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Construction · head to head

Foundation Software vs Knowify

Foundation Software logo

Foundation Software

Construction

Job cost accounting and construction payroll for contractors running certified and union jobs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Knowify logo

Knowify

Construction

Construction and field service management integrated with QuickBooks

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Foundation Software no pricing is published anywhere, so shortlisting requires sitting through a sales process before you know whether the product is within budget at all.; Knowify additional users cost $29/month per person across all plans
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Foundation Software and Knowify actually diverge.

Attributes where Foundation Software and Knowify differ
AttributeFoundation SoftwareKnowify
Starting priceOn request$99/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWeb

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 Foundation Software

  • Job costing
  • Certified payroll
  • Union payroll
  • AIA billing
  • Equipment costing
  • Service dispatch
  • Mobile time entry
  • Executive dashboards

Only in Knowify

Nothing recorded that Foundation Software does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Foundation Software

  • A union electrical or mechanical contractor whose payroll spans several trades and fringe schedules in the same weeknot Knowify
  • A general contractor bidding federally funded work that requires weekly certified payroll filingsnot Knowify
  • A contractor whose QuickBooks file has outgrown job costing and who is reconciling work in progress in spreadsheetsnot Knowify
  • A firm with owned plant that needs equipment hours costed back to jobs to see true contract marginnot Knowify

Knowify

  • Bidding fixed-price and AIA jobs with team managementnot Foundation Software
  • Tracking labor and materials costs to project phasesnot Foundation Software
  • Real-time dispatching and payment processing for crewsnot Foundation Software
  • Managing change orders and invoicing across projectsnot Foundation Software

Where each one falls short

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

Foundation Software

  • No pricing is published anywhere, so shortlisting requires sitting through a sales process before you know whether the product is within budget at all.
  • Implementation, data conversion and training are billed separately from the licence and routinely run into five figures, which buyers comparing monthly software subscriptions do not budget for.
  • The payroll compliance engine is built for United States federal and state law, so the product has essentially no value to contractors outside the US.
  • The interface is a long-lived Windows-style application, and staff hired from cloud-native tools find it slow to learn compared with Buildertrend or Procore.
  • Project management, document control and field collaboration are weaker than the dedicated construction platforms, so most sites end up running Foundation for money and something else for the job, and paying twice.

Knowify

  • Additional users cost $29/month per person across all plans
  • Monthly billing costs 50% more than annual billing

Pricing, plan by plan

Foundation Software

On request
  • FOUNDATION$undefined/year
    • Modular licensing, priced by modules and user count
    • Cloud hosted or installed on your own server
    • Separate one-off implementation, data conversion and training fee

Knowify

$99/month
  • Core$99/month
    • 1 user
    • Bid, execute, and invoice for fixed-price and AIA jobs
  • Advanced$329/month
    • 10 users
    • Project management
    • Job costing tools
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited inventory
    • Custom pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose Foundation Software if

  • You need job costing.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want certified payroll.
Foundation Software review

Choose Knowify if

Nothing in the data separates Knowify from Foundation Software on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Knowify review

Questions people ask

Is Foundation Software or Knowify better?
Neither clearly leads. Foundation Software starts at On request and Knowify at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Foundation Software or Knowify?
Foundation Software starts at On request and Knowify at $99/month.
Does Foundation Software or Knowify run on more platforms?
Foundation Software runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. Knowify runs on Web.
What is Foundation Software best used for?
Foundation Software is most often used for a union electrical or mechanical contractor whose payroll spans several trades and fringe schedules in the same week, a general contractor bidding federally funded work that requires weekly certified payroll filings, a contractor whose quickbooks file has outgrown job costing and who is reconciling work in progress in spreadsheets, a firm with owned plant that needs equipment hours costed back to jobs to see true contract margin. Of those, a union electrical or mechanical contractor whose payroll spans several trades and fringe schedules in the same week and a general contractor bidding federally funded work that requires weekly certified payroll filings are not what Knowify is typically brought in for.
What can Foundation Software do that Knowify cannot?
Foundation Software covers Job costing, Certified payroll, Union payroll, AIA billing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Foundation Software: How much does Foundation Software cost?

The vendor publishes no rates. Pricing is assembled per contractor from module selection and user count, with a separate implementation fee, and is only given after a discovery call.

Knowify: How much does Knowify cost?

Knowify Core plan starts at $99/month for annual billing (or $149/month for monthly billing) and includes 1 user. The Advanced plan costs $329/month annually ($399/month monthly) and includes 10 users.

Source
Foundation Software: Does it replace Procore?

No. Foundation is the accounting and payroll system; Procore is project management. They integrate, and many contractors run both.

Knowify: What is the cost per additional user on Knowify?

Additional users cost $29/month across all plans whether on Core or Advanced.

Source
Foundation Software: Can it handle certified payroll for multiple states?

Yes, it produces state-specific certified payroll formats as well as the federal WH-347, which is the main reason multi-state contractors buy it.

Knowify: Does Knowify have a free trial?

A free trial is available for both Core and Advanced plans before requiring a paid subscription.

Source
Foundation Software: Is there a cloud version?

Yes, it is offered hosted as well as on-premise, but the hosted version is the same application delivered remotely rather than a rebuilt browser product.

Knowify: What add-on features are available on Knowify?

Service Pro ($99/month annually), Live Equipment Tracking ($25/vehicle/month annually), AI Dashcams ($25/dashcam annually), and Tool Tracking ($99/month) are available as paid add-ons.

Source
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