Softwr

Construction · head to head

GCPay vs Houzz Pro

GCPay logo

GCPay

Construction

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Houzz Pro logo

Houzz Pro

Construction

Business management platform for home builders and remodelers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Houzz Pro has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Houzz Pro the Pro plan includes only 1 seat and additional users cost $60 per user per month
  • They diverge on capability: GCPay covers Pay application workflow, Houzz Pro covers Project management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GCPay and Houzz Pro actually diverge.

Attributes where GCPay and Houzz Pro differ
AttributeGCPayHouzz Pro
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: 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 GCPay

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

Only in Houzz Pro

  • Project management
  • Client communication
  • Portfolio management
  • Lead management
  • Budgeting
  • QuickBooks
  • Square
  • Stripe

What people use each for

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

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 Houzz Pro
  • A contractor whose accounts payable team spends the first week of every month rekeying pay applications from PDF emails into Sage or Viewpointnot Houzz Pro
  • An owner-facing GC that must produce a clean audit trail of who was paid what and when, with insurance compliance evidence attachednot Houzz Pro
  • A construction group standardising on Autodesk Construction Cloud that wants payment application data in the same estate as the project recordnot Houzz Pro

Houzz Pro

  • Generating remodeling and design leads from a Houzz professional profilenot GCPay
  • Producing estimates, proposals and change orders for residential design and build projectsnot GCPay
  • Running client-facing selection boards and 3D floor plans for interior designersnot GCPay

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Houzz Pro

  • The Pro plan includes only 1 seat and additional users cost $60 per user per month
  • Plans are gated by annual project volume, with Pro limited to up to $500,000, Custom covering $500,000 to $5M and Enterprise required above $5M
  • Advertising packages are a separate add-on starting at $499 per month on top of the software subscription
  • No monthly subscription price for any tier is shown on the pricing page
  • Takeoffs, scheduling, selections boards, daily logs, budgets, bid management, change orders and financial reporting are not in the free basic plan

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Houzz Pro

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Portfolio showcase
    • Lead generation
    • Basic profile
  • Plus$39/month
    • Advanced portfolio
    • Lead management
    • Client communication

Which should you pick?

Choose GCPay if

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

Choose Houzz Pro if

  • You need project management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want client communication.
Houzz Pro review

Questions people ask

Is GCPay or Houzz Pro better?
Neither clearly leads. GCPay starts at On request and Houzz Pro at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GCPay or Houzz Pro?
Houzz Pro has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for GCPay and Free for Houzz Pro.
Does GCPay or Houzz Pro run on more platforms?
GCPay runs on Web. Houzz Pro runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Houzz Pro for free?
Yes. Houzz Pro has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GCPay starts at On request.
What is GCPay best used for?
GCPay is most often used for 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 drive, a contractor whose accounts payable team spends the first week of every month rekeying pay applications from pdf emails into sage or viewpoint, an owner-facing gc that must produce a clean audit trail of who was paid what and when, with insurance compliance evidence attached, a construction group standardising on autodesk construction cloud that wants payment application data in the same estate as the project record. Of those, 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 drive and a contractor whose accounts payable team spends the first week of every month rekeying pay applications from pdf emails into sage or viewpoint are not what Houzz Pro is typically brought in for.
What can GCPay do that Houzz Pro cannot?
GCPay covers Pay application workflow, Lien waiver exchange, Compliance tracking, Change order management. Houzz Pro covers Project management, Client communication, Portfolio management, Lead management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Houzz Pro: How much do additional Houzz Pro users cost?

Additional user seats on the Houzz Pro plan cost $60 per user per month.

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.

Houzz Pro: What is the cost of Houzz Pro's advertising package?

Houzz Pro offers an add-on advertising package starting at $499 per month.

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.

Houzz Pro: Is there a free trial for Houzz Pro?

Houzz Pro offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required and includes a free basic plan with 3D Floor Planner, Estimates, and Invoicing.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on GCPay

More on Houzz Pro

Keep looking

Other head to heads