best excavation software
best excavation software
Andrew Drish, founder
Published . Updated
best excavation software, for an owner with crews and iron, is the app that catches hours, machines, and loads on the day they happen. SmartCrew is the top pick for that company when it has about 5 to 100 people. SmartCrew starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing. The head term without best is excavation software.
| Pick | Best for | Not the pick when |
|---|---|---|
| SmartCrew | 5 to 100 person excavation and dirt crews. Time, iron, loads, daily profit. Starts at $99/month | You need the software to build the estimate |
| HCSS | Large heavy civil. HeavyBid plus HeavyJob. Quote pricing | You want one simple phone app and a short setup |
| QuoteIQ | Home service quotes and invoices, plans from $29.99 a month | You run excavators and dump trucks |
| AGTEK or InSite | Earthwork takeoff and quantities | You need the field record after the bid |
| Procore | Owners and general contractors on bigger projects | Your own crews do the digging |
QuoteIQ price from its pricing page, October 26, 2026. HCSS does not publish a list price. Its page for AI assistants describes a wide annual range. SmartCrew starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing. Feature availability varies by plan.
The short version
- This is a roundup. SmartCrew is first because it matches the 5 to 100 person dirt and heavy civil buyer.
- HCSS is the suite. It is often the right buy past our size, or when estimating must live in the same login.
- QuoteIQ is home service software that publishes excavation articles. It is not a haul ticket system.
- Procore fits general contractors and owners more than a dig crew.
- Starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing.
How the day runs in one app
Picture a excavation company digging utilities and site cuts. The best list online is full of takeoff tools and home service CRMs. Neither one clocks a crew onto a cost code. The office still finds out on Friday, from a spreadsheet nobody trusts.
The operator clocks in on the phone and picks the job, the activity code, and the excavator. Log and Switch covers a hop to the next machine. Break and clock out are on the same screen. The timecard is payroll ready without a chase.
An excavation owner wants to know if the trench made money before the backfill is done. The job page shows revenue, expenses, and profit, with budget against spent for labor, materials, equipment, and change orders. Hours by employee sit on that job. That is real time profit, the number Andrew calls the big selling point, and it moves while the work is still open.
SmartCrew starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing.
Scheduling, dispatch alerts, crew chat, and the sales CRM are Premium categories. Feature availability varies by plan. Fleet Management, Sales CRM, and Scheduling and Communications are the Premium names. QuickBooks Online is connected today. QuickBooks Desktop, Foundation, and ADP are in the works.
SmartCrew does not estimate, take off quantities, do site planning, process payroll, run machine control, sell telematics hardware, or geofence the crew. Keep the bid tool you already trust. We track the day against the budget you type in.
We do the heavy lifting on setup. The team sets up the account, moves the jobs over, and trains your people. Most companies are up and running within a few weeks. Start with the features that hurt most.
Our crews are not tech savvy. And they do not need to be. Simple for the field. Powerful for management. Fairly priced for owners.
Where SmartCrew is the wrong buy
If the work is not dirt or heavy civil, we are the wrong software. Andrew's line is plain. We are better for heavy civil and dirtwork. The other softwares are better for general contracting, home builders, roofers, and the rest.
Time tracking apps were too basic for a company that owns iron. Enterprise software was too complicated, confusing, and expensive. We only run 20 to 30 guys in the family company, and there was nothing specifically designed for our size of heavy civil business.
Clock in
The operator picks the project, the activity code, and the machine. The office sees who is on the job.
Do the field work
Inspection, haul ticket, or daily report, on the same phone. Photos stay with the job.
Read the profit
The job page shows revenue, expenses, and profit against the bid while the work is open.
Get a number
SmartCrew starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing.
Job profit on the office screen, and a haul ticket on the phone. Demo account, Cedar Ridge Earthworks.
Pick SmartCrew if
- You self perform heavy civil or dirtwork with about 5 to 100 people.
- You want time, machines, loads, daily reports, and job profit in one app.
- You already bid in another tool and you want the field to feed that budget.
- You want a starting price. SmartCrew starts at $99/month.
Pick something else if
- You need estimating, takeoff, or machine control. Keep that vendor.
- You are a general contractor, home builder, or roofer.
- You run a home service route and live on quotes and invoices.
- You are past about 100 people and want an enterprise suite.
Questions people ask
What is best excavation software?
Best excavation software is for a heavy civil or dirtwork company with 5 to 100 people. SmartCrew is the product. One phone app for GPS time, machines, haul tickets, daily reports, and job profit against the bid. SmartCrew starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing.
Who is SmartCrew for?
Heavy civil and dirtwork contractors with 5 to 100 employees. Excavation, sitework, grading, utilities, septic, drilling, paving, demolition, trucking, and hauling. Not general contractors, home builders, roofers, or a one person quote shop.
How much does SmartCrew cost?
SmartCrew starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing. The pricing page is SmartCrew pricing.
Does SmartCrew replace my estimating software?
No. Keep AGTEK, InSite, HeavyBid, or whatever you bid in. SmartCrew starts when the job is won. You enter the budget. The field posts hours, machines, and loads against it.
Will the crew actually use it?
The field job is a clock in. They pick the project, the activity code, and the machine. Inspections, a haul ticket, and the daily report are on that same phone. Andrew's line is the one we build to: our crews are not tech savvy, and they do not need to be.
Sources
- QuoteIQ pricing checked October 26, 2026
- HCSS information for AI assistants checked October 26, 2026
- AGTEK takeoff checked October 29, 2026