eSUB
The right Fieldwire alternative depends on why you want to leave.
If Fieldwire no longer covers your workflow, you may need a broader system. If adding field users is driving up costs, compare pricing models before switching. If the issue is fit, look for software built around how commercial subcontractors manage jobs, labor, and billing.
Fieldwire focuses on jobsite tasks, plan viewing, and field coordination. Commercial subcontractors may also need time and material (T&M) tickets, AIA progress billing, labor tracking against cost codes, RFIs, submittals, and change order tracking. They need those workflows connected to the back office, not scattered across separate tools.
Before comparing Fieldwire alternatives, identify the gap you need to close. The right choice depends on whether you need broader project workflows, a different pricing model, or software designed for subcontractors.
Key Takeaways
- The right Fieldwire alternative depends on whether the gap is scope, price, or the fact that the tool was built for a general contractor.
- Fieldwire is a field task and plan viewing app, so most people looking for an alternative actually need a broader system rather than a different field app.
- For commercial specialty subcontractors the requirement list is specific: T&M tickets, AIA progress billing, labor tracking against cost codes and submittal workflow.
- Per-user pricing is a common reason to leave, because cost scales with every field seat added.
- Fieldwire is now Fieldwire by Hilti, and the packaging changed with the acquisition.
Why Contractors Leave Fieldwire
When you look for Fieldwire alternatives, start with the problem you need to fix. Is your team missing workflows, paying for more seats, or working around a system that does not fit how your company runs jobs? The answer should guide your decision.
The scope problem
Fieldwire covers plan viewing, task management, and field documentation. Its Business Plus plan also includes RFIs, submittals, change orders, and budget features. Check Fieldwire’s published plans before deciding its functionality falls short.
The real question is whether your current setup covers the work your subcontracting team handles. You may need to track T&M tickets, purchase orders, labor against cost codes, AIA progress billing, and change order pricing. If those records live in spreadsheets or separate systems, your project manager has to pull information together before the office can use it.
List the workflows your team still handles outside Fieldwire. Those gaps will tell you whether you need a broader platform or a different plan.
The cost problem
Fieldwire’s paid plans charge by user. Its free Basic plan is limited to five users, three projects, and 100 sheets. Paid plans remove those project and sheet limits, but charges depend on the users on the account.
That matters when you need to give more foremen and field employees access. Count the seats your company needs today. Then account for the crews you expect to add. Compare the total cost against the features your team will actually use.
Review our Fieldwire pricing guide before deciding whether cost justifies a switch.
The fit problem
Your software has to track subcontractor work, not just show plans and assign tasks. A GC may focus on contract dollars and schedule changes. Your team also needs to track labor, material, and equipment quantities, then connect that work to change orders, job costs, and billing.
Check what happens after a foreman records work. Can your project manager use that information to price a change order or update job costs? Can the office use it for billing without entering the same details again?
If those steps require workarounds, look for software built around commercial subcontractors. The goal is to capture the work once and give your office the records it needs.
What to Look For in a Replacement
Before comparing Fieldwire alternatives, list the workflows your company needs to run a job. Check each one against the work your foremen, project managers, and back office handle every day.
Field-to-office capture
Your foreman should be able to record site conditions, completed work, delays, and jobsite issues without waiting until the end of the day. Your project manager needs those records in the office without chasing texts or asking the crew to enter the details again. Check how the software handles field notes and daily reports.
T&M tickets
When your crew performs extra work, the record needs to capture the labor, materials, equipment, and work performed. Your project manager needs those details to review costs and price the change. Check whether the software supports a defined time and material tracking workflow, rather than leaving your foreman to piece together separate forms and spreadsheets.
AIA progress billing
If your contracts use AIA progress billing, ask the vendor to demonstrate the actual billing workflow. Check how the system handles completed work and supports the information your office needs for each application for payment. Do not assume standard invoicing covers your requirements. Review its progress billing workflow.
Labor tracking against cost codes
Your project manager needs more than total hours. Check whether employee time can be assigned to the correct project and cost code. Without that detail, it is harder to compare actual labor costs with the job budget.
RFIs and submittals
Check whether your team can track each RFI and submittal, including its status, responsible party, and outstanding response. Your PM should not need a separate spreadsheet just to find overdue items or check who owes an answer.
Pricing that supports growth
Ask how the vendor charges for users and modules. Can you start with the workflows you need and add modules as your business grows? Do discounts scale with users and modules? Will adding a crew change your bill, and can revenue growth alone increase it? Get clear answers before signing.
