Procore vs LiveCosts

Procore is a comprehensive construction management platform built to manage projects, documents, drawings, teams and financial workflows across complex construction operations. LiveCosts is purpose-built for small and medium-sized construction companies that need straightforward, real-time control of project costs, procurement and profitability. While Procore provides a broad range of project management tools, LiveCosts concentrates on the financial workflows contractors use every day. These include job costing, purchase orders, supplier invoices, labour tracking, progress claims and live profitability reporting. LiveCosts is purpose-built for construction companies that need real-time visibility of project costs, procurement and profitability. Rather than replacing Xero, LiveCosts works alongside it, giving contractors complete control of every project from budget to final account.

Dedicated construction workflows for purchase requisitions, RFQs, purchase orders, deliveries, variations, progress claims, subcontractor commitments, retentions and cost-to-complete forecasting.

Live budget vs actual tracking with committed cost visibility, real-time project profitability and early warning of budget overruns.

AI-powered document processing that automatically extracts line items from supplier quotes, purchase orders and invoices, reducing manual data entry.

Mobile site deliveries, labour and time tracking, purchase order approvals and project cost management in one platform.

Fast, personal onboarding and support, including one-to-one implementation, assisted trial periods and expert human support.

Side-by-side comparison

Aspect	LiveCosts	Procore
Time to implement	1 to 5 days	1 to 8 weeks depending on setup
Best suited to	Small and medium-sized contractors	Larger contractors and complex project teams
Primary focus	Real-time job costing, procurement and profitability	End-to-end construction and project management
AI invoice extraction	AI line-item extraction with automatic project and cost coding	Invoice management through broader financial workflows
Quote to PO workflows	RFQs, quote comparison, approvals and purchase orders	Available through procurement and financial management tools
Construction forecasting	Live cost-to-complete and profitability forecasting	Advanced financial forecasting and analytics
Variations	Built-in variation management connected to project budgets	Managed through change event and financial workflows
Retentions and progress claims	Built specifically for construction	Available through financial management products
Construction purchase orders	Construction-designed purchase orders with approvals	Available through commitments and financial workflows
Mobile site deliveries	Mobile delivery capture linked directly to purchase orders	Broader field and project management capabilities
Human support	Personal support with one-to-one onboarding	Standard enterprise support and implementation services

Trusted by construction companies globally

Why teams pick LiveCosts

Built for small and medium-sized contractors

LiveCosts provides the construction cost controls contractors need without the complexity of a large enterprise platform.

Real-time job costing

Track labour, materials, plant and subcontractor costs against project budgets as they happen, giving you a live view of profitability.

Complete procurement control

Manage purchase requisitions, RFQs, supplier quotes, approvals, purchase orders, deliveries and invoices in one connected workflow.

AI-powered invoice processing

Automatically extract invoice line items, assign costs to the correct project and reduce time spent on manual data entry.

Connected progress claims

Manage progress claims, variations and retentions while comparing earned progress against live project costs and margins.

LiveCosts and Procore features compared

Compare features and practical differences across job costing, procurement, document management, implementation and day-to-day cost control.

Job Costing

Track project costs against budgets to understand profitability as work progresses.

Procore

Procore provides construction financial management tools that connect budgets, commitments, direct costs, contracts and change events. It is designed to support complex projects and larger teams working across a broad construction management platform.

LiveCosts

LiveCosts delivers real-time job costing for labour, materials, plant and subcontractors. Every cost is tracked against the project budget as work happens, giving contractors a clear and immediate view of project profitability.

Budget vs Actual

Manage the purchasing process from requisitions and supplier quotes through to purchase orders, deliveries and invoices.

Procore

Procore provides procurement and commitment management as part of its wider financial management platform. Its tools are suited to businesses managing complex contracts, subcontractors and project structures.

LiveCosts

LiveCosts manages the complete day-to-day procurement process, including purchase requisitions, AI-powered RFQs, supplier quote comparisons, purchase orders, approval workflows, mobile delivery tracking and invoice approvals.

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Implementation timelines

Here is what to expect before you go live. Planyard usually pilots in days, Construction Manager often needs weeks of setup and data migration, and EVision is a partner-led ERP rollout that can run for months.

