Compare · Buildertrend
A building company is more than the build.Operations Link runs all of it.
Operations Link covers 35 and a half of 40; Buildertrend covers 22.
13 and a half more in Operations Link.You hand over the house, and the customer calls you for twenty years. Operations Link runs the build — projects, change orders, the client portal — and every service call after it, on one record: dispatched to a tech’s phone, with the equipment and its maintenance agreement on file. Van stock, hiring and time off, a business phone line and video meetings too — some parts on Professional or as services you switch on.
This page sets Operations Link beside Buildertrend. Every Buildertrend fact on it links to the page it was read on, on 24 October 2026.
- 1Equipment on recordWith Field operations
- 2Phone and texts, Canadian numbersWith the phone system
- 3Service calls, dispatchedWith Field operations
- 4Maintenance agreementWith Field operations
- 5Van stockWith Field operations
In short
35½ of 40 on one record.Nothing typed twice.
Operations Link covers 35 and a half of 40; Buildertrend covers 22.
13 and a half more in Operations Link.Operations Link runs the build as Buildertrend does — projects, holdback and a client portal on every plan, change orders with Field operations — and the whole company around it, through every year after handover: service visits dispatched to a tech’s phone, equipment on record, maintenance agreements and van stock (Field operations), hiring (HR), and a phone line on Canadian numbers. A builder who also services what it builds runs both from one record.
Counted row by row on the table below, of the 40 things a company runs — Operations Link’s services included, as Buildertrend’s separately sold products are.
What Buildertrend is known for — and how Operations Link handles it
- Gantt and critical pathBuildertrend: Construction scheduling in depth: Gantt with predecessors, the critical path and baselines.Operations Link
Milestones on a timeline and task boards on every project, with a health score that flags a project slipping.
- Job-cost budgetsBuildertrend: The money of a build joined up: estimates to job-cost budgets, change orders, retainage and bill pay.Operations Link
Quotes, profit per project, holdback on any invoice and supplier bills on every plan; change orders with Field operations.
- Selections and trade portalsBuildertrend: Client and trade-partner portals with selections, approvals and payments.Operations Link
A client portal where your clients follow the project, approve extra work and sign.
- AI inside the workBuildertrend: AI inside the work: weekly updates for clients drafted for you, and supplier bills read in.Operations Link
A report on how each project is going, written for you, and, with Nova, any project asked about in plain words.
Side by side
40 things a company runs.Row by row, checked.
A row counts whole when it is in the product or sold as its own product, half when only a narrower version is, and not at all when it takes another company’s app. Every Buildertrend answer links to the page on Buildertrend’s site we read it on, on 24 October 2026; a “Not listed” links to where we looked. Tell us if we missed something.
- In the product
- In part
- Not listed, or only through another app
“Professional and up” is the Professional and Enterprise plans. “With Fleet”, “With Nova” and the like are Operations Link services you switch on with those plans.
Buildertrend’s answers read on 24 October 2026, each linked to its page.
Operations Link
35 and a half/40Buildertrend
22/40Clients and sales
| Feature | Operations Link | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Client records | Every plan | |
| Sales pipeline | Every plan | |
| Quotes and estimates | Every plan | |
| Customers book online | In part · every planYour clients book visits from their portal; a new customer sends a web form. | In partA website contact form; no appointment slots. |
| Email marketing | In part · every planFollow-up sequences that stop when someone replies; no newsletters or landing pages. | |
| Customer portal | Every plan |
Client records
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Sales pipeline
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Quotes and estimates
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Customers book online
- Operations Link
- In part · every plan
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Your clients book visits from their portal; a new customer sends a web form.
Buildertrend: A website contact form; no appointment slots.
Email marketing
- Operations Link
- In part · every plan
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Follow-up sequences that stop when someone replies; no newsletters or landing pages.
Customer portal
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Scheduling and field work
| Feature | Operations Link | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling calendar | Every plan | |
| Jobs and work orders | Every plan | In partTasks, schedule items and purchase orders. |
| Dispatch board | With Field operations | |
| Suggests the right tech | With Field operationsRanked on skills, service area, who is free, travel time and past jobs. | |
| Tech app on the phone | With Field operations | |
| Customer equipment records | With Field operations | |
| Maintenance agreements | With Field operations |
Scheduling calendar
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Jobs and work orders
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Buildertrend: Tasks, schedule items and purchase orders.
Dispatch board
- Operations Link
- With Field operations
- Buildertrend
Suggests the right tech
- Operations Link
- With Field operations
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Ranked on skills, service area, who is free, travel time and past jobs.
Tech app on the phone
- Operations Link
- With Field operations
- Buildertrend
Customer equipment records
- Operations Link
- With Field operations
- Buildertrend
Maintenance agreements
- Operations Link
- With Field operations
- Buildertrend
Projects
| Feature | Operations Link | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Projects with task boards | Every plan | |
| Timelines and Gantt charts | In part · every planMilestones on a timeline; no Gantt chart. | |
| Change orders | With Field operations |
Service vans
| Feature | Operations Link | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Techs on a live map | With Field operationsYour techs on shift; a late visit is flagged with one tap to reassign. | |
| The day’s route | In part · with Field operationsEach tech’s visits in order, travel time weighed when a job is offered. | |
| Van stock | With Field operationsParts on each van, reordered before they run out. |
Techs on a live map
- Operations Link
- With Field operations
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Your techs on shift; a late visit is flagged with one tap to reassign.
