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Buyer's Guide•10 min read

What Construction Software Works with QuickBooks for Subcontractors?

Knowify, Appello, Procore, Buildertrend, ServiceTitan and QuickBooks Time all connect to QuickBooks, but they fit different subcontractors. Here is what each one actually sends to QuickBooks, Online vs Desktop, and how to pick.

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What Construction Software Works with QuickBooks for Subcontractors?#

Several products do, but each fits a different kind of sub. Knowify is built for trade contractors on QuickBooks Online or Desktop. Appello is built for ICI subs running union crews, from project work to service calls with its dispatch board and work orders; it syncs both ways with QuickBooks Online and sends payroll files to QuickBooks Desktop and Sage 50. Procore fits general contractors coordinating the whole building, Buildertrend fits residential builders and remodelers, and QuickBooks Time is enough if all you need is crew hours in QuickBooks. Before you pick, check two things: whether you run QuickBooks Online or Desktop, and exactly which records cross between the two systems, in which direction.

How do the main options compare?#

Every cell below comes from the vendor's own website or help centre, checked on October 14, 2026. Links are in the sources at the end.

Software Built for QuickBooks Online QuickBooks Desktop Crew hours to QuickBooks Pricing (as published)
Appello ICI trade contractors (insulation, mechanical, HVAC, electrical) with union crews Two-way: invoices out; bills and payments back Payroll export file (IIF); invoices and bills sync with Online Hours pushed as time activities with payroll items; export files for Desktop, Sage 50 and others No user limit; price scales with users, the modules you use and a standard server fee; quoted
Knowify Trade contractors Real-time; clients, vendors, items and payments both ways; invoices, bills, retainage and time entries out Push-button sync, Enterprise plan only Time entries sent to QuickBooks; also works with QuickBooks Time Core (1 user) and Advanced (10 users) plans, extra users US$29/month each; Desktop needs Enterprise (contact sales)
Procore GCs, owners and specialty contractors Connector for Online Plus, Advanced and Intuit Enterprise Suite; needs QuickBooks Online Projects; new projects only Connector for Desktop 2022–2024 via Web Connector Timecards and timesheets are not synced by either connector Annual fee based on construction volume; unlimited users
Buildertrend Home builders, remodelers and contractors Jobs, bills, invoices and time clock out; payments and actual costs back Via Web Connector, run from the QuickBooks computer Approved time clock shifts Quote; unlimited users
ServiceTitan Residential and commercial service trades Transactions synced in near real time Via Web Connector: invoices, payments, journal entries Not listed on its QuickBooks pages Quote; priced per technician
QuickBooks Time (Intuit) Any business with hourly crews Native; needs a QuickBooks Online account Listed as working with Desktop Native into QuickBooks Payroll Time Premium: US$20/month list (discounted on the page at times) + US$10 per user; US pricing

What does "works with QuickBooks" actually mean?#

It can mean anything from a live two-way sync to a file you download and import every Friday. Both are honest uses of the phrase. They are very different weeks for your bookkeeper.

Three questions sort it out:

  1. Which records cross? Invoices, supplier bills, payments, hours. Most tools move some of these, not all.
  2. Which direction? Invoices usually go out to QuickBooks. Bills and payments often come back. If bills don't come back, your job cost report in the field software never sees material.
  3. Sync or export? A sync moves records on its own. An export is a file someone has to remember to load.

Take an ordinary week. Your foreman runs a crew of six across three jobs. On Friday, the hours need to become payroll and job cost. Your progress claim needs to go to the GC by the 25th. A supplier bill for pipe insulation needs to land on the right job and cost code. Ask every vendor to show you that week, record by record.

Are you on QuickBooks Online or Desktop?#

This matters more than any feature list. Online connections run cloud to cloud. Desktop connections usually run through Intuit's Web Connector, which has to run on the computer that holds your company file. Procore, Buildertrend and ServiceTitan all connect to Desktop this way.

Intuit is also moving people off Desktop. It stopped selling new subscriptions of Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus and Enhanced Payroll to US customers after September 30, 2024. In Canada, Desktop Pro, Premier and Payroll stopped being sold to new subscribers on April 15, 2025. Existing subscribers can keep using their software, and Desktop Enterprise is not affected in either country.

If you're on Desktop Pro or Premier and shopping for field software anyway, ask your accountant whether this is the year to move to Online. Choosing field software around a version you plan to leave is a mistake you make twice.

Where do your crew's hours end up?#

Hours are where these integrations differ the most.

