Construction projects can be quite intimidating, for a number of good reasons. They require careful budgeting, precise coordination, and meticulous planning if they are to be completed successfully.
To help tackle the wide array of challenges, you should consider using specialized software designed to do just that: help you plan and schedule your construction projects efficiently.
I tested out a number of tools using their free trials and narrowed it down to the selection below. So, read on for a selection of the best scheduling software for construction currently available!
Table of Contents
#1: Plaky — best value software for construction scheduling
Plaky is a versatile project management tool that can be used for a wide variety of projects, including construction.
It’s simple and easy to use, with a beginner-friendly user interface and loads of free templates. Most importantly, it offers a good feature set even in its free plan.
| Plaky’s pros | Plaky’s cons |
|---|---|
| – Comprehensive project management feature set – Intuitive interface – Affordable – Excellent free plan | – Limited third-party integrations |
What do you get with Plaky?
Plaky allows you to create Spaces, which contain individual project boards, which in turn contain individual tasks and groups of tasks.
Different fields allow users insight into relevant factors such as:
- Task status,
- Assignee,
- Start and end dates,
- Priority,
- Budget, and more.
With the help of the Summary row, managers can get an easy overview of how tasks in a particular group are proceeding, and it automatically summarizes data based on several functions, as seen below.
Moreover, team members can communicate via a comment thread tied to a task, thus ensuring all important information is found in one place and nothing gets lost in emails or third-party chat apps. All activity is automatically logged, too, so mistakes can be easily spotted and fixed.
On top of that, Plaky comes with a number of customizable project templates that allow users to set up a base for their project with little hassle. This includes not only the construction schedule template but also templates for:
- Recruitment,
- Employee onboarding,
- Resources planning,
- Inventory management, and more.
All of these features make Plaky a useful tool for different facets of a company’s operations.
Plaky’s most noticeable drawback is that it doesn’t have many third-party app integrations, as it currently only supports time tracking via Clockify.
Fortunately, this is a powerful integration that makes up for a lack of an internal time-tracking feature, and Clockify allows access to many useful features even in its free plan, including:
- Automatic time tracking,
- Timesheets,
- Calendar scheduling, and more.
What is Plaky’s highlight feature?
When it comes to construction scheduling software, Plaky’s highlight feature would have to be its Gantt view mode, which allows managers to easily create a project timeline.
This timeline view is extremely useful when creating a construction project schedule, as it provides an intuitive overview of the ongoing and future tasks, allows managers to spot potential issues more easily, and helps keep the project on track.
What’s new in Plaky?
- Gantt timeline view — a simple and intuitive timeline overview of the project schedule.
- Manage board ownership — easy transferring of board ownership for seamless collaboration.
Plaky pricing
Plaky currently offers 3 pricing plans, as seen below.
Overall, Plaky is quite budget-friendly, and most of its features are available in the free plan, which also makes it the best free construction scheduling software available.
| Plaky plans | Plaky monthly pricing | Plaky yearly pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Free | N/A | N/A |
| Pro | $3.99/user per month | $4.99/user per month |
| Enterprise | $8.99/user per month | $10.99/user per month |
Available for: web, iOS, Android
#2: Smartsheet — best for spreadsheets
Today, most project managers use specialized software in their work, but spreadsheets are still a staple of the modern workplace. And Smartsheet is a project management app that delivers the best of both worlds.
| Smartsheet pros | Smartsheet cons |
|---|---|
| – Highly flexible – Wide selection of templates – Compatible with other spreadsheet apps | – Can be intimidating for new users – On the expensive side |
What do you get with Smartsheet?
Smartsheet follows a familiar organization structure, with Workspaces that contain individual projects, folders, and sheets. These can be created from scratch or with the help of one of Smartsheet’s many templates.
The app has the full functionality you’d expect from a spreadsheet app, with a wide range of formulas and formatting options to tailor the sheet to your needs.
Additionally, each sheet has several view modes, including:
- Grid,
- Gantt,
- Card, and
- Calendar.
Smartsheet is made all the more accessible thanks to its extensive library of superb templates that do an excellent job of showcasing the app’s capabilities, and there are dozens of templates catering to different fields and industries.
