TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Buildertrend

    Score7.5 out of 10
    N/ABuilderTrend is a construction management system. It includes functionality for pre-sale, project management, financial management, and customer management processes. It also provides mobile accessibility.N/A

    Microsoft Excel

    Score9 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Excel is a spreadsheet application available as part of Microsoft 365 (Office 365), or standalone, in cloud-based and on-premise editions.

    $6.99

    per month

    Pricing
    BuildertrendMicrosoft Excel
    Editions & Modules
    Core Subscription
    Contact for quote
    per year
    Premium
    Contact for quote
    per month
    Premium
    Contact for quote
    Excel with Microsoft 365
    $6.99
    per month
    Excel for 1 PC or Mac
    $139.99
    perpetual license
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    BuildertrendMicrosoft Excel
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    BuildertrendMicrosoft Excel
    Considered Both Products
    Buildertrend
    No answer on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    86%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    99%
    Would buy again
    78 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    83%
    Delivers good value for the price
    5 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    70 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    76 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    57%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    4 Answers
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    46 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    71%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    54 Answers
    Features
    BuildertrendMicrosoft Excel
    Construction Project & Field Management
    Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Buildertrend and Microsoft Excel
    Feature
    Buildertrend
    4.3
    8 Ratings
    55% below category average
    Microsoft Excel
    -
    Ratings
    Plan distribution & viewing1.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Plan markups & sharing2.07 Ratings00 Ratings
    Issue tracking & punchlists2.28 Ratings00 Ratings
    Photo documentation6.18 Ratings00 Ratings
    Jobsite reports9.07 Ratings00 Ratings
    Document sharing2.38 Ratings00 Ratings
    RFI tools8.25 Ratings00 Ratings
    Collaboration & approvals4.07 Ratings00 Ratings
    As-built drawings8.74 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile app1.38 Ratings00 Ratings
    Submittal design and management3.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Estimating
    Comparison of Estimating features of Buildertrend and Microsoft Excel
    Feature
    Buildertrend
    1.2
    7 Ratings
    145% below category average
    Microsoft Excel
    -
    Ratings
    Takeoff tools1.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Job costing1.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost databases1.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost calculator1.17 Ratings00 Ratings
    Bid creation2.07 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    BuildertrendMicrosoft Excel
    Small Businesses
    Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Stackby
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Autodesk Build
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Google Sheets
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Revit
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Google Sheets
    Score8.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    BuildertrendMicrosoft Excel
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (11 ratings)
    9.0
    (78 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    9.7
    (4 ratings)
    8.6
    (23 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    BuildertrendMicrosoft Excel
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Buildertrend
    Buildertrend was made for a specific industry (building) and so I would recommend it to anyone in that industry, with the exception of Sales and Marketing. But for everything else from the financing to the permitting to the construction and all else, Buildertrend is exactly what our team has used and will ALWAYS use. Even with our decision to use other systems for Sales and Marketing, we have never given one thought to taking Buildertrend out of our process. We will always be with Buildertrend.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    I don't really know another program as powerful as Excel. I've used Google Doc programs but do not feel they come close. So far, anytime I've needed a table of some sort for data, whether it's budget oriented or information off a survey, the best system has been Excel. We do web audits on occasion and we create an Excel worksheet featuring every URL of the pages we're auditing, notes, data about the content, information about files attached to the page and other information to help us determine what pages need updating, deleting or otherwise. We also use Excel primarily to export our Google Analytics to in order for us to create reports for clients that need to see specific information about their traffic.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Buildertrend
    • Manages in one place - crucial for organization.
    • Professional, across the board it provides companies with a seamlessly organized and flawless presentation - to subs/vendors/owners/etc.
    • Time Saver - you don't have to dig around through files/create templates/flip through your contact binder - it's all there.
    • Practical tools- designed for contractors. You get what you need - period.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • It is very good at embedded formulas and tying cells to one another
    • It allows me to compare deals terms on a side-by-side basis and talk my clients through it easily.
    • It is very helpful as well in terms of allowing me to filter/sort results in many different ways depending on what specific information I am most interested in prioritizing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Buildertrend
    • Onsite consultants. There is a demand for this service that is great enough to allow outside BuilderTrend Super-Users like me to partner with BuilderTrend and make this a reality.
    • As their company grows, their support needs to grow as well.
