Project management softwares is crucial in the construction industry to bring team members together in one space for a common goal. Helping to ease the communication flow between those out on the fields and those in the office.
Construction industries have complex workflows, and it might not be easy to find software that can meet their needs on a free plan. We have created a list of some of the best free construction management softwares for contractors and construction managers in 2023.
Free Software for Construction Project Management
- ClickUp – Overall Best Construction Software
- Monday.com – Best For Team Collaboration
- Asana – Best For Creating A Project Plan
- Wrike – Best In Handling Construction Projects Dependencies
- Fieldwire – Best For Field Management
- Procore – Best For Data Management
Product
Enhanced Collaboration and Communication
Streamlined Construction Project Workflow
Better Time Management and Resource Allocation
Real-Time Project Visibility
Notify users when other team members are online viewing shared files.
Scheduling & Reporting
Time recorders & Notes
Roadmaps & Status Reports.
- Customizable boards.
- & Pulse for real-time notifications.
- & Integrated messaging tools.
Mapping tools
Time tracking column
Flowcharts & Gantt charts.
- Integrate favorite collaboration tools.
- & Comments and tagging.
Digital cards & viewing lists.
Time trackers.
360 degrees dashboard view.
File sharing & team feedback on projects.
Customized templates to create a workflow.
Priority columns
Wrike reports tool.
Links managers and lower-level workers. & Push notifications.
RFIs & Custom Forms
Time and Materials form features & Timers.
Onsite data collation.
Follow, Tag, and comment.
Client sharing & Task management.
TimeCard & Timesheets available
Project financials & Productivity tools.
ClickUp – Overall Best Construction Software
ClickUp is our best free software for construction project management, although it was not built with the construction industry as one of its target niches.
However, the construction industry has many processes that need control, and ClickUp provides many different tools that construction companies with smaller teams are looking to take advantage of its free plan, especially in task management, collaboration, and streamlined construction project workflow.
Enhanced Collaboration and Communication
To drive effective collaboration and communication between the various teams involved in a construction project ClickUp provides tools that help teams collaborate in real-time. ClickUp has a feature allowing users to know when other team members are online working on shared tasks. This enables a user to respond or take action when the activity is happening.
Streamlined Construction Project Workflow
ClickUp allows construction managers to handle everything related to their tasks on the ClickUp software. It provides users with features that enable reporting, scheduling functions, uploading drawing plans, communicating, managing finances, and lots more. ClickUp also provides an integration portal to add on features that provisions were not made for to streamline the construction project workflow.
Better Time Management and Resource Allocation
ClickUp provides construction software that allows construction managers to manage their team members’ time and resources. Simple tools like time recorders and notes allow users to monitor what was done at various intervals. ClickUp also provides a workload view feature showcasing members’ productivity levels, which helps the construction project management team allocate resources.
Real-Time Project Visibility
ClickUp allows users to track project roadmaps, status reports, risks, etc., using Gantt chart, list, and timeline views. Over 10 other viewing styles are also available, and users can switch between each tool to find one that meets their needs.
Pricing Plans
- Free Forever – Unlimited users & Tasks.
- Unlimited Plan – $5 (Unlimited teams + Tasks).
- Business – $12 (Unlimited teams & advanced features).
- Business Plus – $19 (Unlimited teams + Sharing & Customizable features).
- Enterprise – Negotiable (Exclusive offers).
- Highly intuitive user interface.
- Highly secure platform.
- Ample storage space for its free plan.
- Great pricing plans
- The Timesheet displays incorrect information occasionally.
- Loads up slowly.
Monday.com is the perfect tool for construction managers looking for the ideal collaboration tool for their teams. It allows every team member, including those on the construction sites and those handling the “paperwork,” to stay connected. Managers and clients are not left out of the loop either with pre-made templates and other features.
Enhanced Collaboration and Communication
Monday.com provides customizable boards to foster team collaboration, allowing managers to create boards, make a task list, and invite team members to work together on projects. Once a team member is assigned to a task, use pulses to notify them in real-time.
Additionally, use integrated tools like skype and meetings to communicate with the team. Use comments and private tags to share files instead and eliminate the need for emails.
Streamlined Construction Project Workflow
Monday.com provides integration APIs, automation features, and ways to view what every team member is working on at the time, regardless of location. Monday.com includes mapping tools for construction workflow design. It also allows users to import previous work data to create new workflows without the issues that plagued the pre-existing structure.
Better Time Management and Resource Allocation
Regulate time spent on each project using the time tracking column on Monday.com. However, this feature is only available for Pro and Enterprise plan users.
Time trackers show how long it takes each team member to complete any given task.
Using time trackers enables managers to know where to allocate resources.
Real-Time Project Visibility
Construction management teams can use Monday.com to track when materials arrive, who delivered on time, or not using different project timeline viewing tools. Use Gantt charts if you prefer bar chart presentations, Flowcharts if you’d like to know each task’s dependencies, etc.
