Short version
"Free" means three different things in construction software:
- A free plan you can actually file daily logs on: Daily Site Log, and SafetyCulture if you build the report as a template.
- A free plan that leaves out the report: Fieldwire Basic. Useful for drawings and tasks, not for daily logs.
- A free trial or demo: Raken, CompanyCam, Contractor Foreman, Buildertrend, Procore. Free for a few weeks, then paid.
We make Daily Site Log, so it is listed here. Every free plan below is described from the vendor's own pricing page or a named source, with its limits.
Free plans compared
| App | Free plan? | Users | Projects | Daily reports on free | PDF export on free | After free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Site Log | Yes, no expiry | 1 | 1 | 10 a month | Yes, full PDF | Pro $19/mo · Business $79/mo (5 seats), flat |
| SafetyCulture (iAuditor) | Yes | Up to 10 seats | Not project-based | Via a custom template (5 active templates) | PDF and web reports | Premium ~$24/seat/mo annual, $29 monthly |
| Fieldwire | Yes (Basic) | Up to 5 | 3 | No | No | Pro ~$39/user/mo annual |
| Raken | Trial (reportedly ~15 days) | — | — | During trial | During trial | Per user, by quote |
| CompanyCam | 14-day trial | — | — | — | — | From ~$63/mo annual |
| Contractor Foreman | 30-day trial | — | — | During trial | During trial | From $49/mo annual |
| Buildertrend | No free plan or trial | — | — | — | — | From ~$339/mo annual |
| Procore | No (free for invited collaborators) | — | — | — | — | Annual licence by volume |
Prices and limits as of October 2026. Check each vendor's page before you rely on a free plan for client work.
The free options in detail
Daily Site Log (free plan)
Built only for daily reports. The free plan covers one project and 10 reports a month, and every report produces the same PDF as the paid plans: weather, crew, work done, deliveries, delays, photos stamped with time and GPS, and a fingerprint the client can check at dailysitelog.com/verify. Voice fill and weather auto-fill are on Pro and Business. The limit to watch is 10 reports a month: daily filing on one job uses it up in two weeks.
SafetyCulture (iAuditor)
An inspections and checklists app. The free plan allows up to 10 seats and 5 active templates, and you can build a daily report as one of them. It is strong for safety checks across many sites. A daily report built from a template is a form, not a daily-log structure, so delays, crews and weather are only as good as the template you build. SafetyCulture now also appears under the name Mitti on its pricing page.
Fieldwire Basic
Free for up to 5 users, 3 projects and 100 sheets, and genuinely useful for drawings, tasks and punch lists. Reports and exports start on Pro, so it does not work as a free daily log. See Fieldwire pricing and Daily Site Log vs Fieldwire.
Trials: Raken, CompanyCam, Contractor Foreman
Good products, but free only for a few weeks. Use the trial to test filing a real report at the end of a real shift, not a demo project. Costs after the trial: Raken pricing, CompanyCam pricing, Contractor Foreman pricing.
When a free template is enough
If you run one job, file a few reports a week and nobody has asked for photos with a verified time, a template works. Our construction daily report template is free as a PDF, Excel or Word file, and the daily log book is a printable paper version.
Move to an app when:
- you are retyping the same header, crew list and weather every day;
- a client or GC has questioned when a photo was taken or whether a report was changed;
- more than one person needs to file reports;
- you need a delay record that survives a claim (see documenting weather delays).
Which free option should you pick?
- One project, you need the PDF for the client: Daily Site Log Free.
- Safety inspections across several sites, daily report as one form: SafetyCulture Free.
- Drawings and punch lists, daily reports handled elsewhere: Fieldwire Basic.
- A few reports a week, no photos needed: a free template.
For paid options compared side by side, see the best construction daily report apps.
Sources
- Daily Site Log pricing
- SafetyCulture pricing (Mitti by SafetyCulture)
- Fieldwire pricing page
- Capterra — Raken listing
- CompanyCam pricing page
- Capterra — Contractor Foreman listing
- Makerstack — Procore review 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free construction daily log app?
Yes, with limits. Daily Site Log's free plan includes one project and 10 reports a month with the full PDF, and does not expire. SafetyCulture's free plan allows up to 10 seats and 5 active templates. Fieldwire's free plan does not include reports or exports, so it does not work for daily logs on its own.
Which free app lets me send the daily report as a PDF?
Daily Site Log includes the PDF on the free plan. SafetyCulture's free plan includes PDF and web reports for inspections, so a daily report built as a template can be exported. Fieldwire Basic does not include exports.
Is a free template better than a free app?
For one small job and a few reports a week, a template is fine. Apps start to win when you need photos with time and location, weather filled in for you, delays recorded the same way every day, or a record the client cannot claim was edited later.
What happens when I outgrow the free plan?
On Daily Site Log, Pro is $19 a month for unlimited projects and reports, and Business is $79 a month with five seats, both flat per company. SafetyCulture Premium is about $24 per seat per month billed annually. Fieldwire Pro is about $39 per user per month billed annually.