Quick Summary

Eque2 is widely used construction ERP software for estimating and financial management. This guide reviews Eque2’s features, pricing, and real user feedback, then compares it with LiveCosts to highlight key differences in cost control, usability, and suitability for modern construction teams. 

Is Eque2 Right for Your Business?

Eque2 is one of the most established construction software platforms in the UK and Ireland. But established does not always mean the right fit. 

If you are a contractor weighing up your options, this guide covers everything you need to know. We examined actual user reviews together with pricing issues, feature gaps, and results from real-world performance.

We also compared Eque2 reviews with LiveCosts to help you decide which platform gives you better control over your construction costs.

Why Trust Us

Built on years of construction industry experience, LiveCosts has helped thousands of contractors across the UK, Ireland, Australia, and North America. We work with contractors, project managers, and quantity surveyors every day. Our team understands where budgets are strained and where software falls short. 

Hence, this guide’s perspective comes from everyday contractor workflows and budgeting challenges. 

What Is Eque2?

Eque2 is a construction software provider that offers ERP, accounting, estimating, and project management tools. It serves over 3,000 construction businesses across the UK and Ireland, from small contractors to large enterprise firms.

Eque2 is Sage’s preferred strategic partner in the construction industry. Its software is built on top of Sage Accounts, the most widely used accounting solution in the UK. This makes it a natural fit for contractors already running Sage 50 or Sage 200.

The product suite covers four main areas:

• Construct for Sage: Job costing and contract management for small to mid-sized contractors
• Evision: An enterprise ERP solution built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
• Evaluate: Estimating and tendering software for main contractors and subcontractors
• Housebuilding: End-to-end software from land appraisal through to customer care

Eque2 also covers UK compliance requirements, including CIS, Reverse Charge VAT, and Making Tax Digital. 

Core Features

Eque2’s strongest feature is job costing. It tracks budgets against actuals in real time, giving contractors a clear view of committed costs, outstanding amounts, and what has been billed. This sits at the core of everything the platform does. Other features include:

• Construction ERP and Financial Management: Eque2 offers construction-specific ERP solutions that manage accounting, contract costing, and financial reporting within one system.
• Estimating and Tendering: Its estimating tools help contractors create project bids, manage cost breakdowns, and track estimates across projects.
• Contract Costing and Job Cost Tracking: Contract costing tools allow companies to monitor labour, material, and subcontractor costs against project budgets.
• Procurement and Supplier Management: The platform includes purchasing workflows, supplier management, and purchase order tracking.
• Reporting and Dashboards: Eque2 offers customisable financial dashboards and reporting tools that help companies analyse project profitability.

Eque2’s Shift Toward Cloud Software

Eque2 is actively migrating its user base from desktop-installed software to cloud-based versions. Construct Cloud and EVision Cloud are the current flagship products, and Eque2 is encouraging legacy users to make the switch. The migration process is supported. Eque2 provides a dedicated onboarding specialist, recorded webinars, and scheduled one-on-one calls. The website includes several case studies that show users achieving successful transitions while praising the enhanced flexibility and remote access capabilities.

However, the transition from a desktop perpetual licence to a cloud subscription service results in different pricing structures. This is the point where users begin to experience something different from what the official story presents.

Pricing  

Eque2 does not publish pricing on its website. All quotes come through the sales team. 

Pros

• Time Savings: Saves vast amounts of time on administrative and paper-based processes
• Purchase Order Management: The purchase order module eliminates manual filing and invoice matching at the month’s end
• UK Compliance: Full compliance with CIS, Reverse Charge VAT, and Making Tax Digital
• Sage Integration: Strong fit for existing Sage 50 or Sage 200 users
• Estimating Tool: EValuate provides a dedicated module for tendering and pre-construction cost planning

Cons

• Poor Customer Support: Customer support is consistently rated poorly across independent review platforms
• Pricing Surprises: Unannounced price increases reported after onboarding with rigid contract enforcement
• No Xero or QuickBooks: No native integration with Xero or QuickBooks, limiting flexibility for non-Sage users
• Lack of Pricing Transparency: No published pricing, and setup takes weeks to months
• Contract Lock-In: Users have reported difficulty exiting contracts, with rigid enforcement of notice periods flagged across independent review platforms

What is LiveCosts? 

LiveCosts construction cost management software enables contractors to keep complete control over their project expenditures. Founded in 2018, the tool provides construction managers with features to track their project expenses throughout the entire construction process. 

LiveCosts integrates natively with Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage. This helps businesses maintain precise financial records while minimising the need for manual data entry. 

