Choosing a snagging app your site team will actually use

One: it does not work without signal

A plot at second fix has no wifi and often no mobile signal. Of the six systems here, two say so explicitly: Zutec states Zutec Field is designed to work offline so users can carry out inspections with secure sign-offs while offline, syncing when back in range, and Site Audit Pro lists offline projects on every plan including the free one. The others describe mobile apps without stating offline behaviour on the pages we read. Test this before anything else, in the worst room on your worst site, with the phone in aeroplane mode.

Two: the trades cannot get in

A snag that a subcontractor cannot see is a phone call. PlanRadar includes unlimited subcontractors and watchers free on every tier. Clixifix describes contractor portals as a free online tool where the supply chain accepts assignments, schedules repairs and posts updates. Snagmaster states unlimited users. Fieldwire charges per user on paid tiers, with 5 users on the free plan. Site Audit Pro produces a PDF report rather than a portal. That difference decides whether your closing-out programme runs in the system or in an inbox.

Three: the photographs become a liability instead of evidence

• Annotation on the phone, not later. Every system here annotates photos. The question is whether it happens in the room, while the operative can still point at the thing.
• Location that is not a description. Zutec drops geo-located pins on general arrangement drawings, colour coded by status. A photograph captioned 'bedroom 2' from a scheme of 300 plots is worth much less than a pinned one.
• Sign-off attached to the item. PlanRadar offers a ticket signature once all data is captured; Snagmaster states unlimited signatories on closure rules. A closed snag with no signature is not evidence of anything.
• An export you can hand to someone. The register may be needed years later, for a warranty claim or an ombudsman complaint. Ask what the export contains, in what format, and how long the supplier keeps it after your contract ends.

What to do in the first fortnight

1. Take the free tiers, not the demos. Fieldwire's Basic plan is $0 for 5 users and 3 projects, Snagmaster offers a 30-day trial it states is fully featured, and PlanRadar offers a trial with no credit card. Site Audit Pro's free plan is ongoing once you have bought the £12.90 app.
2. Run one real plot end to end, from a walk to a subcontractor closing an item, before you look at anything else.
3. Count the drawings you would need to load, and check it against the tier limits. PlanRadar meters plans at 10, then 30 per user, then 100 per user.
4. Ask a subcontractor who is not technical to close a snag while you watch and say nothing.
5. Export the finished register and open it on a laptop. That file is what you will be relying on in two years.

Prices, tiers and feature claims in this guide were read on each supplier's own website on 15 August 2026 and are reproduced, not estimated. Suppliers change plans without notice, and nothing here is advice on your obligations under the New Homes Quality Code, a warranty provider's technical standards or building safety legislation.