Know what each site is really costing, bill stages on time, control material at the site, and see which projects made money — before the project is over.
Software for a construction business is what you use to know what each site is really costing you — while it is still running.
Project profit is usually discovered at the end, when nothing can be done about it. Material walks off site, stage bills go out late so money comes in late, and every site is a separate spreadsheet. PeppyBooks tracks cost against budget per site as it happens.
Know which sites earn, while they're still running.
Material and cost visible without a spreadsheet.
Stage bills, retention and payables in one place.
Per site, per head of cost.
Material, labour and subcontractor costs land against that site as they happen.
Stage bills go out; real project margin is visible throughout.
A project that's losing money in month two shouldn't be discovered in month nine.
Budget vs actual cost per site
Material, labour and subcontractor cost per project
Overheads allocated to the right site
Cost overrun flagged early
Real margin per project
Material is most of your cost, and the site is where it's hardest to see.
Site-wise store and issue records
Material moved between sites, tracked both ways
Purchase orders raised against site requirement
Wastage and shortage recorded, not absorbed
Stock value that matches your books
Cash flow in construction is the whole game. Late bills mean late money.
Stage and milestone billing
Retention amounts tracked to release
Who owes you, by client and by site
Automatic reminders on overdue bills
Subcontractor bills and payments in one place
Cost against budget, not a post-mortem.
Every issue has a site and a record.
Stage bills go out on schedule, and chase themselves.
An honest look. Each of these is good at what it was built for — the question is whether your billing, your stock and your accounts end up as one thing or several.
| What matters | PeppyBooks | Tally | Zoho Books | QuickBooks | Your current setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost against budget per site, live | Yes | Depends on how you set up cost centres | Depends on plan | Depends on plan | A spreadsheet per site |
| Accounts update from the bill | Yes — the bill is the entry | Yes — accounting is its core | Yes — accounting is its core | Yes — accounting is its core | No — added up separately |
| Stock goes down as you sell | Yes | Yes — stock is included | Depends on plan; may require Zoho Inventory | Depends on plan | A separate register |
| Works with no internet | Yes — sends everything later | Yes — a genuine strength, runs on your computer | Best suited for working online | Best suited for working online | Depends what you use |
| Reach it from anywhere, on a phone | Yes — built for the web | Best suited for a computer in the office; remote access is available | Yes | Yes | Usually not |
| More than one location on one login | Yes, on every plan | Depends on how your companies are set up | Depends on plan | Often a subscription per company | Each place on its own |
| Customers, purchases & staff pay together | Included by plan | Stock included; CRM and payroll may require another application | May require other Zoho applications | May require another application | Separate people and files |
| Country e-invoicing (India, Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, UAE & more) | 9 countries built in | Strong in India (GST & e-invoicing) | Depends on the country edition | Not available in India since 2023 | Handled by hand |
| How it is priced | From $17 per user per month | Mainly a one-time licence, plus yearly support | Monthly subscription, by plan | Monthly subscription, by plan | Free, until something is missed |
Where each is strong: Tally is a genuine strength if you want your books on your own computer and your accountant already knows it. Zoho Books and QuickBooks are strong cloud accounting products, particularly for service businesses. A dedicated package for your trade may fit that trade's specific needs very well. PeppyBooks is best suited for construction businesses that want the bill, the stock and the accounts to be one record, across more than one location. Compiled from each vendor's published information — last verified 17 July 2026. Features and pricing change and vary by country and plan; please check the vendor's current terms before deciding.
Most construction businesses we talk to are on a spreadsheet per site. You do not have to stop working to change.
Nothing switches off. Set PeppyBooks up alongside what you use today.
Your items, customers and opening stock in a spreadsheet — we load them for you.
Run one real day, or one real cycle, and compare it with your own numbers.
Only then. Guided migration is free on annual plans.
Your items, customers and opening stock come across, and we check your opening balances against your existing books before you go live. Old records stay where they are for your reference.
The day-to-day screens are simple enough for staff who use a phone. Train on a quiet day, not your busiest one.
Usually not. It runs on an ordinary tablet or computer, and works with most printers and barcode scanners you already own.
The trial is 14 days and takes no card. Whatever you put in stays yours, and you can export it at any time.
Native to the PeppyBooks platform, open where it counts.
Yes. Material, labour, subcontractor and overhead costs are tracked per site against your budget, so an overrun shows up early enough to act on.
Yes. Bill by stage or milestone, track retention until release, and see exactly who owes you against each project.
Yes. Site-wise stores, issues and transfers are all recorded, and the stock value ties back to your accounts.
Yes. Construction businesses use PeppyBooks for billing, stock, accounts, tax and customers in one platform — instead of separate tools that never agree with each other. Start with a free 14-day trial and see it with your own data.
No. Accounting, stock, billing, POS and customer management are all in the same platform, on one subscription. When you make a sale, your stock and your accounts both update — automatically.
Most businesses are billing on day one. If you're moving from another system, we bring across your customers, suppliers, products and opening balances — guided migration is free on annual plans.