Short version
Raken is good software. The reasons people look for an alternative are almost always price model and scope: it is per user, billed annually, and its best features (time cards, production tracking) are wasted on a crew that only needs the daily report.
We make Daily Site Log, one of the alternatives below. Competitor prices come from their own pages or the named sources in our pricing guides.
The alternatives at a glance
| App | Price model | Free option | Five people, per year (approx.) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Site Log | Flat per company, monthly | Yes: 1 project, 10 reports/mo | $948 (Business) | Daily reports, stamped photos, delays, sealed PDF |
| SafetyCulture | Per seat | Yes: up to 10 seats | $0 on Free, ~$1,440 on Premium | Inspection-heavy teams; report as template |
| Fieldwire | Per user | Yes, but no reports or exports | ~$2,340 (Pro) | Drawings, tasks, punch lists |
| BuildLog | Free app, paid team plans | Yes | Not published on its homepage | Daily logs plus time cards |
| Contractor Foreman | Tiered by team size | Trial | ~$1,990 (Plus) | Cheap all-in-one |
| Raken (for reference) | Per user, annual, quote | Trial | ~$900–$3,540 (reported) | Daily reports plus time and production |
Notes on each
Daily Site Log: closest replacement for the daily report itself
Talk for a minute and AI fills the report: crew, equipment, deliveries, delays. Photos taken in the app are stamped with time, GPS and a SHA-256 hash. Delays are rows with type, start and end, impact and responsible party, and one click produces a claim-ready delay PDF for the project. Each submitted report is sealed with a fingerprint the client can check. Flat price, monthly, no sales call. No time cards. Full comparison: Daily Site Log vs Raken.
SafetyCulture: free if you build the form
Free for up to 10 seats with 5 active templates, so a daily report can be built as a checklist. Strong for inspections; the daily report is only as structured as the template you make. See Daily Site Log vs SafetyCulture.
Fieldwire: if you live in the drawings
Excellent plan viewer with tasks and punch lists. The free plan does not include reports or exports, so a daily report workflow means Pro at about $39 per user per month annually. See Daily Site Log vs Fieldwire.
BuildLog: daily logs plus time cards
A native iOS and Android app that is free to start, with time cards rolling up into weekly summaries. Team plan prices are not listed on its homepage. See Daily Site Log vs BuildLog.
Contractor Foreman: cheap all-in-one
A wide feature set from $49 a month on annual billing, priced by team size. Less depth in the daily report than a dedicated tool. See Contractor Foreman pricing.
When to stay with Raken
- Time cards and production quantities against budget need to sit inside the daily report.
- You have an office administrator and dozens of crews to roll up.
- You already negotiated a good multi-year rate.
Switching in an afternoon
- Export every Raken report you need as PDF and file it with the project.
- Create your projects in the new app and file today's report there.
- Run both for a week if you want, then cancel Raken at renewal.
Try Daily Site Log free, no card needed.
Sources
- Raken pricing (request form) and our Raken pricing guide
- SafetyCulture (Mitti) pricing
- Fieldwire pricing
- BuildLog homepage
- Capterra — Contractor Foreman listing
- Daily Site Log pricing
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Raken?
For a real daily report with a PDF, Daily Site Log's free plan (one project, 10 reports a month) and SafetyCulture's free plan (up to 10 seats, daily report built as a template) cost nothing. For a paid team plan, Daily Site Log Business is $79 a month flat for five seats.
Why do contractors leave Raken?
The usual reasons are per-user pricing that grows with every foreman, annual contracts, and paying for time-card and production features they do not use.
Which Raken alternative has time cards?
BuildLog and Contractor Foreman include time tracking. Daily Site Log records crew and hours in the daily report but does not do payroll time cards.
Can I move my old Raken reports?
Export your Raken reports as PDFs before you cancel and keep them with the project files. Start new reports in the new app from your switch date.