¶ 🔒 INTERNAL — SALES ENABLEMENT ONLY
Do NOT share this page, or paste from it, outside GoBuild. It names honest gaps,
dormant features, and unbuilt (vaporware) items on purpose so sales never over-promises.
For anything client-facing, use only rows marked 🟢 Have (built) below, and re-verify
any competitor figure at its source — Buildertrend and ADP pricing/tiers are third-party
(neither publishes) and were researched mid-2026.Status badges (same as the rest of the KB): 🟢 Have / built · 🟡 Partial / config-gated ·
⚪ Dormant (real code, no keys) · ❌ Gap / vaporware — never claim.Terminology: a unit of work is a Job; the person you build for is a Client
(never "Project" / "Customer"). See Glossary.
GoBuild is the AI-native, no-lock-in construction-management platform for residential
builders and remodelers — everything Buildertrend does for running Jobs, plus a real AI
copilot (Keystone), a built-in website + marketing engine, and Canadian compliance — sold
à la carte with transparent pricing and one-click data export.
Lead with the emotional wedge (Buildertrend's price escalation + 12-month lock-in + data
hostage), then prove the product wedge in the demo (Keystone drafts an estimate/proposal in
minutes; the website + marketing suite Buildertrend simply doesn't have). Retain on field
reliability (offline-first PWA). This hits Buildertrend's four highest-frequency complaints and
its highest-emotion one at the same time.
GoBuild has two distinct competitors because it spans two categories a builder normally buys
separately. Confirmed from the source analyses.
| Category | Primary competitor | What they are | Where we meet them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction management (the core product) | Buildertrend (absorbed CoConstruct in 2021 → ~23k clients, 1.1M users) | All-in-one PM/financials/client-portal for residential builders $1M–$50M | Head-to-head across the whole product |
| Payroll / HR (the Team & HR pillar) | ADP Workforce Now | Full HCM system of record — payroll processing, tax filing, benefits, talent, for 50–1,000+ employees | We are a labor/HR layer that feeds a payroll provider — not a payroll processor |
The framing that matters: against Buildertrend we compete to replace. Against ADP we
deliberately do not — GoBuild is the construction labor system of record that hands approved
hours to ADP/Gusto/QuickBooks Payroll. Trying to sell "GoBuild replaces ADP" is a losing,
off-strategy pitch (see §6).
Runner-up construction rivals that come up (small/solo end): JobTread, Contractor Foreman
(~$49/mo), Buildern; up-market: Procore. We are not primarily positioned against these —
Buildertrend is the fight.
Legend: 🟢 Have (built & wired in code) · 🟡 Partial / config-gated · ❌ Gap (Buildertrend
ahead, or unbuilt on our side).
Reconciliation note (read this): the internal
docs/buildertrend_parity.mdwas compiled
2026-06-20 and is now stale on the back office. Since then, QuickBooks two-way sync,
Bills/AP + Cost Inbox (OCR), lien waivers, payroll export, PTO accruals, employee self-service,
and the HR doc vault have all shipped (verified in code, 2026-07). The table below reflects
the current code, not the June doc.
