For a lot of subs, Raken isn’t something they shop for. The GC asks for daily reports in it, and it shows up on the next job.
So there are really two questions. Do you use Raken because the GC does? And is it the system you’d choose for your own company? They have different answers.
What Raken Is
Raken calls itself “field-first” management software. It’s used by general contractors, subcontractors, and heavy civil contractors, from small shops to enterprise. What it covers, according to Raken’s own site:
- Daily progress reports with photos
- Time tracking, with mobile clocks and a kiosk mode
- Production tracking, measured against your estimates
- Material and equipment management
- Safety and quality: checklists, observations, and toolbox talks
- Document storage, messaging, and task management
The apps are well reviewed. Raken lists the iOS app at 4.7 stars from about 16,000 reviews and the Android app at 4.3 from about 2,150. Their customer logos include large GCs like Hensel Phelps and Webcor.
If Your GC Uses Raken
A general contractor can invite subs to a project as collaborators. Collaborators can file daily reports and checklists, see tasks assigned to them, and upload photos and documents. The reports roll up into the GC’s daily report for the project. Raken says inviting collaborators is free, so a sub can use it at no cost when the GC brings them in.
For meeting the GC’s reporting requirement, that works. It’s also the GC’s project and the GC’s account. If you want your own record across every job and every GC, that’s a separate question. It’s worth asking Raken how and whether you can export what you’ve filed before you rely on it as your file. We wrote about this gap in general terms here.
What It Costs
Raken doesn’t publish its prices. Its pricing page points you to a demo, and Capterra lists a custom quote billed per year, with a free trial and no free version.
Review sites often cite roughly $15 per user per month for a lighter plan and $25 for a fuller one. Those figures don’t come from Raken, and they may be out of date. Get a real quote and ask about minimum users, contract length, and what collaborators cost.
LogLoon’s prices are public:
- Free: $0, up to 5 users, 1 active project.
- Pro: $15 per user per month.
- Pro Unlimited: $299 a month flat, unlimited users, with the QuickBooks and Sage integrations.
Month to month, cancel anytime, and a 30-day guarantee. The comparison against the enterprise platforms is here.
If the review-site figures are right, a small crew pays about the same on either. At 10 users, LogLoon Pro is $150, against $150 to $250 by those estimates. At 20 users it’s $299 flat against $300 to $500, and the gap widens from there. So the honest difference is less about the lowest price than about getting a number without a sales call, and not being locked into a year.
When Raken Is the Better Pick
- Your GC requires it. You’ll file there either way.
- Safety is part of the job. Toolbox talks, observations, and checklist templates are in Raken. LogLoon doesn’t have them.
- You want production tracking against estimates. It’s a listed Raken strength.
- Your crew is on Android. Raken has an Android app now. LogLoon doesn’t yet.
- You want a kiosk time clock at the gate.
- You want a vendor the big GCs already know.
Where LogLoon Fits
LogLoon is built around the record a sub needs when someone asks what happened on a job.
- Hours by cost code, with where the crew clocked in. The same entry feeds job costing.
- Daily reports that compile themselves from labor hours, materials, equipment, weather, notes, and photos already logged, and can be scheduled and emailed.
- Plan sheets your crew can find, with tasks pinned to the drawing and their status showing on it.
- Progress by floor and room instead of one job-wide number.
- A record that’s yours, not a seat in someone else’s project. The GC’s tools aren’t built to be your system.
- Prices you can read, month to month.
Where LogLoon Falls Short
- No safety module. No toolbox talks, observations, or checklist templates.
- No Android app yet. Crew on Android can clock in from a browser on their phone, with project, cost code, timer, and breaks. Photos, materials, and equipment entries are iOS-only for now.
- No kiosk time clock.
- The QuickBooks and Sage sync is on the $299 plan. On Free and Pro you export instead.
You Might Not Have to Choose
If your GC requires Raken, file what they need there. The useful question is whether it also becomes your own record. If the answer is no, and you want one place that holds your hours, your reports, your plans, and your progress across every job, that’s where a system of your own comes in.
If the GC isn’t asking for Raken, three questions decide it:
- Do I need safety checklists and toolbox talks in the same tool? If yes, Raken.
- Is my Android crew a dealbreaker today? If yes, Raken.
- Do I want a price I can read and a plan I can leave any month? If yes, look hard at LogLoon.
You can try LogLoon free for up to 5 users, and Raken has a free trial. Run a real week through each and see which one your foreman opens without being asked. If a lower-cost all-in-one is also on your list, see Contractor Foreman vs. LogLoon.
If your GC uses Procore instead, see Your GC Uses Procore.
See the current LogLoon plans — it’s public, and there’s no sales call to get a number.