Buildertrend vs Contractor Autopilot
Buildertrend is $199–$799/mo depending on tier and job volume — and it is one piece of your business. Contractor Autopilot is $149–$499/mo flat for the whole company, unlimited users: one source of truth, 60+ features from the missed call to the paid invoice. No integrations to build, nothing to keep in sync.
What Buildertrend does well
Project management for big builds: schedules, selections, client portal, budgets and daily logs are genuinely strong.
Best for: Custom home builders and remodelers running long projects with client selections and change orders.
Where it leaves you exposed
- →Built for long projects, not for service work and same-week jobs.
- →Heavy. Most small crews use a fraction of it and still pay for the whole thing.
- →No AI receptionist, no website, no Google or review automation.
One app for the whole business — finally
A project system for the build. Nothing for winning the next one.
The call, the lead, the quote, the job, the invoice, the review and the website all live on the same customer record. Your whole crew and your office get their own login — we never charge per seat.
Get found, capture leads, quote & close, run jobs, get paid — the whole business, not one slice of it.
No Zapier, no CSV exports, no paying a consultant to wire your tools together every time something changes.
The time it gives you back
Quotes in minutes instead of an afternoon in a project template, and the lead that called at 7pm is already booked when you open the laptop.
What it really costs to run Buildertrend
Until now, nobody ran a contracting business on one app. Here is the rest of the bill you are still paying.
| Buildertrend | $199–$799/mo |
| Answering service | $300+/mo |
| Website + hosting | $50–$300/mo |
| SEO / reviews / social | $350–$1,600/mo |
| Typical all-in | $900–$3,000/mo across 4 vendors |
| Contractor Autopilot — all of it, one bill | $149–$499/mo |
Stack costs are typical published US market rates for each category, August 2026. Your numbers will vary — run our free business review and we will price your actual stack.
What it costs at 1, 5 and 10 people
Their price grows with your crew. Ours does not — every plan is unlimited users, so the tenth hire costs you nothing in software.
| Crew size | Buildertrend | + what it doesn't include | Their all-in | Contractor Autopilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Just you | $399/mo | $850/mo | $1,249/mo | $499/mo |
| 5 people | $399/mo | $850/mo | $1,249/mo | $499/mo |
| 10 people | $399/mo | $850/mo | $1,249/mo | $499/mo |
At five people that is $1,249 a month — more than Autopilot Pro — and it still does not answer your phone, build your website, or ask your customers for reviews.
Same money buys the whole business instead of one slice of it: 60+ features across all five stages, unlimited users, one bill.
Buildertrend column uses their published list price, read August 2026. "What it doesn't include" is the same basket every time: answering service ~$300, website and hosting ~$150, reviews and social ~$100, local SEO help ~$300. Our column is Autopilot Pro at $499/mo — everything, unlimited users. Starter is $149 and Autopilot is $399.
Side by side
| Feature | Contractor Autopilot | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| AI receptionist answering 24/7 | Included on Autopilot Pro | No |
| Website + custom domain built for you | Yes | No |
| Long-project management, selections, budgets | Jobs, phases, change orders | Best in class |
| Fast quoting for same-week jobs | Yes | Heavy |
| Automatic reviews and social posting | Yes | No |
| Time to get running | Same day | Weeks |
| Price | $149–$499/mo, whole company | $199–$799/mo depending on tier and job volume |
Buildertrend pricing and features from their published information, read August 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
The honest verdict
If you build custom homes, Buildertrend earns its money. If you run jobs measured in days and weeks, it is a heavy, expensive way to do what we do in one app that also answers your phone.
Questions contractors ask
Can Contractor Autopilot handle change orders and phases?
Yes — job phases, change orders, payment schedules and job costing are all in the product.
Built for your trade
Other comparisons
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