Smartsheet vs Buildertrend

Last Updated:

Our analysts compared Smartsheet vs Buildertrend based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Construction Scheduling Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Smartsheet is an enterprise-level SaaS management application that helps teams streamline processes through collaboration, project planning and task management. Users can set up tasks using a grid view, similar to a spreadsheet with automations, formulas, comments and mentions. 

It provides templates for projects and automations that can be modified and saved as a template to save time. Project views include a Kanban board, Gantt chart, timeline, calendar view, card view and a custom dashboard.

Its file and sheet sharing capabilities, comment feature and conversations remove team and data silos and give stakeholders insight into project details. A user-friendly interface helps managers and team members boost adoption rates, maintain consistency and increase efficiency. 

read more...
Buildertrend is a construction ERP that streamlines business practices and assists builders, contractors and clients. Leverage bid requests, email marketing and leads in one centralized pre-sales process module. Initiates budgets, invoices, lien waivers and time clocks. Maintain various activities in daily logs, to-do lists, schedules and messages. It’s also available as a mobile app for iOS and Android devices.

Master project management, client relationship management, financial management, estimates and change orders are some notable features.
read more...
$9/User, Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$99 Monthly
Free Trial is unavailable →
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Use Familiar Spreadsheet Formatting: Move from regular spreadsheets to spreadsheets with versatile views and much less formula knowledge required for formatting. Make adoption and training smoother because you’re not starting from scratch with processes. We especially liked the ability to enter data using a familiar cell view and then convert it to, say, a Kanban board.
  • Create No-Code Automations: Use templates or build from scratch with a trigger, condition and action automation format. Save time on admin tasks with automations for alerts, approvals, document creation and sheet changes. Choose from four starting cell-related triggers and build from there. We thought the automation building was intuitive and straightforward. Check out our test in the “See It In Action” section below.
  • Access Multiple Views: Add dynamic views to your projects and filter and customize views to meet task requirements. For example, we added a card view organized by status and a Kanban Board sorted by task assignee. Create a customizable dashboard to pull data like task progress, workload and duration using widgets.
  • Share Proofs and Additional Information: Collaborate on team documents, provide context and add proofs and files to individual tasks or the entire sheet. We set a piece of content as a task and added extra files like logos and docs along with comments for specific client requests.
  • Train As You Go: Kick your project off with a checklist outlining best practices and research material. Use pop-ups and explainer icons with video links as you work to get a better understanding of features and capabilities. We popped over to the help center to learn how to set up baselines for our Gantt chart (you need to edit the start date and end date columns).
read more...
  • Establish Effective Communications: Deliver notifications with project updates to teams, subcontractors and clients with daily logs, so everyone is on the same page consistently. Users may also record weather changes automatically and make notes with voice-to-text technology to ensure their teams always work in good weather and are prepared for surprises. 
  • Organize Documents and Photos: Leverage infinite file sharing, reducing unnecessary treks to the office. Teams can access files from mobile devices at any location to review plans, budgets and other necessary paperwork at the worksite swiftly. Users may also share videos, photos and documents with several other users and arrange them in folders for easy navigation. 
  • Efficient Invoice Changes: Produce line-item bills and invoices from estimates, change orders or customer selection sheets by integrating with QuickBooks or Xero, which keeps bookkeeping tasks in one centralized hub. Users may also accept online payments and establish payment reminders, so they receive their transactions on time. 
  • Simple Time Tracking: Manage time for office workers and field teams with a time clock that enables employees to clock in and out from the mobile app so users will always know how many hours each employee accrues at any given time. It can track who's clocked in or out during a specific period, generate payroll reports and exhibit a crew worker's exact location on a virtual map. 
  • Client Collaboration: Enable customers to track projects' progress with unique customer logins for effective contractor/client collaboration. Users can also upload photos and send messages about project updates. 
  • Allocate Surveys: Deliver online surveys to clients automatically after finishing projects to leave reviews. Users may also review and post positive responses to reviews via their websites to establish and maintain positive customer relationships. 
read more...
  • Dashboards and Reports: Customize your dashboard by adding widgets like reports, project-specific charts, shortcuts, images and text. Consolidate data from multiple sheets into a summary view using system reports. Track sheet changes using bi-directional functionality. Send reports via collaborative tools and change statuses to recur.
  • Multiple Views: View your tasks using the grid view, akin to a spreadsheet, a Gantt view as an add-on to your grid view, a Kanban board where you can drag and drop tasks and group them by assignee or status, a timeline view, a card view with customizable lanes and a calendar view that displays your tasks across its duration or by start dates only.
  • Task Management: Add your tasks and subtasks into each cell and use the indent and outdent buttons to divide tasks into groups that can be minimized to provide a project overview. Create or modify custom fields with your own text, dropdown lists and symbols to show status, assignees, priority, dates and latest comment. Attach files and proofs, write comments and mention users and set reminders for tasks.
  • Automations and Workflows: Save time with custom processes and workflows you can build by modifying templates for reminders and alerts, document generation, row changes, sheet changes and updates, and approval requests. Build your own workflow automations from scratch by choosing your trigger, setting conditions and adding actions. Manage automations by deactivating, deleting, duplicating or unsubscribing.
  • Templates: Use pre-built templates ranging from event management to HR workflows and marketing to streamline project creation. View complexity, task management and process before you apply a template. Build and save your own templates by customizing pre-built templates or creating them from scratch.
  • Integrations: Drive productivity with integrations like Office 365, Dropbox, DocuSign and Google Workspace and use iCal or Google Calendar to track project statuses.
  • Team Collaboration: Communicate with team members by commenting and mentioning users in individual tasks, adding files for additional information and chatting via the conversations tool where everyone with access to the sheet can see your comments. Integrate with Slack or Microsoft Teams to receive updates about your sheet and send messages to channels.
read more...
  • Selections: Approve product pricing, keep patrons in the loop about running totals, receive electronic client signatures and access selection decisions and their associated product warranties in a centralized location. 
  • Communication: Manage messages, comments, emails and task-specific data in one place automatically. This module also offers push notifications on mobile devices and utilizes current email accounts. 
  • Bid Requests: Develop, compare, distribute and save bids in one hub. Users may define deadlines and receive reminders, accept offers and incorporate them in contracts. 
  • Estimates and Proposals: Construct estimates, allocate personalized proposals and close sales. Users may work with pre-set templates, obtain digital signatures and import information into Excel and other solutions. 
  • To-Dos: Create and designate responsibilities to teams and subcontractors and send reminders to patrons. Users can add items to lists with voice-to-text capabilities, attach documents and photos and send prompt alerts. 
  • Work-In-Progress (WIP) Reports: Produce WIP reports for maintaining projects in real time; obtain data for total billings, profit margins and costs to complete specific or all jobs; and receive current views of over or under billing for clients. 
  • Payment Processing: Obtain check or credit card payments online, modify invoices through QuickBooks and Xero when a payment is received automatically and acquire safe and secure processing. 
  • Budget: Track labor costs, billing, purchase orders and change orders in real time. Make adjustments as necessary, compare proposed to actual expenditures and work with multiple software integrations. 
read more...

