TL;DR
Payapps is a niche, specialised tool — it automates the formal progress-claim workflow (claim → approve → pay) between subcontractors and head contractors on commercial projects. Brisbane-founded in 2012, acquired by US-based GCPay in 2022. Built Simple is a different category of tool: a mobile-first project management platform for AU builders, tradies, and owner-builders running the actual work — scheduling, defects, team tracking, estimating. If you’re a commercial subbie submitting regular progress claims to head contractors, Payapps is purpose-built for you. If you run residential or small commercial projects and invoice traditionally, Payapps is overkill and Built Simple covers what you actually need from $0 AUD/mo.
Different problems, different tools
This isn’t a fair fight, and it shouldn’t be — Payapps and Built Simple solve completely different problems. Before you compare features, get clear on which problem you’re actually trying to solve:
Payapps lives in the commercial construction finance stack — between subbie and head contractor, automating the back-and-forth of monthly progress claims, payment schedules, retention tracking, and statutory declarations. Built Simple lives in the project execution stack — scheduling jobs, tracking crews and equipment, logging defects, estimating, and keeping the build moving day-to-day.
Payapps vs Built Simple: at a glance
| Feature | Built Simple | Payapps |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project management (PM) | Progress claim & payment automation |
| Origin | Australian — Melbourne, founded 2025 | Australian — Brisbane, founded 2012 (acquired by US-based GCPay 2022) |
| Best for | Builders, tradies, owner-builders running residential & small commercial | Commercial subcontractors & head contractors with formal progress claims |
| Pricing model | Flat per business (AUD) | Volume-based (per claim / per project) |
| Free tier | Yes — Freemium with 1 project | No — demo / quote-based |
| Cheapest paid entry | $39 AUD/mo (Home Projects) | ~$50+ AUD/mo (low claim volume) |
| Project scheduling | Drag-to-reschedule, dependencies, weather-aware | Not offered |
| Defects management | Photo-based, location-pinned | Not offered |
| Team & equipment tracking | Unified cross-project view | Not offered |
| Estimating / take-offs | Yes — up to 50 on Pro | Not offered |
| Trade calculators | 50+ free calculators | Not offered |
| Formal progress claims (AU SOP Act format) | Not offered — standard invoicing only | Yes — purpose-built |
| Payment schedules & retention tracking | Not offered | Yes — core feature |
| Head contractor portal integrations | Not offered | Yes — major builders connected |
| Statutory declarations | Not offered | Yes — automated |
| Mobile-first | Yes — designed mobile-first | Web-based, mobile-friendly |
When Payapps is the right choice
Payapps is excellent at what it does — we’ll say that plainly. It’s the right pick if you fit one of these profiles:
- You’re a commercial subcontractor submitting regular progress claims. If you’re a formwork, concrete, steel, mechanical, or electrical subbie working on Tier 1 / Tier 2 commercial sites and submitting a formal claim every month, Payapps was built for exactly this. The claim → approve → pay loop is automated end-to-end.
- Your head contractor already uses Payapps. Major AU builders are connected to the Payapps network. If your head contractor mandates Payapps for claims, you don’t really have a choice — you use the tool they use.
- You need AU Security of Payment Act compliance. Payapps formats claims to comply with state SOP Acts (NSW, VIC, QLD, etc.), handles payment schedules, and tracks the legal clock. That depth comes from 12+ years building for AU compliance.
- You track retention across many projects. Retention release is a back-office headache — Payapps automates the tracking and reminders so you don’t leave money on the table.
- You’re a head contractor managing inbound subbie claims at scale. Payapps gives head contractors a single portal to receive, review, and approve claims from dozens or hundreds of subbies, with audit trails for every decision.
When Built Simple is the better fit
Built Simple is the right tool if your problem isn’t “how do I get paid on a Tier 1 commercial project” — it’s “how do I actually run the build”. If you recognise yourself here, Payapps probably isn’t solving your real problem at all:
- You’re a residential builder or small commercial builder. You invoice your client traditionally — progress payments, sure, but not via a formal AU SOP Act claim process. Payapps’ workflow is overkill; what you need is project management.
- You’re a tradie running your own jobs. Electrician, plumber, carpenter, landscaper — you quote, do the work, invoice the client. Payapps does nothing for you. Built Simple handles your scheduling, crew, defects, and quoting.
- You’re an owner-builder. Payapps is built for commercial subbie-to-head-contractor flows. As an owner-builder, that has zero relevance. Built Simple’s Home Projects tier ($39 AUD/mo) is purpose-built for you.
