Summary
As construction projects get more complex, Excel can become a bottleneck. Job costing, change order tracking, and AP/AR automation are easier with industry-specific tools. If you're upgrading, prioritize software that actually fits construction workflows.
Why the Shift Away from Excel?
"As our jobs have gotten busier, Excel just isn't cutting it anymore."
Spreadsheets are great for flexibility—but once you're juggling dozens of invoices, change orders, and job cost allocations, the manual work becomes risky and time-consuming. Errors creep in. Audits get messy. And visibility suffers.
What Construction Businesses Really Need
Tools likeQuickBooksandFreshBookshandle general business accounting, but they weren't built for:
Multi-phase job cost tracking
Retainage billing and payment applications
Subcontractor invoicing workflows
Real-time budget vs. actuals
Look for platforms that support:
AP/AR automation
Mobile field entries
Integrations with estimating or project management tools
Custom job reports
Redditor Recommendation: APARBooks
The user who started the thread mentioned trying QuickBooks, FreshBooks, and Bill.com—but foundAPARBooksmore aligned with their construction needs:
"They cover the basics, but honestly, they don’t feel like they’re built for construction workflows."
"I’m currently using APARBooks, it’s been working pretty well so far, but I’m still open to exploring other tools."
It’s a good reminder: even widely-used tools aren’t one-size-fits-all. Construction accounting has specific needs.
Questions to Ask Before You Switch
Can it handle job-level cost coding?
Is there a way to track change orders across phases?
Does it integrate with your project management tool (like Buildertrend or Procore)?
How easy is it to run reports for lenders or bonding agents?
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Author: Kimi, Co‑founder of Sam’s List
Kimi writes about what she's learning while building Sam’s List and shares honest takeaways from her conversations with accountants and financial advisors across the country. None of this is financial advice—just the stuff most people wish someone told them sooner.
