For ownersSee the margin while the job is still running.
Appello is construction software for the owner of a 20 to 200 person trade contractor who wants to know where each job stands before it closes. Crews log time, forms and progress on the phone. Approved labor, bills and expenses land on the job by cost code, so earned versus burned and WIP are current, not a month late. Invoices carry holdback and go to QuickBooks Online. One system replaces the spreadsheets and single-purpose apps in between.
What changes for the owner
Most owners find out how a job went after it's over. These put the numbers in front of you while you can still act on them.
Margin per job, every week
Approved labor at the full rate, plus bills and expenses, lands on each cost code. Codes spending ahead of progress show at risk.
WIP as of any date
Percent complete, earned revenue and over or under billing per job — for month-end, the bank or the bonding company.
One system instead of six
Time, scheduling, safety, certifications, estimating, billing and equipment share one record per job. R.A. Barnes Electrical went from six systems to one.
Cash: holdback and invoices
The job's holdback (retainage) carries onto every progress invoice. Invoices go to QuickBooks Online, and paid status comes back.
Safety and compliance exposure
Required forms show as the crew's daily to-do, every submission is emailed, and tickets carry an Expiring Soon status.
Ask questions of your data
The AI connector lets Claude and other assistants read and update your Appello data, signed in as you, with your permissions.
A week in Appello
What an owner actually opens, day by day.
- 1MondayLast week's approved hours are on every job. Open the job cost report and see which cost codes moved.
- 2TuesdayReview estimates. A won estimate becomes the job budget and schedule of values — nobody re-types it.
- 3WednesdayCheck certifications expiring soon and which jobs have forms submitted.
- 4ThursdayProgress invoices go out with holdback, straight to QuickBooks Online.
- 5FridayAsk the AI connector about any job instead of waiting for someone to build a report.
What Appello leaves to other systems
- Appello is not your accounting system. QuickBooks Online or your ERP keeps the ledger, and your payroll system runs pay.
- Inventory, work orders and the dispatch board are in beta.
- The web and mobile apps are in English only.
Contractors running on Appello
Questions owners ask
What does Appello replace for a contractor owner?
Appello replaces the separate time clock, scheduling spreadsheet, safety app, certification tracker and billing workbook that most trade contractors run side by side. They share one record per job, so labor, forms and invoices tie back to the same budget. R.A. Barnes Electrical replaced six systems with Appello. Your accounting system and payroll provider stay where they are.
Can I see job margin before the job is finished?
Yes. Approved labor, bills and expenses post to the job by cost code as they are approved, and earned versus burned compares that cost with progress. The WIP report shows percent complete, earned revenue and over or under billing as of any date. You see a cost code slipping in week three, not at closeout.
Does Appello work with QuickBooks?
Yes. Progress invoices go to QuickBooks Online with the PDF attached, and paid status comes back into Appello. Approved hours can also go to QuickBooks Online, or export to QuickBooks Desktop as an IIF file. QuickBooks keeps the books; Appello keeps the job, from estimate to final invoice.
What is the Appello AI connector?
It is an MCP server that lets AI assistants such as Claude work with your Appello data. You sign in as yourself, and the assistant can only see and change what your permissions allow. It has hundreds of tools covering jobs, timesheets, schedules, certifications, job cost and billing, so you can ask a question in plain English instead of building a report.
See it on one of your own jobs.
Built for the trades who actually do the work.
Checked against the product 2026-10-13. Customer figures are from each company's published case study.