The day’s route
- Operations Link
- In part · with Field operations
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Each tech’s visits in order, travel time weighed when a job is offered.
Van stock
- Operations Link
- With Field operations
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Parts on each van, reordered before they run out.
Money
| Feature | Operations Link | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Invoices | Every plan | |
| Online payments | Not offeredClients record a cheque or a transfer in their portal, and you confirm it; your tech records payment on site. | |
| Holdback on invoices | Every plan | |
| Expenses | Every plan | |
| Supplier bills and purchase orders | Every plan | |
| Profit per project | Every plan | |
| QuickBooks Online | With BookkeepingYour books stay in your own QuickBooks. |
Invoices
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Online payments
- Operations Link
- Not offered
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Clients record a cheque or a transfer in their portal, and you confirm it; your tech records payment on site.
Holdback on invoices
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Expenses
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Supplier bills and purchase orders
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Profit per project
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
QuickBooks Online
- Operations Link
- With Bookkeeping
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Your books stay in your own QuickBooks.
People and pay
| Feature | Operations Link | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Employee records | With HR | Through another appThrough Gusto. |
| Hiring | With HR | |
| Time off | Professional and up | Through another appThrough Gusto. |
| Timesheets | Professional and up | |
| Payroll | In part · with PayrollPay runs calculate for Ontario, Canada today; your company runs them and stays the filer. | Through another appThrough Gusto. |
Hiring
- Operations Link
- With HR
- Buildertrend
Time off
- Operations Link
- Professional and up
- Buildertrend
Buildertrend: Through Gusto.
Timesheets
- Operations Link
- Professional and up
- Buildertrend
Payroll
- Operations Link
- In part · with Payroll
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Pay runs calculate for Ontario, Canada today; your company runs them and stays the filer.
Buildertrend: Through Gusto.
Calls and messages
| Feature | Operations Link | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Team chat | Every plan | |
| Email inside the app | Every plan | In partJob messages that work like email. |
| Video meetings | Every plan | |
| Business phone system | In part · with the phone systemWith Vera or on its own: Canadian numbers today. Talk to us. | |
| Texting customers | In part · with the phone systemFrom your company’s Canadian numbers today. |
Team chat
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Email inside the app
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Buildertrend: Job messages that work like email.
Video meetings
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Business phone system
- Operations Link
- In part · with the phone system
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: With Vera or on its own: Canadian numbers today. Talk to us.
Texting customers
- Operations Link
- In part · with the phone system
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: From your company’s Canadian numbers today.
AI
| Feature | Operations Link | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistant on your own data | With NovaFifteen days free when you start. | In partAI inside workflows: updates, bills, plans. |
| AI that answers your phone | With VeraAnswers your customers about their own jobs, invoices and quotes, after checking who is calling. | |
| AI chat on your website | With LunaAnswers visitors on your website and saves each one as a lead in Operations Link; a service we set up and run. |
AI assistant on your own data
- Operations Link
- With Nova
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Fifteen days free when you start.
Buildertrend: AI inside workflows: updates, bills, plans.
AI that answers your phone
- Operations Link
- With Vera
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Answers your customers about their own jobs, invoices and quotes, after checking who is calling.
AI chat on your website
- Operations Link
- With Luna
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Answers visitors on your website and saves each one as a lead in Operations Link; a service we set up and run.
Reports
| Feature | Operations Link | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Reports and dashboards | Every planDashboards on every plan; the report builder on Professional and Enterprise. |
Reports and dashboards
- Operations Link
- Every plan
- Buildertrend
Operations Link: Dashboards on every plan; the report builder on Professional and Enterprise.
Questions
Asked when switching.
Can Operations Link run a construction project?
Yes, on every plan: tasks on a board, milestones on a timeline, budget, cost and margin side by side, and a client view of the project in their portal; change orders come with Field operations. It has no Gantt chart, RFIs, daily logs or selections.
Does it track holdback, as Buildertrend tracks retainage?
Yes — any invoice can carry a holdback released later. It is left out of what you chase, and your client’s portal asks only for the part due now.
Can I bring my Buildertrend data across?
Your clients come in from a spreadsheet, and so do your team members; bank transactions import from a file. There is no one-click import from Buildertrend. Book a call and we will look at the rest with you.
What does Operations Link cost?
Essentials is $79 per person a month and Professional $129, billed in US dollars. Services are priced on their own, on Professional and Enterprise. We leave Buildertrend’s prices off this page because they change — their own pricing page has them.
Can I try it before I pay?
Yes. Fifteen days free on the plan you pick, with no credit card.
Other comparisons
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