Simpro vs LiveCosts

Simpro is a field service management platform designed to help trade businesses manage quoting, scheduling, dispatch, inventory, jobs and invoicing. LiveCosts is purpose-built for construction companies that need straightforward, real-time control of project costs, procurement and profitability. While Simpro provides a broad range of tools for managing field service operations, LiveCosts concentrates on the financial workflows used across construction projects. These include job costing, RFQs, purchase orders, deliveries, supplier invoices, labour tracking, progress claims and live profitability reporting. 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.

A live view of original budgets, committed expenditure, actual costs and expected final costs.

A structured purchasing process covering requisitions, RFQs, supplier quotes, approvals, purchase orders and deliveries.

AI-assisted processing of supplier documents at individual line-item level.

Detailed cost allocation across projects, phases and cost codes.

Practical onboarding led by people who understand construction cost management.

Side-by-side comparison

Aspect	LiveCosts	Procore
Designed for	Project-based construction contractors	Field service and trade businesses
Core purpose	Control project expenditure and margin	Manage jobs, technicians and service operations
Typical work	Construction projects and longer-term contracts	Service calls, maintenance and installation work
Project budgets	Detailed budgets organised by phase and cost code	Estimates and costs tracked against jobs
Committed costs	Visible as soon as orders and commitments are raised	Purchasing costs connected to jobs and inventory
Supplier quotations	RFQs and side-by-side supplier quote comparison	Supplier catalogues and vendor pricing
Document processing	AI extraction from quotes and supplier invoices	Document data tools available
Claims and retentions	Construction progress claims, variations and retentions	Not a principal field service workflow
Setup approach	Focused construction implementation	Guided field service implementation

Trusted by construction companies globally

Why teams pick LiveCosts

Commercial clarity throughout the project

LiveCosts brings budget, committed and actual figures together so contractors can understand the commercial position of a project before the accounts are finalised.

Purchasing linked directly to budgets

Every purchase request and order can be checked against the relevant project budget, helping teams make informed decisions before money is committed.

Better control over supplier spending

Request prices from suppliers, compare returned quotations and turn the selected quote into an approved purchase order without rebuilding the information.

Invoice checks before approval

Supplier invoices can be captured at line-item level and checked against purchase orders and delivery records, making discrepancies easier to identify.

Detailed construction cost structures

Organise projects using the phases and cost codes that reflect how the work is estimated, purchased and reported.

LiveCosts and Simpro features compared

The best choice depends on whether your priority is coordinating field service work or maintaining financial control over construction projects.

Field service and workforce coordination

Organise people, appointments and work taking place across different customer locations.

Simpro

Simpro is strong in this area. Its scheduling and dispatch tools help businesses allocate technicians, monitor availability and communicate job details between the office and the field. It is well suited to businesses completing frequent service visits and maintenance work.

LiveCosts

LiveCosts records employee, subcontractor and equipment time against construction projects. Its emphasis is on capturing labour costs accurately and showing how those costs affect the project budget, rather than dispatching technicians between service appointments.

Materials and purchasing

Control how materials are priced, ordered, received and assigned to work.

Simpro

Simpro combines purchasing with extensive inventory management. Businesses can manage supplier catalogues, warehouses, stock levels and materials held in service vehicles before allocating items to jobs.

LiveCosts

LiveCosts approaches materials from a project procurement perspective. Site teams can request materials, office teams can obtain and compare supplier prices, managers can approve spending and deliveries can be recorded against purchase orders. The financial commitment remains visible against the project budget throughout the process.

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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	Focused rollout, commonly completed within days	1. Connect the accounting platform 2. Bring in suppliers, contacts and active projects 3. Import or create project budgets 4. Set cost codes and purchasing permissions 5. Train office and site users 6. Begin processing live project costs
Simpro	Structured rollout based on the selected workflows	1. Review service and operational processes 2. Prepare customer, supplier and catalogue data 3. Configure job types and business settings 4. Establish scheduling and inventory processes 5. Connect the accounting platform 6. Train office staff and field technicians 7. Test the complete job workflow

The time required will depend on the amount of data being transferred, the number of users and the processes being introduced.

LiveCosts keeps implementation centred on project cost management. The onboarding team helps configure budgets, cost codes, procurement approvals and accounting connections before supporting the team through its first active projects.

