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Construction · head to head

GCPay vs Openspace

GCPay logo

GCPay

Construction

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Openspace logo

Openspace

Construction

AI-powered construction photo documentation

From
$2500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Openspace requires specialized 360-degree camera hardware for optimal documentation workflow
  • They diverge on capability: GCPay covers Pay application workflow, Openspace covers 360 photo capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GCPay and Openspace actually diverge.

Attributes where GCPay and Openspace differ
AttributeGCPayOpenspace
Starting priceOn request$2500/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWebiOS, Android, Web
FoundedUnknown2017

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 GCPay

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

Only in Openspace

  • 360 photo capture
  • BIM compare
  • Progress tracking
  • AI analysis
  • Measurement tools
  • Procore
  • Autodesk BIM 360
  • PlanGrid

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

Openspace

  • Site documentationnot GCPay
  • Progress trackingnot GCPay
  • Quality controlnot GCPay
  • Dispute resolutionnot 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.

Openspace

  • Requires specialized 360-degree camera hardware for optimal documentation workflow
  • Custom pricing model makes it difficult to evaluate costs upfront without contacting sales
  • Field solution is newly launched and may lack mature features compared to established competitors

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

Openspace

$2500/month
  • Capture$2500/month
    • 360 photo capture
    • Automatic stitching
    • BIM integration
  • EnterpriseFree
    • All Capture features
    • Advanced analytics
    • Custom integrations

Which should you pick?

Choose GCPay if

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

Choose Openspace if

  • You need 360 photo capture.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want bim compare.
Openspace review

Questions people ask

Is GCPay or Openspace better?
Neither clearly leads. GCPay starts at On request and Openspace at $2500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GCPay or Openspace?
GCPay starts at On request and Openspace at $2500/month.
Does GCPay or Openspace run on more platforms?
GCPay runs on Web. Openspace runs on iOS, Android, Web.
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 Openspace is typically brought in for.
What can GCPay do that Openspace cannot?
GCPay covers Pay application workflow, Lien waiver exchange, Compliance tracking, Change order management. Openspace covers 360 photo capture, BIM compare, Progress tracking, AI analysis.

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.

Openspace: How quickly does OpenSpace document construction sites?

OpenSpace documents 25,000 sq. ft. in 10 minutes using 360-degree cameras. Photos are automatically pinned to floor plans, timestamped, and ready to view in 15 minutes.

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.

Openspace: Does OpenSpace integrate with existing project management tools?

Yes. OpenSpace Field integrates with Procore and Autodesk Construction Cloud, allowing teams to create punch lists and observations in real-time without disrupting existing workflows.

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.

Openspace: What camera equipment does OpenSpace require?

OpenSpace uses 360-degree cameras for site documentation. The platform automatically processes and maps captured images without requiring specialized technical skills from on-site staff.

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.

Openspace: What AI features does OpenSpace provide for construction teams?

OpenSpace includes Spatial AI for automatic issue location tagging, AI Voice Notes for hands-free data capture, and an AI-powered media library for efficient image retrieval to accelerate project workflows.

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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