| Capability | GoBuild | Buildertrend | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI copilot (conversational, page-aware, takes write actions) | Keystone — ask over all your data + Do-cards that draft invoices, POs, change orders, proposals, daily logs, client updates | Only "AI Client Updates" (weekly summary) + a support chatbot | 🟢 Big lead |
| AI estimating / photo takeoff | Estimate-from-photo + Gemini-vision takeoff, AI proposal drafting | None anywhere | 🟢 Big lead |
| Website builder | Full multi-page builder, themes, custom-code pages, custom domains, SEO, Client login, site messenger | No builder — a lead form their web team sets up for you | 🟢 Big lead |
| Marketing suite | Segments, lead scoring, visual workflow builder, campaigns, drip nurture, open/click tracking, CASL suppression | Basic "Email Marketing" only; no workflows | 🟢 Big lead |
| Canadian compliance | Statutory holdback by province, GST/HST, T5018, WCB/WSIB framing, CAD/USD | US-centric | 🟢 Lead |
| No lock-in / data export | Unified import/export/migrate/backup spine | No bulk export; 12-mo no-refund contract (their top complaint) | 🟢 Lead |
| Punch list | Dedicated tool | Routed through To-Dos | 🟢 Edge |
| Mobile offline depth | Offline-first PWA on every field form incl. photos, clock, RFIs | Offline limited to Daily Logs + clock; native apps widely cited as buggy | 🟢 Edge (PWA, not app-store) |
| Capability | Notes |
|---|---|
| Scheduling (Gantt/WBS, critical path, dependency types FS/SS/FF/SF + lag, calendar) | GoBuild rides OpenProject; Buildertrend native. Roughly even. |
| Change orders (line items, dual e-sign, Client approval → job costing, CO→PO) | Even — arguably ahead. |
| Job costing / budget (projected/committed/actual/variance, projected profit) | Even. |
| Procurement / POs (line items, receiving, e-sign, bids→PO) | Even. |
| Invoicing / progress billing / online pay | Even — GoBuild pays via Stripe (ACH-preferred). |
| Daily logs (weather, photos, offline) · Time clock (GPS/geofence → cost codes) | Even. Buildertrend's daily log is well-reviewed — match the polish in demo. |
| Selections / allowances · Documents + plan markup · Client portal · Messaging (Chatwoot + push) · Reporting (native + Metabase) · Subs · Warranty | Even. |
| Capability | GoBuild today | Buildertrend | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online two-way sync | Real & wired — OAuth connect per org, pushes invoices + bills + payments on pay, reconciles via Intuit webhook. Config-gated on the global Intuit app creds + per-org Connect. | Working QBO/Desktop sync (buggy; their loudest complaint) | 🟡→🟢 Built, config-gated. Scope = invoices/bills/payments only — see caveat below |
| Bills / Accounts Payable + Cost Inbox (OCR) | Built — vendor bill → OCR auto-fill → approve → cost code → job costing | "Bills" + Cost Inbox OCR (premium) | 🟢 Have |
| Lien waivers | Built — LienWaiver, per-bill waiver status, public no-login sign page, payment-gating |
Generated/signed/stored, payment-gated | 🟢 Have |
| Certified payroll (WH-347, T5018, 1099-NEC) + provider-agnostic payroll export (CSV/XLSX) | Built — feeds any payroll system | QuickBooks + Gusto payroll sync | 🟢 Have (export; not a processor — see §6) |
⚠️ Honest caveat sales must hold — QBO sync scope. The two-way sync pushes invoices,
bills, and payments only. It does NOT currently sync change orders, POs, or cost codes
(the exact items Buildertrend's sync also drops). Do not claim "full CO/PO/cost-code sync" —
that's roadmap, not shipped.
| Capability | Buildertrend | GoBuild | Our stance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll processing (gross-to-net, direct deposit, pay stubs, tax filing) | QuickBooks + Gusto | ❌ Not built — register + export only | Deliberate non-goal — we feed payroll, don't run it (§6) |
| Xero accounting | QBO + Xero two-way | ❌ Vaporware — empty package, zero code | NEVER sell Xero. See §7 |
| Accounting breadth (Sage, etc.) | Xero + shallow Sage | QBO only | Low priority |
| Supplier rebates / material ordering (Ferguson, Home Depot Pro Xtra) | Yes | ❌ None | Niche, partnership-gated — skip |
| 3rd-party marketplace (Salesforce/HubSpot/Pipedrive/Gusto) | Broad | Fewer (embeds OSS instead) | Different strategy |
| Native iOS/Android apps | In app stores (buggy) | ❌ PWA only | PWA is more capable offline; app-store presence is mostly marketing |
Submittals (true ball-in-court routing) · RFI routing / approval chains · structured bid leveling ·
automated COI/insurance verification + chase + payment-gating (unbuilt by both — strongest
risk-management wedge). Whoever ships these first takes the light-commercial segment.
Ranked by the source battlecard. Lead with #1, prove #2 & #3 in the demo, retain on #4.
Framing (use this, don't deviate): ADP Workforce Now is a full HCM system of record. GoBuild
Team & HR is a construction labor/HR layer wired to Jobs, schedule, and cost codes. We overlap on
roster/time/basic HR; we diverge hard on payroll/benefits/talent — on purpose.
