Not Building $500K Custom Homes?
Buildertrend costs $8,000–$13,000+ per year for residential builders managing complex custom builds. PocketBoss gives service contractors and small project contractors everything they need for just $240/year.
14-day free trial • No contracts • Cancel anytime
The Real Cost Comparison
Buildertrend Total Cost
- Essential: $299/month ($5,388/year when annual)
- Advanced: $599/month ($8,628/year when annual)
- Complete: $899/month ($11,868/year when annual)
- Annual subscription required for best rates
- Designed for home builders
PocketBoss Total Cost
- Setup & Training: $0
- Monthly: $19.99 (up to 3 users)
- Annual Cost: $240
- Month-to-month (cancel anytime)
- Designed for service contractors
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for larger teams
You save $5,148–$12,760+ per year by choosing PocketBoss over Buildertrend
Why Service Contractors Don't Need Buildertrend
Home Builder Pricing Structure
Buildertrend costs $8,000–$13,000+ per year and is designed for home builders managing multi-phase custom construction. Service contractors and small project businesses may find the pricing reflects capabilities beyond their operational needs.
Residential Builder Features
Buildertrend includes client selection portals, multi-phase project tracking, change order management, and homeowner communication tools designed for custom home construction. Service-oriented businesses may prefer simpler, trade-specific tools.
Annual Subscription Model
Buildertrend offers annual subscription pricing for best rates. PocketBoss provides month-to-month billing at $19.99 with no long-term commitment required.
PocketBoss vs Buildertrend: The Truth
Buildertrend is a residential construction platform for home builders and remodelers. If you're a service contractor doing HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, or small projects, you don't need builder-specific features.
| Feature | PocketBoss | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $19.99 (up to 3 users) | $299–$1,099/month |
| Annual Cost | $240/year | $8,000–$13,000+/year |
| Setup Cost | $0 | $0 (but complex configuration) |
| Ideal Customer | 1–10 person contractors | Home builders & remodelers |
| Setup Time | 5 minutes | Hours to days |
| Training Required | None - use immediately | Onboarding & training |
| Contract Type | Month-to-month | Annual subscription |
| Users Included | Up to 3 users | Unlimited users |
| Mobile App | ✓ Simple & fast | ✓ Feature-heavy |
| Invoicing | ✓ Quick & easy | ✓ Detailed workflows |
| Client Selections | Not included | ✓ Full selection portal |
| For Service Work | ✓ Perfect fit | Overkill |
Why Service Contractors Choose PocketBoss
We built PocketBoss for contractors who do service work, small projects, and ongoing maintenance. Not multi-month custom home builds.
Built for Service Contractors
While Buildertrend focuses on multi-month home builds, PocketBoss is for contractors doing daily service work, small jobs, and ongoing maintenance. Simple tools for how you actually work.
No Learning Curve
Buildertrend takes hours or days to configure and learn. PocketBoss? Sign up and start invoicing in 5 minutes. No complex onboarding, no feature overload.
Actually Affordable
$19.99/month vs $8,000–$13,000/year. That's $240/year total vs Buildertrend's thousands. Save the difference and invest it back into growing your business.
Use It Immediately
14-day free trial with full access. No demos required, no sales calls. Just straightforward software for straightforward contractors.
The Buildertrend Reality Check
Built for a Different Business Model
Buildertrend was designed for residential builders managing 6-12 month custom home builds with homeowner portals, client selections, and multi-phase project tracking. If you're doing HVAC service calls, roof repairs, or kitchen remodels, you're paying for features meant for builders doing $500K–$2M projects.
The Annual Subscription Lock-In
Buildertrend's pricing tiers ($299–$1,099/month) require annual subscriptions to get the best rates. That's $5,400–$13,000 committed up front. What if your business changes? What if it doesn't work for you? With PocketBoss at $19.99/month, you can cancel anytime. No annual lock-in, no huge expense.
Do You Actually Need Client Selections?
Buildertrend's client selection tools are great... if you're a builder letting homeowners pick tile, fixtures, and finishes for custom homes. But if you're installing HVAC systems, fixing plumbing, or doing electrical work, when do you need a homeowner selection portal? You don't. That's builder bloat.
Who Actually Needs Buildertrend?
Home builders and remodelers doing multi-phase residential construction who need client portals, selections, and detailed progress tracking. If you're coordinating 6-month custom builds with homeowners making dozens of decisions, Buildertrend makes sense. If you're doing service work, it's overkill.
A Better Fit for Service Contractors
PocketBoss isn't trying to be Buildertrend. We're not building homeowner portals and selection tools. We're building for you: the contractor who needs to send estimates, schedule service calls, track work orders, and get paid. $19.99/month, no annual commitment, just tools that work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can PocketBoss handle remodel jobs?
Yes. You can create projects/work orders, schedule visits, track materials, and invoice for remodel jobs. We just don't try to replicate full client selection portals and multi-phase tracking like Buildertrend.
Is Buildertrend overkill for small contractors?
For many service-oriented businesses, yes. If you're not doing multi-month residential builds with client selections and complex phases, you probably don't need Buildertrend's full feature set. And at $8,000–$13,000/year, that's expensive overkill.
Can I try PocketBoss while using Buildertrend?
Absolutely. Many contractors run both during the 14-day trial. Use PocketBoss for service work and small jobs while finishing larger projects in Buildertrend. Once you see how much simpler and cheaper it is, the switch becomes obvious.
What if I grow into home building?
If you transition from service work to building custom homes, you can always adopt builder-specific software then. But why pay builder prices now while doing service work? Use PocketBoss, save thousands per year, and reinvest that into growing your business.
Does PocketBoss replace accounting software?
No. PocketBoss handles operations (estimates, invoices, scheduling, work orders, CRM). Many businesses continue using an accountant or separate accounting platform and use PocketBoss to keep day-to-day operations organized.
Can I export my data from Buildertrend?
You can export essential data from Buildertrend for your records. While we don't have automatic import, you can add active clients to PocketBoss and start fresh. Most contractors find this is a good opportunity to clean up their data anyway.
Stop Paying Builder Prices for Service Work
Not building custom homes? Don't pay like you are. PocketBoss gives service contractors simple tools at a price that makes sense.
14-day free trial • No setup fees • No contracts • Cancel anytime
Competitor pricing information is based on publicly available data as of November 2025 and is subject to change. Please verify current pricing on official vendor websites. Buildertrend is a registered trademark of Buildertrend Solutions, Inc. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.