Comparisons

Houzz Pro vs Buildertrend (2026)Pricing, Features, and Which to Choose

November 3, 202610 min readBy the Ardovia team

Houzz Pro suits designers, remodelers, and smaller teams who want published pricing from $199 per month, a 30-day free trial, AI 3D floor plans, and leads from the Houzz marketplace. Buildertrend suits established home builders who run five or more projects a year and want unlimited users, deep scheduling, and two-way QuickBooks sync, on a custom quote with no free trial. Pool builders and specialty design-build contractors should also look at Ardovia, which prices jobs from formulas, runs the construction schedule, and includes a permitting module.

Houzz Pro vs Buildertrend: the quick answer

Both are all-in-one platforms for residential contractors. They differ in who they're built for and how they sell.

Houzz Pro is business software from Houzz, the home design marketplace, and its CRM takes in leads from Houzz. Its strengths are design and selling: AI 3D floor plans, photorealistic renders, mood boards, and leads from Houzz. It publishes prices and offers a free plan and a 30-day trial.

Buildertrend is a construction management platform founded in 2006. Its pricing page says it's built for builders who oversee 5 or more projects a year or handle complex, multi-phase builds. It includes unlimited users and quotes each company individually.

How we compared them

Disclosure: Ardovia publishes this page. Ardovia competes with both products, and we present it as an alternative at the end. Every Houzz Pro and Buildertrend fact below comes from that company's own website, checked November 2026. Where a vendor's site doesn't state something, we say so rather than guess. We couldn't load either product's G2 or Capterra listing when we checked, so we don't quote ratings.

Houzz Pro vs Buildertrend at a glance

	Houzz Pro	Buildertrend
Best fit	Designers, remodelers, and design-led contractors	Established home builders and remodelers running 5+ projects a year
Published pricing	Yes - Pro $199/month, Teams $399/month, Enterprise by quote	No: custom quote; no dollar figure on its pricing page
Users included	1 on Pro, 5 on Teams, unlimited on Enterprise	Unlimited
Additional users	$50/user/month	Not applicable (unlimited)
Free plan	Yes - a free Basic plan	Not listed on its pricing page
Free trial	30 days; the annual subscription begins when it ends	No; free personalized demos instead
Annual discount	Not listed on its pricing page	10% off when paid annually upfront
CRM and leads	Yes - leads from Houzz, forms, and email; text and click-to-call	Yes - lead management, proposals, email marketing
Estimating and takeoff	Yes - estimates, AI takeoff, cost catalog, bid management	Yes - estimates, takeoff, and bids
3D floor plans and design	Yes - AI 2D-to-3D plans, renders, walkthroughs, mood boards	Not listed on its pricing page
Scheduling	Gantt, calendar, and list views with dependencies	Gantt, templates, dependencies, critical path, baseline
Client portal	Yes - Client Dashboard	Yes - Client Portal
Sub portal	Subcontractor management and dashboard	Yes - Sub Portal
Online payments	Yes - card, debit, and ACH; GreenSky and Figure financing	Yes - (US only)
QuickBooks Online	Yes - one-way sync to QuickBooks	Yes - two-way sync
Other accounting/payroll	Gusto (beta)	Xero and Gusto
Permitting module	Not listed on its pricing page	Not listed; permits attach as files on schedule items
Mobile app	iOS and Android	iOS and Android

Competitor details checked November 2026 from their public websites; plans change — confirm on Houzz Pro's pricing page and Buildertrend's pricing page.

Pricing: published tiers vs a custom quote

Houzz Pro lists Pro at $199 per month with 1 user and Teams at $399 per month with 5 users. Enterprise adds unlimited users by quote. Extra users on Pro and Teams are $50 per user per month. Its FAQ says the annual subscription starts when the 30-day free trial ends. An advertising package is a separate add-on starting at $499 per month.

Buildertrend shows no dollar figure. You answer a few questions, including your annual construction volume, then review a custom quote on a call. Every subscription includes unlimited users and projects, and paying annually upfront saves 10%.

What a 10-person team pays on Houzz Pro: Teams at $399 plus five extra users at $50 is $649 per month. On Buildertrend the user count doesn't change the price, so get a quote at your real volume and compare.

Sales, CRM, and leads

Houzz Pro captures leads from Houzz, web forms, email, or manual entry and moves them through stages you customize. You can email or text leads, call with click-to-call, and set auto-replies for when your team is away. Teams adds email marketing, a custom website, and AI phone tools in beta.

Buildertrend lists lead management, proposals with digital contracts, and custom email drips on its pricing page.

The difference: Houzz Pro is also a lead source. If your business depends on Houzz marketplace traffic, that tie-in matters. Buildertrend is a CRM for leads you bring in yourself.

Estimating, takeoff, and 3D design

Both list estimates, takeoff, and bid management. Houzz Pro calls its takeoff AI-powered: it reads plans for area, length, and count measurements and turns them into an estimate.

