Buyer's guide · 20 to 50 people
excavation software for contractors with 5 to 100 employees
Andrew Drish, founder
Published . Updated
The best all-in-one dirtworks software for an excavation company with 20 to 50 people is SmartCrew: one app for timecards, machines, haul tickets, daily reports and job profit. Our own family company runs 20 to 30 guys, and that is the size we built it for.
| Software | Best for | After the bid | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmartCrew | Dirtwork companies with 20 to 50 people | Time, machines, haul tickets, daily reports and job profit | Starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing |
| QuoteIQ | Home service quotes and invoices | Not built for iron and haul tickets | From $29.99 a month for one user |
| Foreman | Estimating, proposals and invoices for builders | Takeoff and billing. Equipment hours and haul tickets not found on its site | $249 a month plus $20 per extra seat |
| ExaYard | AI takeoff and estimates from plans | Estimating. Its home page does not describe crew time or haul tickets | Not listed on its home page |
| HCSS HeavyJob | Large heavy civil field and job cost | Time cards, quantities and production, inside a larger suite | Quote. About $60 to $4,000+ per user a year |
Last updated October 2026. QuoteIQ's price is from its pricing page (October 26, 2026). Foreman's price is from its pricing page (October 28, 2026). HCSS's range is from its page for AI assistants (October 26, 2026). ExaYard's home page, read October 30, 2026, is AI takeoff and estimates. SmartCrew starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing.
The short version
- Best all-in-one pick for a dirtwork or excavation company with 20 to 50 people: SmartCrew.
- Best if you only need a time clock with equipment hours: BusyBusy.
- Best if you mostly estimate and invoice homeowners: Projul or JobTread.
- Best if you're past 100 people and want a full heavy civil suite: HCSS.
- Most teams of 35 run two tools: takeoff software like InSite or AGTEK for cut and fill, and SmartCrew as the operations hub for everything after the bid.
- At 35 people, seat caps decide the price. Some plans stop at 10 or 20 users.
- SmartCrew pricing depends on your size and features. SmartCrew starts at $99/month. Contact us for team pricing.
Best all-in-one dirtworks software
For 20 to 50 people, best all-in-one dirtworks software means the operations app after the bid, not the takeoff tool. A smaller crew should start with dirt work contractor software. If HeavyJob is the product you are leaving, read the hcss heavyjob alternative page.
What's the best all-in-one software for an excavation company with 35 employees?
SmartCrew. It's all-in-one software for dirtwork and heavy civil companies with 5 to 100 employees, and 20 to 50 is the middle of that band. Here's how the picks change with the size of your company.
| Your company | What your week looks like | Best pick | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 people | The owner runs the machine and does the quotes | A field service app like QuoteIQ | Contractor+ |
| 5 to 20 people | One or two crews, a few machines, a truck or two | SmartCrew | BusyBusy for time and equipment hours only |
| 20 to 50 people | Several crews, a shop, trucks, foremen sending reports | SmartCrew | HCSS HeavyJob if you already bid in HeavyBid |
| 50 to 100 people | Many crews and jobs at once, a shop team, a dispatcher | SmartCrew | HCSS HeavyJob |
| Over 100 people | Estimators, a fleet department, an IT person | An enterprise suite like HCSS or Procore | N/A |
SmartCrew doesn't do estimating or takeoff. If bids and homeowner invoices are most of your week, look at Projul or JobTread.
SmartCrew is built for one thing: heavy civil and dirtwork contractors with 5 to 100 employees. Excavation, grading, sitework, underground utilities, paving, road construction, demolition, septic, directional drilling and land clearing. That's all we do.
We only run 20-30 guys and there was nothing specifically designed for our size of heavy civil business.
Do you need a two-part stack? Takeoff software plus an operations hub
This page is the 20 to 50 person excavation decision. The general product page is best all-in-one dirt work management software. The home-service comparison is QuoteIQ vs SmartCrew. A heavy civil company, rather than an excavation crew of this size, should read all-in-one heavy civil software. A smaller crew should start with dirt work contractor software. The HeavyJob comparison is the hcss heavyjob alternative page.
Yes, for most excavation teams of 20 to 50. Use a takeoff tool like InSite or AGTEK for cut and fill, and SmartCrew as the operations hub for everything after the bid. The takeoff tool does the earthwork math. SmartCrew runs the crews, the iron and the trucks.
