A disputed change order just cost you $3,000. Did Houzz Pro help?
Your client saw the change order. It was right there in their Houzz Pro portal. When the final invoice landed, they said they didn't realize it meant they were agreeing to pay more.
And they're not entirely wrong. In Houzz Pro, there's nothing your client has to initial or formally approve on a change order. They can see it. That's not the same as agreeing to it. And when $3,000 is on the line, that difference is the whole ballgame.
And you're paying $49 to $700 a month for that — locked into a contract you can only cancel by phone, with 30 days notice, if you remember to call in time.
The side of Houzz Pro your clients see
Signed doesn't mean read.
Your client signed the proposal. Three months into their pool excavation, your crew hits boulders — hard dig that needs special equipment, $8,000 in added cost. Your client says they had no idea that wasn't included in the base price.
It was on page 4 of the proposal they signed. But Houzz Pro can't tell the difference between a client who read every word and one who clicked through to the signature line.
Your client can see the change order — but there's no record they agreed to it
Houzz Pro does surface change orders in the client's Financials tab. But there's no acknowledgment required — no initials, no confirmation they read it, no record they understood what it meant. So when they push back on the final payment, they're not being difficult — from their side of the portal, nothing was ever formally confirmed. That's not a client problem. That's a documentation gap Houzz Pro left open.
Too complicated to navigate without a tutorial
Houzz Pro is built around a marketplace and design platform first — the client workflow is layered on top of that complexity. Contractors report that clients can't figure out where to find their proposal, how to sign, or how to make a payment without being walked through it step by step. When your client needs hand-holding to navigate their own project portal, the tool is working against you, not for you.
Invoicing that doesn't work properly
Contractors report that Houzz Pro's invoicing is broken in ways that cost them money — templates can't be imported or exported, and clients struggle to find and complete the payment flow. The result isn't just a frustrated client. It's a contractor chasing payments, following up on invoices that were never opened, and absorbing the delay in their cash flow. You shouldn't have to babysit the payment process on every job.
Your clients are inside Houzz's platform, not yours
Houzz Pro does have a client dashboard — but your client's experience is Houzz's branding. They're navigating Houzz's interface, Houzz's branding, Houzz's ecosystem. There's no portal that represents your business and only your business. When a client has a question about their project, they're logging into Houzz, not a portal with your branding and name on it.
Paying an invoice shouldn't require leaving the portal
Houzz Pro's invoicing has been a persistent pain point for contractors — clients struggle with the payment flow, templates can't be imported or exported, and the payment experience is separate from the rest of the project. When your client can't easily pay from inside the portal they're already using, that friction sits in your cash flow.
Annual contracts, hidden fees, and tools you don't use
12-month contracts that auto-renew
Houzz Pro requires a 12-month commitment with an auto-renewal clause that contractors report is buried in the fine print. Canceling requires a phone call — not an in-app toggle — submitted at least 30 days before renewal. Miss the window and you're billed for another year. Exit early and Houzz charges four months of membership as a termination fee. A class action lawsuit has been filed over free trials that convert to yearlong subscriptions without adequate disclosure.
$49 to $700/month
Houzz Pro pricing ranges from $49 to $700/month depending on your plan — with unexpected price increases and extra fees for features that should be standard. That's $588 to $8,400 per year, locked in.
1.03 stars on BBB with 500+ complaints
Houzz Pro has a 1.03-star average on the Better Business Bureau with over 500 complaints in the last 3 years. Common issues: billing disputes, contract lock-in, poor customer service, and features that don't work as described.
TruFeld: built for the client workflow contractors actually need
A portal that represents your business, not Houzz's
TruFeld's client experience carries your name, your logo, and your colors — and clients access it with a PIN, no account creation required. Proposals, signatures, payments, messages, files, and scope change approvals all live in one place. When a client wants to pay an invoice, they do it right there via card or ACH — they never leave the portal to find a payment link.
Simple enough that clients figure it out without calling you
Clients access their project portal with a PIN — no account creation, no app to download, no Houzz login to remember. Everything they need is in one place: their proposal, the signed contract, payment history, files, and messages. Contractors consistently report that clients navigate TruFeld's portal on their own, without needing to be walked through it. When your client can pay without calling you first, the tool is doing its job.
Invoicing that actually works
Every payment generates a branded invoice PDF automatically — with your logo, line items, surcharge breakdowns, and scope change adjustments. Clients download invoices from their project portal. It works the first time.