Design is where Houzz Pro stands apart. It converts 2D plans into interactive 3D floor plans with AI, produces photorealistic renders, and offers life-sized walkthroughs and AR. Pro includes 5 3D conversions a month, Teams 20, and Enterprise unlimited, under a fair use limit. Buildertrend's pricing page doesn't list a 3D design tool.

Scheduling and project management

Buildertrend has the deeper scheduler. Its schedule page lists Gantt charts, critical path scheduling, templates, baselines, and predecessors that shift connected tasks automatically. Change orders and selections update the timeline.

Houzz Pro offers Gantt, calendar, and list views with dependencies, plus daily logs with automatic weather and crew hours, time tracking, and task management.

Neither names a permitting module. Buildertrend's schedule page mentions attaching permits as files on schedule items.

Client portal, payments, and QuickBooks

Both have a client portal. Houzz Pro's Client Dashboard shows clients shared photos, messages, schedules, and documents, and you can preview what they see. Buildertrend's Client Portal shows schedules, budgets, selections, and daily progress.

Both take online payments. Houzz Pro accepts card, debit, and ACH, supports progress payments, and partners with GreenSky and Figure for homeowner financing. Buildertrend lists payments for US customers.

QuickBooks is a real difference. Houzz Pro's integration is one-way: invoices, purchase orders, bills, change orders, and payments go to QuickBooks Online. Buildertrend describes a two-way sync, so job expenses entered in QuickBooks can flow back to the Buildertrend budget. Buildertrend also lists Xero and Gusto.

Step by step

Which should you choose?

1
Choose Houzz Pro if design sells your jobs
You're a designer, remodeler, or design-build firm that wins work with 3D plans and renders, wants Houzz leads, and prefers published pricing and a 30-day trial.
2
Choose Buildertrend if you run a large building operation
You build homes or large remodels, run many jobs at once, want unlimited users, and need a detailed scheduler and two-way QuickBooks sync.
3
Look at both if you're between them
Price your real team on each. At 10 users, Houzz Pro Teams is $649 per month; Buildertrend's quote doesn't change with headcount.
4
Look elsewhere if your trade is specialized
Pool builders and other specialty contractors price from dimensions and options, follow a fixed chain of phases and inspections, and pull permits. The section below covers a tool built for that.

The alternative for pool builders and specialty contractors: Ardovia

Houzz Pro is built around design, and Buildertrend around general building. Ardovia is pool builder software and construction management software for specialty and design-build contractors: pool builders, outdoor living, landscape and hardscape, remodelers, and roofers. It goes further in three places that cost these trades the most time.

Ardovia · Pricing tool

Jobs priced by your own formulas, not a takeoff

You build your pricing once as a template. Inputs like dimensions, finishes, and equipment drive every quantity and price through your own formulas, and the total updates as the designer works with the homeowner.

Change orders are priced from the template the job was sold with. See the pricing tool and how to price a pool build.

Proposals / Builder · Bell Residence

Gunite Pool Package

Template · 3 sections

Live pricing

Pool Package

Gunite Shell — 16′ × 32′

Structure

$28,500

Tile & Coping — Travertine

Finishes

$6,800

Equipment — Pentair IntelliFlo

Equipment

$9,200

Landscaping

Pass-through

Allowance

$5,000

Spring Promo

Discount

−$2,000

Project Total$84,900

Ardovia · Construction scheduling

A schedule that runs the next step on its own

Every step of the build is an item in a reusable schedule template. When an item's turn comes, it creates the task, sends the email, requests the draw, or starts the permit.

Payment gates can hold the next phase until a draw is paid, and inspections land before or after the right phase. See construction scheduling.

ardovia.com / construction / Bell Residence

Construction schedule

On trackMonthTimelineTable

Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5

Excavation

Steel / Rebar

Plumbing

Gunite

Draw 2 · paid gate

Tile & Coping

Final Walkthrough

Move a phase and everything downstream shifts with it — automatically.

Ardovia · Permitting

Permits inside the job, from application to inspection

Jurisdiction templates hold each authority's PDF forms, timelines, and required inspections. Permits are created from the job with the application pre-filled, then tracked on a board from incomplete to issued.

Neither Houzz Pro nor Buildertrend names a permitting module on the pages we checked. See permits.

ardovia.com / permits

Incomplete2

Bell Residence

Travis County

Pool

Pending1

Okafor Estate

City of Austin

Building

In Progress2

Ramirez Backyard

Round Rock

Electrical

Issued4

Whitfield Pool

Williamson Co.