This is a big plus since Smartsheet can be quite intimidating for inexperienced users. Those who aren’t used to the app (or working with spreadsheets in general) might find the UI overwhelming, especially when advanced features are involved.
What is Smartsheet’s highlight feature?
Any sheets created in Smartsheets can be easily exported to a number of formats, including:
- Excel,
- XML,
- Google Sheets,
- PDF, and
- PNG (Gantt charts).
This is very useful, as it means the work you do in Smartsheets can be easily made accessible to others, and vice versa.
Overall, this makes collaboration with other teams and/or companies simple without having to use the same software, and there aren’t many compatibility issues to worry about.
What’s new in Smartsheet?
- Workload tracking — an easy way to monitor and adjust a team’s workload, helping managers assign tasks in an optimal manner.
- AI tools — a user-friendly feature that allows anyone to generate formulas and summaries with AI prompts.
Smartsheet pricing
Currently, Smartsheet offers 4 distinct pricing plans.
The free plan is solid and the Pro plan isn’t too expensive, though the Business plan may get quite costly for larger teams.
| Smartsheet plan | Smartsheet monthly pricing | Smartsheet yearly pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Free | N/A | N/A |
| Pro | $9/user per month | $7/user per month |
| Business | $32/user per month | $25/user per month |
| Enterprise | Quote-based | Quote-based |
Available for: web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Free project management software
Organize your tasks and identify your time sinks with a Clockify integration in Plaky.
#3: Buildxact — best for tracking leads
Buildxact is specialized software that provides users with all the tools necessary to carry out a variety of construction projects, including everything from managing leads to finances and communication.
| Buildxact pros | Buildxact cons |
|---|---|
| – Detailed job planning – Powerful financial management tools – Communications hub | – Requires annual commitment – On the expensive side |
What do you get with Buildxact?
Buildxact offers a comprehensive suite of features geared specifically to construction projects, and it has features designed to streamline every step of the process, including:
- Lead management,
- Cost estimates,
- Managing jobs,
- Communicating with clients and team members, and
- Finances through integrations.
Managing jobs with Buildxact is easy and convenient, as the app allows you to cover every step of the process, including:
- An overview of the job details,
- A detailed Gantt chart schedule,
- Automatic calculations for project finances, and
- An overview of project documentation.
It’s always convenient to have important job details in one place, and I especially liked the fact the app accounts for taxes and automatically provides insight into finances.
Finally, while Buildxact comes with a lot of powerful financial features built in, these are further complemented by its integrations with popular accounting software such as Quickbooks, Xero, and MYOB.
It even has integrations for popular suppliers, thus making it easier to purchase tools and materials.
What is Buildxact’s highlight feature?
Something that really stood out with Buildxact when compared with the competition was its built-in lead management feature.
While it’s not on the level of specialized sales software, Buildxact lets users track a range of information necessary to capture leads and convert them into customers — contact details, conversations, cost estimates, quotes, lead status, and more.
Buildxact pricing
Buildxact offers 3 plans, and while users can opt for month-to-month payments, users must make an annual commitment regardless of which plan they choose.
Buildxact’s base pricing doesn’t scale with the number of users, but the plans are capped at 1, 2, and 4 users respectively. More users can be added but with an additional cost per user.
All of this makes Buildxact one of the more expensive entries on the list.
| Buildxact plans | Buildxact month-to-month pricing (annual commitment) | Buildxact upfront pricing (annual commitment) | Additional cost for extra user |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | $149/month | $133/month | $59/user per month |
| Pro | $249/month | $222/month | $69/user per month |
| Teams | $399/month | $356/month | $79/user per month |
Available for: web, iOS, Android
#4: Fieldwire — best for documentation management
Fieldwire is a popular construction project management tool that primarily focuses on task tracking, scheduling, document management, and communication.
| Fieldwire’s pros | Fieldwire’s cons |
|---|---|
| – Good task management and scheduling – Convenient in-app file management – 360 photos with higher-tier plans | – Limited integrations – No time tracking – On the expensive side |
What do you get with Fieldwire?