- Your problem is project execution, not invoicing. Late trades, weather delays, defect lists, equipment double-booked, last-minute reschedules — these are the daily fires. Built Simple is built around them. Payapps doesn’t touch any of it.
- You want a tool you can run from your phone on site. Built Simple is mobile-first by design. Payapps is web-based and used mainly from a desk to submit and reconcile claims.
- You want trade calculators, take-offs, and estimating in the same app. Built Simple includes 50+ free calculators plus quote/take-off tools. Payapps doesn’t touch these.
Could you use both?
Yes — and for some commercial subcontractors, the answer is genuinely “use both”. They serve different layers:
- Payapps handles the finance layer — submitting claims to head contractors, getting approved, getting paid, tracking retention.
- Built Simple handles the execution layer — scheduling your crews onto each project, tracking who and what is where, logging defects, managing the actual work day-to-day.
If you’re a commercial subbie running multiple concurrent projects with formal progress claims, the combo makes sense: Payapps for the claim-to-payment workflow, Built Simple for everything happening on site between claims. They don’t overlap — there’s no double-up on cost or workflow.
If you’re not running formal progress claims (most residential and small commercial work), you don’t need Payapps at all. Built Simple alone covers what you need.
Pricing comparison
Payapps doesn’t publish a flat price list — pricing is based on claim volume and project count, typically ranging from around $50 AUD/mo at the low end up to $300+ AUD/mo for higher volumes, plus quote-based enterprise pricing. Built Simple is flat per business, published openly.
| Plan | Built Simple (AUD, flat) | Payapps (AUD, indicative) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 — Freemium, 1 project, 1 estimate | Not offered |
| Owner-builder | $39/mo — Home Projects (single project) | Not offered |
| Sole tradie / small crew | $79/mo — Tradie, up to 5 crew | ~$50+ /mo (low claim volume) |
| Mid (multiple projects) | $199/mo — Builder, up to 15 crew | ~$150-$300+ /mo (volume-based) |
| Top tier | $399/mo — Pro, no employee cap, Mat AI | Quote-based enterprise |
| Annual savings | ~20% off all tiers | Varies by negotiation |
The point isn’t really price — it’s whether you need the tool at all. If you submit a single progress claim a month to one head contractor, Payapps is around $50–$100/mo for a workflow you could also do in Excel. If you submit 20 claims a month across 8 projects, Payapps is a no-brainer ROI but the cost climbs. Built Simple is a fixed cost regardless of how many projects, claims, or invoices you generate.
Features: where each one wins
Formal progress claims (AU SOP Act compliant)
Payapps wins decisively. This is what Payapps is for. Formatted claims, payment schedules, retention tracking, statutory declarations, audit trail for every step. 12+ years of refinement on AU compliance. Built Simple does not do formal progress claims — standard invoicing only — and we won’t pretend otherwise.
Head contractor portal integrations
Payapps wins. Payapps has spent years building integrations with major AU head contractors so claims flow straight into their systems. That network effect is real and hard to replicate. Built Simple doesn’t connect to head contractor portals.
Project scheduling
Built Simple wins — Payapps doesn’t compete here. Built Simple’s drag-to-reschedule timeline with dependencies, weather alerts, and crew allocation is the core of the product. Payapps doesn’t do scheduling at all.
Defects management
Built Simple wins — Payapps doesn’t compete here. Snap a photo, drop a pin on location, assign to a trade, close it out. Payapps has no defects feature.
Team & equipment tracking
Built Simple wins — Payapps doesn’t compete here. Unified view across projects: who’s where, what gear is allocated, who’s free. Payapps doesn’t track people or equipment.
Estimating & take-offs
Built Simple wins — Payapps doesn’t compete here. Built Simple includes quoting and take-off tools (up to 50 on Pro). Payapps doesn’t.
AU compliance depth
Payapps wins for progress-claim compliance. SOP Act formatting and timing, payment schedule handling, retention tracking, stat decs. Built Simple’s AU focus is on the work itself — scheduling, defects, calculators tuned to AU standards (mm, mortar ratios, AS-aligned spans) — not on formal claim compliance.
Where Payapps clearly wins
Being honest: Payapps is the right tool for problems Built Simple doesn’t try to solve. If you live in this world, choose Payapps — it’s not close:
- Formal AU progress claim workflows. If your business needs the legal-grade claim-to-payment loop with SOP Act compliance and payment schedules, Payapps is purpose-built and 12+ years deep on it.