Pool

Drag a permit to Issued to capture its number & date — expiration is set for you

Houzz Pro vs Buildertrend vs Ardovia

	Houzz Pro	Buildertrend	Ardovia
Starting price	$199/month (1 user)	Custom quote	$249/month Single User ($199 billed annually)
Team pricing	Teams $399/month with 5 users; $50/extra user	Unlimited users in the quote	Team $399/month per location with 5 users; $20/extra user
Free trial	30 days	No; demos instead	14 days, cancel anytime
Estimating	Estimates and AI takeoff	Estimates, takeoff, and bids	Formula-driven pricing templates
3D design	Yes	Not listed on its pricing page	No
Self-running construction schedule	Gantt with dependencies	Templates, dependencies, critical path	Yes - with payment gates and inspections
Permitting module	Not listed on its pricing page	Not listed; permits as attachments	Yes
Client portal	Yes	Yes	No; documents by email, e-signature by link
Online payments	Yes	Yes - (US only)	Coming soon (Bill.com)
QuickBooks Online	One-way sync	Two-way sync	Two-way sync
Pool distributors	Not listed on its pricing page	Not listed on its pricing page	Heritage pricing and ordering live; POOLCORP coming soon
Call tracking	Not listed on its pricing page	Not listed on its pricing page	Yes - tracking numbers by lead source
Mobile apps	iOS and Android	iOS and Android	Web, iOS, and Android

Competitor details checked November 2026 from their public websites; plans change — confirm on Houzz Pro's pricing page and Buildertrend's pricing page. Ardovia prices are on our plans page.

Ardovia pricing and tradeoffs

Pricing is published. Single User is $249 per month, or $199 billed annually. Team is $399 per month for one location with 5 users, or $319 billed annually. Enterprise, for more than one location, is $499 per location, and extra users are $20 per month. Every feature is in every plan, and there's a 14-day free trial.

Every plan also includes dispatch, training courses, a sales leaderboard, call tracking, and two-way QuickBooks Online sync.

Know the tradeoffs. Ardovia has no customer portal; customers get documents by email and sign electronically by link. It has no subcontractor portal and no 3D design tool. Online payments through Bill.com, POOLCORP, and two-way text messaging are coming soon, not live. If 3D design or a client portal decides it for you, Houzz Pro or Buildertrend fits better today.

Compare Ardovia head to head: Ardovia vs Buildertrend, Ardovia vs JobTread, Ardovia vs Jobber, and Ardovia vs ProDBX. Or see the best Buildertrend alternatives.

Built for contractors

Run your contracting business in one place

Ardovia handles leads, proposals, change orders, scheduling, permits, and job costing for pool builders and contractors.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Houzz Pro and Buildertrend?

Houzz Pro is a design-led platform with AI 3D floor plans, renders, and leads from the Houzz marketplace, sold on published plans from $199 per month. Buildertrend is a construction management platform for established builders, with unlimited users, a detailed scheduler, and two-way QuickBooks sync, sold on a custom quote. Both include estimating, takeoff, a client portal, online payments, and iOS and Android apps.

Is Houzz Pro cheaper than Buildertrend?

Houzz Pro publishes lower entry prices: $199 per month for one user and $399 per month for five users, with extra users at $50 per month, as of November 2026. Buildertrend does not publish a price; it quotes each company and includes unlimited users. For a large team, compare a Buildertrend quote against Houzz Pro's per-user total.

Does Buildertrend offer a free trial?

No. As of November 2026, Buildertrend's FAQ says it does not offer a free trial and offers free personalized demos and a virtual product tour instead. Houzz Pro offers a 30-day free trial and a free Basic plan, and Ardovia offers a 14-day free trial.

Does Houzz Pro integrate with QuickBooks?

Yes. Houzz Pro integrates with QuickBooks Online through a one-way sync that sends invoices, purchase orders, bills, change orders, estimates, and payments from Houzz Pro to QuickBooks. Buildertrend describes its QuickBooks integration as a two-way sync.

Does Buildertrend have 3D floor plans like Houzz Pro?

Buildertrend's pricing page does not list a 3D design or floor plan tool as of November 2026. Houzz Pro includes AI 2D-to-3D floor plans, photorealistic renders, and life-sized walkthroughs, with 5 monthly conversions on Pro, 20 on Teams, and unlimited on Enterprise.

Which is better for pool builders, Houzz Pro or Buildertrend?

Neither Houzz Pro nor Buildertrend is built specifically for pool construction, and neither lists a permitting module or pool distributor integrations on its pricing page as of November 2026. Ardovia is built for pool builders, with formula pricing from dimensions and equipment, self-running phase schedules with inspections and draws, a permits module, and live Heritage distributor pricing and ordering.

Do Houzz Pro and Buildertrend have a client portal?

Yes. Houzz Pro has a Client Dashboard and Buildertrend has a Client Portal, and both let homeowners see schedules, documents, and project updates. Ardovia does not have a customer portal; customers receive documents by email and sign electronically by link.

Ready to see it in action?

Try Ardovia free for 14 days. Cancel anytime before your trial ends.