Fieldwire has a simple organization structure, as individual projects can easily be accessed from the home page.
Individual projects can be managed and scheduled with the help of several view modes, including:
- Kanban,
- Calendar, and
- Gantt.
The software automatically generates an overview of the project to provide insight into the current state of the ongoing tasks based on relevant parameters such as priority and status.
Moreover, each project created in Fieldwire has sections for photos, forms, and miscellaneous files. These allow all pertinent construction documentation to be kept in one easily accessible section, ensuring smooth operations and legal compliance.
Unfortunately, Fieldwire doesn’t support many integrations, and some users are bound to miss the convenience of having time tracking or payroll software connected to their main scheduling software.
What is Fieldwire’s highlight feature?
Though it might not seem like much at first glance, the feature that stood out to me the most when testing out Fieldwire was its internal file management via the Files tab.
Users can create as many folders and subfolders as they need, and you can use tags to better organize files and folders to keep them accessible and easy to find. Files can be searched by name or filtered based on:
- Tags,
- Creation date,
- Modification date, and
- Persons who updated them.
Entire folders can be exported at the click of a button, and the ability to view PDFs directly on the platform is a welcome convenience. Though it might seem rudimentary at first glance, it’s a robust feature that will come in handy for projects that involve lots of paperwork.
Fieldwire pricing
Fieldwire offers 4 pricing plans.
Fieldwire is among the pricier apps listed here, though it is not the most expensive software in its niche.
| Fieldwire plan | Fieldwire monthly pricing | Fieldwire yearly pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | N/A | N/A |
| Pro | $54/user per month | $39/user per month |
| Business | $74/user per month | $59/user per month |
| Business Plus | $94/user per month | $79/user per month |
Available for: web, iOS, Android
#5: Float — best for multiple projects
Float is a sleek, modern platform that excels at scheduling and team management, especially when it comes to managing multiple projects.
| Float’s pros | Float’s cons |
|---|---|
| – Comprehensive scheduling tools – Great team management features – Thorough reporting – Project management integrations | – Limited project management capabilities |
What do you get with Float?
Float has impressive, well-rounded scheduling features.
The schedule tab provides an overview of all tasks and team members on a Gantt-style timeline, offering insight into scheduled and unscheduled hours, as well as several view modes and filters based on factors such as:
- Person,
- Role,
- Department,
- Project,
- Client, and more.
Moreover, Float also provides an overview of your team, taking into account factors such as their:
- Availability,
- Hourly rate,
- Work arrangement (full-time/part-time),
- Assigned projects,
- Role, and
- Department.
This makes scheduling much easier both in the long and short term, especially if you need flexibility in moving tasks between team members and/or if you work with independent contractors.
On top of all that, Float has integrated time tracking and offers integrations with several major apps that make up for some of its shortcomings, such as the lack of communication features and advanced project management capabilities.
What is Float’s highlight feature?
The feature that stood out the most to me when trying out the app was its excellent dashboard, found in the Report tab.
It offers a comprehensive overview of your schedules on a daily, weekly, and monthly level. More importantly, it lets you filter and view data based on different parameters, including:
- People,
- Allocation status,
- Roles,
- Departments,
- Projects, and more.
Overall, this dashboard is very user-friendly, providing managers with a thorough overview to ensure smooth operations and optimal allocation of work hours, while still being easy for beginners to master.
What’s new in Float?
- New search filter — you can have better insight into your projects thanks to an expanded selection of filters, including persons, roles, task status, clients, and more.
- Calendar event time zone sync — the app automatically syncs events created in external calendars to the user’s local time zone, rather than the team’s main time zone. This is quite useful for international teams.
Float pricing
Currently, Float offers 3 pricing plans.
