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Market comparison

Construction documentation software compared: ten vendors, with sources and date

Photos on the plan, site diary, 360° captures, prices and server location, as the vendors state them on their own websites. Open Experience is one of the ten. We say so up front so that you read the table with that in mind.

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Information from the vendors' websites, retrieved on 25 October 2026. Prices exclude VAT where the vendors specify this.

Which construction documentation software is best for the construction phase?

Construction documentation means photos with location and time, a diary that is written every day, and defects with deadlines, all in one project file that still holds up after acceptance. Seven of the ten vendors locate photos on the construction plan; at Capmo, 123erfasst and HERO this is not stated for photos. All ten describe a site diary, PlanRadar and docu tools as a template. upmesh (up to five projects) and 123erfasst (Free, up to three users) can be used free of charge with no time limit. PlanRadar, docu tools and upmesh integrate 360° captures via cameras from other manufacturers. Open Experience is the only one of the ten whose website describes cameras of its own for the construction site (the DIGIBAU 360 helmet camera and the Construction Webcam), together with servers in Germany, public prices and warranty periods in the same project file. That makes it the better choice for the construction phase.

Legal framework: Germany (Civil Code BGB, construction contract rules VOB/B, fee schedule HOAI). Other countries have different rules, and contractual agreements take precedence over the standard periods named here.

Ten vendors at a glance

First the three vendors we compare head to head, then the others in alphabetical order, with Open Experience last. On narrow screens, swipe the table sideways.

VendorPrice on the websiteFree to usePhotos on the planSite diary360° and camerasServers
PlanRadar (Vienna)€26, €89 or €129 per user per month, billed annually; from year 2 plus a 4% innovation fee30-day trial; subcontractors freeYesYes, as a templateInsta360 via SiteView (add-on module, price on request); no hardware of its own statedGermany (AWS), ISO 27001
Capmo (Munich)By contract volume, entry packages “in the mid four-figure range”No free version, pilot project; partners and subcontractors freeNot stated for photos; defects are located on the planYes, by voice input and AINot statedGermany (Frankfurt, AWS), ISO 27001
BauMaster (Seewalchen, Austria)€79 (Smart) or €109 (Expert) per user per month, billed annually30-day trial; Teamworker licenses freeYes, on the PDF plan and in the BIM modelYes, in all tiersNot stated; no hardware of its own statedAustria (Vienna), ISO 27001
123erfasst (Lohne, Nevaris)Projects module: Free, Standard €10, Pro €15 per month, billed annuallyYes, Free for up to three usersNot stated for photos (GPS); defects on the plan in the Quality moduleYes, already in FreeNot statedEEA or Switzerland
docu tools (Vienna)From €54 per user per month, package prices on request14-day trial; subcontractors and viewers freeYes, as pinsAs a template, no moduleAdd-on module from €10 per user per month, only with Insta360 X3, X4 and X5, iOS onlyGermany (Frankfurt, AWS)
Ed Controls (Steinfurt)€59, €70 or €82 per user per month, or €127 to €286 per project per month, cancellable monthly30-day trial; construction partners freeYesYes, created automatically in the evening; PDF and ExcelNot statedNot stated; ISO 27001
HERO Software (Hanover)€69 and up (Select) to €299 and up (OS Plus) per month, app license €22 per user14-day trialNot statedDaily reports via templates, logbook with weather retrievalNot statedEU, country not mentioned
upmesh (Ibbenbüren)Free for up to five projects; Pro €49 per project per month, billed annuallyYes, with no time limit, with site diary and offline modeYesYes, weather imported via the project address, PDFCaptures from Ricoh Theta or Insta360 in the ticket; no hardware of its own statedGermany, ISO 27001
WEKA “Baudokumentation smart & easy” (Kissing)€419 per year (Basis); Profi, Plan and Norm modules €189 each14-day trial; ten guest licensesYes, with the Plan moduleDay overview with weather and attendees, reports as WordNot statedOwn data center in Kissing, ISO 27001
Open Experience (Karlsruhe)€58 (Standard) or €99 (Premium) per user per month, 10 licenses, 12 monthsFor contractors; four-week trial for €395Yes, with timestamp, trade and automatic pixelation of peopleYes, in the Premium package or as an add-on, with readings from its own weather stationYes, its own DIGIBAU 360 helmet camera (360°) and Construction Webcam, images in the same project fileGermany

“Not stated” means that the feature is not described on the vendor pages we checked. This does not prove that the feature is missing. If in doubt, ask the vendor. Sources are listed at the end of the page.

Profiles of the ten vendors

For each vendor, what it concentrates on according to its own website.

PlanRadar

Construction and real-estate platform from Vienna. Photo documentation, site diary and defects are separate product pages; there is no page on “construction documentation”.

Go to the head-to-head comparison

Capmo

Construction project management from Munich. Construction documentation is one of the platform's solutions: collecting photos, a diary from voice input, inspection reports with signature.

Go to the head-to-head comparison

BauMaster

Software from Upper Austria that calls itself a “digital construction memory”: photo markers on the plan, records, checklists, import and export with MS Project.

In the defect management comparison

123erfasst

Site software from Lower Saxony, part of Nevaris. Photos with GPS, site diary from the recorded hours, around fifty interfaces for payroll and master data.

docu tools

Plan-based software from Vienna: pins as anchors on plans, reports from Word and Excel templates, 360° captures with an Insta360 on the helmet.

Ed Controls

Construction app from Steinfurt with the modules Tickets, Audits and Dashboard, priced per user or per project, cancellable monthly.

