivers for submission in one click.
  • Track lien rights and compliance deadlines by state so payment holds don't catch you off guard.
  • Automate collections outreach and see real-time A/R aging, billing forecasts, and project-level cash flow across every job.
  • Sync bidirectionally with your existing ERP (Sage 100/300, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, Foundation, Viewpoint Vista and Spectrum, Acumatica, CMiC, and more) so nothing gets entered twice.

Learn more about Siteline's pay app and billing software.

Why Siteline Leads the Pack

Every other tool on this list was either built for GCs first (e.g., Procore, Viewpoint, CMiC) or treats billing as one module inside a much larger accounting system (e.g., Sage Intacct, Acumatica, FOUNDATION). Siteline is the only one built from the ground up around how subcontractors actually get paid: dozens of GC-specific forms, lower-tier lien waivers, retainage that has to be tracked separately from the invoice, and a submission process that runs through portals you don't control.

That focus shows up in the numbers. Siteline customers have an average DSO of 52.6 days—a 45% improvement over the 96-day construction industry average. Pay app creation drops from 30-plus minutes to under five, and 40% of pay apps go out same-day or next-day once a project is set up.

Treasury Manager Karen Krauter at Kovach Enclosure Systems, a 325-person metal and glass contractor, used to manually transcribe billing data from paper into a different form for every GC. After switching to Siteline, she and her team saved more than 24 hours a month and cut A/R aging by 20 days. "It's amazing how much of a game-changer Siteline has been with this process,” said Krauter.

Pricing is custom, based on billing volume and integration needs, and every plan includes unlimited users and offices with no per-seat fees. Most customers are live within two weeks, and customer support is included. See current Siteline pricing or book a demo to get a quote.

2. Procore

Procore is a cloud-based construction project management platform used primarily by GCs and owners, with a "Progress Billings" tool that can generate standard AIA® G702®/G703® forms. This tool is not a standalone purchase, but rather part of the overarching Procore suite.

Who it's for: Multi-trade GCs, construction management companies, and owners on commercial projects. Subcontractors can use it, but it's built around GC workflows and cannot accommodate custom forms. 

Top billing features:

  • Automated AIA® G702®/G703® generation
  • Retainage tracking tied to subs’ invoices
  • Change order tracking linked to project budgets and commitments
  • Configurable invoice approval workflows

Pricing: Procore doesn't publish pricing; quotes are based on your annual construction volume. Third-party estimates range from roughly $4.5K to $60K per year on the low end, and up to $100K or more on the high end, depending on the source. I couldn't independently verify these figures, so treat them as rough and confirm current pricing directly with Procore.

3. FOUNDATION

FOUNDATION (Foundation Software) is construction-specific accounting software, available on-premise or hosted, aimed at labor-intensive contractors. Its billing capabilities are tied to its overarching accounting system. (GCs and prime contractors can also add on ProjectHQ for AIA®-style billing with custom forms, although this product does not have a subcontractor workflow; subcontractors can leverage Siteline through Foundation Software’s partner network.)

Who it's for: Small to large contractors, roughly $1M to $250M in revenue, with a large share of specialty trade subcontractors among its customer base.

Top billing features:

  • Standard AIA® billing as well as lump-sum and percent-complete invoicing
  • A/R aging and retainage tracking  by job, customer, and PM
  • Job costing tied to change order processing
  • Purchase order and subcontract tracking with committed-cost control

Pricing: Not publicly listed; FOUNDATION uses modular, custom pricing. Third-party estimates suggest $500 to $1.5K per month (or more), depending on modules, plus implementation costs. Because I wasn’t able to verify this against a published rate card, it’s best to confirm pricing directly with the team at Foundation Software.

4. Viewpoint Vista

Viewpoint Vista, part of Trimble's construction software suite, is an enterprise ERP available as both on-premise and cloud. Billing is available as part of its accounting system and is limited to standard invoicing. 

Who it's for: Mid-to-large GCs and specialty contractors that need deep ERP functionality across job costing, payroll, HR, and service management, not just billing.

Top billing features:

  • Automated invoicing tied to job cost budgets, change orders, and time-and-materials
  • Multi-tier retainage tracking (work-in-place vs. stored materials)
  • Subcontract-level tracking of billed, paid, and retained amounts
  • Cash receipts tracking against invoices for seamless bank reconciliation

Pricing: Not publicly disclosed; Trimble routes all pricing questions to sales. Third-party estimates vary widely. Some sources list pricing at $500 to $1.5K per month, while others cite $60K to $250K or more per year in subscription costs, plus $20K to $75K or more for implementation. For a more reliable quote, reach out to their sales team directly.

