Contractor finance options
Level vs Beam
This comparison covers Beam Finance Inc. at trybeam.com, which markets an AI construction assistant and contractor software. It does not cover the separate beam.ai agent platform. Beam spans estimates, customer billing, job costs and AP; it is not AP-only.
Compare Level finance services with the Beam construction product at trybeam.com, including estimating, invoicing, job costs and bill payments.
How Level and Beam compare
Side-by-side on the dimensions that actually matter for contractors.
| Capability | Level | Beam |
|---|---|---|
| Product and service | Fractional CFO and bookkeeping services. | Construction software for proposals, estimating, invoicing, job costing and payments. |
| Accounts receivable | Invoicing, aging review, collections and cash application where included in scope. | Customer invoicing and an online payment portal are stated features. |
| Accounts payable | AP workflow setup and operations where included; approvers retain agreed payment authority. | Bill capture, approval workflows and subcontractor compliance tools are advertised; check the paid plan needed for bill payment and approvals. |
| Job profitability | Job records mapped to accounting projects or classes, with payroll, materials and subcontractor costs checked against the same period; implementation depends on the available exports and permissions. | Markets estimates-versus-actual job costs and change-order management. |
| Ledger connection | Scope the operational exports and accounting permissions before implementation. | Advertises two-way QuickBooks Online integration; test your required records and sync behavior. |
| Advisory and research | Level Index research covers 2,242 contractors and $13.25B of job revenue. Each metric has its own sample and definition; it is not a count of Level clients or matched peers for every business. CFO decision support is part of the agreed service scope. | Reviewed pages establish construction software features, not the staffing or advisory terms of a finance-services engagement. |
| Pricing | Bookkeeping from $500/month for monthly books and reconciliations. Scale $1,500-$5,000/month; Platform custom. Forecasting, advisory and operating work follow the signed scope. | Core is a free plan with limits; paid Plus and Scale plans have different billing-term prices. Compare the current plan table and the staff needed to operate it. |
Use Level if you are
- You need ownership of books, forecast assumptions and an operating review, not only construction software.
- You need to reconcile field job revenue and costs against the closed ledger.
- Your existing systems can be retained and the missing piece is finance capacity.
Use Beam if you are
- You want estimating, customer invoicing and job-cost workflows in the Beam construction product.
- Your team can run the software and own accounting review.
- You want to evaluate the free Core plan or a paid construction-software plan before changing service providers.
A change order tests more than invoice capture
Enter a revised estimate and an approved change order for a test job. Check the customer invoice, actual cost and QBO result after the change. A correct estimate total alone does not show that approved scope reached billing.
Trace both sides of the sync
For a test bill, note the job identifier, approval, ledger account and payment. Edit the bill through the supported workflow and check what changed in each system. Two-way integration is a vendor claim; these checks establish whether your required record types behave as expected.
Keep the vendor identity straight
Beam at trybeam.com is a construction product from Beam Finance Inc. The unrelated beam.ai platform should not be used as evidence for its AP, AR, pricing or accounting features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Level do AP automation?
Yes, where it is included in the signed scope. The work can include coding rules, approvals and reconciliation around an existing AP tool. It is not automatically included in every bookkeeping or CFO engagement.
Is Beam cheaper than Level?
The free Core software plan is not equivalent to an operated finance service. Paid Beam plan prices depend on billing term and features; Level Bookkeeping starts from $500/month and Scale is $1,500-$5,000/month by scope. Compare software, staff time, review and advisory separately.
Can I use Beam and Level together?
Potentially. First establish Beam-to-QBO data flow, export access and who owns reconciliation. This page does not certify a delivered Level integration with Beam.
Sources and scope
Vendor capabilities and prices on this page are vendor-published descriptions reviewed October 7, 2026, not independently tested performance. Plan terms can change. Level deliverables follow the signed engagement; a listed software page does not establish an implemented connector.
- Beam construction product
Product identity, estimating, AR, job costs and QBO connection.
- Beam bill payment
Bill capture, approvals and subcontractor compliance.
- Beam plans
Free Core and paid plan scope, limits and billing terms.
- Level pricing
Current Level tiers and starting prices.
- Level Index methodology and benchmarks
Research universe, metric-specific samples and definitions.
Other comparisons
Simple pricing
Three tiers, one ladder.
$500+/mo
Bookkeeping
The clean data layer: monthly books, reconciliations, and organized financials AI can work with.
$1,500-$5,000/mo
Scale
The full AI operating layer: custom agents, weekly actions, and benchmarks to grow margin per hour.
Custom
Platform / Multi-Office
Multi-branch benchmarking and scorecards for PE-backed and multi-location groups.
Ready to see what your crew has already earned?
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