10 Must-Have Free Apps for Contractors: 2022 Edition
Contractors of all stripes rely on apps to keep them organized when they’re on a job site. Below we’ve compiled 10 of the best free construction apps for Android and iOS in 2022.
These apps that will help builders, painting contractors, handymen and more do their job efficiently and quickly and save them time and money.
Need a quick way to make invoices and estimates on the go? FreshBooks’ powerful mobile app is free to download and offers contractors an incredibly user-friendly way to get paid 2x faster.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- All-In-One Calculator Free
- Building Calculator
- PlanGrid
- Fieldwire
- DEWALT Mobile Pro
- Autodesk BIM 360
- GasBuddy
- Canvas
- Punch List & Site Audit Report
- Procore
1. All-In-One Calculator Free
All-In-One Calculator Free is a free Android app that helps you do construction-related calculations. Perform unit and currency conversions and calculate percentages, volumes, areas and proportions. It includes over 75 calculators and unit converters in one. There are ads within the app, but they aren’t too intrusive.
For your iPhone, try Carpenter’s Helper Lite for all your unit calculation needs. Calculate stair lengths, roof pitch, rafter lengths and more. There’s a Quick-Job feature that lets you quickly calculate projects like fencing, drywall, painting and flooring.
2. Building Calculator
Building Calculator is a free construction calculator app for Android that helps contractors calculate the amount of materials they’ll need for a project. You can even use it offline. Calculate projects using materials such as bricks, lumber, flooring and paint. Also calculate concrete volume, armatures weight, wall blocks needed and more.
iPhone users can use Construction Calculator, which lets you do stairs and rafters calculations and convert between dimensional formats. It’s free and there are no ads within the app.
3. PlanGrid
PlanGrid is a popular free app for contractors that’s available on both iTunes and Google Play. It’s a collaborative tool that essentially makes paper blueprints obsolete. It syncs over data or Wi-Fi.
The app lets you view and share blueprints, notes and drawings and also share issues tracking, field markups and progress photos. It also has a version control function and you can create and send RFIs on the app.
4. Fieldwire
Fieldwire is a free task management app for the construction industry that works for both iTunes and Android. Field workers can view up-to-date files, blueprints and tasks on their mobile devices while they’re on site.
Contractors can make tasks that are linked to locations and blueprints, set deadlines, assign priority levels and relate different tasks. Create a punch list, share drawings with all users, add attachments and photos, create reports and alert staff of new tasks via email or app notifications.
5. DEWALT Mobile Pro
This full-featured construction calculation and reference tool does it all. Reference materials come with examples and illustrations and there are hundreds of add-on calculations specific to different trades.
You can also access your history to see past calculations. Save favorite calculations and even share calculations via email. It’s a neat and very handy app that you can tailor to your specific business.
DEWALT Mobile Pro is free with in-app purchases. It’s available on iTunes and Google Play.
6. Autodesk BIM 360
This app for construction project management lets you manage all aspects of field work such as safety, commissioning, quality, documentation and building information management (BIM).
Autodesk BIM 360 is a cloud-based reporting and collaboration tool that has simple templates that teams can collaborate on to track a project’s quality. Dashboards and reports also lets users see trends and monitor quality. Finally, pushpin markers mark field locations, with details of any issues at each.
It’s available on both Google Play and iTunes.
7. GasBuddy
Simple but effective, GasBuddy helps builders find the cheapest gas nearby. The GasBuddy community regularly adds information on stations, prices and distance so you and your team can find the least expensive station wherever you happen to be. This is incredibly useful, especially since you probably burn through gas more than you’d like.
There are also automatic updates on gas prices, reviews of gas stations and challenges that help you win free gas. It’s available for both Android and iPhone.
8. Canvas
Canvas is a reporting app for contractors. Fill out audits, forms, inspections, estimates and work orders all through your cell phone or other mobile device. Canvas eliminates the need to carry around piles of paper. Create forms on the app without any coding knowledge, convert them to PDF and share them too.
Another plus: the customer service is excellent. Get it on Google Play or the App Store.
9. Punch List & Site Audit Report
Create quick and simple punch lists on the fly with this app that will help you audit even more professionally. It’s perfect for audits, walkthroughs, safety inspections, insurance claims, site walks and checklists.
Easily list all the work that needs to be done, such as incorrect installations or damage to materials, finishes or structures. Create PDF reports, add photos and notes while in the field and annotate images too. In short, the app is the perfect tool to help you meet contract specifications so you can finish the job and get paid.
Punch List is free to download on iTunes and has in-app purchases. Fieldwire has a similar free app for Android.
10. Procore
This cloud-based construction project management app lets you update project details on the go, even offline. Check and update drawings, daily logs, RFIs, specifications, inspections, deficiency lists, timecards and more from your mobile device. It also has a camera function so you can incorporate photos.
Even better, it’s simple and intuitive to use with a short learning curve. It has a responsive support team, too. Procore is sure to save contractors endless hours.
Get it for free on the App Store or Google Play.
People also ask:
Apps for Independent Contractors
Here are some essential apps for independent contractors:
- FreshBooks: track your time and make and send professional invoices and estimates on the go, syncs with online accounting software
- MindNode: store visual notes and do mind-mapping
- ClickUp: to-do lists, project management, and a lot more
- Workflowy: record detailed daily tasks while also looking ahead
- Fantastical 2: this calendar app has plenty of features to help you block schedule your day
- IRS2Go: make payments, check the status of your refund and get tax information.
- MileIQ: track your mileage and import it to FreshBooks to make tax time easy
Apps for General Contractors
Here are some useful apps for general contractors:
- SmartBidNet: track your bid process
- GoBIM: navigate 3D BIM models
- Truckast: make ready-mix concrete orders and track delivery time
- FingerCAD: make technical drawings with your fingers on your mobile device
- Roofing Calculator: calculate roofing shingles, bundles and squares needed
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