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Construction · head to head

GCPay vs PlanGrid

GCPay logo

GCPay

Construction

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanGrid logo

PlanGrid

Construction

Construction productivity software for the field

From
$39/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.; PlanGrid autodesk states PlanGrid is no longer available for purchase by net-new customers, with new buyers directed to Forma Build
  • They diverge on capability: GCPay covers Pay application workflow, PlanGrid covers Blueprint management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GCPay and PlanGrid actually diverge.

Attributes where GCPay and PlanGrid differ
AttributeGCPayPlanGrid
Starting priceOn request$39/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
FoundedUnknown1982

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 PlanGrid

  • Blueprint management
  • Issue tracking
  • Photo documentation
  • Punch lists
  • RFI management
  • Autodesk BIM 360
  • Procore
  • Box

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

PlanGrid

  • Giving field crews real-time access to construction plans, issues and photosnot GCPay
  • Capturing site forms and photos from a tablet on a job sitenot GCPay
  • Managing organization licences for a construction document appnot 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.

PlanGrid

  • Autodesk states PlanGrid is no longer available for purchase by net-new customers, with new buyers directed to Forma Build
  • PlanGrid access is now sold only through Forma Build, so pricing is set by the Forma Build subscription rather than PlanGrid itself
  • Mobile users must access PlanGrid projects through the Autodesk Forma mobile app rather than a standalone PlanGrid app
  • The PlanGrid desktop app requires Windows 10 or higher
  • The Admin Console for managing users and licences is a separate site restricted to designated organization admins

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

PlanGrid

$39/month
  • Build$39/month
    • Sheet management
    • Issue tracking
    • RFIs
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Advanced analytics
    • Custom integrations
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose GCPay if

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

Choose PlanGrid if

  • You need blueprint management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want issue tracking.
PlanGrid review

Questions people ask

Is GCPay or PlanGrid better?
Neither clearly leads. GCPay starts at On request and PlanGrid at $39/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GCPay or PlanGrid?
GCPay starts at On request and PlanGrid at $39/month.
Does GCPay or PlanGrid run on more platforms?
GCPay runs on Web. PlanGrid runs on Web, Ios, Android.
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 PlanGrid is typically brought in for.
What can GCPay do that PlanGrid cannot?
GCPay covers Pay application workflow, Lien waiver exchange, Compliance tracking, Change order management. PlanGrid covers Blueprint management, Issue tracking, Photo documentation, Punch lists.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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