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Best site diary apps in Australia (2026)

Prices and features checked against each company’s own pages on 15 October 2026. We make Foreman, one of the apps on this list.

The short answer

The best site diary app depends on what else you want it to do. For small builders, Foreman keeps the diary with photos alongside QR inductions and crew hours, free for your first project. Trades that want quoting and invoicing look at NextMinute, builders growing into scheduling at BuildPass, and head contractors at HammerTech or Procore.

Want something to use on site today? Print the free site diary template.

What a site diary app does

A site diary app is the daily record of the job on a phone: who was on site, the weather, what got done, delays, deliveries, visitors and photos, saved against the right project and dated as you write it.

No Australian law requires a site diary, but it's the record you reach for in a variation claim, a delay dispute or an incident. Some apps are only a diary. Others add inductions, timesheets, scheduling or the money side of the job, and the price climbs with each.

How we compared them

We used five things a builder can check for themselves, taken from each company’s own pricing and product pages. Where a page doesn’t say, we say that, rather than assume the feature is missing.

  1. Published price. Whether you can see the cost before talking to sales, and what it's based on.
  2. Free plan or trial. Whether you can keep a real diary on a live job before paying.
  3. The diary itself. Photos, weather, and whether you can get it out again as a PDF or CSV.
  4. Crew hours. Whether attendance and hours land in the same record, or need another app.
  5. Contract. Month to month, or an annual fee paid upfront.

Side by side

  • Foreman

    Best for small builders who want the diary, inductions and crew hours in one app

    Starting price
    Free for your first project. Then $29 a month for each person with a login, or $23.20 billed yearly.
    Free plan
    Yes. Your first project, with every feature and unlimited users, free forever.
    Site diary with photos
    Yes, on every plan. Export as a CSV or a PDF with photos.
    Crew hours and attendance
    Switch on check-in and crew check in and out by QR. Each shift saves to the diary with the time on site.
    Contract
    Month to month. If you cancel, your records stay viewable.

  • NextMinute

    Best for residential trades that want quoting, invoicing and job costing too

    Starting price
    From $199 a month plus GST for 3 to 9 users, from $349 for 10 to 14 users, and by quote for 15 or more.
    Free plan
    A 10-day free trial with no credit card. No plan for fewer than 3 users.
    Site diary with photos
    Yes. Crew log notes and photos against jobs and tasks, with talk-to-text.
    Crew hours and attendance
    Timesheets are a core feature: crew enter hours against a job, stage or task, and the owner approves them for payroll.
    Contract
    Month to month, with no lock-in.

  • BuildPass

    Best for builders who want a diary with voice entry and AI summaries, plus scheduling later

    Starting price
    No published prices. Based on your plan and how many admin users need a login.
    Free plan
    No free plan or trial mentioned on its pricing page.
    Site diary with photos
    Yes, from Lite, with photos, voice entry, weather and AI summaries.
    Crew hours and attendance
    QR sign-on from Lite. Timesheets generated from sign-ons on Standard and above.
    Contract
    Not locked in. Move between plans and add or remove admins at any time.

  • SiteBook

    Best for builders who want safety, scheduling and finance modules from one supplier

    Starting price
    From $149 a month plus GST (Safety Pro). Site Pro from $299, Schedule Pro from $499, Finance Pro by quote.
    Free plan
    None listed on the pricing page.
    Site diary with photos
    Yes, with photos, from Site Pro.
    Crew hours and attendance
    Timesheet management from Site Pro. Geofenced auto-attendance from Schedule Pro.
    Contract
    No lock-in contracts; cancel any time.

  • Sitemate

    Best for civil and heavy industry teams building their own forms system

    Starting price
    Per user, for 11 to 30 users: AUD $28 to $94 a month on a monthly term, or $25.20 to $84.60 on a one-year term. GST isn't stated.
    Free plan
    A 30-day trial. No ongoing free plan for Dashpivot.
    Site diary with photos
    Yes, as a site diary template, signed off on a phone or tablet.
    Crew hours and attendance
    Check-ins via QR code into a register. Timesheets are forms filled in separately.
    Contract
    Monthly plans cancel any time. Annual and multi-year plans can't be cancelled mid-term.

  • HammerTech

    Best for head contractors who want the diary filled from site sign-ins

    Starting price
    No published prices. Not per user: based on annual construction volume, company size and the onboarding you need, including implementation and training.
    Free plan
    No free plan or trial mentioned on its pricing page. Free for subcontractors, through the head contractor.
    Site diary with photos
    Yes. Auto-generated daily entries with headcount from sign-ins and Bureau of Meteorology weather.
    Crew hours and attendance
    Workers scan a site QR code to sign in and log hours, with turnstile and access control integrations.
    Contract
    Not stated on its pricing page.

  • Procore

    Best for head contractors running drawings, RFIs and cost control in one system

    Starting price
    No published prices. An upfront annual fee by product, based on your annual construction volume. Unlimited users.
    Free plan
    No free trial mentioned on its Australian pricing page.
    Site diary with photos
    Yes, with a visitors register, and an AI agent that drafts entries.
    Crew hours and attendance
    Timecard, in its product range.
    Contract
    Annual, with multi-year options.

The best site diary apps in Australia, by type of builder

Small builders and trades

A few jobs at once, a small crew, and a diary that has to be quick enough to fill in at the end of the day.

Foreman: best for small builders who want the diary, inductions and crew hours in one app

Foreman's site diary is on every plan, with photos, and exports as a CSV or a PDF with the photos when a client asks. Crew can check in and out by QR, and each shift saves to the diary with the time on site. Your first project is free with every feature and unlimited users, then it's $29 a month for each person with a login.