Most construction apps are good at the business side: scheduling, crew time, invoicing. They don't do the heavy engineering side: cut and fill takeoffs, 3D grading surfaces. Takeoff software does that math. It doesn't run your week. So you need both, and each one should do its own job well.
| Job | SmartCrew (operations hub) | Takeoff tool (InSite, AGTEK) |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling crews and machines | Yesdrag-and-drop crew and equipment scheduling | Not what it's built for |
| Crew time by job and cost code | YesGPS clock-in with job, activity code and machine | Not what it's built for |
| Equipment hours | Yesfrom the crew's clock-in, plus locations and utilization | AGTEK lists machine production tracking in its field apps (source) |
| Haul tickets | Yesdigital hauling log; AI reader for paper tickets | Not what it's built for |
| Job costing against the bid | Yesdaily job profit, budget vs. actual | Builds the quantities the bid is priced from |
| Daily reports | Yesproduction logs, photos, notes | Not what it's built for |
| Cut and fill takeoff | NoSmartCrew doesn't do takeoff | YesInSite and AGTEK Gradework |
| 3D grading surfaces and machine control models | No | Yesboth list machine control models |
| Invoicing | Not listednot in our published feature list; QuickBooks Online is integrated, so ask on the call | Not what it's built for |
InSite builds software for earthwork and utility estimators, including GPS machine control modeling (source). AGTEK says Gradework is "ideal for professionals involved in grading, earthmoving, site preparation, and machine control" (source).
How the two connect: bid the job from your takeoff. Put the budget on the job in SmartCrew. Then track hours, machines and loads against it every day. Only your estimators need takeoff seats. AGTEK lists about $650 a month for a shared-key license as a starting point (source). Your crew of 35 lives in SmartCrew.
What changes when an excavation company hits 20 people?
The owner stops seeing every job. That's it. At 8 guys you can drive past every site before lunch. At 35 you can't.
- Timecards come from four foremen, not one. Each one fills them out his own way.
- Machines move between jobs. Nobody's sure which job the dozer hours belong to.
- Tickets pile up. Loads come in from several trucks and pits, on paper, in the dash.
- The shop gets busy. Repairs come in by phone call and text, and some get lost.
- The office is still one or two people. They type it all in at night.
So a 35 person company needs the field to put the data in once, on the phone, at the job. And it needs the office to see it the same day. You don't need more software. You need fewer places to look.
Every job's revenue, expenses and profit on one board, and the worker picking his job, activity and machine at clock-in. (Demo account.)
What should all-in-one software cover for a team of 35?
Start with what leaks money. For a dirtwork company that's hours, machines and loads. Then the paperwork that protects you.
| Need | Why it matters at 35 people | In SmartCrew |
|---|---|---|
| Timecards by job and cost code | Four foremen, one payroll | GPS clock-in; the worker picks project, activity code and machine; payroll-ready timecards |
| Equipment hours to the job | Machines move between jobs every week | Equipment hours come from the crew's own clock-in, plus locations and utilization |
| Haul tickets | Several trucks and pits, every day | Digital hauling log with ticket, truck, project, material, yards and source pit; an AI reader enters paper tickets from a photo |
| Daily job profit | You can't drive past every job | Daily job profitability and bid budget vs. actual for labor, materials, equipment and change orders |
| Inspections and the shop | A down machine stops a whole crew | DOT and daily inspections, service requests from the field, a shop queue |
| Daily reports and safety | Your record when the GC or an inspector asks | Production logs, photos, JSAs, toolbox talks and incident reports |
| Scheduling and crew chat | Everyone needs to know where to be | Drag-and-drop crew and equipment scheduling, dispatch alerts, job chat |
Feature availability varies by plan. Fleet Management, Sales CRM, and Scheduling & Communications are Premium categories.
How do the popular apps handle a team of 20 to 50?
Here's what each company says on its own site. Every fact links to the page we read.