Crew adoption
Have a foreman test the software on a phone. Ask them to submit a daily report and record extra work. If routine tasks take too many steps, field records may not reach the office when they are needed. Choose a workflow your crew can use on an active jobsite.
The Best Fieldwire Alternatives
There is no single best Fieldwire alternative for every commercial subcontractor. Compare each option against the work your foremen, project managers, and office staff need to handle.
1. Fusion by eSUB: Best for commercial subcontractor workflows
Fusion is built for commercial subcontractors. It brings field reporting, change orders, job costs, billing, RFIs, and submittals into one system. That matters when your field records need to support cost review and billing in the office.
Its modular pricing lets you start with the modules you need and add more as your workflows grow. Discounts scale with users and modules. Revenue growth alone does not increase the software bill. eSUB does not publish prices, so you need a custom quote to confirm the right package for your team.
If Fieldwire handles plans and tasks but your team needs a connected record for field reporting, change orders, job costs, and billing, start by assessing Fusion. See eSUB’s subcontractor case studies for examples from electrical, mechanical, drywall, and other specialty contractors.
2. Procore: Best for teams needing broad project coordination
Procore covers project management, cost management, documents, and collaboration across the project team and is built for general contractor (GC) use. Its annual pricing is based on the products selected and annual construction volume. Procore includes unlimited users and storage, though its Field Productivity product is priced by full-time equivalent (FTE). Review Procore’s official pricing details and request a quote for your product mix.
The quote depends on the products selected and construction volume. Check whether the package supports your subcontractor workflows for labor, change orders, cost tracking, and billing. If a GC invites you to its Procore instance, confirm which features and document workflows your team can access.
3. Autodesk Forma Build: Best for document control and project cost workflows
Autodesk Construction Cloud, which contains Autodesk Forma Build, includes project management, automatic submittal logs, cost management, quality, safety, and project closeout features. Autodesk offers pricing by user, project, or account, depending on the product and package. See the official Forma pricing page for current options.
Forma covers more than field tasks, but Autodesk offers several product bundles. Confirm which products are included in the quote and whether they cover the workflows your team needs. Compare that package with your cost-code tracking, T&M, billing, and change-order requirements.
4. Knowify: Best for trade contractors managing contracts and job costs
Knowify focuses on trade contractors. Its plans cover bidding, project execution, invoicing for fixed-price and AIA jobs, and team management. Higher tiers add project management, job costing, and other controls. Check the Knowify plan comparison to verify which features are included in each tier.
Knowify may suit a contractor that wants contract management and billing tools in one system. It uses tiered plans with different included-user allowances. Additional users incur per-user charges on applicable plans. Before switching from Fieldwire, verify that the selected tier covers your field capture, RFI, submittal, and change-order workflows.
5. Fieldwire: Stay if plans and field tasks cover the job
Fieldwire may still be enough if your crew mainly needs plan viewing, task management, photos, files, and checklists. Its free Basic plan is limited to five users, three projects, and 100 sheets. Paid plans are charged per user. Business Plus adds RFIs, submittals, change orders, and budget features. Check Fieldwire’s current plan comparison before assuming those workflows are missing.
If your office already handles job costing and billing well elsewhere, staying may make more sense than moving your crew to another tool. Switch when you can identify a specific workflow or cost problem that the current setup does not solve.
Which Alternative Fits Your Situation?
The best Fieldwire alternative depends on what your company needs to fix. Start with the workflow or cost problem that triggered your search.
If you need broader project workflows: Look at Fusion. It connects field reporting, change orders, job costs, billing, RFIs, and submittals in one system. If your team still tracks T&M tickets, labor costs, or billing details in separate tools, compare how Fusion handles those records. List your current workflows first, then confirm the system covers each requirement.
If cost is the problem: Compare how vendors charge as your crew grows. Fieldwire uses per-user pricing on paid plans, so adding foremen and field employees can increase your bill. Fusion uses modular pricing. You can start with the modules you need and add more as your operation grows. Discounts scale with users and modules, and revenue growth alone does not increase the software bill. Ask for a custom quote based on your required modules and users.
If the workflow puts the GC first: Consider software designed around commercial subcontractors. Your team needs to record labor, material, and equipment quantities, document change orders, track job costs, and support billing. Those records should serve your own project management needs, even when a GC requires you to use its platform for project coordination. Fusion is worth evaluating against those requirements.
If you only need plan viewing and task assignments: Staying with Fieldwire may be the right call. If your foremen can access drawings, assign tasks, and document field work, while your office already handles job costing and billing effectively, switching may not solve a real problem.