Product Ranking

#1

among all
Construction Scheduling Software

#3

among all
Construction Scheduling Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

90
88
90
97
98
97
95
95
Show More Show More
Project Management
Construction Documents and Templates Management
Construction Schedule Management
Communication Management
Reports and Dashboards
Field Management
Project Management
Communication Management
Construction Documents and Templates Management
Construction Schedule Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Smartsheet
Buildertrend
+ Add Product + Add Product
Communication Management Construction Documents And Templates Management Construction Schedule Management Field Management Mobile Capabilities Project Management Reports And Dashboards 90 98 95 67 80 100 86 97 97 95 100 80 99 69 0 25 50 75 100
80%
0%
20%
100%
0%
0%
91%
0%
9%
100%
0%
0%
95%
0%
5%
95%
0%
5%
60%
0%
40%
100%
0%
0%
80%
0%
20%
80%
0%
20%
100%
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
80%
10%
10%
70%
0%
30%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

63%
0%
37%
50%
0%
50%

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 22301 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 1577 reviews
88%
of users recommend this product

Smartsheet has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 22301 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

90%
of users recommend this product

Buildertrend has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 90% when considering 1577 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (20)
4.1 (14)
4.4 (17366)
4.0 (38)
4.5 (3333)
4.5 (1517)
4.7 (728)
n/a
4.3 (854)
4.5 (8)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Smartsheet and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Project Management.