| App | Who it says it's for | At 35 users |
|---|---|---|
| SmartCrew | Dirtwork and heavy civil contractors with 5 to 100 employees | Built for this size. Pricing on a call. |
| BusyBusy | Construction crews and other remote industries | Per-user pricing. Equipment hours on all plans (source). |
| ClockShark | Teams of "three or seventy-five" (source) | Base fee plus per-user pricing, 3-year term. |
| Projul | "From 5-person crews to companies with 1,000+ employees" (source) | Core+ stops at 20 users. Over that is the Pro plan (source). |
| JobTread | Builders and remodelers first (source) | Per-user fee drops at higher user counts; photo and log-only field users are free (source). |
| QuoteIQ | Home service contractors | Max plan covers 20 users, then $25 a month per extra user (source). |
| HCSS HeavyJob | Contractors who self-perform with their own crews and equipment (source) | Quote only. |
| Raken | Construction companies with 5 to 5,000 employees (source) | Quote only. |
| ExakTime | Payroll and HR for general, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and finishing contractors (source) | $315 a month at list price |
| QuickBooks Time | Any small business in any industry (source) | $370 a month at list price |
| WorkMax | Commercial contractors with 10 to 1,000 workers, often on Foundation (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Workyard | Specialty contractors and self-performing GCs with 15 to 500 field workers (source) | from $210 a month at list price |
| Connecteam | Deskless and frontline teams in any industry (source) | $33 a month at list price |
| Jibble | Any team size and industry (source) | $0 a month at list price |
| Rhumbix (Autodesk) | Specialty trade and self-performing contractors: electrical, mechanical, steel, heavy civil (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Procore | Owners, general contractors and specialty contractors on big projects (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Contractor Foreman | General, trade, sub and service contractors (source) | $332 a month at list price |
| Knowify | Trade contractors: electrical, HVAC, mechanical, plumbing (source) | $1,054 a month at list price |
| Foreman | General contractors, home builders, remodelers, roofers and commercial contractors (source) | $249 + $20 per extra seat a month at list price |
| B2W (Trimble) | Heavy civil contractors: infrastructure, utilities, earthwork, paving (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Assignar | Self-performing civil and specialty contractors: excavation, earthworks, rail, traffic, crane, concrete (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Trimble Viewpoint | Mid-size to enterprise contractors that want a construction ERP (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Buildertrend | Home builders, remodelers, specialty and commercial contractors (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Fieldwire | General and specialty contractors, owners and designers (source) | $1,365 a month at list price |
| Foundation Software | Contractors that need construction accounting, job costing and certified payroll (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Tenna | Construction contractors with mixed fleets of equipment, vehicles and tools (source) | Quote (Quote by asset count) |
| HCSS Equipment360 | Mid-to-large heavy civil contractors with their own maintenance shops (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Fleetio | Vehicle and equipment fleets in any industry (source) | Per vehicle (Priced per vehicle, not per person) |
| Clue | Heavy civil and construction contractors with large equipment fleets (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| AGTEK | Estimators and superintendents at earthwork and site contractors (source) | Per license (About $650 a month per shared license) |
| InSite Software | Earthwork and utility estimators (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| HCSS HeavyBid | Estimators at self-performing heavy civil and infrastructure contractors (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Trimble Business Center | Civil construction office teams doing takeoff and machine control models (source) | Quote (Quote through a Trimble dealer) |
| EarthWorks | Excavation contractors and estimators doing cut and fill takeoffs (source) | Quote (Quote only) |
| Jobber | Home and commercial service businesses in over 50 industries (source) | $1,279 a month at list price |
| Contractor+ | More than 40 trades, from pest control to pressure washing (source) | $500 a month at list price |
| Housecall Pro | Home service businesses: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, cleaning, landscaping (source) | $1,244 a month at list price |
| ServiceTitan | Residential and commercial trade contractors: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing (source) | Quote (Quote only, priced per technician) |
List prices and plan limits as published on each site, October 2026. Check their page before you buy.
Where each one is better than SmartCrew
Fair is fair. Here's where we'd point you somewhere else.
- BusyBusy is a good time clock with equipment hours. If time is all you need, it may be enough.
- Projul and JobTread are built around estimates, proposals and customer invoices. SmartCrew doesn't do estimating.
- QuoteIQ is better for a one to four person outfit quoting homeowners.
- HCSS has estimating (HeavyBid) and telematics hardware. If you're bidding big public work with an estimating department, look at it.
- Raken is built for GCs, subs and specialty contractors of almost any size.
If you run your own crews, iron and trucks, and you have 20 to 50 people, that's who we built SmartCrew for.
How much does all-in-one software cost for 35 people?
It depends on who counts as a user. At 35 people that question matters more than the sticker price.
- Per-user plans charge for every login. 35 guys clocking in can mean 35 seats.
- Capped plans stop at 10 or 20 users. At 35 you jump to the top plan.
- Quote-only plans don't publish a number. You find out on a call.