Where it goes further

  • The diary sits next to the induction register and crew hours for the same job, so one app holds the day's record.
  • Everyone on the job can have a login on your first project for free, so the person on site writes the entry on the day.
  • Exports as a CSV or a PDF with photos, ready for a client or a dispute.

Pick something else if

  • you want quoting, invoicing or job costing in the same app
  • you need scheduling or a Gantt program
  • you're a head contractor who needs drawings, RFIs and cost control in one system
Try it free on your first job

NextMinute: best for residential trades that want quoting, invoicing and job costing too

NextMinute is job management for trades: crew log notes and photos against jobs with talk-to-text, alongside quoting, scheduling, timesheets and invoicing connected to Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks. It's from $199 a month plus GST for 3 to 9 users, month to month, with no site inductions.

Best suited to you if

  • you want quoting, scheduling, invoicing and job costing in one app, with timesheets that flow to payroll and job costs.
  • you run a residential trade business with a crew of three or more and want Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks connected.
NextMinute and Foreman compared in full

Builders who want one platform to grow into

Adding scheduling, defects or finance over time, and happy to pay more for it.

BuildPass: best for builders who want a diary with voice entry and AI summaries, plus scheduling later

BuildPass includes a site diary with photos, voice entry, weather and AI summaries from its Lite plan, and grows into scheduling, defects, RFIs and estimating. It charges by admin logins, so workers are free, but it publishes no prices.

Best suited to you if

  • you want one platform that grows into scheduling, defects, RFIs, permits and estimating.
  • you want a dedicated SWMS builder and insurance module for your subcontractors.
BuildPass and Foreman compared in full

SiteBook: best for builders who want safety, scheduling and finance modules from one supplier

SiteBook's site diary with photos comes with Site Pro, from $299 a month plus GST. Safety Pro starts at $149, and higher packages add scheduling and finance. There are no lock-in contracts.

Best suited to you if

  • you want one system for safety, scheduling and the money side of the job: estimating, job costing, variations and contractor invoices.
  • you want contractor compliance and SWMS management as dedicated modules in the same system as scheduling and finance.
SiteBook and Foreman compared in full

Forms-first teams

Teams that want to design their own diary and checklists as templates.

Sitemate: best for civil and heavy industry teams building their own forms system

Sitemate's Dashpivot has a site diary template signed off on a phone or tablet, among a large library of safety and quality templates. It's AUD $28 to $94 per user a month on a monthly term, with a 30-day trial and a licence minimum for businesses of 10 or more employees.

Best suited to you if

  • you want to build your own forms system for safety, quality and time and materials across many templates.
  • you run civil or heavy industry work, where Sitemate's template library is deepest.
Sitemate and Foreman compared in full

Head contractors

Commercial projects where the diary is one part of a larger project or safety platform.

HammerTech: best for head contractors who want the diary filled from site sign-ins

HammerTech auto-generates daily entries with headcount from sign-ins and Bureau of Meteorology weather, inside a full safety, quality and environment platform. Pricing is quoted on construction volume, with implementation and training.

Best suited to you if

  • you are a head contractor running several commercial projects at once and need one platform for safety, quality and environment.
  • you need subcontractor prequalification, SWMS review, permits and inspections in one system.
HammerTech and Foreman compared in full

Procore: best for head contractors running drawings, RFIs and cost control in one system

Procore's daily log includes a visitors register and an AI agent that drafts entries, alongside drawings, RFIs, program and cost control. It's an upfront annual fee based on construction volume with unlimited users, and every collaborator needs a Procore login.

Best suited to you if

  • you are a head contractor who needs drawings, RFIs, program and cost control in one system.
  • you want hundreds of integrations, including accounting, and unlimited users on an annual contract.
Procore and Foreman compared in full

Which app fits your job

If you areLook at
A small builder who wants the diary, inductions and crew hours togetherForeman
A trade business that also quotes, schedules and invoicesNextMinute
Growing into scheduling, defects and estimating on one platformBuildPass
Wanting safety, scheduling and finance from one supplier at a published priceSiteBook
Designing your own diary and checklists for civil workSitemate
A head contractor who wants the diary filled from sign-insHammerTech
A head contractor running drawings, RFIs and cost controlProcore

Every price and feature above comes from the company’s own pages, checked 15 October 2026. Prices change, so confirm before you buy, and if something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it. See also is a site diary legally required in Australia?.

Best site diary apps in Australia: questions

What is the best site diary app in Australia?
For small builders, Foreman keeps the diary with photos alongside QR inductions and crew hours, free for your first project. Trades that also quote and invoice often use NextMinute, and head contractors use HammerTech or Procore.
Is there a free site diary app?
Foreman's first project is free with every feature, including the site diary, for as many users as you like. Most others offer a trial: 10 days for NextMinute and 30 days for Sitemate.
Is a site diary a legal requirement in Australia?
No. No Australian law requires one, but a dated daily record is the evidence you'll want for variations, delays, disputes and incidents.
What should a site diary record?
The date, weather, who was on site, the work done, delays and their cause, deliveries, visitors, instructions and variations, and photos. Write it on the day.
How do I choose a site diary app?
Check whether the price is published, whether you can run a real job free, whether photos and exports are included, whether crew hours land in the same record, and whether it's month to month.
Can I export a site diary as a PDF?
In Foreman, yes: as a CSV, or a PDF with the photos. Check each app's export options before you commit, because the diary is only useful if you can hand it over.

Try Foreman free on your next job.

Your first project is free with every feature and unlimited users, and no card is needed. Write tomorrow's diary entry on your phone, with the photos.

Start free on your first job Book a demo