Technology

Best AIA Billing Software for General Contractors: How the Options Compare

No single product is best for every general contractor. Here are nine options sorted by the job each does: billing, subcontractor payments or full accounting.

Reviewed by • Oct 11, 2026 • 9 min read
Key takeaway

The best AIA billing software for a general contractor depends on what is missing. If you need billing and accounting together, look at construction accounting systems. If you are keeping your accounting system and need to collect and pay subcontractor billings, look at payment platforms. Tools built for subcontractors solve a different problem.

There is no single best AIA billing software for general contractors, because the products sold under that label do three different jobs. Some produce and track pay applications. Some collect and pay subcontractor billings on top of an accounting system you already own. Some are full construction accounting systems that include billing. The right choice depends on which of those you are missing. This guide sorts nine products by the job they do, using what each vendor says about its own product.

A disclosure before the list: EZBilling is our product. It is included below with the same treatment as the others, and the descriptions of other products come from their own public pages as of October 11, 2026. Sources are listed at the end. Where a vendor's pages do not mention something, this guide says so. That is not the same as the product lacking it, so ask the vendor.

What a General Contractor Needs From Billing Software

A general contractor sits in the middle of the payment chain. You bill the owner on a pay application in the AIA G702/G703 format, and on the same job you receive pay applications from every subcontractor. That creates requirements a subcontractor-only tool does not have to meet:

  • Owner pay applications built from a schedule of values, with stored materials, change orders and retainage.
  • Subcontractor pay applications recorded against each subcontract, with their own retainage.
  • Lien waivers and insurance certificates collected from every sub, tied to payment.
  • Job costing by project and cost code, and a WIP schedule for your bank and surety.
  • A general ledger that carries retainage receivable and retainage payable separately, either built in or through an integration you are willing to maintain.
Keep that list beside you as you read. Most of the differences between these products come down to which items they cover themselves and which they hand to another system.

EZBilling: Best for Small to Mid-Size GCs Who Want Billing and Accounting Together

EZBilling is AIA billing and construction accounting software built for general contractors. It produces owner pay applications in the G702/G703 format from the schedule of values, records subcontractor pay applications against each subcontract, and tracks retainage receivable and retainage payable separately, including a release of retainage part-way through a job. Lien waivers and insurance certificates are tracked per vendor, job cost is tracked by project and cost code, and invoices, bills and payments post to a built-in double-entry general ledger. It generates WH-347 certified payroll reports from imported payroll data and does not process payroll.

Consider it if you are a general contractor of roughly 5 to 200 employees and want one system for owner billing, subcontractor management and the books. Look elsewhere if you need project management, scheduling and field tools in the same product, or payroll processing. See what EZBilling does for a general contractor and the published pricing.

Procore: Best for GCs Who Want One Platform Across the Project

Procore is a construction management platform covering project management, quality, safety and financials for general contractors, owners and specialty contractors. Its invoicing tools collect, review and approve subcontractor invoices and compile them into owner invoices, and it describes setting and releasing retainage on subcontractor invoices. Procore Pay handles lien waivers and payments between general contractors and specialty contractors in the United States. Procore states that Project Financials is not an accounting solution and integrates with accounting systems. Pricing is an annual fee by product, based on annual construction volume, by custom quote.

Consider it if you want project management and financial workflows on one platform across a large team and already run an accounting system Procore connects to. Look elsewhere if you mainly need billing and accounting and do not want pricing tied to construction volume.

GCPay: Best for GCs Whose Main Problem Is Collecting Sub Pay Applications

GCPay is built for general contractors to manage payment applications from their subcontractors. The vendor states that a general contractor can require subs to submit AIA G702/G703 forms, that lien waivers and compliance documents are collected with payment held when a sub is out of compliance, and that subcontractors use it at no cost. It also describes an owner billing function. GCPay describes itself as separate from the accounting system and integrating with it, naming Sage, Vista by Viewpoint, CMiC, Acumatica and others. Autodesk's own pages describe GCPay as part of Autodesk. Pricing is custom, described as based on subcontracted construction volume and the number of projects and subcontractors. Job costing and a general ledger are not stated on the vendor pages we reviewed.

Consider it if you already have an accounting system you are keeping and your pain is the monthly flood of subcontractor pay applications, waivers and compliance documents. Look elsewhere if you need the accounting itself.

Oracle Textura Payment Management: Best for High-Volume Subcontractor Payments

Oracle describes Textura Payment Management as serving general contractors, owners and subcontractors. Subcontractors enter their pay applications in the system, it generates invoice documents such as the G702/G703 tied to each contract's schedule of values, and subcontractor invoices can be rolled up into the general contractor's owner billing. It collects signed invoices and lien waivers, including from lower tiers, holds payment for non-compliance, and pays by ACH. It integrates with external accounting systems. Oracle publishes no price for contractors, and its subcontractor help pages state that subcontractors pay a usage fee when they confirm participation in a project. Job costing and a general ledger are not stated on the vendor pages we reviewed.

