You don’t need me to remind you of the challenges associated with compiling field reports. You’re already well aware of the many inefficiencies of “traditional” site reporting and that’s why you’re here—looking for a solution in the form of an app.
The good news? The right field reporting software will take much of the pain out of your on-site reporting and data capturing. It will streamline everything from safety assurance and progress tracking to preparing for legal audits, irrespective of the quantity of documents you’re responsible for.
However, right is the key word. Construction professionals often shortchange themselves when picking a solution. Wading through the many options on offer is time-consuming and not a little bit frustrating.
So they try a handful and settle for one that’s good enough, despite far better alternatives being available. Otherwise, they risk relying on the traditional punch list, where manual entry errors and delays are likely.
If you’ve felt this frustration, don’t worry. I’ve picked out all the top providers, reviewed them in depth, and distilled what you need to know in straight-to-the-point summaries.
This article covers everything you need to choose the best field reporting solution for your business, including:
(Another key aspect we’ve looked at is mobile accessibility. Since field workers spend most of their time on-site, it’s important that they can complete reports directly in the field without needing to return to the office)
| Software | Best for | Price |
| 1. Buildbite | Small to medium-sized construction businesses needing mobile-first field reporting and project management. | $6.99 - $8.99/month per user, 14-day free trial |
| 2. Procore | Larger enterprises that manage complex projects | Contact sales for pricing details (according to third-party sources prices range from $4500/year and upwards) |
| 3. Fieldwire | Enterprise-level construction companies requiring comprehensive project management | $39 - $79/month |
| 4. Buddy Punch | Companies seeking user-friendly time management alongside basic field reporting features. | $3.99 - $6.99/month per user |
| 5. TimeCamp | Businesses needing employee productivity insights | $2.99 - $11.99/month per user |
| 6. Harvest | Construction professionals requiring detailed time tracking and task analytics, not specific to field reporting. | $10.80/month per user |
| 7. Clockify | Budget-conscious businesses needing robust time tracking | $3.99 - $12.99/month per user |
| 8. FieldAware | Field service management across various industries, offering team management and basic field reporting. | Starting at $70/month |
| 9. eSUB | Trades needing specialized features | $49 - $69/month per user |
| 10. LetsBuild | Companies focusing on quality and safety in construction, with specialized tools like QHSE checklists and document management. | Starting at €20/month per user |
Buildbite is a real-time field reporting software for construction professionals. It’s designed with small and medium businesses in mind and offers a large package of tools for running construction projects, from capturing real-time field data to running safety assessments.
Buildbite also has dedicated features to streamline construction field reporting at all stages of document creation, organization, updating, and referencing. Its user-friendly mobile app allows you to create custom reports on the go, enhancing efficiency and convenience.
In addition, because Buildbite caters to small companies alongside larger ones, it doesn’t carry the price tag of similar enterprise alternatives.
Quickly collect and store photo and video documentation and construction plans using the mobile app. The digital platform syncs seamlessly across mobile, tablet, and desktop devices so you and other team members can take pictures and videos in the field and immediately access them on other devices or file-share them via the chat or task assignments.
Buildbite’s unique project archiving feature allows you to access historical projects and ensures you can refer back to previous contracts, conversations, documents, and agreements.
Manage projects and tasks from a central workspace. The task manager allows you to:
Need to invite people to a project? Add them directly through the app.
Track time spent by employees on site-related tasks and optimize resource allocation based on operational data insights. You can track progress both in real-time and over a set period, allowing you to identify areas of low efficiency and subpar team productivity.
You can also organize your notifications to see when specific thresholds are met, indicating that reports need to be updated.
Communicate directly with team members to identify risks when they’re on-site, limiting the possibility of accidents and reducing your workload. You can distribute information about hazards via the multi-chat features and all team members will be updated with push notifications.
If you need requests to be signed off, you can send an authenticated, secure request in minutes with the approval feature.
Collect up-to-the-minute information for field reports and access project information, photos, tasks and construction phases, time spent on each task, and open items and observations.
Buildbite gives an integrated project overview, ensuring you can quickly fetch data for your field reports. You can also forecast project progress based on existing data.
Buildbite allows for real-time communication with push notifications to automatically notify clients, subcontractors, and contractors of task updates or changes, guaranteeing everyone is on the same page, and that urgent matters are noticed and dealt with immediately.
Buildbite’s multi-chat feature separates communication between internal and external channels, allowing you to segment users into different groups within the same application, such as for sharing on-site evidence like images and videos.
This eliminates the need to switch between different apps, decreasing the chance that any team member or client will lose important information.
Buildbite offers three pricing plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium.
Buildbite also offers a free 14-day trial to explore the software's functionalities and assess whether it meets your requirements before committing to a paid plan.
