Procore vs Autodesk Build vs custom software: what a UK contractor really pays over 5 years
A side-by-side comparison of licences, integration, admin time and exit costs, with a simple way to decide.
Procore suits contractors with many live projects and lots of site users, because it charges by construction volume, not by seat. Autodesk Build suits firms with a small office team already working in Autodesk tools, because it charges per user. Custom software suits a firm whose commercial process wins it work and no product fits.
Over five years the totals land closer together than the sales conversations suggest. In our worked example below, all three options come out between about £194,000 and £273,000. The real differences sit in integration with Sage or COINS, in who owns the data, and in what it costs to leave.
Procore vs Autodesk Build vs custom software at a glance
The three options differ more in how they charge and how easily you can leave than in features. This table compares them on the points that decide five-year cost for a UK contractor.
| Procore | Autodesk Build (now Forma Build) | Custom software | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence model | Annual fee per product, based on the construction volume you run through it; unlimited users | Per named user per year, in sheet tiers; unlimited-user plans by quote | No licence; you pay for the build, then hosting and maintenance |
| Published price | None. Procore quotes each customer | Reseller list from about £800 per user per year | Agency ranges: about £25,000–£60,000 for a production platform, £80,000–£120,000 when it is integration-heavy |
| Sage 50, Sage 200, COINS | No native connector listed | No native connector listed | Built to fit your accounts system |
| Your data and exit | You own the data; 30 days after the term ends to retrieve it | Reseller terms state 30 days to export after expiry | You own code and data if the contract says so |
| Time to go live | 10–22 weeks on Procore’s own implementation packages | No standard figure; partners plan around 90 days | Usually 3–6 months for a first production release |
| Lock-in risk | High: fees are non-cancellable and overage is billed at standard rates | Medium: per-user, so easier to scale down at renewal | Low on the vendor side, high on the people side if nobody owns the system |
Two notes on the table. Autodesk renamed Autodesk Construction Cloud to Autodesk Forma in March 2026, so Autodesk Build is now sold as Forma Build; logins and integrations didn’t change. And Procore’s ERP integrations list names Sage Intacct, Sage 300 CRE and Xero, but not Sage 50, Sage 200 or COINS, which many UK contractors run.
Five-year cost for a £30m contractor with 10 live projects
For a contractor turning over about £30m with ten live projects, our worked example puts five-year cost at about £217,000 for Procore, £272,000 for Autodesk Build and £194,000 for custom software. Treat it as an example to copy, not a quote.
Here are the assumptions, so you can swap in your own:
- 40 people need the platform: project managers, quantity surveyors, site managers and finance.
- Procore licence: £22,500 a year. Procore publishes no prices, so this is an assumption based on reported US pricing of roughly $500–$1,000 per $1m of volume. Get a real quote.
- Autodesk Build: 40 users at about £800 a year, from an authorised reseller’s January 2026 public-sector price list (ex VAT, three-year term).
- Licence fees rise 7% a year at renewal for both. Neither vendor publishes an uplift policy, and the figures reported by customers range from 5% to 15%.
- Procore set-up uses its published UK packages: Consult at £7,250 plus the mandatory £1,290 ERP set-up fee. Autodesk set-up assumes ten partner days at £1,000.
- Connecting either platform to Sage 200 or COINS needs middleware or a custom API link: £15,000 to build and £2,500 a year to keep running.
- Admin time: six hours a week at £30 an hour, over 46 working weeks, for any option.
- Leaving at the end costs £10,000 for either platform (export, checking and moving the records) and £2,000 for custom software.
- Custom build: £85,000 for the commercial core (costs, variations, valuations and reporting) with the Sage link built in, then 15% a year maintenance from year two and £3,000 a year hosting.
| Five-year cost (£, ex VAT) | Procore | Autodesk Build | Custom software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licences or build | 129,400 | 183,600 | 85,000 |
| Set-up and training | 8,540 | 10,000 | Included |
| Integration with Sage or COINS | 27,500 | 27,500 | Included |
| Maintenance and hosting | Included | Included | 66,000 |
| Admin time | 41,400 | 41,400 | 41,400 |
| Exit or migration | 10,000 | 10,000 | 2,000 |
| Total | 216,840 | 272,500 | 194,400 |
Three things move these totals most. For Autodesk, the user count: with 15 office users instead of 40, its column drops to about £158,000. For Procore, the volume you put through it, because going over your agreed volume is billed at standard rates without discount. For custom software, scope: the £85,000 covers the commercial side only. You would still need something for drawings, RFIs and site records, and that is where the platforms earn their fee.