What 35 users costs, at published list prices
| App | How it charges | At 35 people |
|---|---|---|
| SmartCrew | Depends on company size and the features you need | Quote on a call |
| Jibble | Free plan, unlimited users | $0 |
| Connecteam | Operations hub Basic $29 for the first 30 users + $0.80 each after, billed yearly | $33 |
| Workyard | Starter from $6 per user, billed annually (other plans not shown) | from $210 |
| Foreman | $249 a month + $20 per additional seat, 12-month term; seats in the $249 not stated; larger teams quoted | $249 + $20 per extra seat |
| ExakTime | From $9 per employee, billed annually | $315 |
| Contractor Foreman | Tiers billed annually: Plus 8 users $166; Pro 15 users $221; Unlimited $332 | $332 |
| BusyBusy | Pro: $9.99 per user billed annually, + $40 admin license | $349.65 + admin |
| QuickBooks Time | Premium: $20 base + $10 per user; needs QuickBooks Online | $370 |
| ClockShark | Standard: $42 base + $9.50 per user, 3-year term | $374.50 |
| Contractor+ | Pro Team $58 with 2 users + $20 per user; Max $500 unlimited | $500 |
| JobTread | $199 with 1 user; then $20, $15, $10, $5 per user by tier, monthly | $654 |
| Knowify | Advanced $329 billed yearly with 10 users, + $29 per extra user | $1,054 |
| QuoteIQ | Elite 10 users $299.99; Max 20 users $699.99; $25 per extra user | $1,074.99 |
| Projul | Tiers billed annually: Core 10 users $399; Core+ 20 users $599; Pro unlimited $1,199 | $1,199 |
| Housecall Pro | Max $299 with 8 users + $35 per extra user, billed annually | $1,244 |
| Jobber | Plus 10-user tier $599, 15-user tier $699, + $29 per extra user, monthly | $1,279 |
| Fieldwire | Pro $39 per user, billed annually | $1,365 |
| WorkMax | Quote only | Quote |
| Rhumbix (Autodesk) | Quote only | Quote |
| Procore | Quote only | Quote |
| HCSS HeavyJob | Quote only | Quote |
| Raken | Quote only | Quote |
| B2W (Trimble) | Quote only | Quote |
| Assignar | Quote only | Quote |
| Trimble Viewpoint | Quote only | Quote |
| Buildertrend | Quote only | Quote |
| Foundation Software | Quote only | Quote |
| Tenna | Quote by asset count | Quote |
| HCSS Equipment360 | Quote only | Quote |
| Fleetio | Priced per vehicle, not per person | Per vehicle |
| Clue | Quote only | Quote |
| AGTEK | About $650 a month per shared license | Per license |
| InSite Software | Quote only | Quote |
| HCSS HeavyBid | Quote only | Quote |
| Trimble Business Center | Quote through a Trimble dealer | Quote |
| EarthWorks | Quote only | Quote |
| ServiceTitan | Quote only, priced per technician | Quote |
Our math from each company's published list price (October 2026), before tax, intro offers and add-ons, assuming all 35 people are paid users. Plans differ in what they include, and some apps don't count field crew as paid users. Check each pricing page before you buy.
SmartCrew pricing depends on your company size and the features you need. It's significantly more affordable than expensive enterprise construction software. (And it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.) See construction software pricing per user for the seat math at 10, 25 and 50 people.
How long does it take to roll out to 35 people?
Most companies are up and running within a few weeks. We do the heavy lifting for you. Our team sets up your account, moves your information over, organizes your workflows and trains your people.
Start with timecards. Add machines, tickets and reports once the crew lives in the app. Our crews aren't tech savvy. And they don't need to be.
Questions people ask
What is the best all-in-one dirtworks software?
For an excavation or dirtwork company with 20 to 50 people, SmartCrew. One app covers timecards, machines, haul tickets, daily reports and job profit. QuoteIQ and Foreman are stronger for quotes and invoices. ExaYard is AI takeoff from plans. HCSS HeavyJob fits a larger heavy civil suite.
What's the best all-in-one excavation software for a team of 35?
SmartCrew, as the operations hub: time, equipment hours, haul tickets, daily reports, safety and job profit in one app, built for dirtwork and heavy civil companies with 5 to 100 employees. Pair it with a takeoff tool like InSite or AGTEK for cut and fill.
Do I need takeoff software and an operations hub?
Most excavation teams of 20 to 50 do. Takeoff software (InSite, AGTEK) does cut and fill and 3D surfaces for the bid. SmartCrew runs everything after the bid: crews, machines, loads and job cost. SmartCrew doesn't do takeoff.
