Updated 15 February 2023 by James Ocean
Top 15 Web Based Construction Management Software in 2023
Table of Contents
Introduction to a web based construction management software
It’s relatively easy to describe the purpose of a web based construction management software – it’s your regular variation of construction management software that does not require a standalone application to be installed on your device, drastically improving the versatility of the solution in question.
Aside from that, construction management software is still a solution, or a combination of tools designed to help contractors, subcontractors, and property builders with project management and construction workflows. Additional features often included in such software may or may not include accounting, document management, resource management, budget management, etc.
How a web based solution is different from a standalone one?
It may seem like a relatively small difference at first glance, but in reality, the difference between the two is massive. Web based construction management software basically changes how all AEC firms can collaborate within the same project, and the change itself is massive.
Both accountability and efficiency are massively improved when you can share and access various documents, logs, and schedules over the Internet with the rest of your team. Additionally, a centralized repository of documents and other information about the project allows stakeholders to have a much more clear-cut overview of the project in question, including budgets, spendings, and so on.
Another relatively on-the-nose benefit of a web based construction management software is its “online” part. This means that you don’t have to buy a piece of software and install it on a computer or another device – you’re pretty much leasing the solution instead. That way, the solution in question works as a SaaS (software-as-a-service), and you only have to pay either an annual or a monthly fee.
This approach results in a drastic reduction of overall costs and fewer expenses on the maintenance for the software in question – since it is hosted on the software provider’s servers entirely, and you can use any web browser to access it all at any point in time.
Types and general advantages of web based construction management software
Without going into too much detail on the subject, there are two main groups of web based construction management software. The first group offers a narrow set of features suitable for a specific operation and only for that operation. The second group is what you’d expect from your regular construction management software – full-scale solutions that offer a massive list of different features.
Each group has its advantages too. For example, a solution for a specific problem would most likely cost far less than ordering a full-scale solution. On the other hand, full-scale solutions tend to offer comprehensive cooperation and integration for their different modules, making interactions between different professionals far easier than they could’ve been while using several other pieces of standalone software.
Speaking of advantages, web based construction management software has its own personal benefits and shortcomings compared with the traditional standalone local software. As we’ve already mentioned before, it is cheaper than buying a license for a full-scale CMS that you’d have to install onto every one of your devices.
Additionally, web based software allows for better collaboration between different teams and employees within the same project by offering suggestions and providing reviews at any point of the project’s execution. All of the critical data is also far more accessible with web-based software, making sure that you can always have your customer profiles, bid proposals, and other important documents at hand.
At the same time, web based solutions’ price benefits might not be as big if used with larger companies and for a prolonged period (since the regular license is a one-time purchase, and monthly/annual payments tend to accumulate into larger sums of money with time). The adoption period for web based software also might be quite long and hard, especially if the previous solution has been used inside of a company for a while.
Top 15 examples of web based construction management software in 2023
Now that we’re done with general information about the nature of web based construction management software let’s go over the top 15 examples of such software. In this list, we’ll try to present both comprehensive multifunctional solutions and more targeted solutions with a specific purpose in mind.
Mainly designed for smaller construction businesses in industries such as remodeling and homebuilding, UDA ConstructionOnline is a web based project management tool that offers task management, customer management, scheduling, document control, and other features. It also supports punch lists, client portals, contract management and is best suitable for medium-sized companies or less, preferably with up to 50 users.
Pantera Tools is on a slightly different market – it is a web based bid management solution and would be useful to suppliers, retailers, contractors, and subcontractors. Its main goal is to streamline the bid process. It has all the features you’d expect from such a solution – including message and file sharing between team members, custom templates in the form of reminders and bid invites, general document management features, contact importing from the address book, and great customer support from the company itself.
Another solution that is quite specific in what it can offer is Flashtract – a construction billing software that works on approval workflows, payment calculations, and lien waiver document generation. It is a web based solution that would be most useful in the hands of contractors or subcontractors since it helps with billing submission reminders, route pay requests, compliance controls and can also calculate both labor and material costs automatically. It helps maintain the right balance of being compliant and optimizing billing processes inside the organization.
Going back to a more normalized solution type, ManagePlaces is a project management platform capable of working with many different tasks related to the construction industry. It can help managers with task scheduling using either a table view or a Gantt view. It also provides document management, KPI tracking, and assigning additional personnel to the project. It is straightforward to set up and requires little to no preparation before launching since it is a web based solution.
Another example of a multifunctional piece of web based construction software is BrickControl. It is a cloud-based solution that performs many different tasks, with the main overall purpose of project management. It can generate estimates on several different levels, create plans and Gantt tables, generate timesheets and certificates, and more. It can also integrate into many accounting systems thanks to the usage of REST API. It claims to work with a company of any size, from smaller companies to large enterprises.