Pricing Plans
- Free Forever – 2 users
- Basic – $8 (single dashboard + one board).
- Standard – $10 (single dashboard + 5 boards).
- Pro – $16 (single dashboard + 10 boards).
- Enterprise – Negotiable (Exclusive offers).
- Allows collaboration with teams outside its OS.
- Very flexible.
- Provides a good number of premade templates.
- Lots of customizable features.
- Sends out too many emails.
- With too many features, it’s easy to get lost.
Use Asana‘s customizable templates to create a detailed plan for a simple construction project management process. Create customized trackers for monitoring team activities and export items from your email to complete new tasks. In addition, use Asana to keep tabs on suppliers and other contractors and improve your team’s productivity.
Enhanced Collaboration and Communication
Manage your team by providing Asana’s easy-to-use communication and collaboration tools. Asana allows construction team members to integrate the tools they use for work on its OS, eliminating the need to switch between tabs or apps. This makes it easier for teams to collaborate using standard construction tools in a central place.
Asana includes features for sharing and commenting on projects and tasks. It also integrates with platforms like Slack and Zoom for better project discussions.
Streamlined Construction Project Workflow
Asana benefits construction companies looking for construction software to streamline project workflows. It provides digital card templates for creating tasks. However, it must be set up using either List, Calendar, and Gantt views.
Plus, Asana incorporates tools to manage from timing to providing necessary resources to drive it to completion. Users can also group every job based on its completion phase. Finally, create reusable templates for subsequent projects.
Better Time Management and Resource Allocation
Asana provides time management features to trace a team’s progress on a construction project. Use time logs and calendars to set deadlines, and check progress regularly to avoid overstepping budgets.
Real-Time Project Visibility
Asana construction programme software gives construction managers tools to take a 360-degree view of the team’s activities. Using the dashboard feature, you can obtain real-time insights for better decision-making.
Pricing Plans
- Free Forever – 15 users & unlimited tasks.
- Premium Plan – $10.99 (Unlimited users + Guests & Unlimited tasks + templates).
- Business – $24.99 (More advanced features).
- Enterprise – Negotiable (Exclusive offers).
- 2FA is available.
- Allows users to drag and drop tasks from email.
- Easy to understand and use.
- Collaborating with team members is a breeze.
- The time tracker is integrated and not available natively.
- Needs multiple users for a project feature
Use Wrike as a construction management software to manage resources needed for construction projects. Make provisions for team and client interactions to manage potential risks and ensure everyone stays on a budget.
Enhanced Collaboration and Communication
Wrike enables communication through file sharing, direct messaging via mentions, and allowing team feedback on every project.
Streamlined Construction Project Workflow
Streamline your workflow processes on Wrike using choosing and customizing pre-made templates for creating tasks and dependencies. Use automation for repetitive actions, and integrate with your regularly used external Apps to bring everything you need to you. Additionally, use client portals to handle client-related issues and collaboration.
Better Time Management and Resource Allocation
Wrike allows for better time management by including timers and priority columns to let teams know what aspects of the project need immediate implementation. Following the team’s behavior, it’s easy to decide where to assign resources to prevent waste and financial losses.
Real-Time Project Visibility
Stop missing out on important information and spending long hours searching for updates using the Wrike Reports tool. Visualize the status of your project and team actions on one page as the event occurs. Wrike provides four visibility options, including milestones, team performance reports, task status reports, and activity reports.
Pricing Plans
- Free Forever – Tasks limitations
- Team Plan – $9.80 (2 – 25 team members + Unlimited Tasks).
- Business – $24.80 (5 – 200 seats & Unlimited tasks and subtasks).
- Enterprise – Negotiable (Exclusive offers).
- Excellent reporting tool, with many options to carry it out.
- Allows automatic updates to reports.
- Provides a wide range of project visibility viewing options.
- Allows users to separate tasks into several other units.
- Needs to integrate with more external software.
- Needs to increase its user count for each pricing plan.
Fieldwire links everyone related to a construction project and provides a means for file sharing through integration tools. Includes push notifications to notify the team when a task has been assigned and share drawing plans between groups on the field and in the office. Also, schedule activities ahead of time using Kanban priority features.
Enhanced Collaboration and Communication
Fieldwire drives collaboration and communication between workers handling the minor task to those at managerial levels. Managers can assign tasks, leave comments, know who holds any given task, and teams can share plans, push notifications, and more to drive communication.
Streamlined Construction Project Workflow
Streamline construction workflow using onsite RFIs and Automation tools, plus other tools to track and request supplies. Additionally, managers can create custom forms to collect different kinds of data, from daily tasks to details about materials coming and going out. In addition, collaboration features and resource management tools create a streamlined construction project workflow.
Better Time Management and Resource Allocation
Field wire helps construction managers keep tabs on what employees do with their work hours using timesheet forms. The forms include time and materials forms to record the time spent on a project and the number of materials used.
