TradesCORD℠ vs Paper & Spreadsheets
The tool most crews actually compete with — the yellow pad and the group text.
Be honest: the real competition is not another app — it is the yellow pad in the truck, the photos buried in a text thread, and the spreadsheet nobody updates. It is free and familiar, and it costs you jobs. This is the fair comparison of how you work now vs putting the whole job in one place.
- Price
- $179/mo flat · or $1,899 one-time source license
- Users
- Unlimited — no per-seat fees, ever
- Focus
- Multi-trade field coordination (16 trades built in)
- Contract
- Month-to-month — cancel anytime, no annual lock-in
- Deployment
- Plugin/embed, managed SaaS, or self-hosted source code
- Best for
- GCs, PMs & coordinators running multiple trades at one address
- Price
- Free — but paid for in lost jobs and rework
- Users
- Everyone — and no one, consistently
- Focus
- Whatever you remember to write down
- Contract
- None
- Deployment
- Truck, glovebox, and your phone’s camera roll
- Best for
- A single job at a time, if nothing goes wrong
Feature-by-Feature
full · partial / add-on · not available
| Capability | TradesCORD℠ | Paper & Spreadsheets |
|---|---|---|
| Free Free — until a lost note costs you the job. | ||
| Everything for one job in one place | ||
| Photos tagged to the right trade & address | ||
| A professional estimate from the driveway | ||
| Send subs only what they need (not your customer) | ||
| Nothing lost when the notepad walks off | ||
| Voice-to-text with gloves on | ||
| One shared status everyone can see | ||
| Owner sees margin at a glance | ||
| Scales past one job without chaos |
Where Paper & Spreadsheets Shines — and Where It Doesn't
We don't trash the competition. Good tools are good at real things. Here's the honest picture.
Paper & Spreadsheets strengths
- Free and requires zero setup
- Familiar — everyone already knows how
- Works with no signal and no battery
- Fine for a one-person shop doing one job at a time
Where it may fall short
- Notes and photos get lost — and lost notes lose jobs
- No shared status; subs and customers call you for everything
- Retyping everything back at the office wastes hours
- Falls apart the moment you run more than one job
Why Crews Choose TradesCORD℠
Field-first, not a desk app on a phone
48px+ touch targets, voice-to-text with gloves on, outdoor-readable. Built to be used in a driveway, not a back office.
Built for many trades, not one
16 trades ship ready to go — roofing, fencing, tree, concrete, tarping, pavers and more. One job, one address, every trade on the same estimate.
Share a live job link — no login, no app
Text a read-only link to a homeowner, adjuster, or sub. They see exactly what you choose — never your pricing, margins, or customer contact.
One flat price — no per-seat math
Add your whole crew, your office, and every sub at no extra charge. Your bill does not grow every time you hire.
The Verdict
Paper is free until it costs you a job. If you run one job at a time and never lose a note, keep the pad. If you are juggling multiple trades, subs, and addresses — and losing time retyping and re-explaining — TradesCORD puts the whole job in one place for a flat monthly price that a single saved job pays for.
Frequently Asked
See TradesCORD℠ for Yourself
One flat price. Unlimited users. 16 trades. Built for the field. Call 904-891-8435 or take a look.