It’s on the lower end of the price spectrum, though the costs can still be considerable for larger teams, especially if you choose to integrate Float with additional software.
| Float plan | Float monthly pricing | Float yearly pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $7.50/user per month | $6/user per month |
| Pro | $12.50/user per month | $10/user per month |
| Enterprise | Quote-based | Quote-based |
Available for: web, iOS, Android
#6: Jobber — best for managing jobs and subcontractors
Jobber is a versatile app that, apart from scheduling, allows users to manage jobs more effectively. This makes it quite good for smaller companies and subcontractors who make most of their earnings off of many smaller projects.
| Jobber’s pros | Jobber’s cons |
|---|---|
| – Great financial tracking and reporting – Lots of useful integrations | – No Gantt view – Not ideal for team and task management |
What do you get with Jobber?
First and foremost, Jobber has a feature-rich Schedule tab where you can create different types of items such as:
- Jobs,
- Requests,
- Visits,
- Events, and
- Miscellaneous tasks.
Unfortunately, the biggest downside to Jobber’s scheduling capabilities is the lack of the Gantt timeline view, which makes the app less than optimal for coordinating interconnected task and project dependencies.
Plus, you can always create a Gantt chart in Google Sheets if Jobber’s calendar doesn’t meet all your needs and you can’t afford additional software just for that.
On the flip side, Jobber makes it extremely easy to handle other aspects of your day-to-day operations, including:
- Client profiles,
- Requests,
- Quotes,
- Job tracking,
- Invoices,
- Expense tracking,
- Timesheet, and
- Reports.
The app’s reporting capabilities were quite a pleasant surprise, as it allows users to effortlessly create and export various reports based on the data logged into the app.
To make things even better, Jobber has lots of native integrations with a few dozen apps that complement or expand Jobber’s existing features.
All in all, Jobber is an excellent tool, although users who need more extensive task tracking features for larger teams will likely want to supplement Jobber with a task management app such as Plaky.
What is Jobber’s standout feature?
Jobber’s financial features are easily its strongest suit.
This covers everything from the ability to create detailed quotes, send and track invoices, and generate detailed financial reports.
As someone who has had to deal with the hassle of financial reporting as a freelancer in the past, I can say that having an app that allows you to reliably automate and track costs is extremely useful — especially for freelancers with lots of clients and expenses.
💡Plaky Pro Tip
Looking to learn more about handling and planning project finances? Here are a few articles you might be interested in:
What’s new in Jobber?
- Bulk job reporting — users can have a complete overview of all completed jobs in a given time period and reference important information easily.
- Client bulk tagging — users can now easily add or remove tags from multiple clients at once.
Jobber pricing
Jobber currently offers 3 pricing plans. These are capped at 1, 5, and 15 users respectively, and more users can be added at a flat cost of $29 per user per month.
| Jobber plan | Jobber monthly pricing | Jobber yearly pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Core | $40/month | $35/month |
| Connect | $104/month | $85/month |
| Grow | $200/month | $175/month |
Available for: web, iOS, Android
Free project management software
Take control of your processes and achieve better project results for free with Plaky.
#7: Wrike — best for calendar scheduling
Wrike is a popular project management app that makes a great fit for construction projects, with an excellent calendar tool and a full suite of management, reporting, automation features.
| Wrike’s pros | Wrike’s cons |
|---|---|
| – Detailed task management – Highly customizable calendars – Good time tracking and reporting tool – Plenty of integrations | – UI may be overwhelming at first |
What do you get with Wrike?
Wrike is a project management app first and foremost, with a selection of view modes that includes a table, Kanban, and Gantt chart views.
In terms of task management, Wrike allows users to list task information, create subitems, share files, and add dependencies. As with other similar tools, this ensures all important information is kept in one place so that work can proceed as planned.
Something that stands out is Wrike’s highly customizable analytics and reporting features.
With only a few clicks, you can create Dashboards from scratch or by using templates to give you insight into specific information that you need. The same applies to analytics boards, workload charts, and reports.
These excellent planning tools are complemented by hundreds of integrations with popular software across categories such as:
- CRM,
- Messaging,
- Email,
- Business intelligence, and more.
What is Wrike’s highlight feature?
When it comes to construction planning and scheduling, Wrike’s customizable calendar is its most notable feature.
Users can create multiple calendars and calendar layers, either manually or automatically, based on tasks and projects. This makes it much easier to manage complex calendars in larger teams and/or with projects that contain a high number of tasks.