Additionally, timesheet forms allow users to set up due dates for work delivery, add assignees’ names, and add work status. Plus, a section to add signatures for official record keeping.
Real-Time Project Visibility
Fieldwire provides tools that record and document issues on-site, and this information gets passed directly to concerned teams. On the other hand, the team activities are tracked using resource management tools on the field wire platform. Everything is on a ventral platform with Fieldwire eliminating the need to store data outside the platform and making all project details accessible with a few clicks.
Pricing Plans
- Free Forever – 5 users & 3 projects.
- Pro Plan – $39(Unlimited teams + Tasks).
- Business – $59 (Unlimited user & i ).
- Business Plus – $19 (Unlimited users & projects ).
- Enterprise – Negotiable (Exclusive offers).
- Provides unrestricted access to data on the cloud from any location.
- Well-suited for managing multiple construction projects at the same time.
- Very great for obtaining and storing data from the field.
- Allows multiple users to edit drawing plans at the same time.
- Limited integration options.
- Customization can be problematic occasionally.
ProCore created a space to help its users have better workflows by providing a centralized platform for sharing and saving data. This allows teams to collaborate on projects, and the collected data is used immediately or stored and used to create reports or future comparisons. Offers flexible features that change as a team grows.
Enhanced Collaboration and Communication
Procore is a construction program software that prioritizes collaboration and communication between everyone involved in the construction process. Users can tag, follow and interact with each other using the @mentions and comment features.
Streamlined Construction Project Workflow
Procore is focused on promoting data and information sharing on a centralized platform for the construction industry. Using tools to encourage team conversations and integrated tools to bring every solution needed to a single outlet. Additional tools are provided to get clients, stakeholders, and everyone connected to the process for a streamlined data flow.l
Better Time Management and Resource Allocation
Procore includes a tool called TimeCard that allows the construction team to track billable and non-billable work hours on every project. At the end of a defined period, time logs can be exported to payment sheets. Allowing for better management of work hours and resource allocations.
Real-Time Project Visibility
Procore allows users to forecast future events for a project using insights provided by data collected from team activities. This is achieved using Project financials and field productivity tools.
Pricing Plans
- Request a Quote based on what services you need.
- Excellent customer service provision.
- Drag and -drop feature for file sharing makes it easy to use.
- Provides that help keep clients in the loop in real-time.
- Changes to projects are recorded permanently, which makes keeping track of activities easy.
- Restrictions on file upload except with administrative permission.
- Need to improve the versatility of the markup tool.
Criteria For Choosing A Free Software For Construction Project Management
Construction projects involve going through several steps before arriving at the finished work. A free construction management software will provide tools that simplify and organize these steps.
However, there are certain things to look out for when selecting construction project management tools, and we have highlighted the most important ones to consider.
Enhanced Collaboration and Communication
Collaboration and effective communication between team members are essential for construction companies. When choosing a project management software, it is crucial to select one with tools like @mentions, comments, private messaging, or tagging options. To allow team brainstorming sessions that’ll enhance productivity.
Streamlined Construction Project Workflow
An important criterion to look for is construction software that allows the project manager to manage team members effectively. It provides tools enabling managers to handle every activity, from reporting, assigning jobs/tasks, billing, invoicing, and using a single software.
Better Time Management and Resource Allocation
In the construction industry, construction managers must appropriately manage time and resources to achieve better results and reach maximum productivity levels. When the time allocated for a project is mismanaged, it leads to wasted resources that’ll likely overstep the budget assigned to a construction project.
Construction management software should provide tools like time logs with billable hours for time management. Additionally, features like timesheets that allow managers to track time-related activities in real time will enable better allocation of resources.
Improved Budget and Expense Management
Budget management is crucial for contractor project management. Exceeding the budget before the project is over is one of the common reasons projects fail.
Using software that provides planners to allow managers to compare budgets and expenditures regularly will eliminate the problem of overspending. It will enable the managers to identify bottlenecks at a glance and make moves to stop the trial on time.
Real-Time Project Visibility
Real-time project visibility is a non-negotiable feature every good construction management software must possess. Users should have the option of having a complete overview of everything relating to each project in different styles. Using features like Kanban boards, Calendar views, Gantt charts, and many other viewing tools.
Scalability and Adaptability
For any construction with growth plans, it’s essential to check for software accommodating a growing team. In many cases, these additional features will likely come at a price the construction company will be able to handle once growth comes in. There’s a plan to keep switching data from one software to the next to meet the company’s increasing size.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Final Words
The main reason why construction companies turn to Project management software as a solution in 2023 is to find a platform that improves budgeting and resource tracking systems for the business. The need also arises to provide a secure environment for team members to collaborate easily on projects.
Free software for construction project management provides all of the tools needed to achieve this. From Fieldwire’s drawings markup features to Click-Up’s unique collaboration features, there is so much to choose from.
Check out our list of free software for construction project management recommendations to find one that best suits your team’s needs program.