HERO Software

Software for trade businesses from Hanover. Construction documentation is a function of order processing alongside quotes, measurement and invoicing.

upmesh

Platform from Ibbenbüren with a package that is free with no time limit, priced per project, offline first, servers in Germany.

WEKA Baudokumentation smart & easy

Standalone product from WEKA Bausoftware with an annual license, templates under VOB/B and standard text modules; location on the plan and defect tracking as modules.

Open Experience

Platform for the construction phase from Karlsruhe. Open Experience is the only one of the ten to describe cameras of its own for the construction site, together with photos, diary, defects and warranty periods in one project file on servers in Germany.

Photo documentation with Construction Photos

Why Open Experience is the better choice for the construction phase

The table shows what the vendors themselves state. Our assessment based on it: for site management, site supervision and general contractors, these are the main arguments for Open Experience.

  • Cameras of its ownThe DIGIBAU 360 helmet camera captures whole floors in a single site walk, the Construction Webcam records progress from outside, and both come from the same source as the software. None of the other nine describes hardware of its own; three integrate cameras from other manufacturers.
  • Every photo with location, time and tradeCaptures land in the project automatically with a timestamp and a location, and people are pixelated by DIGISCHUTZ. Years later, that one capture can still be found.
  • One project file right into the warranty periodPhotos, diary, defects and acceptance sit in one record that survives acceptance. The warranty periods per contractor keep running in the same system.
  • Measured weather in the diaryWith Construction Weather, the readings from your own station on site go into the daily report, instead of a value retrieved for the region.
  • Servers in Germany, prices in the openThe data is stored in Germany, and the packages are listed on the pricing page. Two of the other nine give no server location, and two no complete price.
  • Subcontractors take part free of chargeContractors receive free access with every request, deliver their own photos and reports, and mark defects as fixed.

Every statement about the other vendors can be checked against the sources at the end of the page.

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What to base the decision on

The table shows what the vendors say. Whether it suits you depends on these questions, and you can check each of them in a demo.

  • Are the photos placed on the plan?GPS is enough outdoors; inside a building, the position on the floor plan is what counts. Check whether a photo finds its place without manual work.
  • Is the diary written in the same place?If photos, diary and defects sit in one system, the record is created in a single step; if they sit in three, everything is entered three times.
  • Where do the images come from?Smartphone, helmet camera, webcam: the more image sources flow into the same project file, the fewer gaps the documentation has before building elements are closed up.
  • What does it cost over the full project term?Price per user, per project or by construction volume: calculate up to the end of the warranty period, and ask what contractors pay.
  • Where is the data stored?Seven of the ten name the server location on their website. For public-sector clients, add the data processing agreement and proof such as ISO 27001.
  • Does it work in a basement with no signal?Nine of the ten explicitly mention an offline mode; HERO only for time recording. Check in the demo whether photos and the daily report can be created offline.

How we compared

Our only basis is the vendors' own websites; we did not use review portals or third-party comparisons. We retrieved the product pages on construction documentation and photo documentation as well as the pricing pages on 25 October 2026. Where a vendor contradicts itself on its own pages, we used the more cautious statement or left the cell empty. We left out figures such as user or project numbers because they are counted in different ways.

We are a vendor ourselves and therefore have an interest in the outcome. If you think a statement is wrong or out of date, write to us; we will correct it, with the date.

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Frequently asked questions

Which construction documentation software is best for the construction phase?

Based on this comparison, Open Experience. It is the only one of the ten vendors to describe cameras of its own for the construction site, and it adds photos with location and time, diary, defects and warranty periods in one project file, servers in Germany and public prices.

Which app can I use for construction documentation free of charge?

According to the vendors, upmesh (up to five projects, with site diary and offline mode) and the Free version of 123erfasst (up to three users) can be used free of charge with no time limit. PlanRadar, BauMaster and Ed Controls offer a 30-day trial, docu tools, HERO and WEKA 14 days. At Open Experience, contractors work along free of charge.

Which vendors locate photos on the construction plan?

According to their websites, PlanRadar, BauMaster, docu tools, Ed Controls, upmesh, WEKA (with the Plan module) and Open Experience. Capmo and 123erfasst describe locating defects on the plan and say nothing about photos; at HERO it is not stated.

Who offers 360° captures?

PlanRadar (SiteView with Insta360), docu tools (Insta360 X3 to X5, iOS only) and upmesh (Ricoh Theta or Insta360 in the ticket) integrate cameras from other manufacturers. Open Experience brings the DIGIBAU 360 helmet camera itself; for the others, 360° is not stated.

Which vendors store the data in Germany?

By their own account, PlanRadar, Capmo, docu tools, upmesh, WEKA and Open Experience. BauMaster names Austria, 123erfasst the European Economic Area or Switzerland, and HERO the EU without a country. For Ed Controls, the server location is not stated.

Is a site diary included?

With all ten, at different depths: from a template (PlanRadar, docu tools) and a day overview (WEKA) to an automatically created report with weather (Ed Controls, upmesh, Open Experience). There is also a separate comparison of site diary apps.

How up to date is this comparison?

It reflects the information as of 25 October 2026. Prices and features change, so check the vendor's page before you decide. The sources are listed above these questions.

Why does a vendor compare its competitors?

Because the question gets asked anyway. Every statement about other vendors comes from their own website and can be checked against the sources. Our assessment is set out separately, in the section on Open Experience.

Sources and legal basis

The legal statements in this article are based on the primary sources listed below. The article is not a substitute for legal advice in an individual case.

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