Going back to the very basics, Knowify is a construction management solution based in the cloud and would be the best fit for small and medium subcontractors and residential contractors. It can simplify the management process for several administrative operations, such as contract management, job estimation, change orders, bidding, etc. It also supports scheduling, time tracking, and various document management features. Another unusual feature that Knowify has is the ability to use their mobile app’s GPS tracker as the means of check-in on the job site.
Microsoft Dynamics SL is a massive ERP (enterprise resource planning) system explicitly targeted at medium-sized and smaller businesses, a rather unusual participant of this list. It is capable of many different operations and use cases, including various means of project management and business intelligence, IT management, field service, and more. There are also many different add-ons that can enhance the experience even more if you’re looking for more features for a specific industry – project management, for example. It can also be installed as a standalone application and used as a web application.
A striking alternative to our previous number on the list is WeBuild – a solution that is dedicated solely to project collaboration. It is a cloud-based web platform that offers a plethora of features in this specific field, such as document management, project management, bidding, and so on. It can offer various dashboards and means of communication between different project participants – and all of that is neatly packed in a simple and user-friendly interface.
While it is true that Dataforma was originally a roofing solution, it can now be also utilized by other specialists in the field, like plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. Dataforma is a business management solution capable of project management, lead tracking, marketing campaign monitoring, and more. It is a relatively comprehensive solution with several different modules for business processes and customer management. The one we’re here for today is the business process module, which allows for various project management-related features and document management, work order management, warranty management, and so on.
Builterra is a construction management solution mostly geared towards infrastructure project owners and civil engineering consultants. It is capable of construction progress tracking, asset management, quality assurance, and various pre-construction operations. Its own mobile app also allows for more straightforward construction project review with geolocation-based photos and markups. Other than that, there are also payment reports, progress quantities, and many other features.
monday.com could be one of the most user-friendly construction project management solutions on this list, offering a simple yet effective user interface with drag-and-drop capabilities and a bright color palette, encouraging even some of the least knowledgeable teams to make a switch to this software. Other features of monday.com include hundreds of integrations with different applications, add-ons, widgets, vast automation capabilities, and more. It does have some of its features restricted to paid plans only, but buying a subscription in the context of construction management software is more or less a necessity purely because of how many people have to have access to said software at a time.
Communication and collaboration are extremely important for any construction project management to be successful, and Zoho Projects puts a lot of emphasis on offering various communication methods first and foremost. It has virtual meetings, chats, comments, tags, and collaborative document creation/editing. Zoho Projects’ less communication-focused features include budgeting, time tracking, portfolio management, and issue tracking. Zoho’s dashboards are completely customizable, and there is a lot of freedom for automation regarding specific tasks – sending notifications, assigning user roles, and updating document fields, for example.
MeisterTask is another example of a simple but effective web-based construction project management software that offers a rather basic set of features and is mostly aimed at smaller companies. MeisterTask has Kanban-style project boards that can be used to generate comprehensive automated workflows, a useful dashboard, task management, notification management, workflow streamlining capabilities, Gantt-style timeline view, comprehensive reports, as well as a wealth of automatization settings. It also has native smartphone apps for both Android-based and iOS-based devices, aside from its original webview capability.
Wrike is a useful web-based construction project management solution that prides on its scalability and versatility. It has three view types – traditional workload, Kanban boards, and Gantt charts with drag-and-drop support. Other features of Wrike are file sharing, task lists, shared workflows, subtasks, and schedules. We cannot forget the real-time ability to collaborate and communicate between team members. Wrike also has several features suitable for specific fields and industries, as well as templates, native integrations, and so much more.
Kintone has a unique approach to web-based project management, making it stand out from most of the competition on this list. It is a versatile platform that lets users create “apps” manually or via one of many Kintone’s existing templates. These “apps” are highly customizable and can be used for various use cases, be it sales CRM, expense reports, project management, document management, product feedback, equipment management, customer databases, and more. Creating these “apps” is very easy thanks to Kinstone’s drag-and-drop interface and a myriad of different elements that can be used to form an “app” – drop-down menus, group selection menus, date fields, text fields, and so on.
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s no shortage of construction management software on the market right now – although finding one that would be capable of working in a web form might not be as easy as it seems. Still, it is a massively competitive market that has both all-in-one solutions and software pieces that are only capable of working with a particular task range – all you have to do is look for them.
About the author
BIM/VDC Specialist. James Ocean is Head of BIMspiration at Revizto and keeps everything moving onwards and upwards. From supporting and teaching our internal team as well as our clients, James shows us the ins-and-outs and how to best leverage Revizto to maximize workflows, cut costs, and get all types of projects through the finish line.