- Head contractor portal integrations. If you’re a subbie on Tier 1 / Tier 2 sites, Payapps’ network of head contractor connections is a moat. Built Simple doesn’t compete here.
- Retention tracking across many projects. Payapps automates the back-office grind of tracking what’s been retained, when it’s due for release, and chasing it. Built Simple doesn’t.
- Statutory declarations and audit trails. Payapps automates stat decs and keeps an audit trail for every claim decision. Built Simple doesn’t.
- Head-contractor-side claim management. If you’re the head contractor receiving dozens of subbie claims, Payapps gives you a single portal to manage them all. Built Simple isn’t designed for this side of the table.
If any of those describe your day-to-day, Payapps is the right pick — and adding Built Simple alongside is the smart move if you also need to manage the actual work on site.
Who should pick which
| Your situation | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Owner-builder, one project, no progress claims | Built Simple Home Projects at $39 AUD/mo |
| Sole tradie or small crew, standard invoicing | Built Simple Tradie at $79 AUD/mo |
| Residential builder, 1–4 builds a year | Built Simple Builder at $199 AUD/mo |
| Small commercial builder invoicing clients directly | Built Simple Builder or Pro |
| Commercial subcontractor on Tier 1/2 sites, formal progress claims monthly | Payapps for claims |
| Head contractor managing inbound subbie claims at scale | Payapps |
| Commercial subbie running multiple projects with claims AND on-site execution | Both — Payapps for claims, Built Simple for the work |
| Need AU Security of Payment Act compliance | Payapps |
| Need scheduling, defects, team tracking on phone | Built Simple |
Try Built Simple free
No credit card. Flat per-business pricing. Manage the work, not just the claims.
Frequently asked questions
Is Built Simple a Payapps alternative?
Only partially. Payapps and Built Simple solve different problems. Payapps automates the formal progress-claim workflow between subcontractors and head contractors. Built Simple manages the actual project — scheduling, defects, team tracking, estimating. If you don’t run formal progress claims (most residential and small commercial work), Built Simple replaces the need for Payapps entirely. If you do, you may want both.
Does Built Simple do progress claims?
Not in the formal AU Security of Payment Act sense. Built Simple supports standard invoicing — quotes, progress payments to clients, traditional invoices — but it does not produce formatted SOP Act claims, payment schedules, or statutory declarations. If you need that workflow, Payapps is the right tool.
Can I use Payapps and Built Simple together?
Yes — they don’t overlap. Payapps handles the claim-to-payment finance layer. Built Simple handles the project execution layer (scheduling, crews, defects, equipment, estimating). For commercial subcontractors running multiple projects with formal progress claims, the combo makes sense and there’s no double-up on workflow or cost.
Is Payapps better than Built Simple?
For its specific job — automating AU progress claims between subbies and head contractors — yes, Payapps is purpose-built and 12+ years deep. But Payapps doesn’t manage projects at all (no scheduling, defects, team tracking, calculators). Built Simple is better than Payapps at all of those. They’re different tools for different problems.
Is Payapps Australian?
It started in Brisbane in 2012 and is still strong on AU compliance. In 2022 it was acquired by US-based GCPay. Built Simple is Australian-owned, founded in Melbourne in 2025 by Calum Buchanan.
Is Built Simple cheaper than Payapps?
Usually yes, especially at the low end where Built Simple has a free tier and Payapps starts around $50 AUD/mo. But it’s not really an apples-to-apples comparison — they do different things. If you only need progress claim automation, Payapps is the right spend. If you need project management, Built Simple is far cheaper than buying both and using Payapps for things it isn’t built for.
Bottom line
Payapps is a narrow, deep tool for one specific job: automating formal progress claims between commercial subcontractors and head contractors. For that job, it’s the best AU option. If that’s your daily pain, use it.
But Payapps doesn’t manage projects. It doesn’t schedule your crews, track your equipment, log your defects, or estimate your jobs. Built Simple does all of that, mobile-first, from $0 AUD/mo. If you’re a residential builder, tradie, small commercial builder, or owner-builder, you probably don’t need Payapps at all — Built Simple covers what you actually need. If you’re a commercial subbie running formal claims, run both: Payapps for the finance, Built Simple for the work.
The fastest way to know if Built Simple fits is to try it: start free with no credit card, run your next project on it, and decide for yourself.