    • Provide incentives for Super Users that are helping BuilderTrend acquire new business. Advocates should be their best friend.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Excel offers collaboration features that allow multiple users to work on the same spreadsheet, but managing changes made by different users can be challenging. Excel could improve its features by offering more granular control, better tracking of changes, and more robust conflict resolution tools.
    • Itcan be a barrier to productivity when importing and exporting data from other applications or file formats. To improve its features, it should offer better support for standard file formats and more robust error handling and reporting tools.
    • Excel can be challenging for finance students and working professionals, but it can be improved by offering more robust tutorials, better documentation, and more user communities and support forums.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Buildertrend
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Excel remains the industry standard for spreadsheets and has maintained simple and straight-forward formula writing methods. Although there is a learning curve to do more complex calculations, there are countless help sites and videos on the Internet for almost any need.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Buildertrend
    Its simple to use and intuitive. The level of support that we have from online videos, to access to customer support, and the ability to call anyone at anytime on the main line has been invaluable to utilize and not get stuck on something you don't know yet. We've never not had anyone that couldn't respond in time for us.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    I'm giving it a 7 because it is my go to. But the fact other prefer Google Sheets when working with a team does get irritating. I've used the online version of Microsoft Excel that other teams can get into and it still seems behind Google Sheets. It's a little clanky and slow? If that's even a term.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Buildertrend
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    I have rarely, if ever, had issues with its availability.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Buildertrend
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Excel load and performs calculations immediately. It integrate well with all Microsoft Office applications and does not slow them down.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Buildertrend
    I highly recommend. The only suggestion I have would be to offer a free trial. They do offer a 30 day money back guarantee. The price point isn't daunting if you have had a 100 % no strings attached/no effort to cancel or try to remember to get your money back - no strings attached chance to try out the product. Especially for such a big purchase decision, I think Buildertrend would see an incredible increase in sales. They have the value and companies just need a chance to see it first hand.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    I have not had to use it often, but it is good.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Buildertrend
    The program has outstanding customer service. With project scheduling, project management, financial management, customer management, and service management capabilities in a single suite, there's really not much this program can't do! Owners generally love the use of this software as well, giving them the ability to view daily logs, photos, schedules, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Out of Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, IBM SPSS, and Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel is by far the most common tool used for anything data-related across organizations. Accordingly, our organization has also implemented Microsoft Excel as a first-step tool. We recently adopted Microsoft Power BI (the free version), and use it occasionally (mostly for creating dashboards), but it is less commonly understood by stakeholders across our organization and by our clients. Accordingly, Microsoft Excel is more user-friendly and because of its popularity, we can easily look up how to do things in the program online. Google Sheets is a comparable alternative to Microsoft Excel, but because it's cloud-based and we have sensitive data that needs to be protected, we chose against using this software. Finally, a few users (including myself) have access to and utilize IBM's SPSS. For my role, it's a helpful tool to do more rigorous analyses. However, because of its cost and limited functionality as a simple spreadsheet, we only use it for more complex analyses.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Buildertrend
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    N/A I was not involved in this process.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Buildertrend
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Each user can use it to whatever level of expertise they have. It remains the same so users can contribute to another's work regardless of whether they have more or less expertise
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Buildertrend
    • The prior year cost me roughly $4300, which was barely reasonable for my volume. Some clients liked the format, some hated it and didn't participate. In my experience, few subcontractors or suppliers embraced the program, severely limiting the effectiveness.
    • For the coming year the fees would have exceeded $17,000, far too much for a program with limited client, employee, and subcontractor appeal with as small a volume as I have.
    • Honestly, for the last year, I feel they've been a burning tire hung around my neck and I regret not cancelling them in early 2019, I'd have $10,000 more in my pocket and no significant negative impact.
    • I did appreciate the daily log as a way to report on progress, but less than half my clients made use of this option.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Excel has positively impacted the business as it has increased our efficiency.
    • It also saves us the time that we would have spent on making the calculations that it does for us.
    • Since it works on all devices and is compatible with both Windows and Mac, we do not have to invest in any other alternative.
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Buildertrend Screenshots

    Screenshot of the homeowner portalScreenshot of a summary pageScreenshot of the scheduling interface & Gantt chartScreenshot of photos