Better Than Buildertrend for Proposal Close Rate — Free Calculators That Show Their Work
Buildertrend is project management software — change orders, daily logs, client portals, schedule Gantts. If the job is already signed, it is useful. The problem for most builders is not the project management. It is the proposal. Two bids at roughly the same number, and the client picks the other guy. No amount of client portal polish will fix that. Reise is built around the proposal: free pricing calculators that show the math behind a number you can defend, and a founder-led teardown that rewrites how the pitch reads.
What makes Reise different
- Shows its math step by step so you can audit every number.
- Always free, with no account wall between you and the estimate.
- Built for 1099 contractors who need practical planning, not vague averages.
Featured calculator
Freelance Project Profitability Calculator
Was that project actually worth it? Enter hours by type (calls, work, revisions, admin), project expenses, payment received vs outstanding, and opportunity cost. See your true effective hourly rate, profit margin, and a composite client score (0–100).
Simple comparison
| Feature | Reise | Buildertrend |
|---|---|---|
| Project management + change orders + client portal | ||
| Contractor break-even + project margin math | ✗ | |
| Free, always, with no per-seat pricing | ||
| Founder-led proposal teardown service | ✗ | |
| ShowMath on every calculation | ✗ |
FAQ
Should I drop Buildertrend if I start using Reise?
No — the tools do different things. Keep Buildertrend for project execution. Use Reise's free calculators to pressure-test your pricing, and the optional $750 teardown to rewrite the proposal document that decides who signs. They coexist cleanly.
Why would a custom builder need a pricing calculator?
Because custom homes carry hidden drag — design changes, material swaps, allowance overruns, punch lists. If your markup was set in a different market and the last three jobs came in at 6% margin instead of 15%, that shows up in project profitability math, not Buildertrend. The free calculator at /tools/project-profitability breaks it down.
What does the proposal teardown look like for a $500k custom build?
We rebuild the pitch document around three questions: what decision is this buyer actually making, what proof do they trust (past projects, PM names, references), and where is the friction in the quote. For a $500k job that usually means restructuring allowances, tightening scope language, and reshaping the payment schedule into something the bank and the buyer both read cleanly.
Is there a free starting point?
Yes. /proposal-os/free-audit is the free tier — paste or upload your proposal and we send back a three-fix audit, usually within 24 hours. No credit card, no sales call. If the audit lands, the full teardown is $750 and credits the audit fee.
Ready to see the math?
Every formula. Every bracket. Every deduction. No signup, no upsell, no advisor pitch — just the numbers you need to plan your quarter.