Softwr

Construction · head to head

Billd vs Clearstory

Billd logo

Billd

Construction

Material financing and pay application advances for commercial subcontractors

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Clearstory logo

Clearstory

Construction

Digital change order and time and materials tag exchange between subcontractors and general contractors

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Billd the contractor carries the fee rather than the supplier, so unless the cost is bid into the job or offset by a negotiated supplier cash discount, financed material is simply more expensive material.; Clearstory value depends on the counterparty using it, so a subcontractor whose general contractors have not adopted it ends up running the digital process and the emailed one at the same time.
  • They diverge on capability: Billd covers Material financing, Clearstory covers Digital time and materials tags.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Billd and Clearstory actually diverge.

Attributes where Billd and Clearstory differ
AttributeBilldClearstory
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 Billd

  • Material financing
  • Pay App Advance
  • Same-day supplier funding
  • Supplier network terms
  • Credit line for materials
  • Online account portal

Only in Clearstory

  • Digital time and materials tags
  • Review and signature routing
  • Change order log
  • Cost exposure reporting
  • Field mobile capture
  • Document export

What people use each for

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

Billd

  • An electrical subcontractor that has won a job larger than its cash position can carry through the first three material buysnot Clearstory
  • A concrete contractor whose general contractor pays at 75 days while the supplier expects 30not Clearstory
  • A growing mechanical firm that wants to negotiate a supplier cash discount by paying immediately, funded by Billdnot Clearstory
  • A subcontractor with a signed pay application sitting unpaid that needs payroll covered before the cheque landsnot Clearstory

Clearstory

  • A speciality subcontractor that regularly performs extra work and struggles to get tags signednot Billd
  • A general contractor tired of receiving a stack of disputed tags at project closeoutnot Billd
  • A project team that needs the value of pending extras visible during the job rather than after itnot Billd
  • A contractor standardising change documentation across trades on a large projectnot Billd

Where each one falls short

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

Billd

  • The contractor carries the fee rather than the supplier, so unless the cost is bid into the job or offset by a negotiated supplier cash discount, financed material is simply more expensive material.
  • No rate card is published, so the effective annualised cost is only visible after underwriting and cannot be compared against a bank line or a card facility before you apply.
  • A 120 day term assumes the general contractor pays roughly on time; if the GC drags past that, the subcontractor owes Billd on schedule regardless of whether it has been paid.
  • This is credit, not construction software, so it adds a debt obligation and a covenant relationship to a business that a surety and a bonding agent will look at when setting bonding capacity.
  • Coverage is US commercial construction, so contractors outside that market or working residential get little from it, and eligibility depends on project type and the creditworthiness of the paying party.

Clearstory

  • Value depends on the counterparty using it, so a subcontractor whose general contractors have not adopted it ends up running the digital process and the emailed one at the same time.
  • It documents extra work but does not settle it; a general contractor determined not to pay is not persuaded by better paperwork, only better positioned to be argued with.
  • Field staff have to complete tags properly for the record to hold up, and the discipline required is the same discipline that was failing on paper.
  • Poor connectivity in basements, plant rooms and lift shafts is exactly where extra work gets documented, so offline reliability needs testing before rollout rather than after.
  • It overlaps with change management already present in Procore and similar platforms, so buyers must be clear about which system holds the authoritative log or they will maintain two.

Pricing, plan by plan

Billd

On request
  • Material Financing$undefined/year
    • Supplier paid upfront
    • Repayment up to 120 days
    • Fee set per draw after underwriting
  • Pay App Advance$undefined/year
    • Advance against billed and uncollected work
    • Purchase fee deducted from the advance
    • Terms set per contractor

Clearstory

On request
  • Clearstory$undefined/year
    • Digital time and materials tags
    • Change order log
    • Mobile field capture

Which should you pick?

Choose Billd if

  • You need material financing.
  • You also want pay app advance.
Billd review

Choose Clearstory if

  • You need digital time and materials tags.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want review and signature routing.
Clearstory review

Questions people ask

Is Billd or Clearstory better?
Neither clearly leads. Billd starts at On request and Clearstory at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Billd or Clearstory?
Billd starts at On request and Clearstory at On request.
Does Billd or Clearstory run on more platforms?
Billd runs on Web. Clearstory runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Billd best used for?
Billd is most often used for an electrical subcontractor that has won a job larger than its cash position can carry through the first three material buys, a concrete contractor whose general contractor pays at 75 days while the supplier expects 30, a growing mechanical firm that wants to negotiate a supplier cash discount by paying immediately, funded by billd, a subcontractor with a signed pay application sitting unpaid that needs payroll covered before the cheque lands. Of those, an electrical subcontractor that has won a job larger than its cash position can carry through the first three material buys and a concrete contractor whose general contractor pays at 75 days while the supplier expects 30 are not what Clearstory is typically brought in for.
What can Billd do that Clearstory cannot?
Billd covers Material financing, Pay App Advance, Same-day supplier funding, Supplier network terms. Clearstory covers Digital time and materials tags, Review and signature routing, Change order log, Cost exposure reporting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Billd: Who pays Billd's fee, the contractor or the supplier?

The contractor. The supplier is paid upfront in full and carries no credit risk.

Clearstory: Is Clearstory for subcontractors or general contractors?

Both, because the workflow crosses between them. The subcontractor originates the tag, the general contractor reviews it, and adoption works best when the general contractor mandates it.

Billd: Does Billd publish rates?

No. Cost depends on term, product and underwriting outcome and is disclosed in the offer.

Clearstory: Does it replace change management in Procore?

It can, for time and materials tags and the change order log, but you must decide which system is authoritative. Running both without that decision creates reconciliation work.

Billd: What happens if my general contractor pays late?

You still owe Billd on the agreed schedule. The 120 day term is designed to cover a normal pay cycle, not a dispute.

Clearstory: What happens on sites without signal?

Tags are captured on the device and synchronised later. Test that path with photographs attached before relying on it.

Billd: Does using Billd affect bonding capacity?

It is a debt facility, so a surety will consider it. Discuss it with your bonding agent before drawing heavily.

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