Softwr

Construction · head to head

eSUB vs GCPay

eSUB logo

eSUB

Construction

Cloud-based mobile construction management platform

From
$49/month
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

  • Each has a real cost: eSUB limited to commercial subcontractors; not suitable for general contractors or non-construction industries; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: eSUB covers Mobile task management, GCPay covers Pay application workflow.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which eSUB and GCPay actually diverge.

Attributes where eSUB and GCPay differ
AttributeeSUBGCPay
Starting price$49/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: 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 eSUB

  • Mobile task management
  • Timesheet tracking
  • Photo documentation
  • Job costing
  • Field notes
  • QuickBooks
  • Sage
  • Procore

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.

eSUB

  • Project management for commercial construction subcontractorsnot GCPay
  • Daily reports, RFIs, submittals and change orders from the fieldnot GCPay
  • Crew time capture on mobile devicesnot GCPay
  • Labour, job cost, equipment and material reportingnot GCPay
  • Centralised drawing and document managementnot 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 eSUB
  • A contractor whose accounts payable team spends the first week of every month rekeying pay applications from PDF emails into Sage or Viewpointnot eSUB
  • An owner-facing GC that must produce a clean audit trail of who was paid what and when, with insurance compliance evidence attachednot eSUB
  • A construction group standardising on Autodesk Construction Cloud that wants payment application data in the same estate as the project recordnot eSUB

Where each one falls short

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

eSUB

  • Limited to commercial subcontractors; not suitable for general contractors or non-construction industries
  • Custom pricing with no transparent public pricing makes budget planning difficult for prospective customers
  • Narrow candidate list with only one direct competitor (Procore) in the space
  • May have smaller feature set compared to enterprise construction platforms

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

eSUB

$49/month
  • Starter$49/month
    • Mobile task management
    • Timesheet tracking
    • Document management
  • Professional$99/month
    • Advanced scheduling
    • Accounting integration
    • Custom workflows

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 eSUB if

  • You need mobile task management.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want timesheet tracking.
eSUB review

Choose GCPay if

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

Questions people ask

Is eSUB or GCPay better?
Neither clearly leads. eSUB starts at $49/month and GCPay at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, eSUB or GCPay?
eSUB starts at $49/month and GCPay at On request.
Does eSUB or GCPay run on more platforms?
eSUB runs on iOS, Android, Web. GCPay runs on Web.
What is eSUB best used for?
eSUB is most often used for project management for commercial construction subcontractors, daily reports, rfis, submittals and change orders from the field, crew time capture on mobile devices, labour, job cost, equipment and material reporting. Of those, project management for commercial construction subcontractors and daily reports, rfis, submittals and change orders from the field are not what GCPay is typically brought in for.
What can eSUB do that GCPay cannot?
eSUB covers Mobile task management, Timesheet tracking, Photo documentation, Job costing. GCPay covers Pay application workflow, Lien waiver exchange, Compliance tracking, Change order management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

eSUB: What is eSUB designed for and who is the primary user?

eSUB is a mobile-first construction management platform built exclusively for commercial subcontractors. It connects the field to the office through mobile apps and web interfaces for creating, tracking, and managing documents and daily activities.

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.

eSUB: What key features does eSUB Cloud include?

eSUB includes submittals, change orders, RFIs, daily reports, mobile app functionality, email integration, field notes, time cards, project management, document management, time tracking, and job costing capabilities.

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.

eSUB: Does eSUB offer a free trial?

Yes. eSUB offers a 14-day free trial as well as customized demos. The demo includes a 45-minute guided walkthrough in a staged demo project.

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.

eSUB: How does eSUB pricing work?

eSUB Cloud pricing depends on user count and modules required; quotes are provided on a customized basis. No implementation fees apply for standard scopes, and no per-job charges are assessed. Updates are included in the subscription.

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.

eSUB: What platforms does eSUB support?

eSUB offers mobile apps for both iOS and Android, as well as a web interface. The platform is designed mobile-first with field-focused functionality.

Source
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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