Overview

Buildshop is project and business management software for home builders, remodelers, designers, commercial contractors, and field service professionals. Its tools cover planning, project records, and financial tasks, from estimates and budgets to purchase orders, payments, and invoices. For a homeowner choosing paint or a coating, it is not a colour-selection app or product catalogue; it is aimed at the professionals who organize and manage the work.

Projects can be organized with budgets, expense logs, checklists, quote comparisons, drawings, and to-do lists. Buildshop also lists selection management, a client portal, a subcontractor portal, and change orders. Those features may be useful when a paint job is part of a larger renovation or construction project, but the supplied feature list does not identify paint-specific advice or surface-preparation guidance.

The Basic package is free and includes estimates and quotes, invoices, a to-do list, contact management, messaging, a project portfolio, and a bid center. Paid packages include all features and set user limits, with unlimited projects, customers, and vendors. Buildshop lists QuickBooks, Xero, and Google Calendar integrations across its paid packages.

Key features

Project planning and records

Buildshop brings several project-management tasks together: scheduling, daily logs, inspections, progress photos, change orders, and punch lists. Its planning tools also include drawings, checklists, quote comparisons, and task lists. This combination is oriented toward tracking work and project decisions rather than comparing paint products or calculating a coating quantity.

Financial tools and selections

The listed financial features include bids, estimates, selections, budgets, expenses, purchase orders, payments, and invoices. Selection management is available, though the facts do not specify which materials or product details users can record. Accounting sync is listed, and paid packages name QuickBooks and Xero integrations.

Support, training, and exports

Buildshop offers a knowledge base, a quick-start guide, email support, and an online ticket system. Video training and demos are available within the software, with no stated limit. Users can export data for key features in Excel, Word, and PDF formats.

Privacy and security

Buildshop's privacy policy says account information, submitted photos, and other information may be posted for public display on its network of websites. Anyone considering uploading client details or project photos should review that policy and be mindful of what they share. The company says it maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards, but also says it cannot guarantee information security.

Pricing

Buildshop uses a freemium model, with a free Basic package and a 14-day trial noted. The listed package prices are:

Package	Listed price	Details
Basic	0.00 USD per free	Billed Free; estimates/quotes, invoices, to-do list, contact management, message tool, project portfolio, and bid center.
2 User Package	99.00 USD per month	Billed $1,188.00 USD Annually; 2 users, all features included, and unlimited projects, customers, and vendors.
5 User Package	149.00 USD per month	Billed $1,788.00 USD Annually; 5 users, all features included, and unlimited projects, customers, and vendors.
10 User Package	249.00 USD per month	Billed $2,988.00 USD Annually; 10 users, all features included, and unlimited projects, customers, and vendors.
Unlimited Package	375.00 USD per month	Billed $4,500.00 USD Annually; unlimited users, all features included, and unlimited projects, customers, and vendors.

The monthly prices are listed alongside annual billing amounts for paid packages. Check the package terms directly before subscribing if you need to confirm how billing is handled.

Platforms

Buildshop is available on web, Android, and iOS. The facts do not specify whether every listed feature works identically across those platforms.

Who it's for

Buildshop is intended for builders, remodelers, designers, commercial contractors, and field service professionals. It may suit a contracting business that needs to manage project schedules, client selections, change orders, finances, and work records in one system.

For homeowners painting a room, staining a deck, or coating a concrete floor themselves, the listed features are less directly relevant: Buildshop is not described as a paint-finding or colour-visualization tool. A homeowner hiring a contractor may encounter it as part of a broader project process, but the facts do not describe a dedicated homeowner paint-planning function.

Pros and cons

Pros: A free Basic package covers estimates, invoices, task lists, contacts, messaging, a project portfolio, and bids.
Pros: Paid packages list project-management and financial features, selection management, client and subcontractor portals, and unlimited projects, customers, and vendors.
Pros: Buildshop provides in-software video training and demos, support resources, and data exports in Excel, Word, and PDF formats.
Cons: The feature set is aimed at professionals managing construction and renovation work, not DIY painters selecting paint or coatings.
Cons: The privacy policy allows some submitted information, including photos, to be displayed publicly on Buildshop's network of websites.
Cons: Buildshop says its safeguards do not guarantee information security.

Alternatives

For more contractor software options, see Remodeling contractor software. Other listed alternatives include Workhand, Houzz, BuildBook, Build Method, Wunderbuild, ProBuilder OS, Buildxact, and RenoTrack360.

Verdict

Buildshop is a broad project-management and business tool for construction and renovation professionals. A free package provides a starting set of business tools, while paid packages add all features and scale user limits. Its project logs, scheduling, financial features, selection management, and portals make it relevant to contractors coordinating jobs; they do not make it a paint-selection resource for DIY users. Review the privacy terms before uploading photos or other information, and confirm annual billing details against the package terms before choosing a paid plan.

	Buildshop	Stairkey
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	$99/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Selection management	Yes	—
Change orders	Yes	Yes
Subcontractor portal	Yes	Yes
Client portal	Yes	Yes
Accounting sync	Yes	—
Schedule view	—	calendar

Buildshop vs Stairkey

Buildshop

Stairkey