(All plans include all features, with no hidden fees)
Procore is a construction management app aimed at the enterprise end of the spectrum. It’s good for demanding and technically complex projects and has solid functionality for managers creating field reports.
Procore is a well-known brand in the construction industry and is generally seen as a reliable enterprise-level solution.
Procore pricing isn’t published on the site but third-party reports put annual pricing of the basic plan at $4500/year. You’ll need to get in touch with the sales team for more information.
Fieldwire is a mobile-first solution designed for use in the field. As such, it’s a potential option for inspectors, foremen, managers, and those responsible for field reports.
The platform has numerous features for on-site reporting, including project tracking, team collaboration, document syncing and storage, and report exports.
Fieldwire offers several pricing tiers. There is a free plan but it has limited functionality. Charged annually, pricing ranges from $39/month to $79/month.
Buddy Punch is a dedicated time management app and is best used in addition to field reporting software. It will give detailed insights into the activities and efficiency of employees.
Plans range from $3.99/month per user to $6.99/month per user, with a base fee of $19/month.
TimeCamp is an employee tracking app that, as with other similar software of this type, is best used alongside more traditional field reporting management software. It will give you detailed insights into employee activity and productivity, which can then be used in field reports.
TimeCamp has four pricing tiers, ranging from $2.99/month per user to $11.99/month per user (billed annually). A free plan is available and all pricing tiers have a free trial.
Harvest is a time-tracking tool that emphasizes task-related analytics. As such, it’s a good option for construction professionals looking for reporting tools that provide a high degree of employee insight.
Harvest has one paid pricing tier: $10.80/month per user. A limited free plan is available.
Clockify is unique in the sense that it pitches itself as a free time-tracking tool. This isn’t quite true—it has numerous paid options—but the free version is a fairly robust solution if you’re looking to add employee insights to your field reports without additional cost.
While it has the best free plan that I’ve come across, you’ll need to pay to access all the features. Billed annually, pricing ranges from $3.99/month per user to $12.99/month per user.
FieldAware is a leading provider of “field service management software” or “field service report software,” a type of solution designed to manage teams in the field (field service operations), whether on the factory floor or a construction site.
It’s not a dedicated tool for on-site reporting but it does have a reporting functionality, including a detailed analytics dashboard.
Pricing isn’t published on the site but third parties report plans starting at $70/month. Contact sales for details. A demo (but no free trial) is available.
eSUB is a project management solution for construction professionals with a broad set of field reporting and communication tools. In particular the “field notes” feature, which allows people on site to document activity and send it back to the office, is useful for creating and updating reports.
eSUB has two pricing plans: $49/month per user and $69/month per user. Demos are available.
LetsBuild has two packages: Aproplan and Geniebelt. Aproplan is focused on quality and safety assurance while Geniebelt is more geared towards project management. As such, Aproplan will be most appropriate for those conducting field reports, especially if there’s an emphasis on safety and quality control.
Pricing isn’t openly published but third parties put it at starting at €20/month per user.
Data collection is a significant part of compiling a field report and typically takes multiple hours when done manually. Automated data collection cuts this manual time substantially. Instead of manually collecting the operational data, automated data collection allows you to invest your time in other critical tasks, ensuring your project stays on schedule and budget.
Automation tools gather information from a range of sources, including employee timesheets, progress updates, remaining budget, safety indicators, and more. It is then usually available via an analytics dashboard.
Field reporting software should include the following core features:
A solution like Buildbite is geared towards small and medium-sized businesses and has a minimal learning curve. Enterprise-level alternatives are typically complex and require assistance from a dedicated onboarding manager.
Follow the steps below to find the best field reporting software for your business:
Begin by asking what information you will require for your reports. You will most likely need a mix of the following:
Communication tools like live chat and RFIs are also essential for compiling field reports.
Look at the available providers and see which ones fit your requirements. Take full advantage of free trials and demos to make sure all the functionality you need is available.
Many construction professionals overlook this step and end up with software that doesn’t have the features they need. Alternatively, they find themselves lumbered with a large enterprise solution that has a steep learning curve that contractors, subcontractors, and clients struggle to use.
3. Consider ease of use
Ease-of-use varies significantly between platforms and this can have a big impact not only on your workflow but also on the efficiency of any on-site teams that use the app to relay information back to you.
If you are a small or medium business, it’s important to understand that enterprise-level solutions tend to be more complex. A platform designed for SMBs like Builbite will likely be much more suitable.
Customization and automation can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes you to compile reports. Look for automated data collection, reusable templates with custom fields, custom reports, pre-set notifications, and similar features.
It’s worth saying this one again! Make use of free trials. They’re there for a reason and will help you identify problems with software before you make the plunge and take out an expensive annual plan that doesn’t meet your business needs. It also helps you experience the benefits and become accustomed to the platform prior to paying for it.