Top 10 Online Payment & Billing Solutions for Construction, Architect, and Building Design Firms

The payment and invoicing process in the construction business can be very complex and unique compared to traditional retail businesses. Projects can be small or large, spread out over days or years, and involve working with multiple contractors. This means that the invoicing, billing, and payment collection system needs to handle a variety of functions. As a result, some companies choose to go with separate tools for accounting, invoicing, and payment collection, while others opt for all-in-one platforms that can handle it all. 

You need a tailored solution

We’ll take a look at some of the best platforms out there, covering both individual tools and all-in-one solutions. These solutions offer online functionality, an important feature for construction, architect, or building design firms who may often need to access their data while at the job site. The perfect online accounting solution should be easy to use, have excellent security, and provide responsive customer service to solve any issues quickly. An effective platform will save businesses both time and money, taking the pain out of complex money management so you can focus on the job itself.

Now, a look at some of the online accounting solutions best suited for construction, architect, and building design firms.

1. EzzyBooks 

EzzyBooks is an online invoicing and payment collection software that is specifically designed to work well for businesses in the construction industry. The platform works off a subscription model, allowing you to upgrade service as your business grows.

EzzyBooks can create and manage invoices as well as collect payments through an online client portal. All major credit cards are accepted, as well as Apple Pay. International currencies are also accepted using Stripe. EzzyBooks offers online chat, telephone, and email support to respond to any issues quickly. 

Standout Feature: EzzyBooks offers extensive business reports that show you an overview of your company’s spending habits, expenses, and intake. Results are easy to filter and can be exported in several file formats.

• Free trial? Yes
• Basic Plan: $15 per month
• Premium Plan: $50 per month
• Invoice management
• Payment Collection
• Overview of expenses
• Email, chat, phone support

2. Zoho Invoice

Zoho Invoice, like EzzyBooks, also manages both invoicing and payment collection. They have many useful integrations and even offer a full CRM platform.

Zoho truly is an all-in-one platform. Not only do they offer invoicing and payment functionality, they also have plans that include additional business tools to help with sales and marketing, CRM, customer service, and more. All major payment methods are accepted, and they integrate with over 7 reputable payment gateways to ensure payment collection is secure and easy. Zoho offers telephone and email support to help customers resolve issues.

Standout Feature: The versatility of Zoho helps them stand out above the rest. They have a variety of tools, and most of them are very customizable. Hourly billing, payment reminders, advance payments, and many more supported features mean that it’s hard to find something Zoho can’t do.

• Free trial: Free plan
• Basic plan: $9/mo
• Premium Plan: $29/mo
• All-in-one platform
• Sales and marketing tools
• Excellent customization

3. Zarmoney 

Zarmoney is an all-in-one cloud accounting solution adaptable to many types of businesses, including construction, architect, and building design firms.

Zarmoney handles all aspects of your company’s accounting, including invoicing, bill management, inventory, and payment collection. They accept all major payment methods and work with several big companies including Authorize.net and PayPal to ensure secure payments. No information is available about customer support options for the Zarmoney platform.

Standout Feature: Zoho’s inventory management functionality is especially strong. There is support for multiple locations, split PO payments, and predictive analysis. This can help companies stay on top of their inventory, even if they have several warehouses where materials are stored.

• Free Trial: 2 week free trial
• Basic plan: $15 per month
• Enterprise plan: $350 per month
• All-in-one solution
• Invoicing
• Bill management
• Inventory
• Payment collection

4. Swipez 

Swipez is more focused on the billing side of things. The company is located in India, but positive reviews are abundant, even for clients in the United States. They are ideal for small to medium-sized businesses.

Swipez can handle both invoicing and payment collection, but their main claim to fame is a strong billing platform. Tracking of customer data, automated invoice reminders, and even offline tracking of payments all make this a platform that can work well for a small to medium-sized construction company. Swipez offers customer support, but no information is available about support specifics.

Standout Feature: The expense management functionality offered by Swipez is very convenient and easy to use. You can create purchase orders, convert to expenses, and make payouts as well.

• Free Trial: 2 week free trial
• Basic plan: $15 per month
• Enterprise plan: $350 per month
• All-in-one solution
• Invoicing
• Bill management
• Inventory
• Payment collection

5. Invoicera

Invoicera is an online platform built to handle all aspects of finance for a business. Payment collection, invoicing, purchase orders, and even staff management are all supported. 

Invoicera is another platform that does it all. The payment collection service supports all major payment methods and integrates with over 30 payment collection gateways. They also support many international payment methods, making Invoicera a great fit for companies that work internationally. Invoicera provides email, telephone, and online chat support, making it easy to resolve any issues you may have.

Standout Feature: The invoicing templates used by Invoicera are very cleanly designed and easy to view. Best of all, the templates are all very easy to customize, making it simple to put together a very nice looking invoice for your customers.

