Side-by-side comparison
| Capability | ProtoPM Free | Fieldwire Basic | Typical paid suites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price to start | $0 · No credit card | $0 free tier | Paid or sales-led trial |
| Projects | Unlimited | About 3 | Often unlimited |
| Team | Unlimited people + collaborators | About 5 users | Seat tiers |
| Storage | 2 GB free · optional extra | Varies | Varies |
| Core job tools | Schedule, field, punch, costs, changes, risks | Plans, markups, field tasks | Broad modules, often sold separately |
| Signup | Self-serve | Self-serve | Often a demo call |
What's included in Free
- Unlimited projects and people, your first company free
- Unlimited members and collaborators
- Schedule, files and photos, daily logs, punch list, invoices, change log, risks and lessons
- 10 PDF exports and 10 saved versions per company each month
- 2 GB of file storage per company, enough for hundreds of site photos (more is optional, from $5/mo per company)
- Free invoice and status-report PDFs, no account needed for the first one
Free plan or free trial?
Many construction tools called free are 14- or 30-day trials, or free tiers that cap the team at a few users or projects. Before you move a live job in, check three things: does it expire, how many people can join, and what happens to your data if you stop paying.
ProtoPM Free doesn't expire, has no user or project cap, and needs no credit card. If you ever add an optional extra and later stop it, your projects and records stay.
What free construction management software should cover
ProtoPM Free covers every item on this list.
- A schedule with milestones and inspection dates
- Daily logs the crew can fill in from a phone
- A punch list with photos, through to handover
- Budget against actuals, and invoices to the client
- Change orders recorded before the work is done
- Room for subs, clients and architects without paying per seat
- A way out: export your projects as PDF or Excel and your account data as JSON
How ProtoPM works
Free covers unlimited projects and people, your first company free (extra companies are an add-on), and 2 GB of storage per company (more is optional, from $5/mo per company). See every feature.
- General: create the job (a title is enough), then add status, phase and location.
- Financials: track budget and actuals, and send invoices.
- Schedule: set dates and milestones.
- Files: upload plans, emails and spreadsheets, or take site photos with your phone.
- Field: add daily logs and punch items.
- Project Delivery: record changes, risks and lessons learned.
- Administration: invite your crew. New invites are read-only Viewers, who see progress but not your budget.
Why teams pick ProtoPM
- $0 Free plan with no end date. No credit card.
- Sign up yourself. No demo call.
- Plain tabs for schedule, field, costs and changes.
- Projects and users are unlimited on Free; the core tools stay free. Optional company add-ons start at $5 CAD/mo when you need extras like more storage or branded documents — nobody pays per user.
When Fieldwire or a paid suite wins
Pick Fieldwire Basic when drawings and markups are the main job. Pick an enterprise suite for large seat counts or builder client portals.
When to upgrade
Stay on Free for as long as you like — there is no project or user cap. Running your jobs stays free. If a company ever needs more, extras are optional and small: +25 GB of storage is $5 CAD/mo and unlimited PDFs are $9 CAD/mo, for the whole crew, never per user. See add-ons.
How to start
- Sign up free and confirm your email.
- Create a project with just a title.
- Open Schedule, Field or Financials, then invite your crew.
Prefer a spreadsheet?
Start with a free Excel template (no account needed), then move the job into ProtoPM when the crew needs it.
Common questions
- Is there free construction management software?
- Yes. ProtoPM Free is $0 with no end date for unlimited projects and people. No credit card.
- What's the catch with the free plan?
- Very few: 2 GB of storage per company plus 10 exports and 10 saved versions per company each month. Projects and people are unlimited. Running your jobs stays free. If a company ever needs more, extras are optional and small: +25 GB of storage is $5 CAD/mo and unlimited PDFs are $9 CAD/mo, for the whole crew, never per user.
- Can I use it for commercial jobs?
- Yes. ProtoPM works for residential and commercial jobs.
- How does ProtoPM Free compare to Procore or Buildertrend?
- Those suites usually price by seat or quote and target larger teams. ProtoPM is self-serve and free to start, but doesn't match every module.
Related
Ready to try ProtoPM?
Start free. Upgrade only if you need more.