Features

• Real-Time Job Costing: Budgets vs actuals update instantly with every PO, invoice, or timesheet. No month-end surprises.
• AI Invoice Processing: Extracts invoice data, matches it to the correct PO and delivery docket, and syncs to your accounting software in one click.
• Purchase Order Management: Raise, approve, and track POs against project budgets from the office or the site. Overspending is flagged before it escalates.
• Delivery Tracking: Site staff confirm deliveries on mobile. LiveCosts reconciles dockets against POs and invoices automatically.
• Labour and Timesheet Tracking: Log hours, subcontractor dayworks, and equipment usage from the site. Costs are assigned to the correct budget instantly.
• Procurement and RFQ: Request quotes from multiple suppliers, compare line by line, and convert the best price to a PO in seconds.
• Supplier Price Catalogue: Store materials and historical supplier prices. Use past data to budget future projects with greater accuracy.
• Accounting Integration: Native Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage integration. One-click sync, no double entry.
• Mobile App: iOS and Android. POs, deliveries, labour, and timesheets are managed from anywhere in real time.
• Project Dashboard and Reporting: Live margins, committed costs, and cost to complete on the home screen. Reports are ready in minutes.

Pricing 

LiveCosts does not publish fixed pricing on its website. Plans are customised based on your team size and business needs. To get an accurate quote, you can book a free demo directly on livecosts.com.

Pros

• Real-Time Visibility: Live budget vs actuals on every project, not at month’s end
• AI Invoice Automation: Automatic 3-way matching eliminates manual invoice processing
• Fast Setup: Live in hours with no IT project or implementation partner required
• Accounting Flexibility: Native Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage integration in one click
• Built for Construction: Designed around how contractors actually work, not adapted from generic software

Cons

• Not Built for Enterprise ERP: Less suited for large-scale Microsoft Dynamics rollouts
• No Earned Value Tracking: Advanced project forecasting workflows are not supported
• Limited API Access: Third-party integrations outside core accounting tools are restricted
• No Microsoft Ecosystem: Not the right fit for contractors standardised on Dynamics 365
• No Free Version: A free trial is available, but there is no permanent free plan for smaller teams testing the platform long-term.

Why LiveCosts Is a Better Alternative 

Contractors researching Eque2 alternatives are rarely looking for more complexity. They want accurate cost visibility, a fast implementation, and software that fits the way their business already operates. LiveCosts is built around exactly those priorities.

Accounting Integration: Eque2 is built around Sage. It does not support Xero or QuickBooks natively. LiveCosts integrates with all three, giving contractors the freedom to stay on their existing accounting platform without compromise.

Setup and Implementation: Eque2 implementations range from several weeks to multiple months, depending on the product. LiveCosts is live in hours with a guided onboarding process and no IT project required.

Pricing Transparency: Eque2 maintains pricing information as undisclosed, which makes it difficult to evaluate their product costs. The independent reviews show that they discovered high costs for initial system setup, which increased their service fees after the onboarding process. LiveCosts publishes its pricing openly with no hidden fees and no rigid cancellation clauses.

Invoice Processing: LiveCosts uses AI to extract invoice data and match it automatically to the correct PO and delivery docket. Eque2 does not offer this capability at the SMB level.

Customer Support: Eque2’s post-sale support is the most recurring complaint across independent review platforms. LiveCosts provides dedicated support from people with hands-on construction experience, available when you need them.

Who It Is Built For: Eque2 performs best for larger enterprise contractors with a full IT team and an existing Sage infrastructure. LiveCosts is purpose-built for SMB contractors who need real-time cost control, fast setup, and a system that works from day one.

Eque2 vs LiveCosts: Feature Comparison

If your team is running Sage and needs a full ERP rollout, Eque2 EVision may be worth evaluating. If you are a contractor looking for real-time cost control, fast setup, and pricing that does not change after you sign, LiveCosts is built for you.

Choose LiveCosts for Better Control Over Construction Costs

According to some construction surveys and studies, only 31% of projects come within 10% of their original budget. In most cases, the problem is not poor workmanship. It is poor visibility. The organisation experiences delayed cost reporting and increased invoice accumulation, which leads to financial losses that become permanent when the actual expenses are finally revealed. 

LiveCosts provides contractors with immediate access to complete project cost information as it updates in real time. From purchase orders raised on site to invoices processed in the office, every transaction is tracked, matched, and reported automatically.

Eque2 serves larger contractors well within the Sage ecosystem. For SMB contractors who need fast setup, flexible accounting integration, and cost control that works from day one, LiveCosts is the more practical choice.

Transparent pricing. Human support. No lengthy implementation.

Book a free demo at LiveCosts and take control of your project costs today.