What we produce (built): roster (staff + crews + vendors in one hub), geofenced time clock +
approval, per-person rates, a payroll register (reg/OT), certified payroll (WH-347, Canadian
fair-wage, T5018, 1099-NEC), COI auto-chase, onboarding, reviews.
Is the gap being closed? Partly — and the cheap, high-value half has already shipped. The
docs/close_adp_gap_plan.md roadmap is now built in code (verified 2026-07):
| Plan phase | State |
|---|---|
| Payroll export (provider-agnostic CSV/XLSX; the "feeds your payroll" headline) | 🟢 Shipped (payroll_export.py, /team-hub/payroll/export) |
| PTO accruals & balances (US hours-accrual + CA statutory vacation pay) | 🟢 Shipped (PtoPolicy, pto.py) |
| Employee self-service ("My HR") — field + hub + sub-portal, request time off, see balance/pay summary | 🟢 Shipped (my_hr.py) |
| HR document vault + e-sign (offer/W-4/TD1/I-9/direct-deposit via Documenso) | 🟢 Shipped (employee_docs.py) |
What is deliberately NOT closed (integrate, don't build): payroll processing (gross-to-net,
direct deposit, pay stubs, GL post), payroll tax filing (W-2/T4 e-file), benefits administration,
recruiting/ATS, LMS, benchmarking. These are regulated, undifferentiated, and years of liability —
we integrate with a payroll provider, we don't replace one.
⚠️ Sales guardrails on ADP: (1) The self-service pay view shows estimated earnings, clearly
labeled "estimate · pre-tax · not a pay stub" — never call it a pay stub. (2) We do not cut
cheques or file taxes — never imply we do. (3) The wedge to sell: subs + crews + staff in one hub,
COI auto-chase, labor→job-costing by cost code, certified payroll + Canada — the things a GC would
otherwise bolt ADP onto their job software to get. Play there, not on "replace ADP."
These are advertised somewhere in the product/labels but are not built. Selling them ships nothing
or breaks. Keep them out of every client-facing conversation.
| Item | Reality | Why it's dangerous |
|---|---|---|
| Xero sync | ❌ Empty package — zero code. The quickbooks entitlement is labelled "QuickBooks / Xero sync," but only QBO exists. |
Selling "Xero" delivers nothing. Say "QuickBooks" only. |
| Google Ads publishing / PMax launch | 🟡 Account linking + AI draft/creative work; the "Launch" button is disabled — no campaign is ever pushed to Google. | Don't say "we run/publish your Google Ads." Say "we draft campaigns" at most. |
| Social publishing (Meta) | ⚪ Compose/schedule/brand is live; publish is dormant (no Meta app connected). | Don't promise auto-posting to Facebook/Instagram yet. |
| QBO sync of COs / POs / cost codes | ❌ Not built — sync is invoices/bills/payments only. | Don't claim "full accounting sync." |
| Payroll processing / tax filing | ❌ Deliberate non-goal (see §6). | Don't imply we run payroll. |
Also config-gated / dormant (real code, needs keys — verify per deployment before demoing):
call-tracking Voice (global Twilio), BuildData permit intel, Google Calendar sync, Web Push. See the
Integrations catalog for the live/dormant map.
Buildertrend. Founded 2006 (Omaha); absorbed CoConstruct 2021 → ~23k clients, 1.1M+ users. Sweet
spot: residential builders/remodelers $1M–$50M, 3–250 employees. Removed all published pricing in
2026 — now a volume-based custom quote (your rate scales with your revenue). Last-published reference:
Essential ~$339–$499/mo, Advanced ~$499–$799, Complete ~$829–$1,099; annual lock-in, real-world all-in
~$8k–$12k/yr. Ratings: Capterra 4.5 (masks harsher TrustRadius/Trustpilot on value-for-money +
cancellation). Their AI is narrow summarization/OCR. Sources are attributed secondary (G2/Capterra
block scraping) — re-verify any quote or figure at source before public use.
ADP Workforce Now. Full HCM for 50–1,000+ employees; payroll + SmartCompliance tax filing +
benefits + talent + DataCloud benchmarking. Doesn't publish pricing (opaque à-la-carte). Worst-reviewed
traits — slow support, platform rigidity, dated reporting/UX, opaque fees — are our opening for a
fast, configurable, transparent vertical tool.