Choose based on the gap you need to close. Do not switch just to get a longer feature list. Confirm that the replacement solves a specific problem for your crew or back office.
What Switching Actually Involves
Switching from Fieldwire takes planning. Before moving to Fusion, decide which records to keep, how to transfer them, and how to train your crew.
- Export the Fieldwire records you need. Identify the plans, documents, photos, forms, and task reports your team needs to retain. Fieldwire supports exports for different types of project content. Task data can be exported as CSV, but 3D models cannot currently be exported. Review Fieldwire’s export instructions before planning the transfer. Exporting records does not automatically import them into Fusion.
- Plan for manual data entry. eSUB’s general guidance is that automated migration from competing systems is usually unavailable. Customers typically enter or upload historical data themselves. eSUB provides import templates for some functions. A common approach is to finish active projects in Fieldwire and start new projects in Fusion. Some eSUB customers spend a couple of weeks loading data, depending on the amount of information involved. This is a general estimate, not a confirmed Fieldwire migration timeline. Ask eSUB which Fieldwire export templates are supported and which records require manual entry.
- Train the crew on actual job tasks. Have foremen practice recording field work and submitting reports in Fusion. Project managers should test how to find those records and use them for change orders and job-cost reviews. Office staff should confirm how project records will support billing. Test these workflows with a small group before rolling them out to the full crew.
Before setting a migration date, confirm the export limits, data-entry workload, and onboarding support with eSUB. That gives your team a realistic transition plan without assuming every record transfers automatically.
When to Stay on Fieldwire
Not every commercial subcontractor needs to replace Fieldwire. If your foremen mainly use it to view drawings, mark up plans, assign tasks, and record jobsite issues, it may cover the work they need to do. Check Fieldwire’s published plans and features against your crew’s daily tasks before switching.
Staying also makes sense when your back office already handles the rest. If your project managers can track labor against cost codes, document T&M work, manage change orders, and prepare billing without re-entering field data, a new platform may add training and migration work without fixing a real problem.
Check three things before deciding:
- Field work: Can foremen find current drawings, complete assigned tasks, and record site issues?
- Office work: Can project managers use field records for job costs, change orders, and billing without chasing the crew for missing details?
- User costs: Does Fieldwire’s per-user pricing still make sense for everyone who needs access?
If those workflows work today, keep the setup. If your team re-enters field data, tracks T&M work in separate spreadsheets, or struggles to connect labor costs with billing, compare a broader platform built for commercial subcontractors.
FAQs
What is the best Fieldwire alternative?
The best Fieldwire alternative depends on what your team needs to fix. If your foremen mainly need plan viewing and task assignments, Fieldwire may be enough. If your commercial subcontracting team needs field reporting, change orders, job costs, billing, RFIs, and submittals in one system, consider Fusion by eSUB. If cost is the issue, compare pricing models and the number of users your crew needs.
Is Fieldwire any good?
Yes. Fieldwire supports plan viewing, task management, files, photos, and checklists. Its Business Plus plan also includes RFIs, submittals, change orders, and budget features. Check Fieldwire’s official plan comparison to see which features your current subscription includes.
Is there a free version of Fieldwire?
Yes. Fieldwire’s free Basic plan allows up to five users, three projects, and 100 sheets. It includes plan viewing, task management, specifications, files, photos, and checklists. Teams that exceed those limits can compare the paid plans on Fieldwire’s pricing page.
Is Fieldwire similar to Procore?
Fieldwire focuses on field tasks, drawings, and jobsite documentation, while Procore also covers project management and cost management from a GC’s perspective. The right fit depends on whether your team needs a focused field tool or broader project workflows.
Read our Fieldwire vs. Procore comparison.
Is Fieldwire owned by Hilti?
Yes. Hilti announced its acquisition of Fieldwire in November 2021. The product is now marketed as Fieldwire by Hilti. See Hilti’s official acquisition announcement.
Why do contractors switch away from Fieldwire?
The reasons can involve scope, cost, or workflow fit. Some subcontractors need broader workflows for T&M tickets, labor tracking, job costs, and billing. Others find per-user pricing less suitable as more employees need access. Some need software built around commercial subcontractor workflows. Identify the specific problem before choosing a replacement.
Get a Better Fit for Your Subcontractor Workflow
If Fieldwire covers your drawings and task assignments but leaves gaps in the back office, compare Fusion against your team’s daily work.
Fusion connects field reporting, T&M tickets, change orders, job costs, and billing in one system built for commercial subcontractors. Tell eSUB which modules and users you need, then request a custom quote based on your operation.