Consider it if you manage a large volume of subcontractor payments and want lien waivers exchanged at the moment of payment, with an accounting system already in place. Weigh carefully that your subcontractors bear a fee to be paid through it, and ask Oracle what that fee is on your projects.

FOUNDATION: Best for Contractors Who Want Full Construction Accounting With Payroll

FOUNDATION, from Foundation Software, is construction accounting software with its own general ledger. The vendor describes AIA billing as part of the contractor's own progress billing, retainage on both the receivable and payable side, subcontract entry with insurance certificate expiry alerts, lien waivers printed from payables and receivables, job costing and WIP reporting, and payroll with certified payroll and prevailing wage. Pricing is quote-based, by module. Collecting pay applications electronically from subcontractors is not stated on the vendor pages we reviewed.

Consider it if you want an accounting system that includes payroll processing and you are prepared for a module-based purchase and implementation. Look elsewhere if you want published pricing and a self-service start.

Sage 100 Contractor: Best for Small to Mid-Size Contractors Standardizing on Sage

Sage describes Sage 100 Contractor as built for small to mid-sized contractors. It includes a general ledger, AIA billing as the contractor's progress billing, retention with per-line rates and release, subcontract management with insurance and license expiry tracking, lien waivers printed with vendor payments, change orders, job costing, and payroll with certified payroll and prevailing wage. Sage positions Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate for larger businesses. No price is published. Collecting pay applications electronically from subcontractors is not stated on the vendor pages we reviewed.

Consider it if your accountant and your team know Sage and you want accounting, job cost and payroll in one system. Look elsewhere if you want published pricing and a self-service start.

QuickBooks Online Advanced: Best for Small Contractors With Mostly General Accounting Needs

QuickBooks Online is general small-business accounting. Intuit describes project profitability and job costing on its Plus and Advanced plans, and on Advanced it describes construction features including AIA-style invoicing tied to project phases, WIP reports and change orders. Retainage, lien waivers and insurance certificates are not described on the QuickBooks product and help pages we reviewed, and certified payroll reports are described within its separate payroll products. Prices are published and there is a free trial.

Consider it if construction billing is a modest part of your accounting and your bookkeeper already works in QuickBooks. Look elsewhere if most of your revenue is billed on pay applications with retainage, or you manage many subcontracts. Our guide to migrating from QuickBooks to construction-specific accounting covers when that point arrives.

If You Are a Subcontractor: Siteline and Knowify

Two products that appear on most AIA billing lists are built for the other side of the pay application. Siteline describes itself as the billing tool built for commercial subcontractors: it produces the pay applications each general contractor requires and integrates with the sub's accounting system, which remains the general ledger. Knowify describes itself as designed for trade contractors at small and medium-sized businesses and states that it is not a replacement for QuickBooks Online. Both are reasonable choices for a subcontractor. Neither is positioned by its vendor as a system for a general contractor to run owner billing, subcontractor payables and accounting together. For more on the distinction, see GC vs subcontractor billing software.

How to Choose

Answer four questions and the list above narrows quickly.

  • Do you need the accounting, or only the billing layer? If you are keeping your accounting system, GCPay, Textura and Procore sit on top of it. If you are replacing it, look at EZBilling, FOUNDATION, Sage 100 Contractor or QuickBooks Online.
  • How many subcontractors do you pay each month? A few dozen can be handled inside an accounting system that tracks subcontracts, waivers and insurance. Hundreds across many projects is where a dedicated payment platform earns its cost.
  • Do you need payroll processing in the same system? FOUNDATION and Sage 100 Contractor include payroll. Most billing-first products do not.
  • How do you want to buy? Some vendors publish prices and let you start alone. Others quote after a sales process, sometimes based on your construction volume. Ask for the total first-year cost, including implementation and any fee your subcontractors will pay.
Whatever you shortlist, test it with one real job: your schedule of values, one month of progress, a stored materials line, a change order, a retainage reduction and one subcontractor pay application. A product that handles that month cleanly will handle the rest.

Sources

Descriptions of each product are paraphrased from the vendor's own public pages, accessed October 11, 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm current details with each vendor. Product names are trademarks of their owners and are used here only to identify the products discussed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best AIA billing software for a general contractor?

It depends on whether you need the accounting as well as the billing. General contractors replacing their accounting system should compare construction accounting products that include pay applications. Those keeping their accounting system should compare platforms that collect and pay subcontractor billings on top of it.

Do general contractors and subcontractors need different billing software?

Usually, yes. A subcontractor bills one party above it. A general contractor bills the owner and also receives, reviews and pays billings from every subcontractor, holding their retainage and collecting their lien waivers and insurance certificates.

Does AIA billing software include accounting?

Some does and some does not. Several vendors state that their product integrates with a separate accounting system that remains the general ledger. Others are accounting systems with billing built in. Check where the general ledger lives before you compare anything else.

How should I test AIA billing software before buying?

Run one real job through it: your schedule of values, a month of progress, a stored materials line, a change order, a retainage reduction and one subcontractor pay application.

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