What LiveCosts.com does

LiveCosts.com, operated by Ground Up Software Limited, is a Dublin-headquartered SaaS provider of real-time construction cost management software for SMB and mid-market builders and trade contractors. Founded in 2018 by brothers Ciaran and Niall Brennan, former contractors with combined experience across Ireland, the UK, Australia, and the US, the company launched its platform in 2020. The product unifies job costing, purchase order tracking, invoice management, time tracking, and financial reporting (budget vs actuals, WIP, project P&L) into a single workflow that connects office and field teams via web and native iOS/Android mobile apps. AI is applied to invoice line-item extraction and 3-way matching (POs, delivery notes, invoices) to automate financial control and reduce manual data entry.

The platform integrates natively and bidirectionally with the three dominant SMB accounting platforms (Xero, Sage, QuickBooks), where it maintains certified marketplace listings. LiveCosts sells through a product-led growth motion with inside sales support, using quote-based annual subscription pricing tailored to business size and project volume. Go-to-market emphasises educational content (blog, podcast, webinars, eBooks, client stories) and an ambassador/referral programme. The product is offered with vertical-specific modules for general contractors, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, civil, and sub-contractor segments.

The company operates from offices in Dublin (headquarters), London, and Perth, with active customers across Ireland, the UK, Australia, and South Africa. In April 2023, Nemetschek Group, a publicly listed German AEC software conglomerate, made a strategic minority investment to support LiveCosts' expansion into new markets. The business reports 5,000+ projects managed, 20,000 users, and a 98.5% customer retention rate.

Name

LiveCosts.com

Legal name

Ground Up Software Limited

Website

https://livecosts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LiveCosts.com is a Dublin-based SaaS platform providing real-time construction cost management software for SMB and mid-market builders and trade contractors, unifying job costing, purchase orders, invoice processing, and reporting, with native integrations to Xero, Sage, and QuickBooks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Cost Management Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Vendor & Contract Management (Software/Cloud) (BPAEAOAD)

Keywords

• Construction cost tracking
• Job costing software
• Construction purchase orders
• Invoice automation software
• Construction time tracking

Headquarters

HQ city

Blanchardstown

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription: LiveCosts operates as a cloud-based SaaS subscription product. Pricing is custom and quote-based, tailored to business size and project volume. No free trial or freemium model is disclosed publicly. The product is sold as a recurring subscription with annual or multi-year billing options implied by the pricing page structure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LiveCosts.com is a cloud-based SaaS platform that gives construction contractors real-time visibility and control over job costs across labour, materials, plant, and subcontractors. It combines job costing, purchase order management, AI-driven invoice processing with 3-way matching, time tracking, and financial reporting, and it syncs natively with Xero, Sage, and QuickBooks so project costs flow into the contractor's accounting system. The product is sold as a recurring subscription on quote-based pricing tailored to business size and project volume.

Product overview

LiveCosts is a unified construction cost tracking platform consisting of a core software product with integrated modules for Job Costing, Purchase Order Tracking, Invoice Management, Time Tracking, and Financial Reporting/Analytics. The platform also offers specialized vertical solutions for different contractor types (General Contractors, Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC, Civil, and Sub-Contractors). The system integrates natively with accounting platforms Xero, Sage, and QuickBooks and includes a mobile app for field teams. AI-powered features include invoice extraction and 3-way matching automation. The company also produces educational content including a podcast, eBooks, webinars, and client stories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LiveCosts Platform Cloud-based SaaS platform that connects construction office and field teams with real-time job costing, purchase order tracking, invoice management, time tracking, and financial reporting, replacing spreadsheets and posting project costs into Xero, Sage, or QuickBooks. Targeted at SMB and mid-market construction contractors.
• LiveCosts Mobile App (iOS / Android) Native iOS and Android application that enables site and field teams to create requisitions and purchase orders, record labour and equipment time, receive real-time delivery updates, and add purchase receipts directly from the job site, syncing with the LiveCosts platform and connected accounting software.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98.5% customer retention rate
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Procore: Procore is the leading cloud-based construction management platform, serving general contractors and owners with job costing, project management, and financial tools. It directly competes with LiveCosts in construction cost management but at a much broader scope and enterprise scale, and is explicitly named in LiveCosts' SEO comparison content.
• Sage 100 Contractor: Sage 100 Contractor is an established on-premise accounting and job costing solution for construction firms from Sage Group. It overlaps with LiveCosts' job costing and financial reporting capabilities and competes for the same construction SMB customer, particularly via Sage accounting integrations.
• Jonas Construction Software: Jonas Construction Software offers integrated construction accounting, job costing, and project management for commercial contractors and specialty trades. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping cost control and accounting functionality relative to LiveCosts.

Direct peers

• Simpro: Simpro provides field service and job management software for trade contractors across plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and similar verticals. It overlaps with LiveCosts' trade contractor focus and is also named in LiveCosts' SEO comparison content as a competitor.
• Buildertrend: Buildertrend is a cloud-based construction project management and job costing platform for residential remodelers, custom builders, and specialty contractors. It competes directly with LiveCosts in serving trade and specialty contractor SMBs with cost tracking, scheduling, and customer management.
• JobTread: JobTread is an end-to-end construction management platform built for small-to-mid-sized builders and remodelers. It offers job costing, purchase orders, and financial reporting comparable to LiveCosts, targeting a similar SMB contractor customer base.
• Knowify: Knowify is construction project management and accounting software focused on small specialty contractors and remodelers. It provides job costing, invoicing, and project tracking that competes directly with LiveCosts' core job costing and financial reporting modules.
• CoConstruct: CoConstruct offers construction project management software for custom home builders and remodelers, with integrated estimating, job costing, and client billing. It serves the same SMB contractor niche as LiveCosts with comparable cost management features.
• Foundation Software: Foundation Software provides accounting, job costing, and project management solutions specifically for commercial and residential contractors. It is a direct peer to LiveCosts in serving construction SMBs with purpose-built cost tracking and accounting software.
• RedTeam Software: RedTeam Software provides cloud-based construction project management, job costing, and financial controls for commercial general contractors. It targets a similar construction SMB/mid-market segment as LiveCosts with comparable project financial tracking capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeopen.spotify.com/show/5P2UKHmChJl1klhMQfnepw
• Xx.com/livecosts
• Facebookfacebook.com/LiveCostsTechnology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/livecosts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LiveCosts.com