  • Procore's QuickBooks connectors, Online and Desktop, list timecards and timesheets as not synced.
  • Knowify sends time entries to QuickBooks Online and connects to QuickBooks Time.
  • Buildertrend pushes approved time clock shifts.
  • QuickBooks Time is Intuit's own and feeds QuickBooks Payroll directly. Geofenced clock-in reminders are on the Elite tier.
  • Appello pushes hours to QuickBooks Online as time activities with payroll items, or exports a file for QuickBooks Desktop (IIF), Sage 50 Canada, Sage 50 US, Dayforce PowerPay or CSV.

Sending hours is only half of it. If you're union, someone has to price each row first: the trade level, the agreement rate, overtime, travel, board. If your tool only sends hours, someone in the office still applies the travel and board by hand. Ask to see a worker who was a journeyman on one job and a foreman on another in the same week, and what reaches QuickBooks.

Can QuickBooks handle it on its own now?#

Sometimes, yes. Intuit now sells a construction add-on for QuickBooks Online Advanced (and bundles it with Intuit Enterprise Suite). Its subcontractor page lists AIA-style invoices tied to project phases, budgets against actuals and cost groups (labour, materials, equipment, subcontractors).

If you have a small office, few union rules and you're already on Online Advanced, try that first. Check it on your own jobs, especially holdback, and confirm with Intuit that it is sold in your country.

Intuit's subcontractor page doesn't mention union rates, holdback, safety forms or crew scheduling. If you need those, you need one of the trade-contractor tools, and you should ask it to show you each one.

What should you ask in the demo?#

  • "Show me a supplier bill entered in QuickBooks showing up on the job in your software, against a cost code."
  • "Show me a progress invoice going out, and the payment coming back as paid."
  • "What happens to hours: sync, export file, or nothing?"
  • "Which QuickBooks editions do you support, Online and Desktop, and in Canada?"
  • "Does it work on a job that's already half built, or only new ones?" (Procore's connectors are designed for new projects.)
  • "Who fixes it when a sync fails, and how do I find out?"

Where is Appello not the right fit?#

Appello is built for ICI trade contractors with field crews. It isn't built for:

  • Residential builders and remodelers. Buildertrend is made for that.
  • General contractors who need document control and submittals for the whole building. That is Procore's home ground.
  • A one-person shop with no field crew. QuickBooks' own timesheets or QuickBooks Time will cover you.

Where does Appello fit?#

Appello is for ICI trade contractors, often union, with crews spread across several jobs, who want to keep QuickBooks Online as the books.

  • Foremen enter hours on the phone, by job and cost code, with geofenced clock-in.
  • Appello prices each row from the trade level and agreement, including overtime, travel, board and parking. Timesheets are approved at two levels (supervisor, then admin). Hours go to QuickBooks Online as time activities with payroll items.
  • Progress invoices are built from the Schedule of Values, with holdback and HST, GST, PST or QST calculated, and pushed to QuickBooks Online. When the payment is recorded in QuickBooks, the invoice shows paid in Appello.
  • Supplier bills entered in QuickBooks Online sync back to the job and cost code. Budget vs actual updates as timesheets are approved.
  • Service and extra work runs from a dispatch board, and a signed T&M work order becomes an invoice.
  • On QuickBooks Desktop or Sage 50, approved hours go across as a payroll file (IIF for Desktop). Invoice and bill sync is with QuickBooks Online, so if a move to Online is on your list, it's ready when you are.

QuickBooks stays your general ledger and your payroll provider stays your payroll provider. Appello doesn't replace either. See the QuickBooks Online integration for details.

FAQ#

Do I have to replace QuickBooks to get construction job costing?
No. Every product in the table above is designed to run next to QuickBooks, not replace it.

Does Procore work with QuickBooks for subcontractors?
Yes, with separate connectors for Online and Desktop. Neither syncs timecards or timesheets, and both are designed for new projects, so check how you'd handle labour and jobs already underway.

Is QuickBooks Desktop going away?
Not for existing users. Intuit stopped selling Desktop Pro Plus and Premier Plus to new US subscribers in 2024 and Pro and Premier to new Canadian subscribers in 2025. Enterprise is still sold.

What's the difference between a sync and an export?
A sync moves records between systems on its own. An export is a file someone downloads and imports. Exports are fine for weekly payroll; for bills and payments that drive job cost, a sync keeps the numbers current.

Can field software handle holdback (retainage) and still send invoices to QuickBooks?
Some can. Knowify sends retainage to QuickBooks Online. Appello calculates holdback on progress invoices and pushes the invoice with its lines, customer and tax. Ask each vendor to show you a holdback invoice arriving in QuickBooks.

Sources#

All accessed October 14, 2026.

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