Product	Typical duration	Typical steps
LiveCosts	A few days	1. Connect your accounting software 2. Import projects, budgets and contacts 3. Configure cost codes and approval workflows 4. Train office and site teams 5. Go live on your first project 6. Roll out across all projects
Procore	Several weeks	1. Select the required Procore products 2. Configure company and project settings 3. Build permissions and approval workflows 4. Import project and financial information 5. Configure integrations 6. Train administrators and project teams 7. Test workflows before wider rollout

Implementation timelines vary depending on the size of your business, the Procore products selected and the complexity of your projects and integrations.

Most LiveCosts customers are up and running within a few days. Our onboarding team helps you connect your accounting software, import budgets and project data, configure workflows and launch your first live project. Once your team is comfortable, LiveCosts can be rolled out across the rest of the business with dedicated support at every stage.

Where LiveCosts fits — and common drawbacks

Where LiveCosts fits and common drawbacks

Procore is a powerful construction management platform, particularly for larger contractors that need advanced project collaboration, document control, drawings, RFIs, submittals, safety and financial management.

However, not every contractor needs the scale or complexity of an enterprise-wide platform. Smaller and medium-sized construction businesses may find that their main requirement is clearer cost control, simpler procurement and faster visibility of project profitability.

LiveCosts provides these dedicated financial workflows in a more focused platform, helping project teams manage budgets, procurement, labour, subcontractors, progress claims and profitability in real time.

Where LiveCosts Fits

Small and medium-sized contractors looking for real-time job costing without the complexity of a large enterprise platform.
Businesses that want to manage procurement from requisition and RFQ through to supplier invoice.
Project teams that need live budget vs actual reporting with committed cost visibility.
Companies looking to reduce manual administration using AI-powered document and invoice processing.
Contractors that want to connect site, office and accounts teams through one cost management system.
Businesses using Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage 50 that want to keep their existing accounting software.
Contractors that want personal onboarding and a faster implementation process.

Common Drawbacks of Procore

Its extensive functionality may be more than smaller contractors need.
Implementation can require significant planning, configuration and training.
Pricing is based on the products selected and annual construction volume.
Teams may need dedicated administrators to manage configuration, permissions and workflows.
The number of available tools can make the platform more complex for occasional users.
Contractors focused mainly on job costing and procurement may pay for a broader platform than they require.
Smaller site and office teams may prefer a simpler system built around their everyday cost-control processes.

This positions LiveCosts as a focused Procore alternative for small and medium-sized contractors that prioritise job costing, procurement and profitability over enterprise-scale project and document management.

Why Choose LiveCosts

LiveCosts gives small and medium-sized contractors the cost control they need without the complexity of a large enterprise construction platform.

With LiveCosts, your team can:

Track labour, materials, plant and subcontractor costs in real time.
See budgets, committed costs, actual costs and profitability in one place.
Manage RFQs, purchase orders, deliveries and supplier invoices through one connected workflow.
Use AI to extract invoice line items and reduce manual data entry.
Track variations, retentions, progress claims and cost-to-complete forecasts.
Connect LiveCosts with Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage 50.
Get started quickly with personal onboarding and expert human support.

Procore may be better suited to large contractors that need advanced drawings, RFIs, submittals and document control. LiveCosts is the more focused choice for contractors that want to simplify cost management, improve procurement and protect profit on every project.

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Frequently asked questions

Yes. LiveCosts is a focused Procore alternative for small and medium-sized contractors whose priorities are real-time job costing, procurement, supplier invoice management and project profitability.

LiveCosts is generally the better fit for contractors that need straightforward cost control without the complexity of a broad enterprise platform. Procore may be more suitable when advanced document management, drawings, RFIs, submittals and large project-team collaboration are essential.

Procore can be used by construction companies of different sizes. However, smaller contractors should consider whether they need its complete range of project management tools or would benefit more from a focused cost-control system.

LiveCosts manages the financial and operational side of construction projects, including budgets, procurement, labour, deliveries, supplier invoices, variations and progress claims. It does not aim to replicate Procore’s complete drawing, RFI, safety and document management suite.

Yes. LiveCosts integrates with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Sage 50, helping contractors connect detailed project cost management with their accounting system and reduce duplicate data entry.

Contractors choose LiveCosts when they want a simpler and more focused system for controlling costs, managing procurement and protecting project margins. It provides faster implementation, personal onboarding and the construction financial tools smaller and medium-sized contractors use every day.

Trusted by Contractors Worldwide

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