5. Viewpoint Spectrum

Viewpoint Spectrum is Trimble's cloud-based, browser-accessible construction ERP, positioned as a lighter-weight alternative to Vista. AIA®-style billing is part of its invoicing capabilities.

Who it's for: Mid-market GCs and specialty contractors that want cloud access without on-premise infrastructure. 

Top billing features:

  • Billing tied to real-time field data
  • Subcontract change order entry within the accounts receivable module
  • Commitment-level billed, paid, and retainage tracking
  • AIA®-style pay app support

Pricing: Not publicly disclosed. Third-party estimates (roughly $500 to $2K per user per year, or $500 to $1.5K or more per month) overlap heavily with Vista's, which suggests the data isn't well differentiated between the two products. Contact Trimble sales for a real number.

6. Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct is a cloud financial management platform with construction-specific functionality, including a ProForm add-on for AIA® billing. Sage Intacct on its own offers standard invoicing, but for construction-specific progress/percent-complete billing, you must add ProForm (or a marketplace partner, like Siteline).

Who it's for: Small and mid-market GCs and specialty trade contractors, typically $25M or more in revenue, that have outgrown basic accounting software, like QuickBooks.

Top billing features:

  • Native AIA-format billing (G702/G703) via the ProForm add-on
  • Standard invoices for fixed price, time and materials, and cost-plus contracts.
  • Schedule of values and change orders tracked per line item
  • Retainage tracked on both the receivable and payable side, with release workflows
  • Percentage-of-completion invoicing tied to revenue recognition

Pricing: Not publicly disclosed. Third-party estimates from implementation partners suggest a first-year cost anywhere from $55K to $115K for smaller contractors, up to $320K to $650K or more for large multi-entity firms, with implementation alone often running $40K to $100K and per-user subscription fees of $400 to $800 per month. For a true estimate, request a quote from their sales team.

7. QuickBooks Enterprise (Contractor Edition)

QuickBooks Enterprise is Intuit's desktop accounting software, with a Contractor Edition that adds a construction-specific chart of accounts and reports.

Who it's for: Small to midsize contractors, generally scaling up to around 40 users, that need general-purpose accounting more than construction-specific billing depth.

Top billing features:

  • Progress invoicing with customizable templates that can include application numbers and retainage fields
  • Job costing by project
  • Change order tracking tied to estimates
  • No dedicated native retainage field; most companies manage it through a manual "Retainage Receivable" workaround

Pricing: QuickBooks EC does have pricing published, though it varies by tier and reseller. Estimates put single-user Gold around $2.2K a year and Platinum around $2.7K a year, with Diamond custom-quoted; per-user costs are commonly cited around $114 a month. Confirm current tiers directly with Intuit or a QuickBooks reseller, since list pricing changes.

8. Knowify

Knowify is cloud-based project management and accounting software built specifically for trade contractors.

Who it's for: Small specialty subcontractors, such as electrical, mechanical, and plumbing, that bill GCs through AIA®-style pay apps. Unlike most tools on this list, Knowify is explicitly positioned for subs, not GCs.

Top billing features:

  • Standard G702®/G703® forms
  • Automatic retainage and stored materials tracking
  • Change order tracking reconciled into pay apps in real time
  • Two-way sync with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop

Pricing: Published directly on its website, Knowify prices Core at $149 per month for one user ($99 a month billed annually). Advanced is $399 per month for up to 10 users ($329 a month billed annually), and Enterprise is custom-quoted for unlimited users. 

9. ComputerEase (Deltek)

ComputerEase, acquired by Deltek in 2019, is construction-specific accounting and ERP software available on-premise or cloud-hosted.

Who it's for: Small to large construction companies, including both GCs and subcontractors across commercial, residential, and heavy civil work. Deltek reports that around 6,000 contractors use ComputerEase in North America.

Top billing features:

  • Standard AIA® (G702®/G703®) pay apps plus unit-price billing 
  • Retainage tracking integrated into the AIA® workflow
  • A subcontract module that links sub change orders to owner changes and limits billings per subcontract (a GC-focused feature)
  • Automated subcontractor compliance tracking, including insurance and lien waivers (a GC-focused feature)

Pricing: Not publicly disclosed in detail. One third-party estimate cites a perpetual license starting around $5K per installation, plus annual maintenance, but Deltek's own site routes pricing questions to sales, so treat that figure as a rough estimate rather than a confirmed rate.

