- For a general contractor, the features that decide the software are options on one estimate, deposits at signing, invoices in stages.
- Koira covers that list on Office (free), with no per-person fee.
- Prices and card rates for Buildertrend, JobTread and Contractor Foreman are from each company's own pages.
- Count the people who will use it before you compare prices.
What a general contractor needs from software
A small general contractor sells big numbers and gets paid in pieces. The proposal has to be clear enough to sign, the deposit has to cover materials, and every stage after that should bill itself without a phone call.
Larger construction systems add schedules for subs, daily logs and job costing. A two or three person GC often needs less of that and more of the selling and billing done well.
- Options on one estimate. A homeowner says yes faster when the scope comes in three versions with clear prices.
- Deposits at signing. Materials and subs are booked with the customer's money, not yours.
- Invoices in stages. A job that runs for weeks is billed in stages, without an awkward call at each one.
- Customer financing. Big projects close more often when the homeowner can pay over time.
- Customer page or portal. A homeowner who can see the next date and the next invoice calls less.
- Automatic estimate follow-ups. Proposals sit for weeks unless someone checks in.
A plain checklist for general contractor software
- Proposals with good, better, best
- Signature and deposit on one page
- Staged invoices as work is done
- Pay over time for the big option
- A customer page with dates and invoices
- Follow-ups on open proposals
- Before and after photos on your site
- Review asks after the final
How Koira covers the list
Options on one estimate. Up to three options on one estimate, each with a photo and a plain description, from your price list.
Deposits at signing. Your deposit rule rides on every estimate and is paid at signing.
Invoices in stages. Deposit, midpoint and final invoices go out as you mark each stage done.
Customer financing. The pay page offers Affirm or Klarna. The customer applies on their own phone and you never run credit.
Customer page or portal. One link in every text opens the customer's page: the visit, the estimate, the invoice and the receipt.
Automatic estimate follow-ups. On Grow, Koira nudges every open estimate on day two and day four, then stops.
What to compare
The features that matter most to a general contractor, and where each first appears on each company's public pricing page, then the people, usage, card and add-on rows every company gets. It is not a full feature list for anyone, including us.
| What you need | Koira | Buildertrend | JobTread | Contractor Foreman |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Options on one estimate | Office, up to three | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Deposits at signing | Office, at signing | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Invoices in stages | Deposit, midpoint and final invoices | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Customer financing | On the pay page, every plan | Not listed | Included (homeowner financing) | Not listed |
| Customer page or portal | Office (free) | Included (client portal) | Included (customer portals) | Listed (client portal) |
| Automatic estimate follow-ups | Grow, on day two and day four, then it stops | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| People, usage and card fees | ||||
| Extra people | No per-person fee; one or fifteen people, the same price | No per-user fee; unlimited users | $20 a month each (users 2 to 10), $15 (11 to 20), $10 (21 to 30), $5 after | Priced by user count: 1, 3, 8, 15 or unlimited users |
| Usage or credits | None on Office, at cost on Grow, included on Front Office | None on the pricing page | None on the pricing page | None on the pricing page |
| Card payments | 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe) plus 2%, 1% or 0.5% by plan (Koira) | Not published; its payments page gives no rate (US only) | 2.95% + 30¢ a card, ACH $1 plus 1% (capped at $15) | 2.9% + 30¢ Visa, Mastercard, Discover; 3.9% + 30¢ Amex; ACH 1% + 30¢ ($10 max) |
| Add-ons | None; postcards are a flat price per card | Onsite consulting and setup services, priced on request | None; the page says every feature is included | Paid implementation and extra training on request |
From Buildertrend pricing, JobTread pricing and Contractor Foreman plans, checked October 9, 2026. Buildertrend's pricing page blocks a plain fetch, so we read it in a real browser. A cell names the lowest plan that lists the feature; "Not listed" means we did not see it, so ask. Prices change often, so check the page before you buy.
What each one costs
Every plan in the same columns: price, people, usage, card rates and add-ons. Koira has no per-person fee on any plan, and Office costs nothing a month.
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | People included | Usage or credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koira | ||||
| Office | $0, free | Monthly, no contract | One or fifteen, the same price | None charged on Office |
| Grow | $249 a month | Monthly, no contract | One or fifteen, the same price | Texts, call minutes and emails at cost, nothing added |
| Front Office | $499 a month, flat | Monthly, no contract | One or fifteen, the same price | Included in the $499 |
| Buildertrend | ||||
| Custom quote | Not published, quoted after a call | 10% off when paid a year up front (a limited offer) | Unlimited users | None on the pricing page |
| JobTread | ||||
| One plan | $199 a month | 20% off billed yearly | 1 internal user, unlimited customer and vendor portal users | None on the pricing page |
| Contractor Foreman | ||||
| Basic | Yearly only | $49 a month ($588 a year) | 1 user | None on the pricing page |
| Standard | $139 a month | $105 a month ($1,264 a year) | Up to 3 users | None on the pricing page |
| Plus | $199 a month | $166 a month ($1,997 a year) | Up to 8 users | None on the pricing page |
| Pro | $279 a month | $221 a month ($2,654 a year) | Up to 15 users | None on the pricing page |
| Unlimited | $399 a month | $332 a month ($3,984 a year) | Unlimited users | None on the pricing page |
What comes on top: people, card payments and add-ons
| Company | Each extra person | Card payments | Add-ons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koira | No per-person fee on any plan | 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe) plus 2% on Office, 1% on Grow, 0.5% on Front Office (Koira); on Office that share replaces a monthly fee | None; postcards are a flat price per card |
| Buildertrend | No per-user fee; unlimited users | Not published; its payments page gives no rate (US only) | Onsite consulting and setup services, priced on request |
| JobTread | $20 a month each (users 2 to 10), $15 (11 to 20), $10 (21 to 30), $5 after | 2.95% + 30¢ a card, ACH $1 plus 1% (capped at $15) | None; the page says every feature is included |
| Contractor Foreman | Not published | 2.9% + 30¢ Visa, Mastercard, Discover; 3.9% + 30¢ Amex; ACH 1% + 30¢ ($10 max) | Paid implementation and extra training on request |
From Buildertrend pricing, JobTread pricing and Contractor Foreman plans, checked October 9, 2026. Buildertrend's pricing page blocks a plain fetch, so we read it in a real browser. A cell names the lowest plan that lists the feature; "Not listed" means we did not see it, so ask. Prices change often, so check the page before you buy.
Card rates as each company publishes them (also Buildertrend payments, JobTread online payments), checked October 9, 2026. Koira's is Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ for a US card plus Koira's share, which pays for Office in place of a monthly fee.
How to choose
If you manage several subs and need daily logs and job costing, look at Buildertrend, JobTread or Contractor Foreman; Koira does not do those. If your problem is proposals that stall and stages you have to chase, Koira covers that on the free plan.
Whichever you try, put one real week of jobs through it before you commit. Koira has a free plan, and the others offer free trials or demos, so ask.
Sources, each checked October 9, 2026: Buildertrend pricing, Buildertrend payments, JobTread pricing, JobTread online payments, Contractor Foreman plans, Stripe pricing, and Koira pricing. We read each page's own text; we did not use summaries or third-party price lists.