What’s new in Wrike?
- New dashboards — dashboards are now more complex, with additional customizability and features designed to improve progress tracking and project KPI monitoring.
- Enhanced calendar widget — a new customizable widget that offers quick insight into tasks in calendar view.
Wrike pricing
Wrike currently offers 5 plans. It’s among the more affordable apps listed here, in the same ballpark as Smartsheet.
| Wrike plans | Wrike pricing |
|---|---|
| Free | N/A |
| Team | $9.80/user per month |
| Business | $24.80/user per month |
| Enterprise | Quote-based |
| Pinnacle | Quote-based |
Available for: web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
#8: Autodesk Construction Cloud — best for enterprises
Autodesk is a long-time veteran with a history of leading professional software in a number of industries, and Autodesk Construction Cloud is the company’s superb cloud-based solution that unifies several of its products into one top-notch service.
| Autodesk Construction Cloud pros | Autodesk Construction Cloud cons |
|---|---|
| – All-in-one software suite – Powerful high-end apps – Wide range of third-party integrations | – Highly expensive |
What do you get with Autodesk Construction Cloud?
Autodesk Construction Cloud includes several Autodesk apps, but Autodesk Build is the star of the suite.
The first thing you’ll notice about the app is that it is very thorough when it comes to project documentation. There are several tabs dedicated to:
- Sheets,
- Forms,
- Photos,
- RFIs,
- Submittals, and
- Miscellaneous files.
In terms of scheduling and management, Autodesk Construction Cloud allows users to create detailed schedules in a timeline view, linking each task to relevant documents, and search through the schedule quickly based on whatever parameters they need.
Furthermore, the Meetings tab allows users to schedule meetings, specify items on the agenda, and securely share project documentation within the platform. This is further complemented by the software’s secure messaging through the Correspondence tab.
It’s worth noting that Autodesk Construction Cloud also makes reporting quite easy, as users can:
- Create a variety of reports using templates,
- Import information from the platform, and
- Export the reports as PDF or Excel documents.
On top of all that, the suite has numerous integrations for a wide variety of third-party software across 13 categories, including administration, site operation, project management, and more.
That said, Autodesk Construction Cloud leaves little to be desired. Apart from the potentially steep learning curve in some segments, the pricing is the only real downside to this software, as it’s prohibitively expensive for smaller businesses.
What is Autodesk Construction Cloud’s highlight feature?
With the sheer amount of features this software suite offers, it’s quite difficult to highlight any particular one. However, that’s just what makes Autodesk Construction Cloud such an appealing solution for large enterprises — it can do almost anything.
The suite’s apps are top-of-the-line in their respective niches and are all seamlessly interconnected.
All you have to do is select your project, and switching between different apps is just one click away. There’s no complicated exporting and importing involved, and individual programs don’t suffer from cluttering commonly seen in high-end software like this.
Autodesk Construction Cloud pricing
Autodesk Construction Cloud has 2 plans:
| Autodesk Construction Cloud plans | Autodesk Construction Cloud monthly pricing | Autodesk Construction Cloud yearly pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Per User | $145/user per month | $135/user per month |
| Unlimited Users | Quote-based | Quote-based |
Available for: web, iOS, Android
#9: Notion — best for templates and customizability
Notion is a unique project management tool in that it was designed with flexibility in mind, and that’s precisely what makes it stand out as a versatile construction scheduling software.
| Notion’s pros | Notion’s cons |
|---|---|
| – Highly versatile scheduling and task tracking – Lots of customization options – Thousands of templates | – May take some time getting used to |
What do you get with Notion?
Notion is a unique tool in that all of its features are built on top of what is essentially a text processing app at its core. While this makes Notion potentially a bit less streamlined than some of the competition, it’s also what gives the app its exceptional versatility.
You can organize your Teamspaces, projects, and pages however you want, and you can either create them from scratch or use one of Notion’s many templates.
Notion’s Pages are divided into blocks, which means you can not only easily reorganize them, but also format them based on your needs.