• Free Trial: Yes
• Free plan: Yes, for up to 3 users
• Infinite plan: $149 per month for unlimited users
• All-in-one solution
• Customizable invoicing
• Payment collection
• Works well with international payments

6. GCPay

GCPay is designed specifically for construction companies. This means that they can provide a tailored experience that is perfectly suited to the needs of a construction firm. They support over 48,000 construction companies and are one of the most well-liked providers for companies in the industry.

GCPay mainly focuses on the invoicing and payments between general contractors and subcontractors. Accounting, management of lien waivers, collaboration, and electronic payment functionality are all supported. GCPay offers telephone and email support, as well as an online customer portal to help with any support requests.

Standout Feature: The strongest feature of GCPay is the amount of automation that is available. The payment application process is almost entirely automated, making it easy for contractors and subcontractors to work together without any issues cropping up. This can be an excellent way for companies to save time and streamline the payment process.

• Free Trial: Yes
• Basic plan: custom
• Invoicing
• Payment collection
• Collaboration tools
• Automated invoicing

7. Redteam

Redteam was built by contractors, and it shows in the emphasis they place on providing a platform that is especially designed with the needs of the construction industry in mind. 

Redteam provides financial management, collaboration tools, invoicing, and project management functionality. They do not offer payment collection services, but the many tools available in different areas make Redteam a powerful tool for construction companies. Customer service is an area where Redteam excels. Support is provided by telephone, email, online chat, and they have a response time of fewer than 30 seconds. 

Standout Feature: The collaborative tools that Redteam provides are excellent. Document sharing is handled very well, and it’s easy for a company to invite other companies into the collaboration. The ability to work on documents together can help a contractor and subcontractor stay on the same page when dealing with a complex project.

• Free Trial: Yes
• Basic plan: $291 per month
• Finance management
• Collaboration tools
• Invoicing
• Project management

8. Bill4time

Bill4time is a software that provides end-to-end support for the daily operations of a construction company. The entire platform is designed to streamline the time and expense management process to help businesses stay on track.

Bill4time handles time and expense tracking, as well as invoicing and online payment collection. There is also functionality for contract and project management available. This makes Bill4time suitable for the varied needs of construction companies and architects of building design firms. Bill4time has excellent customer service. Not only are there multiple options for support, but they also have online training videos and webinars to help users familiarize themselves with the platform.

Standout Feature: The time management features of Bill4time help the company stand out from the other all-in-one solutions available. Multiple timers can be run simultaneously, making invoicing much easier when working with projects that have time-based expenses. 

• Free Trial: Yes
• Basic plan: custom
• Time tracking
• Expense tracking
• Invoicing
• Payment collection

9. Paystand

Paystand doesn’t offer invoicing like many other providers on this list, but their payment processing functionality is stellar. They offer integration with any other invoicing platform, allowing you to add a “pay now” button to any invoice.

Paystand provides payment processing and includes functionality for features like auto-pay with their fully customizable payment processing platform. They can process all major payment methods and also have support for eChecks. Paystand offers customer support, but no specific details are available. 

Standout Feature: The payment processing functionality provided by Paystand is better than most others on this list. The amount of payment types supported is extensive, and integrating their payment functions with your existing invoicing solution is simple.

• Free trial: No
• Rates: Per transaction
• Payment processing
• Auto-pay
• All major purchase methods supported

10. Card Systems

Card Systems, like Paystand, is focused on the payment processing aspect of the financial management chain. However, they also offer additional services like POS machines for some companies that may have a need for point of sale purchase management.

Card Systems provides online payment processing and in-house financing, which can be a necessity in the construction industry. They also give you the ability to manage field employees, tracking both location and time. Card Systems offers both email and telephone support for customers.

Standout Feature: The strongest feature of the Card Systems platform is the versatility of the payment processing options available. Online payments, virtual terminals, POS, and mobile payments are all supported, meaning they can adapt to the needs of your business.

• Free trial: No
• Rates: Per transaction
• Payment processing
• Auto-pay
• All major purchase methods supported
• POS systems
• In-house financing

Who to choose?

There are many online payment and billing solution providers out there, but not all of them are suitable for the specific needs of construction, architect, or building design firms. It is important to do a little research to help determine which provider is the best fit for your company’s specific needs. Luckily, many of the providers on this list provide free trial periods, which can be a great way to familiarize yourself with the platform and see if it provides all the functionality you need.

A bonus tip to save time

Don’t forget that a great payment and billing solution isn’t the only way to maximize the potential of your company. In addition to the complex finance management construction companies have to deal with, there are also contracts, inventory, human resources, and other business aspects, all of which can be a drain on your manpower. One area that the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can help with is your telephone answering requirements. We are able to take all your calls for you, forwarding important ones and even setting appointments if necessary. Not only that, providing responses to online request forms and lead intake management are also available. All of these services can help give you more time to focus on the day to day operations of your business, helping conserve employee resources.