Buildern vs Tenon

Buildern is a construction management platform for residential and commercial teams, bringing project workflows, budgets, schedules, and communication together. Project tools include schedules, task tracking, document control, daily logs, RFIs, submittals, change orders, and client selections. Estimates can use cost catalogs, prebuilt assemblies, and unit-based pricing, then be converted into branded proposals. Financial management covers budgets, cost codes, bills, purchase orders, client invoices, and reporting.

Buildern connects accounting data with QuickBooks and Xero. Its AI can extract bill details from uploaded or emailed invoices and match bills to purchase orders. Built-in messaging and separate portals support clients, subcontractors, and vendors; field workers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients are free external users with limited portal functionality. The service is available on web, Android, iOS, and tablets for field and office teams. Starter costs $225 a month billed annually for two seats, with additional users at $81 USD per month. Professional costs $360 a month billed annually for four seats, with additional users at $90 USD per month. A seven-day trial is listed; there is no free plan.

Tenon is construction management software for working contractors, bringing project and business workflows into one system. Its tools cover estimates, proposals, Gantt scheduling, daily logs, budgets, invoicing, change orders, RFIs, and client portals. Sage, the AI assistant, answers project questions, cites records, drafts change orders and proposals, and uses per-user permissions. Native iOS and Android apps provide field logs, timers, and RFIs; the iOS app also supports Apple Watch and CarPlay. Tenon lists QuickBooks sync for invoicing and an MCP integration for Claude.ai and other MCP clients. Field workers, subcontractors, and clients are free on every plan, while paid seats are for office users. Starter costs $49 a month billed per user and includes up to three Builder seats and unlimited Field seats; Pro is $129 a month billed per user, and Enterprise is $249 a month billed per user. There is no free plan, but a 30-day trial is offered. Customer data is stored in AWS Canada (ca-central-1); customers can export it to CSV, PDF, or JSON, and Tenon says it does not hold data after cancellation. SOC 2 Type II is in audit.