The real difference: a filing cabinet, or the work that fills it
Most construction software is a system of record. It is where a variation or a claim is stored and reported, after someone has already written it up. That someone is usually you, at night, or an admin keying it in.
Sabeam is that someone. You set the job up once by uploading the contract, capture variations by talking on site, and forward the emails and invoices you already get. When a stage is done, the progress claim is drafted from the contract and those variations, priced and ready to send. You review and approve. Same for variations, sub-invoices, BAS, site diary, sub compliance, TPAR, defects and homeowner updates. Sabeam is not another place to store the work. It does the work, so it arrives ready to approve.
It works with the tools you already use
You do not have to drop Procore or Xero to use Sabeam. Sabeam sits underneath them. It turns what you forward, speak and snap into finished paperwork, and that flows into the tools you already run. Those tools keep the record. Sabeam does the drafting that fills it. The thing Sabeam replaces is not your software. It is the hours of admin and the pile of paperwork that never quite gets entered.
Side by side
| Sabeam | Procore | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | The whole back office for residential builders | A full project management platform for larger and commercial builders |
| How the paperwork gets created | Drafted for you from what you forward, say and snap | Entered and managed by your team inside the platform |
| Also handles | Progress claims, variations, sub-invoices, BAS, site diary, sub compliance, TPAR, defects and homeowner updates | RFIs, drawings, submittals, scheduling, financials, quality and safety |
| Built around | Small and residential Australian builders | Larger commercial builders and enterprise teams |
| Weight and cost | Light, does the admin for you, priced for a small builder | Powerful and broad, heavier and pricier than most residential builders need |
| Your existing tools | Works underneath the tools you already use, including Procore, and drafts the paperwork that fills them | The record and project hub your team works in day to day |
| Payments | Secure milestone payments coming as a premium add-on | Its payments product is US focused and not aimed at residential Australian builders |
Which one is right for you
If you run big commercial jobs and need a full project management platform with RFIs, drawings, scheduling and safety, Procore is built for that, and you should keep it. Sabeam is not trying to be that tool. If you are a residential builder who wants the claim, and the variations, diary, compliance and TPAR behind it, drafted for you from what you already say and forward, that is what Sabeam is for. Most residential builders find Procore heavier and pricier than they need, and Sabeam does the paperwork on its own or underneath whatever you already run.
Common questions
Is Sabeam a like-for-like Procore replacement?
No, and that is the point. Procore is a full project management platform built for larger and commercial jobs. Sabeam does the residential back office. It drafts the paperwork from what you already do, and you review and approve. If you run big commercial jobs on Procore, keep it. Sabeam sits underneath it and drafts the paperwork that fills it.
Does Sabeam do scheduling, estimating and project management?
No, and we leave that out on purpose. Sabeam does not do scheduling or estimating. It drafts your paperwork. If you need a project management platform, keep the one you have. Sabeam does the admin behind it.
Can I use Sabeam alongside Procore?
Yes. Sabeam sits underneath the tools you use day to day. You forward, speak and snap as you do now, and it turns that into finished paperwork.
I already run Procore. Are you not just duplicating it?
No. Procore is where your records live and get reported. It assumes someone has already turned the site note, the email and the sub invoice into a tidy entry. Sabeam is what does that. It drafts the variation or the claim from what you say and forward, ready to approve, and it can feed the tools you already use. You are not paying us to store the same data twice. You are paying us to stop doing the data entry.
When do the payments come in?
Today Sabeam drafts the paperwork. Secure milestone payments are coming as a premium add-on, where the owner funds each stage up front and you are paid the moment it is approved. That part is not live yet.
Procore is a product of its respective owner. This is our own comparison, check their site for their full feature set.