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Construction · head to head

Buildxact vs GCPay

Buildxact logo

Buildxact

Construction

Estimating and construction management for builders, remodelers and material dealers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GCPay logo

GCPay

Construction

Subcontractor pay application and lien waiver exchange for general contractors in North America

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Buildxact has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Buildxact 15% discount applied only to annual billing; GCPay the subcontractor is a compelled user who did not choose the tool, so adoption friction and support load fall on the general contractor, and small trades with one bookkeeper resent every extra portal.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buildxact and GCPay actually diverge.

Attributes where Buildxact and GCPay differ
AttributeBuildxactGCPay
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Construction).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Buildxact

Nothing recorded that GCPay does not also cover.

Only in GCPay

  • Pay application workflow
  • Lien waiver exchange
  • Compliance tracking
  • Change order management
  • ePayments
  • Retainage handling
  • ERP integration
  • Subcontractor portal

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Buildxact

  • Reducing estimation time from 30-40 hoursnot GCPay
  • Managing projects from lead to invoicenot GCPay
  • Generating estimates with digital signaturesnot GCPay
  • Integrating material dealers into workflownot GCPay

GCPay

  • A general contractor in a strict lien state that has been burned by a missing unconditional waiver and needs waiver status tied to each payment rather than filed in a shared drivenot Buildxact
  • A contractor whose accounts payable team spends the first week of every month rekeying pay applications from PDF emails into Sage or Viewpointnot Buildxact
  • An owner-facing GC that must produce a clean audit trail of who was paid what and when, with insurance compliance evidence attachednot Buildxact
  • A construction group standardising on Autodesk Construction Cloud that wants payment application data in the same estate as the project recordnot Buildxact

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Buildxact

  • 15% discount applied only to annual billing
  • Advanced AI add-ons require additional per-month fees

GCPay

  • The subcontractor is a compelled user who did not choose the tool, so adoption friction and support load fall on the general contractor, and small trades with one bookkeeper resent every extra portal.
  • Pricing is entirely quoted and keyed to annual subcontracted construction value, which means a contractor with a few very large subcontracts can pay far more than one with many small ones for identical functionality.
  • The ePayment fee structure is decided per general contractor, so a subcontractor cannot predict its cost of getting paid across clients and may be charged on one job and not another for the same work.
  • It is a payment and compliance system, not job costing; commitments still have to reconcile against the ERP, and integration gaps mean many contractors run a manual check anyway.
  • Autodesk acquired parent Payapps in 2024, and the strategic direction is convergence with Autodesk Construction Cloud, so buyers on Procore or a non-Autodesk stack should ask directly what the roadmap commitment to their platform is.

Pricing, plan by plan

Buildxact

Free
  • GoFree
    • 5 complimentary credits
    • AI Estimating
    • Professional Proposals
  • Foundation$199/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Lead management
    • Digital takeoffs
  • Pro$399/month
    • All Foundation features
    • Blu Estimate Generator
    • Job management
  • Master$599/month
    • All Pro features
    • Blu Takeoff Assistant
    • Blu Estimate Reviewer

GCPay

On request
  • GCPay for General Contractors$undefined/year
    • Priced on project count, subcontractor count and annual subcontracted volume
    • Unlimited free subcontractor accounts
    • Lien waiver and compliance tracking
  • ePayments and Waiver Exchange$undefined/month
    • Per-transaction fee disclosed at submission
    • General contractor may absorb the fee or pass it to the subcontractor
    • Subcontractor must acknowledge the fee before submitting

Which should you pick?

Choose Buildxact if

  • You want to start without paying.
Buildxact review

Choose GCPay if

  • You need pay application workflow.
  • You also want lien waiver exchange.
GCPay review

Questions people ask

Is Buildxact or GCPay better?
Neither clearly leads. Buildxact starts at Free and GCPay at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buildxact or GCPay?
Buildxact has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Buildxact and On request for GCPay.
Does Buildxact or GCPay run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Buildxact for free?
Yes. Buildxact has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GCPay starts at On request.
What is Buildxact best used for?
Buildxact is most often used for reducing estimation time from 30-40 hours, managing projects from lead to invoice, generating estimates with digital signatures, integrating material dealers into workflow. Of those, reducing estimation time from 30-40 hours and managing projects from lead to invoice are not what GCPay is typically brought in for.
What can Buildxact do that GCPay cannot?
GCPay covers Pay application workflow, Lien waiver exchange, Compliance tracking, Change order management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Buildxact: Does Buildxact offer a free tier?

Yes, Buildxact's Go plan is free and includes 5 complimentary credits for AI Estimating and Professional Proposals, plus access to Home Depot Material Ordering.

Source
GCPay: Who pays for GCPay, the GC or the sub?

The general contractor pays the subscription. Subcontractor accounts are free. Only the optional ePayment and waiver exchange transaction fee can be passed to the subcontractor, and only with their acknowledgement.

Buildxact: What is the price difference between monthly and annual billing?

Annual plans include a 15% discount. For example, Foundation costs $199/month on monthly billing but $169/month ($2,030/year) on annual billing, saving $358 per year.

Source
GCPay: How much is the ePayment fee?

It is a flat per-transaction fee, disclosed at the point the pay application is submitted. GCPay has published a $15 figure for the ePayments and waiver exchange service, and the GC decides who bears it.

Buildxact: How many users can access Buildxact?

Foundation, Pro, and Master plans include unlimited users. The free Go plan does not specify user limits.

Source
GCPay: Is GCPay owned by Autodesk?

Yes. Autodesk agreed to acquire Payapps, which trades as GCPay in North America and Payapps elsewhere, in January 2024.

Buildxact: What add-on costs are available?

Additional AI tools cost $99/month for Blu Takeoff Assistant and $149/month for Blu Estimate Reviewer, available on Pro and Master plans.

Source
GCPay: Does it replace our construction accounting system?

No. It handles the application, approval and compliance workflow and then pushes approved payments into your ERP.

GCPay: Can subcontractors export their own records?

Subcontractors can download their submitted applications and waivers, but the project record belongs to the general contractor's account, so a sub should keep its own copies rather than rely on continued portal access.

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