Project Management Award

Buildertrend stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Automation: Reviewers appreciated the no-code automation and said that it helps to eliminate productivity killers and saves time.
Collaboration: Users liked the sharing option with level-based permissions that allow collaboration with non-users and help coworkers and external stakeholders stay up-to-date on projects and processes.
Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface and templates make it easy to set up, customize and access multiple views, according to reviewers.
What Users Like
Customization: “We can customize it to fit various projects, whether we’re tracking client cases, managing document revisions, or planning team tasks. For instance, I created a project tracker for a major client contract negotiation. The ability to set deadlines, assign tasks, and update statuses in real time has streamlined our communication and kept everyone on the same page.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal
Collaboration: “We had this one job in a high-rise condo that put Smartsheet to the test. The sliding door system was an older model with custom-sized panels that aren’t easy to source, and it needed specific adjustments due to the unique structure of the frame. Typically, coordinating the right parts, tools, and technician experience for something like this would require several phone calls and a lot of back-and-forth. With Smartsheet, we were able to set up the job details to track not only the special parts needed but also assign a technician who was experienced with that model. When the parts came in, the technician was notified directly through Smartsheet, so he knew the moment everything was ready. It saved us from potential delays and kept the customer fully updated on when the work could be done.” - Gal Cohen, Business Development Leader and Field Area Manager JDM Sliding Doors
Show more
Comprehensive Tool: The system comes loaded with rich functionalities that simplify production and streamline workflows, as mentioned by all users who referred to functionality.
User Friendly: Offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to manage and navigate, as noted by all reviewers who mentioned ease of use.
Support: More than 92% of reviewers referring to customer support noted that included professional services were helpful and responsive, taking time to walk them through an issue.
Track: All users who specified tracking liked that it helps teams and managers keep track of progress, logs, expenses, payrolls, bid requests, receipts and more.
Communication: All reviewers liked that it simplifies the process of communication and keeping teams up to date.
Show more
System Integration: Limited integrations and complex configurations were an issue for reviewers.
Premium Add-Ons: Reviewers noted that advanced features come with a price tag that can be prohibitive for some businesses.
Slow Loading Time: Users reported it takes time to display screens export formats occasionally.
What Users Dislike
Integration: “Despite its many benefits, integrating Smartsheet with other systems posed some challenges. Initially, we experienced issues with data syncing between Smartsheet and our CRM software, leading to discrepancies in our financial reporting. Recognizing this, I allocated specific time for thorough testing before our full implementation, allowing us to identify and resolve any integration issues early on.” - Austin Rulfs, Founder of Zanda Wealth Mortgage Brokers
Learning Curve: “While Smartsheet is powerful, it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. I found that investing time in training sessions helped bridge that gap, making it easier for everyone to adapt and use the tool effectively.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal
Show more
Learning Curve: All reviewers who mentioned the learning curve said it took time to get used to the tools during initial setup due to the many options available.
Quickbooks Integration: Around 60% of users noted that integration with Quickbooks took some time and effort.
Customization: It could provide more flexibility in customization, as observed by 83% of reviewers who referred to customization.
Show more

Smartsheet is a cloud-based work management platform that helps users streamline and organize processes with a spreadsheet-esque interface, flexible templates, multiple views and team collaboration. Apart from the grid view, you can visualize projects using a Gantt chart, Kanban board, calendar view, card view or timeline view. No-code automations are another note-worthy feature, where you can build from templates or scratch.It streamlines project creation with templates suited to different industries and end goals, so you have a jumping-off point instead of going in blind. Team collaboration is another area where Smartsheet shines, with comments, conversations and file and sheet sharing (even with people outside your organization). It also offers a customizable dashboard view, although I did find some of the chart widgets a little tricky to work, without training.Highlights for me were definitely the familiarity of spreadsheet formatting (but with more views and automations), robust collaboration capabilities and guided explainers throughout the setup. However, user reviews noted limited filters and integrations, lags and expensive add-ons as downsides.Overall, Smartsheet is a great option for teams familiar with spreadsheets but are on the lookout for more visualization and collaboration, along with the budget to spend on advanced features.

Show more

Buildertrend has an intuitive interface that is easy to use and navigate. It requires some time to get used to its tools because of the rich features available. Users can make proposals for bids, schedule, send invoices, collect payments, conduct surveys and more. It offers a portal where employees can conveniently view their running hours and corresponding pay. It streamlines coordination with clients, including sharing daily updates on the progress of building completion. It helps teams maintain better communication and keep track of progress. Some reviewers have noted that integration with Quickbooks requires a significant time investment. A few users wished for more customization options. Customer representatives respond quickly and provide answers that will effectively solve problems.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in Construction Scheduling Software


Assignar

B2W Software

Buildertrend

BuildIT

CoConstruct

ConstructionOnline

eSUB

Fieldwire

Jonas Premier

LetsBuild

monday.com

Pro Crew Schedule

Procore

Projul

Related Categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings