TLDR
Premier Construction Software costs $149–$249 per user per month, plus a mandatory $15,000–$50,000 implementation fee before you go live. For a 10-person shop, that's $1,490–$2,490 per month plus a large upfront check. First-year total typically lands between $33,000 and $80,000.
Premier Construction Software
$149–$249/user/moper month
MarginLock
$99–$499/moper month, no setup fee
Premier Construction Software Pricing Tiers
| Tier | Per-User/Month | 10-User Monthly Total | Setup Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional | $149 | $1,490/month | $15,000–$50,000 |
| Enterprise | $249 | $2,490/month | $15,000–$50,000 |
| First-Year Total (10 users, Professional) | $17,880/year + setup | $33,000–$68,000 all-in | |
| First-Year Total (10 users, Enterprise) | $29,880/year + setup | $45,000–$80,000 all-in |
Hidden Costs You Won't See on the Pricing Page
- ⚠ Setup fee of $15,000–$50,000 required before any live use
- ⚠ Each module (CRM, Field Management, Project Management) sold separately, stacked on per-user cost
- ⚠ Per-user pricing means every new hire is a new monthly line item
- ⚠ Long-term contracts required for best pricing — shorter terms carry rate premiums
- ⚠ Implementation timeline of 3–6 months means parallel operation costs during transition
Enterprise Software Sold to Non-Enterprise Budgets
Premier Construction Software is a full-suite platform covering accounting, project management, field management, and CRM. The feature set is real and the platform is capable. The problem is the cost structure, which assumes an enterprise budget that most specialty trade subs in the $1M–$20M range don’t have.
The per-user model and the mandatory setup fee are the two numbers that end most Premier evaluations for smaller shops.
The Setup Fee Problem
Before you run a single job cost report, Premier requires an implementation engagement. This covers data migration from your previous system, chart of accounts configuration, module setup, and initial training. The fee ranges from $15,000 on the low end (simpler deployments with limited historical data) to $50,000 or more for complex multi-module implementations with significant data migration.
That’s a check you write before you’ve seen any return on the investment. For a $3M electrical sub, $15,000–$50,000 in upfront software cost is not a rounding error — it’s a significant capital decision.
The comparison that’s worth doing: MarginLock’s Enterprise plan (unlimited users) costs $99/month, or $1,188/year. Premier’s typical implementation fee alone is 12–42x the cost of a full year of MarginLock.
The Per-User Growth Trap
| Shop Size | Monthly Cost (Professional) | Monthly Cost (Enterprise) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $745 | $1,245 |
| 10 users | $1,490 | $2,490 |
| 15 users | $2,235 | $3,735 |
| 20 users | $2,980 | $4,980 |
Every hire is a pricing conversation. When you promote a field supervisor to project manager and they need system access, that’s a new seat at $149–$249/month. When you bring on a second estimator during a busy season, same calculation.
The seat cost creates pressure to limit access. That’s the opposite of what job costing software should do — good cost visibility requires that PMs, estimators, and field leads can all see the numbers in real time.
Hidden Costs Section
| Component | Low Estimate | High Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation / setup fee | $15,000 | $50,000 |
| Year 1 subscription (10 users, Pro tier) | $17,880 | $29,880 (Enterprise) |
| Module add-ons (CRM, Field) | $2,400+ | $8,400+ |
| Year 1 Total | $35,280 | $88,280 |
Premier’s module structure means the base subscription often doesn’t include everything you need. Field Management and CRM are common add-ons that increase the per-user cost further.
What Premier Does Well
Premier’s accounting depth is strong for construction. Retainage tracking, certified payroll, union labor rates, and AIA billing are all handled natively. For a $10M+ MEP contractor with a full-time controller, that depth has value.
The problem is the price entry point. A $2M plumbing sub or a $5M electrical sub is unlikely to extract ROI from a $50,000+ first-year investment before they’ve hit the growth milestones that justify it.
How It Compares
MarginLock’s flat-rate model eliminates the per-user penalty and the setup fee. Core is $99/month (up to 5 users), Pro is $249/month (up to 15 users), Enterprise is $499/month (unlimited users). No implementation fee, no contract required to start.
For $1M–$10M specialty trade subs who need job costing, cost-to-complete visibility, and change order tracking without a six-figure first-year commitment, the economics are materially different.
| Premier Construction Software | MarginLock | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost (small team) | $149–$249/user/mo | $99–$499/mo |
| Setup fee | Varies | $0 |
| Contract | Annual or per-seat | Flat rate, cancel anytime |
Q&A
How much does Premier Construction Software cost for a specialty subcontractor?
Premier charges $149–$249 per user per month plus a $15,000–$50,000 setup fee. A 10-person shop on the Professional tier pays $1,490/month ($17,880/year) in subscription costs plus the upfront setup fee, putting first-year total between $33,000 and $68,000.
Frequently asked
Common questions before you try it
What is the upfront cost to implement Premier Construction Software?
How does Premier Construction Software's per-user pricing affect a growing specialty sub?
Does Premier Construction Software charge for individual modules separately?
What is the realistic first-year total cost for a 10-person shop on Premier?
What's a lower-cost alternative to Premier for specialty trade job costing?
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