This includes not only basic text formatting such as headings, bullet points, and tables but also elements such as:
- Timelines,
- Images,
- Videos,
- Audio files,
- Databases,
- Equations, and more.
On top of all that, Notion also offers over 80 integrations for a variety of third-party apps, many of which tie into Notion’s core functionalities seamlessly.
All things considered, Notion is a powerful tool, but there is a bit of a learning curve to tackle if you truly want to make the most of its capabilities. If you’re looking for something more beginner-friendly, an app such as Plaky is a good alternative to Notion.
What is Notion’s highlight feature?
Nothing demonstrates quite why Notion is such a flexible software as its incredible library of over 15,000 templates, both official and community-created.
While some of the templates do come with a one-time price tag attached, they provide a great starting point for creating your ideal scheduling and task management space.
All you need to do is visit the template library and search for what you need. You can preview the template before adding it to your projects
What’s new in Notion?
- Notion Calendar — an improved calendar that allows you to manage both your schedule and tasks in one place.
Notion pricing
Notion offers 4 pricing plans, and it’s the second most affordable app here, after Plaky.
| Notion’s plans | Notion’s monthly pricing | Notion’s yearly pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Free | N/A | N/A |
| Plus | $10/user per month | $8/user per month |
| Business | $18/user per month | $15/user per month |
| Enterprise | Quote-based | Quote-based |
Available for: web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
💡Plaky Pro Tip
Notion is also very popular as a note-taking and general productivity app. See how it compares to some other notable names in that niche:
What features should you look for in construction scheduling software?
There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to software, regardless of the niche. However, you can make an informed decision and find the best construction project scheduling software for your needs.
Apart from the indispensable timeline and calendar features, here are the top features to keep in mind when making your pick and deciding which option is right for you.
Feature #1: Communication
Given the importance of communication in project management, communication features go a long way in facilitating everyday operations and reducing the risk of error or loss of important information in email threads or third-party messaging apps.
Communication features can take the shape of item-specific threads, a built-in messaging app, an email client, or a third-party messaging app like Pumble or Slack.
Feature #2: Time tracking
Time tracking is important for planning and finances, so it’s a welcome feature in any scheduling software for construction.
When you can accurately track hours worked, it provides data that can help you plan better in the future. Moreover, time-tracking greatly helps with payroll in larger teams.
Feature #3: Document management
Construction projects involve a lot of documentation — permits, requests, client contracts, subcontractor contracts, legal compliance, architectural schematics, the list goes on.
As such, having these documents stored in a secure and easily accessible place is a useful feature to have, especially for larger companies or those working on a higher number of smaller projects.
Feature #4: Integrations
The easiest way to supplement any missing functionality in an app is with the help of integrations. They allow two apps to communicate, effectively expanding the features you have access to, including anything from time-tracking to payroll and HR functionalities.
For example, if you think Plaky might be a good fit for your needs but a lack of time-tracking is a dealbreaker for you, Plaky’s Clockify integration easily fixes that problem.
Free project management software
Take control of your team’s workload and achieve better project results with Plaky.
FAQ
What is the best software for a project scheduler?
The best software for project scheduling may vary based on your industry and preferences. However, the best options will always be tools with built-in calendar and timeline features, including apps such as Plaky, Float, Buildxact, and Fieldwire.
What is the most popular method for scheduling construction projects?
The critical path method. This method highlights the longest sequence of dependent tasks that must be finished on time in order to complete a project. With it, a manager can identify which tasks are critical and which can be scheduled with more flexibility.
What software is good for scheduling construction projects?
Some of the best project scheduling software for construction includes solutions such as Plaky, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Buildxact, and Fieldwire.
💡Plaky Pro Tip
If you’re new to project scheduling or would like to learn more and refine your current method, here are a few articles you might be interested in reading:
Still not sure which construction scheduling software is right for you? Try Plaky
So long as you make an informed choice, there is no wrong choice. However, if you can’t make up your mind, you should try them out first-hand and see which one suits you best.
Plaky has a 14-day free trial and a solid free plan, and you can try it out with no strings attached. Ready to give it a try and improve your scheduling and efficiency? Register for a free Plaky account today.