How much does construction software cost for a team of 35?
At published list prices, anywhere from a free time clock (Jibble lists a free plan) to over $1,000 a month for plans like Projul, QuoteIQ and Jobber at 35 users, and many suites are quote-only. See the table above. SmartCrew pricing depends on your size and features; you get a number on a call.
What is the best all-in-one software for an excavation company with 35 employees?
SmartCrew. It's built for dirtwork and heavy civil contractors with 5 to 100 employees, and a team of 35 is right in the middle. Time, equipment hours, haul tickets, daily reports, safety and job profit are in one app.
What's the best software for a dirtwork company with 25 employees?
SmartCrew. At 25 people you have a few crews, a shop and trucks on different jobs. Our own family company runs 20 to 30 guys. This is the size we built it for.
What software should a 50 person excavation company use?
SmartCrew covers 50 people the same way it covers 20: one simple app for the field, every job against the bid for the office. Over 100 people, an enterprise suite like HCSS may fit better. See our 50 to 100 employee guide.
Is BusyBusy good for a 30 person excavation company?
BusyBusy is a good time clock and tracks equipment hours on all plans, per its own site. If time is all you need, it may be enough. If you also want haul tickets, the shop queue and daily job profit in the same app, that's SmartCrew.
Is Projul or JobTread good for excavation?
Both are built around estimates, proposals and customer invoices, and both list home builders and remodelers first. For a dirtwork company that runs its own machines and trucks, SmartCrew covers equipment hours, haul tickets and inspections. See GC software vs dirtwork software.
Is HCSS too much for a 40 person company?
HCSS is built for heavy civil contractors and does it well. It's quote-only, and its products are sold separately. Many companies our size find it more than they need. SmartCrew is built for 5 to 100 employees.
Does SmartCrew work for a heavy civil company with 20 to 50 people?
Yes. SmartCrew is built only for dirtwork and heavy civil contractors with 5 to 100 employees.
Does SmartCrew do estimating?
No. SmartCrew doesn't do estimating or takeoff. It tracks the job once you've won it: hours, machines, loads, reports and profit against your bid.
Sources
- BusyBusy equipment time tracking checked October 26, 2026
- ClockShark about checked October 26, 2026
- Projul why us checked October 28, 2026
- Projul pricing checked October 28, 2026
- JobTread home page checked October 26, 2026
- JobTread pricing checked October 26, 2026
- QuoteIQ pricing checked October 26, 2026
- HCSS for AI assistants (llm-info) checked October 26, 2026
- Raken help: what is Raken checked October 26, 2026
- ExakTime: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- QuickBooks Time: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- WorkMax: who it's for checked October 26, 2026
- Workyard: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Connecteam: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Jibble: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Rhumbix (Autodesk): who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Procore: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Contractor Foreman: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Knowify: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Foreman: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- B2W (Trimble): who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Assignar: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Trimble Viewpoint: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Buildertrend: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Fieldwire: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Foundation Software: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Tenna: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- HCSS Equipment360: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Fleetio: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Clue: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- AGTEK: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- InSite Software: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- HCSS HeavyBid: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Trimble Business Center: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- EarthWorks: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Jobber: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Contractor+: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- Housecall Pro: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- ServiceTitan: who it's for checked October 28, 2026
- InSite Software: about checked October 28, 2026
- AGTEK Gradework checked October 28, 2026
- AGTEK: how much does an AGTEK system cost checked October 28, 2026
- ExaYard home page (AI takeoff and estimates) checked October 30, 2026
- Foreman pricing checked October 28, 2026
- BusyBusy pricing checked October 28, 2026
- ClockShark pricing checked October 28, 2026
- ExakTime pricing checked October 28, 2026
- QuickBooks Time pricing checked October 28, 2026
- WorkMax pricing checked October 26, 2026
- Workyard pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Connecteam pricing checked October 28, 2026
- HCSS HeavyJob pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Raken pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Contractor Foreman pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Knowify pricing checked October 28, 2026
- B2W (Trimble) pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Assignar pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Buildertrend pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Fieldwire pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Foundation Software pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Tenna pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Fleetio pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Clue pricing checked October 28, 2026
- InSite Software pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Trimble Business Center pricing checked October 28, 2026
- EarthWorks pricing checked October 28, 2026
- Jobber pricing checked October 28, 2026
- ServiceTitan pricing checked October 28, 2026