Your client has to acknowledge the change order — not just receive it
In TruFeld, a scope change isn't just a billing adjustment. Your client gets a formal change order in their portal — with the updated pricing, the reason for the change, and required initials before it's recorded. There's no ambiguity about whether they saw it, read it, or agreed to it. If you've enabled milestone schedule tracking, the schedule reflects the change automatically. If not, the updated scope and price are still formally acknowledged — either way, there's nothing to dispute.
Make clients initial the clauses that matter — before they can sign.
Mark any provision in your proposal as required reading. Scope limitations, warranty terms, what's not included in base pricing — whatever's most likely to become a dispute later. Your client has to initial each one before the proposal goes through. Not "I saw it somewhere in the document." Initialed. On record. No more page-4 surprises.
No contract. No monthly fee. Ever.
TruFeld has no contracts and no monthly fee. You pay a small 0.6% invoicing fee that starts at $5 per invoice and scales with your annual volume — never more than $50, even on a million-dollar invoice. Your first $33,000 invoiced is free with Pro. Cancel anytime — though there's nothing to cancel.
Detailed pricing tables built for contractors
Grouped pricing sections with units, quantities, and rich descriptions. Reusable price group templates for common line items. Detailed enough for a $200K remodel, simple enough for a $500 repair.
Import your existing estimates
Upload a PDF or Word estimate and our AI preserves your pricing tables, grouped sections, units, and line items. No retyping your standard scope of work. Smart templates with fillable variables let you create once and customize per project.
AI that knows construction
Our AI drafting is tuned for your trade — it knows the difference between a punch list and a to-do list. Right terminology, right sections, right tone. 24 industries supported.
Houzz Pro won't tell you what you'll pay. We will.
Houzz Pro no longer publishes its pricing. You have to request a demo to find out what you'll pay — and then negotiate from there. The last publicly known range was $49–$400/month, billed annually, with a contract you can only cancel by phone with 30 days notice.
TruFeld's pricing is on the page. No calls, no demos, no surprises.
| Houzz Pro | TruFeld Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform cost (2yr) | $4,776–$9,600 (realistic $199–$400/mo for your volume) | $299 one-time |
| Processing fees (2yr) | ~$480 (ACH ~$5/transfer) | ~$1,720 (invoicing fee + Stripe ACH absorbed) |
| 2-year total | $5,256–$10,080 | $2,019 |
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep using Houzz Pro for leads and use TruFeld for proposals and payments?
Absolutely. Many contractors use Houzz Pro for leads and 3D design tools, but handle the client-facing workflow — proposals, signatures, payments, and communication — through TruFeld. You don't have to replace everything at once.
Does TruFeld have 3D floor plans or design tools?
No 3D rendering, mood boards, or lead-generation marketplace — those are Houzz Pro's marketing/design front end. TruFeld is the project delivery workflow: proposals, e-signatures, payments, invoicing, file sharing, messaging, scope changes, and 2D plan takeoffs Pro+. If you want a design marketplace, keep Houzz Pro. If you want a portal where the actual project lives, that's TruFeld.
Is there really no contract?
Really. TruFeld has no contracts, no annual commitments, and no monthly fees. Starter is free forever. Pro ($299 once) and Business ($499 once) are one-time payments. Cancel anytime — though there's nothing to cancel since there's no subscription.
Can my clients pay through TruFeld?
Yes — via Stripe. Credit/debit card and ACH. Full payment, deposit, or milestone-based. You choose how processing fees are handled: absorb, split 50/50, or pass to client. Pro/Business users can also mark external payments (wire, check) with automatic invoicing.
How do I move my proposals and client list from Houzz Pro?
Export your client list from Houzz Pro and import it into TruFeld as a CSV. Upload your existing proposals as PDFs — our AI converts them into editable TruFeld proposals with pricing tables, sections, and line items preserved. Most contractors are sending their first proposal within 15 minutes.
Built for delivery. No subscription. No contract.
Start free. Send your first proposal in 5 minutes. A portal your clients can actually use — with no monthly bill, no annual commitment, and no surprises.
Get Started Free See PricingReady to make the move? Here's exactly how switching from Houzz Pro works →
Looking for a remodeler-specific comparison? TruFeld vs Houzz Pro for Remodelers