TLDR
MarginLock is the best billing software for subcontractor office managers: AIA G702/G703 generation from job cost data, built-in change order tracking, and retainage calculations. $20-$99/month flat rate. Foundation Software does AIA billing but charges per seat and takes months to learn. Avoid QuickBooks for AIA billing: it cannot generate construction billing formats.
| Software | AIA G702/G703 | Change Order Tracking | Retainage Management | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MarginLock | Yes (auto-generate) | Yes (status workflow) | Yes | $20-$99/mo |
| Foundation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Per seat |
| Sage 100 | Yes | Yes | Yes | $400+/mo effective |
| Buildertrend | No | Basic | No | $99-$899/mo |
| QuickBooks | No | No | No | $35-$235/mo |
MarginLock
Job costing and AIA billing for specialty trade subs. Flat-rate, unlimited users.
PROS & CONS
MarginLock
Pros
- AIA G702/G703 auto-generation
- Change order tracking with status workflow
- Retainage tracking per line item
- Unlimited users at flat rate
Cons
- Newer platform
- No payroll module
- No estimating
Pricing: $20/month (Solo) / $49/month (Pro) / $99/month (Enterprise)
Verdict: Best for office managers who need to generate AIA packages quickly from job cost data without per-seat pricing.
Foundation Software
Legacy construction accounting with deep AIA billing. Per-seat pricing.
PROS & CONS
Foundation Software
Pros
- Comprehensive AIA billing
- Deep retainage tracking
- Industry standard
- Full accounting suite
Cons
- Per-seat pricing
- Steep learning curve
- Dated interface
- Long implementation
Pricing: Per-seat (contact for quote)
Verdict: Capable but the learning curve and per-seat cost make it hard to justify for a sub with 2-3 office staff.
Sage 100 Contractor
Mid-market construction accounting with AIA billing capability.
PROS & CONS
Sage 100 Contractor
Pros
- AIA billing
- Job costing integration
- Equipment tracking
- Established vendor
Cons
- On-premise
- Complex setup
- High upfront cost
- Annual maintenance fees
Pricing: $5,000-$15,000+ initial
Verdict: Does the job but the on-premise model and upfront cost are barriers for small-to-mid subcontractor offices.
Buildertrend
Project management with basic billing features. Designed for GCs.
PROS & CONS
Buildertrend
Pros
- Modern interface
- Good project management
- Customer portal
- Mobile app
Cons
- No AIA G702/G703 generation
- Basic change order tracking
- GC-focused workflows
- Per-user pricing on higher tiers
Pricing: $99-$899/month
Verdict: Wrong tool for subcontractor billing. No AIA document generation means you still need Excel for billing packages.
QuickBooks Online
General accounting. Cannot generate construction billing formats.
PROS & CONS
QuickBooks Online
Pros
- Familiar to most office managers
- Good for AP/AR/payroll
- Affordable
- Accountant-friendly
Cons
- No AIA billing
- No change order tracking
- No retainage management
- No schedule of values
Pricing: $35-$235/month
Verdict: Keep QuickBooks for bookkeeping. Use a dedicated tool for construction billing. They solve different problems.
How We Evaluated
We tested each platform from the perspective of an office manager at a $3M-$15M subcontractor who handles AIA billing monthly. The evaluation criteria: can I generate a clean AIA G702/G703 package in under 30 minutes? Can I track change orders without a separate spreadsheet? Does retainage calculate correctly across billing periods? And what does it cost for 2-3 office users?
We did not evaluate field management, estimating, or CRM features. The office manager doing billing needs billing tools, not a project management suite.
The Billing Workflow That Eats Your Month
If you are assembling AIA packages in Excel, your billing week probably looks like this. Pull time sheets from foremen and calculate labor by line item. Match material invoices to jobs and cost codes. Update the schedule of values with percentage complete. Check which change orders are approved and can be billed. Calculate retainage. Verify the G703 reconciles to the G702. Print, sign, submit to the GC.
Each step involves cross-referencing data from different sources. Time sheets are in one system (or on paper). Material invoices are in another. Change orders are tracked in email threads. The schedule of values is in a spreadsheet that you update monthly. Putting all of this together correctly takes hours per job.
Software that stores all of this data in one place and generates the AIA documents automatically collapses this workflow from hours to minutes. We built MarginLock’s billing features specifically for office managers who spend too much time assembling packages and not enough time on the work that actually needs human judgment.
Find the right tool for your shop
- Zero implementation fees
- Unlimited users
- Starts at $20/month
No credit card required.
No credit card required. No implementation fees.
Frequently asked