// DuoApp vs LiveCosts · UK

A LiveCosts alternative that runs the project, not just the costs.

LiveCosts is a focused construction cost-tracking tool - purchase orders, invoices, labour costs and real-time budget visibility, done cleanly. What it is not is a system for running the project itself. DuoApp brings cost control together with projects and tasks, CIS invoicing, retention, approvals, QA sign-offs, document compliance and timesheets - one platform, £10 per user, per month.

Book a 30-min demo See pricing

£10

Per user, per month - flat. Every feature included, no tiers.

Days

Typical time to go live - not the weeks or months enterprise platforms need.

CIS

UK subcontractor workflows - deductions, retention & applications built in.

100%

UK-built, UK-hosted and UK-supported by real humans.

Side-by-side table Strengths & trade-offs Switching FAQs

// Side by side

DuoApp vs LiveCosts, feature by feature.

Every row below reflects publicly available information about LiveCosts at the time of writing, or the absence of it. Where a vendor does not publish list pricing we say so rather than guess.

	DuoAppUK · All-in-one	LiveCostsIE · Cost tracking
Published list price	£10 / user / monthflat, every feature	Publishedtiered plans
Pricing model	Per user, flatno tiers or add-ons	Tiered plan
Typical time to go live	Daysself-serve or guided	Days to weeks
Setup / implementation fee	None	Varies by plan
UK CIS deductions		Limited
Retention handling
Applications & auto-invoicing		Cost-focused
Mobile app for site teams	iOS, Android, web
Works offline on site	syncs on reconnect	Limited
Quality control & snagging
Document expiry alerts
Timesheets & holiday planner	included	Labour costs only
Free trial	14 daysfull platform
UK-based support	Kent-based team	IE-based

Comparison compiled from each vendor's public website and documentation. Vendors change their products and pricing - if you spot something out of date, tell us and we will correct it. LiveCosts is a trademark of its respective owner; DuoApp is not affiliated with it.

// The honest version

Where each one is stronger.

No tool wins every category. Here is where LiveCosts is the better answer, and where DuoApp is.

DuoApp vs LiveCosts

IE · Cost tracking

Where LiveCosts is strong

Clean, focused real-time cost tracking against project budgets
Good purchase-order and supplier-invoice capture, including automated processing
Quick to adopt if cost visibility is the only gap you are filling
Solid accounts-package integrations for the cost side

Where DuoApp wins

Projects, tasks and milestones - not just the money attached to them
Native UK CIS deductions, retention and applications for payment
Quality control, snagging, aftercare and document compliance included
Timesheets, holiday planning and expenses in the same £10 rate
UK-built, UK-hosted and supported on UK hours

Bottom line: LiveCosts answers "what has this project cost me so far?" very well. DuoApp answers that and everything either side of it - what is scheduled, who signed it off, what has been applied for, what is still held in retention.

// Making the move

What switching actually involves.

Cost tracking is usually the first thing a growing contractor fixes. The second is realising the costs are accurate but the project itself is still being run on spreadsheets and messages.

Costs stay connected to the work

Spend sits against the project, task and stage it belongs to - so a budget overrun points at the thing that caused it rather than a category.

Applications and CIS in the same place

What you have spent and what you are owed live together, with retention and CIS deductions applied automatically on the way out.

One subscription instead of three

Teams typically consolidate a cost tool, a document or QA tool and a timesheet tool into the single £10 per user rate.

// DuoApp vs LiveCosts

Questions buyers ask us.

Does DuoApp do real-time cost tracking?

Yes - costs, expenses and labour are tracked against projects and tasks with live analytics, so you can see committed and actual spend against budget as work progresses. See analytics →

What does DuoApp add over LiveCosts?

Project and task management, applications for payment, CIS-compliant invoicing, retention and deductions, quality control and snagging, aftercare, document compliance with expiry alerts, timesheets, holiday planning and approval workflows - none of which are cost-tracking features.

Is DuoApp UK-specific?

Yes. DuoApp is built, hosted and supported in the UK, and its commercial workflows assume UK contracting - CIS deductions and verification, retention, and applications for payment. LiveCosts is an Irish product; much translates, but UK CIS specifics are the usual gap.

Can we use both?

You can, but most teams find it duplicates effort - supplier invoices and labour costs end up being entered twice. If cost tracking is working well for you today, the honest test is whether the project, commercial and site workflows around it are still living in spreadsheets.

How does the pricing compare?

LiveCosts publishes tiered plans where capability depends on the tier. DuoApp is a flat £10 per user, per month with every feature included, so the cost is simply your headcount and there is no tier to outgrow. See pricing →

// Still shortlisting

Compare DuoApp with something else.

Evaluating more than one platform? Start with the full comparison table, or jump straight to another head-to-head.

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