How to Choose a Construction Site Management App: 15 Questions to Ask

Buying a site management app is not like buying a laptop. You cannot test everything in a shop. You see a demo, you like the screen, you pay, and three months later nobody on site opens the app. This happens with many contractors in India. The reason is simple: the app was bought for the office, not for the site.

This article gives you 15 questions to ask any vendor, including us. Ask them in the demo itself. Note the answers. Compare two or three apps on the same answers. We have also explained how Trackovo, our own app, answers each question. We have been honest about what we do not do, because hiding gaps only wastes your money later.

Why most app choices go wrong

Most apps are bought by the owner or the project manager after a 30-minute demo. The demo looks clean. The reports look good. But the people who must actually use the app every day are the site engineer, the munshi, the mistri, and sometimes the labour. If the app is hard for them, they will keep using a notebook and WhatsApp. The office will then have data that is two days old and half wrong.

The second common mistake is checking only the price. A cheaper app that nobody uses is more costly than an expensive app that everyone uses. The third mistake is not asking about data export. If you want to leave the app after a year, your material records, attendance and payment history must come with you.

So before you look at any app, including ours, read this comparison of construction management software in India to understand the market. Then use the 15 questions below.

Part 1: People – who actually logs in

Question 1. Who needs a paid login and who logs in free?

This is the biggest hidden cost. Some apps charge for every person who logs in, including labour and contractors. On a site with 80 labourers, that adds up fast. Ask the vendor clearly: does a labour marking attendance consume a licence? What about a sub-contractor who only views his own settlement?

What a good answer looks like: Only office and site supervisory roles count as paid users. Labour, contractors and general staff log in free and unlimited. In Trackovo, this is how every plan works. Only core users like the owner, project manager and site engineer count towards the plan limit.

Question 2. What roles and permissions exist?

Can your site engineer approve material requests, or only the owner? Can a client see progress without seeing your costs? Ask for a live walk-through of roles, not a promise.

What a good answer looks like: Clear roles – owner, site engineer, munshi, storekeeper, client – each seeing only what they should. Trackovo works on Android, iPhone and web with role-based access, including limited client access for updates.

Question 3. Will the mistri and munshi actually use it?

Ask the vendor how many taps it takes to mark attendance or raise a material request. If it takes more than a few taps, it will fail on site.

What a good answer looks like: Simple screens, local-language-friendly workflows, and free logins so nobody on site has an excuse. For attendance specifically, read our guide to hajiri apps for construction labour to see what simplicity should look like.

Part 2: Site proof – photo, location, time

Question 4. Is attendance backed by photo and location?

A plain list of names can be filled from anywhere. A photo with site location and time stamp is harder to fake and settles disputes with contractors.

What a good answer looks like: Attendance entries carry a photo and the site location automatically. Trackovo records labour attendance with photo and site location. We do not offer biometric hardware or face recognition, so if those are must-haves for you, say so early in the demo.

Question 5. Are deliveries and receipts recorded with proof?

Material theft and short delivery eat your margin. Ask how a goods receipt is recorded.

What a good answer looks like: A delivery (GRN) entry with photo proof, linked to the original order and challan. Trackovo records delivery receipts with photo proof, so you can match what was ordered against what actually landed.

Question 6. Can daily progress be captured in writing and pictures?

Ask how the site engineer closes his day. It should take minutes, not an hour of typing.

What a good answer looks like: Daily progress entries with tasks, notes and photos. Trackovo covers tasks and daily progress, and you can read more on our DPR software page. If you still run DPR on Excel, our DPR format in Excel is a useful short-term fix.

Part 3: Money – the full trail from indent to payment

Question 7. Does the app track the full material chain?

Material cost control needs the whole chain: request, approval, order, receipt, stock. Apps that only do stock registers leave the leakage point – the indent and order – uncovered. If you use Excel today, see our material stock register format and material indent format to understand what must move into the app.

What a good answer looks like: One connected chain. Trackovo handles material requests, approvals, orders, receipts and stock in one flow, with vendors linked to it. Details are on our material management page.

Question 8. Does it handle wages and contractor settlement?

Weekly wage calculation and contractor settlement on actual measurement are where most site fights happen. Ask the vendor to show a settlement from start to finish.

What a good answer looks like: Attendance flows into wages, and measurement book entries flow into contractor bills. Trackovo handles labour wages, contractor settlement and a measurement book module. See attendance and salary and labour management for details.

Question 9. Are site kharcha, payments and expenses tracked site-wise?

You should know, at any moment, what each site has consumed – labour, material, machines, tools and cash expenses.

What a good answer looks like: Site-wise payments and expenses with category-wise reports. Trackovo does this, including machines and tools tracking. If you currently use Excel, compare with our site expense register format. Our finance management page explains the full flow.