Where LiveCosts fits — and common drawbacks

Where LiveCosts fits and common drawbacks

There is considerable overlap between the two platforms, but their central purposes are different.

Simpro is likely to be the stronger choice when scheduling field technicians, handling service calls, managing customer sites and controlling warehouse or vehicle stock are the main operational requirements.

LiveCosts is likely to be the stronger choice when the central challenge is controlling expenditure and protecting margin across construction projects.

LiveCosts may suit your business if:

Most of your revenue comes from construction projects rather than service calls.
Your team uses spreadsheets to monitor project budgets and profitability.
Purchase commitments are difficult to see before invoices arrive.
Supplier quotes, orders, deliveries and invoices follow separate processes.
Costs need to be analysed by project phase or detailed cost code.
You manage variations, valuations, claims or retentions.
Management needs a clearer expected final cost and project margin.
You want to continue using your existing accounting package.
You value a focused system that can be introduced quickly.

Points to consider with Simpro

Its extensive scheduling features may be unnecessary for contractors that do not operate a field service model.
Advanced stock control can add complexity where materials are purchased directly for individual projects.
Configuration must account for several connected processes, including quoting, scheduling, inventory and invoicing.
A structured implementation may be required before the complete workflow is operational.
Pricing is provided following a consultation rather than displayed as a standard public package.
Some capabilities are offered through additional Simpro products or add-ons.
Progress claims, retentions and construction cost-to-complete reporting are not its main area of specialisation.

Simpro is a broad operational platform for trade and field service businesses. LiveCosts is a more specialised option for contractors that want every purchasing decision and project cost connected back to budget and margin.

Why Choose LiveCosts

Why choose LiveCosts over Simpro?

LiveCosts is the better fit for project-based construction companies that need tighter financial control rather than a complete field service management system.

Built around construction projects

LiveCosts supports the way contractors manage project budgets, phases, cost codes, purchasing, subcontractors and claims.

See costs before invoices arrive

Purchase orders and subcontractor commitments appear against the project budget immediately, providing an earlier and more accurate view of expected costs.

Protect project margins

LiveCosts brings budgets, committed costs, actual spending and cost-to-complete forecasts together, helping teams identify margin pressure while there is still time to respond.

Control the complete purchasing process

Manage requisitions, RFQs, supplier quote comparisons, approvals, purchase orders, deliveries and invoices through one connected workflow.

Automate supplier invoice processing

AI-powered line-item extraction reduces manual entry and helps assign every invoice cost to the correct project, phase and cost code.

Connect costs with progress claims

Manage progress claims, variations and retentions alongside live project expenditure to understand whether earned progress is keeping pace with costs.

Keep project and accounting data connected

LiveCosts integrates with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Sage 50, reducing duplicate entry while allowing the accounts team to retain its existing system.

Get started quickly

A focused implementation and personal onboarding help office and site teams begin managing active projects within days.

Related Comparisons

Eque2 vs LiveCosts

Compare Eque2’s construction accounting and ERP solutions with LiveCosts’ focused approach to live project costs, procurement and profit control.

Procore vs LiveCosts

Compare Procore and LiveCosts to find the right construction software for managing projects, costs, procurement and profitability.

Frequently asked questions

Simpro manages the wider field service journey, including estimating, scheduling, dispatch, inventory, service delivery and invoicing. LiveCosts specialises in construction budgets, procurement, project expenditure, claims and profitability.

It can be an alternative for contractors that mainly use Simpro for project costing and purchasing. Businesses that rely heavily on technician dispatch, reactive service jobs or extensive inventory management should compare those requirements carefully.

Simpro serves trade and field service businesses, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC and security contractors. It can manage project work, but its wider platform is strongly oriented towards field service operations.

Simpro has more extensive scheduling and dispatch capabilities. LiveCosts tracks time and labour costs against projects but is not intended to operate as a full field service dispatch system.

LiveCosts is designed to show commitments from purchase orders and subcontractor costs alongside budgets and actual expenditure. This gives contractors an earlier indication of the expected financial outcome.

Yes. LiveCosts uses AI to extract supplier invoice information at line-item level. Invoices can then be coded to projects and checked against related purchase orders and deliveries.

Yes. LiveCosts supports progress claims, variations and retentions, allowing contractors to compare claimed progress with current project costs.

LiveCosts connects with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Sage 50, helping approved financial information move between project operations and accounts.

Trusted by Contractors Worldwide

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