10. Acumatica (Construction Edition)

Acumatica Construction Edition is a vertical edition of Acumatica's cloud ERP platform, adding construction-specific job costing, subcontract management, and billing.

Who it's for: Scales from small to large construction firms; Acumatica markets separate features for GCs, subcontractors, and specialty/trade contractors, so it's more dual-purpose than most ERPs on this list.

Top billing features:

  • Standard G702®/G703® AIA® pay app generation pulling live job cost and contract data
  • Native retainage tracking at the contract, project, and line-item level, with partial releases
  • Change order integration directly into billing
  • Combined time-and-materials and progress billing on a single pay app
  • Lien waivers and compliance documents attached to pay apps

Pricing: Not published as a fixed rate; Acumatica uses consumption-based licensing. Third-party estimates suggest a wide range, roughly $10K to $120K or more a year in subscription costs depending on usage, plus $60K to $100K or more for implementation. Request a quote for an accurate number.

11. CMiC

CMiC is a construction ERP, in use since 1974, offered on-premise, in a private cloud, or as fully managed SaaS. Roughly a quarter of the ENR Top 400 contractors reportedly use it.

Who it's for: Mid-to-large general contractors, specialty and heavy-highway contractors, and owners. 

Top billing features:

  • Single-database integration of job cost, general ledger, and billing, which cuts down on reconciliation gaps
  • Standard AIA®-style pay applications
  • Schedule of values management tied to contracts
  • Subcontractor billing and compliance tracking

Pricing: Not published. Third-party estimates range from $2.5K to $10K per month, or roughly $100 per user per month, with implementation costs from $10K for smaller firms up to $100K or more for enterprise deployments. These figures come from third-party sources, not CMiC directly, so request a quote before budgeting around them.

12. Werx

A smaller, newer player compared to most others on this list, Werx is a cloud-based accounting and estimating software.

Who it's for: Very small and small general and specialty contractors that use QuickBooks Online

Top billing features:

  • Standard AIA® G702®/G703® pay applications as well as T&M invoices
  • Retainage tracking
  • Change order tracking rolled into billing
  • Estimating capabilities

Pricing: Published directly on Werx's site as of mid-2026: Essential at $49 a month (10 active projects, 1 user); Plus at $89 a month (20 projects); and Unlimited at $119 a month (unlimited projects), with additional users at $6 a month.

13. Premier (Jonas Premier)

Premier is a cloud-based construction accounting and ERP platform from Jonas Construction Software, hosted on Microsoft Azure.

Who it's for: Marketed mainly to GCs, home builders, and land developers of any scale. Subcontractor functionality, like a payment application portal, mostly exists to serve the GC's downstream billing process rather than as a sub-first tool.

Top billing features:

  • Automated progress and AIA® billing, plus cost-plus and lender-draw billing
  • Subcontractor payment application submission portal
  • Automatic retainage and holdback calculation
  • Auto-generated lien waivers (conditional, unconditional, partial, and final) with e-signature
  • Change order tracking tied to budget and billing

Pricing: Not published on Jonas's own site. Third-party sources cite starting prices anywhere from roughly $150 to $249 per user per month, depending on modules, plus an implementation fee. Treat these as estimates and confirm directly with Jonas.

Construction Billing Software Pricing at a Glance

Because so few vendors publish real numbers, here's what's actually confirmed versus estimated. Use this table as a starting point for conversations with sales, not a final budget.

Construction billing software pricing comparison, showing whether each vendor publishes pricing and what we found about how their pricing works.
Software Published Pricing? What We Found
Siteline Custom quote Based on billing volume and integrations; unlimited users and support included
Procore No Based on annual construction volume; third-party estimates vary widely
FOUNDATION No Modular, custom pricing
Viewpoint Vista No Enterprise ERP; quote-based
Viewpoint Spectrum No Enterprise ERP; quote-based
Sage Intacct No Custom quote; varies significantly by company size
QuickBooks Enterprise Yes Tiered annual/monthly plans
Knowify Yes $149/month to $399/month, plus custom Enterprise tier
ComputerEase No Perpetual license plus maintenance; quote-based
Acumatica No Consumption-based licensing
CMiC No Enterprise; quote-based
Werx Yes $49/month to $119/month
Premier (Jonas) No Per-user pricing cited by third parties, unconfirmed