Question 10. Does it handle GST, TDS and Tally?

Be careful here. Many vendors say “Tally integration” loosely. Ask specifically: is it live two-way sync, or an export that my accountant imports?

What a good answer looks like: A clear, honest statement. Trackovo handles GST and TDS, and gives a Tally export – not a live Tally integration. Your accountant imports the file into Tally. If a vendor promises live Tally sync, ask them to show it working in the demo, not just on a slide.

Question 11. Who approves what?

Material requests and payments should need approval before they happen, not after. Ask how approval works when the owner is travelling.

What a good answer looks like: Approval steps built into material requests and payments, doable from the phone. Trackovo has approval flows in the material chain.

Part 4: Reports and client updates

Question 12. What reports do you get without asking anyone?

You should not have to call your engineer for yesterday’s labour count or this month’s material spend. Ask to see the actual report screens, not mock-ups.

What a good answer looks like: Standard reports and dashboards on attendance, material, expenses and progress. Trackovo has a reports and dashboards section you can see in the demo. For costing estimates before you even buy, our free labour cost calculator and other calculators are open to all.

Question 13. Can clients get updates without seeing your costs?

Client updates build trust and reduce phone calls. But clients must not see your internal kharcha or vendor rates.

What a good answer looks like: A separate client view with progress and photos only. Trackovo includes client updates with controlled access. Note that Trackovo does not include a construction CRM for leads and enquiries – if sales pipeline management is a priority, you will need a separate tool.

Part 5: Commercial – price, trial, exit

Question 14. What does it really cost per year, and is every module included?

Some apps split modules across plans. You buy the cheap plan and later find attendance or the measurement book costs extra. Ask for a written all-inclusive annual price with GST.

What a good answer looks like: Simple plans, all modules in every plan, only user and project counts differing. Trackovo’s launch-offer prices are Starter at Rs 1,799 per month or Rs 17,999 per year for 3 core users and 5 active projects, Growth at Rs 2,999 per month or Rs 29,999 per year for 6 core users and 12 projects, and Scale at Rs 5,399 per month or Rs 5,399 per month or Rs 53,999 per year for 12 core users and 30 projects. These prices are valid till 31 March 2027. Labour, contractors and staff log in free on every plan. Every module is in every plan. 18% GST is extra. Full details are on our plans page. If you are comparing us with Powerplay or OnSite, we have written honest comparisons here: Trackovo vs Powerplay and Trackovo vs OnSite. For their current prices, check their own websites.

Question 15. Is there a free trial, help with data import, and a way out with your data?

Three things to ask together. One: can I try without paying? Two: will you help me move my Excel sheets into the app? Three: if I leave, do I get my data exported?

What a good answer looks like: Yes to all three, in writing. Trackovo has a 14-day free trial with no card needed, the team helps import data from Excel, and we export your data on request. Start at the free trial page, or get a WhatsApp demo or a full guided demo first. One honest limitation: Trackovo does not claim offline working. On sites with poor network, entries wait until connectivity returns, so plan accordingly.

A scoring table you can copy

Use this table for every app you evaluate, including Trackovo. Score each answer from 0 to 3. Zero means unclear or missing, three means shown working in the demo. Any app scoring below 20 out of 45 should be dropped.

If you want to see how we score before you fill the table yourself, visit our features page, our site management software overview, or the wider construction project management app and construction ERP pages. Contractors also often ask about BOQ software, vendor management and transport management – all worth checking in any demo. And if you are moving off Excel, our free construction Excel templates, labour attendance sheet format and best labour attendance app guide will help you see what a proper app should replace.

Common questions

Should I pick one app for everything or separate apps for hajiri, material and accounts?

Separate apps mean separate logins, separate data and no link between attendance, wages and settlement. If your sites are small, one combined app is usually better because the data connects. If you already have a strong accounts setup, keep your accountant’s tools and choose an app like Trackovo that exports to Tally rather than replacing it.

How long should a proper trial take?

Plan for two to four weeks on one live site. Two weeks is enough to test attendance, material entries and one wage cycle. Trackovo’s free trial runs 14 days with no card needed, which fits one full settlement cycle on a small site. If any vendor pushes you to pay before a trial, treat that as a warning sign.

What if my site has poor network coverage?

Ask each vendor directly whether the app works offline and how it syncs later. Trackovo does not claim offline working, so on weak-network sites you need a signal to record entries. Vendors that do offer offline mode should show you a real sync test, including what happens when two people edit the same record offline.

How do I move years of Excel records into a new app?

Ask the vendor three things: who does the import, what format your sheets must be in, and what happens to old records that do not fit the app’s fields. Trackovo’s team helps import data from Excel, and you can request an export of your data at any time. Any vendor unwilling to return your data on request should be avoided, however good the app looks.