When custom construction software makes sense, and when it doesn’t
Custom software pays off when your commercial process is the reason clients pick you and no platform fits it. For drawings, RFIs, snagging and daily logs, buy a platform. Those processes are the same across contractors, and vendors have already solved them.
Build only if most of these are true:
- The process sets you apart, for example how you price and track variations on fit-out work.
- You’ve tried to fit it into Procore or Autodesk and ended up running it in spreadsheets next to them.
- Your accounts system (Sage 200, COINS, Xero) has no supported connector to the platform you would buy.
- Someone in the business will own the system after launch and decide what changes.
- You can wait three to six months for the first production release.
If only one or two are true, integrate or automate around a platform instead. Our guide to build vs buy software scores the four options in more detail.
The hybrid option: keep the platform, build only the gap
For most mid-sized contractors the cheapest answer is neither pure platform nor pure custom. Keep Procore or Autodesk as the main system, connect it properly to the accounts, and build only the piece that’s missing.
The gaps we see most often are variations and cost reporting. Site teams record changes in the platform, but nobody can see in one place what has been instructed, priced, submitted and paid. A small module that pulls change events from the platform and actuals from Sage closes that gap without asking 40 people to learn a new system.
That’s what we did for a fit-out contractor running COINS and Procore. We standardised the data first, then connected the two systems. Month-end reconciliation went from three days to under four hours, and the firm absorbed a 40% rise in project volume without new finance headcount. Read the COINS and Procore case.
If your current system is old rather than missing, the same thinking applies: replace it in stages so the business keeps running. That’s our legacy software modernisation work.
How to decide in two weeks
You can make this decision in two weeks if you start from your own numbers rather than from demos. Work through these steps in order:
- Write down the three outcomes you need, with numbers: for example, month-end in four days, every variation submitted within 14 days of instruction.
- List who needs the system and what each group does in it. This tells you whether per-user or per-volume pricing works out cheaper.
- Check the vendor’s integrations page for your exact accounts product and region, not just “Sage”.
- Ask each vendor for a five-year quote, including the renewal cap, set-up packages and the price of going over your volume or user count.
- Read the exit clause: how long you have to export, in which formats, and whether documents and photos come out with their records.
- Fill in the five-year table above with your figures, and add a hybrid column.
- Test the top option on one live project’s real data before you sign.
To put a number on what slow variations cost you today, try our variation leakage calculator. It takes two minutes and gives you the baseline to judge any option against.
Frequently asked questions
Is Procore worth it for a small contractor?
It can be, if you run several projects at once and many people on site need access, because users are unlimited. For a contractor with two or three projects and a small office team, a per-user product or a lighter tool is often cheaper. Ask Procore for a quote based on your real annual volume before deciding.
Can Procore integrate with Sage?
Yes, for Sage Intacct and Sage 300 CRE, which are on Procore's list of native ERP connectors. Sage 50 and Sage 200, which many UK contractors use, are not on that list, so you would need a middleware tool or a custom API link. Confirm your exact Sage product and region with Procore first.
How much does custom construction software cost in the UK?
UK agencies publish ranges of about £25,000 to £60,000 for a production web platform and £80,000 to £120,000 for an integration-heavy system. Add 15% to 25% of the build cost each year for maintenance. A focused module, such as variations tracking connected to Sage, costs far less than a full platform.
Can we move our data out of Procore?
Yes. Procore's standard agreement says the customer owns its data, and you have 30 days after the subscription ends to retrieve it. Plan the export before renewal talks, test it on one project, and check that documents and photos come out with their records.
Is Autodesk Build cheaper than Procore?
It depends on how many people need access. Autodesk Build charges per user, so a small office team pays less. Procore charges by construction volume with unlimited users, so a firm with many site users often pays less per person. Run both quotes against your own user list and annual volume.
How long does Procore take to implement?
Procore's own UK implementation packages run from about 10 weeks for cost management to 22 weeks for project execution with document control. Connecting it to your accounts adds time. Allow extra weeks for agreeing cost codes with finance before any data moves.
Business problem first. Technology second.
Choosing between Procore, Autodesk Build and custom software? Book a 30-minute call