How to Choose the Best Construction Billing Software for Your Business

The right answer depends less on which tool has the longest feature list and more on where your bottleneck exists. Before you commit to a demo, ask yourself:

  • Do you need billing software or a full accounting system? If your ERP already works fine and the pain is specifically in A/R aging, juggling GC requirements, lack of visibility, or waiver and compliance tracking, a dedicated tool like Siteline solves that without ripping out your accounting system.
  • Does it integrate with what you already use? Switching ERPs is a much bigger project than adding a billing layer on top of one. Check the Siteline integrations list to see our full list of ERP and accounting system integrations. Note that tools like Knowify and Werx online integrate with QuickBooks products.
  • Is it built for subs or adapted for them? Procore, Viewpoint, ComputerEase, and CMiC are GC-first products that subcontractors can use. If you're specifically after subcontractor billing software rather than a GC-first tool, Siteline and Knowify are the two purpose-built options on this list. Neither approach is "wrong," but they solve different problems.
  • How long does it take to get up and running? Implementation timelines and training time matter as much as the subscription fee, especially if your team is already stretched thin.

So, which of these 13 best construction billing software will be the best fit for your company depends on how your team bills and where there’s pain. A controller drowning in a dozen GC pay app formats needs something different than an ops team that just wants one accounting system to handle everything. What all 13 options show, though, is that spreadsheets, a PDF editor, and a shared inbox aren't a real billing strategy anymore. Do your research, shop around, and go with the tool that resolves your bottleneck.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is construction billing software?

Construction billing software automates the progress billing process, generating pay applications, tracking retainage and change orders, and managing compliance documents like lien waivers that often have to accompany an invoice. It's different from generic invoicing software because it's built around schedule of values (SOV) math and GC-specific pay app requirements.

What's the difference between construction billing software and construction accounting software?

Construction accounting software (like Sage Intacct, FOUNDATION, or QuickBooks Enterprise Contractor) handles your general ledger, job costing, payroll, and financial reporting. Construction billing software focuses specifically on the A/R and payment application workflow. Some tools, like Siteline, are built to sit alongside your existing accounting system rather than replace it. Others, like Sage Intacct or Acumatica, bundle billing into their core product as an additional module.

How much does construction billing software cost?

It varies a lot, and most vendors don't publish pricing. Knowify and Werx are the two tools on this list with fully transparent published rates, starting around $149 per month and $49 per month, respectively. Everyone else, including Siteline, Procore, and the major ERPs, uses custom quotes based on your billing volume, company size, or annual construction volume. Always request a quote rather than relying on third-party estimates for budgeting.

Is QuickBooks a good construction billing software for subcontractors?

QuickBooks Enterprise Contractor Edition can work for basic invoicing, but it lacks a native retainage field and wasn't built around AIA®-style pay app formats or lien waiver workflows. QuickBooks Online doesn’t have any construction-specific billing capabilities, so most subcontractors use QuickBooks for general accounting while adding dedicated billing software on top to handle GC-specific pay apps and billing requirements.

What is progress billing software?

Progress billing software automates the process of invoicing a client or GC for work completed to date on a project, rather than billing the full contract amount at once. It typically calculates percentage complete, tracks retainage, and formats the invoice according to a schedule of values.

Do I need AIA® billing software specifically?

If you regularly bill using AIA® G702®/G703® forms, yes, dedicated AIA® billing software will save significant time over manually filling out forms in a spreadsheet or PDF. Several tools on this list, including Siteline, Knowify, Werx, and Acumatica, generate these forms automatically.

Can construction billing software integrate with my existing ERP?

Most dedicated billing tools are built to integrate with, not replace, your ERP. Siteline, for example, syncs bidirectionally with Sage 100/300, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks Online, FOUNDATION, Viewpoint Vista and Spectrum, Acumatica, and CMiC. 

AIA®, G702®, and G703® are registered trademarks owned by The American Institute of Architects and ACD Operations, LLC. Siteline is not affiliated with The American Institute of Architects or ACD Operations, LLC. Users who wish to use Siteline’s software to assist in filling out AIA® forms must have or secure the AIA® forms. Siteline does not and will not provide users with the forms.

Head of Marketing
@ Siteline

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