Built by a Builder: The Story of Axion PM
A working project manager built the construction software he always wished he had.
Most construction software is built by tech companies and sold to contractors. Axion PM was built the other way around. Its founder, Kenny Doll, does not write code for a living. He runs real construction jobs. After years of managing projects with the biggest names in the industry, he grew tired of watching software bills climb every time his company won bigger work. So he built the tool he wished he had, and he still uses it on his own projects today.
That origin matters. In a crowded market of construction project management software, Axion PM stands apart because it was shaped on jobsites and in budget meetings, not in a boardroom guessing at how builders actually work.
The Problem a Builder Kept Hitting
Kenny Doll owns Axion Builders, a Georgia-based contractor. For years, he used Procore and other platforms on live jobs. They were powerful. They were also expensive in a way that punished growth.
"I've spent my career running construction projects, and I've used the big-name software," Doll says. "It's powerful, but the price climbs every time your company grows. I wanted a Procore alternative that a family-owned contractor could afford and still get every tool a real job needs."
The pattern repeated across the industry. Small and mid-sized general contractors were paying enterprise prices tied to their annual construction volume. They bought add-ons for basic features. Then they paid even more the moment they won a larger project, even though the team size never changed.
That did not sit right with him. A contractor should not be billed more for success.
The Solution, Field to Finance
Axion PM gives general contractors one place to run a job from preconstruction to closeout. Daily logs, drawings, RFIs, submittals, punch lists, schedules, meetings, and photos all live in the same system. So does the money side: budgets by cost code, subcontracts, sub pay applications with retainage, owner billing, change orders, cash flow, and a cost forecast that shows leadership where profit is heading before it is too late.
Many project management software tools leave those financial features out or sell them as costly add-ons. Axion PM includes them in one price.
Every feature traces back to a real need. Daily logs pull in the weather automatically. Drawing sets split themselves into sheets. The forecast flags profit fade early. These are not showpieces. They are answers to problems Doll met on the job.
"Every feature in Axion PM came from a problem I hit on a jobsite or in a budget meeting," he says. "If a superintendent can't write a daily log on their phone in two minutes, we didn't build it right."
Pricing That Rewards Growth Instead of Punishing It
The biggest difference is price. Procore and similar construction project management platforms often charge by annual construction volume or by user seat, so the bill rises as the company grows. Axion PM takes a different path.
It is one flat price per company: $499 a month or $4,990 a year. That includes unlimited projects, unlimited users, and 1 TB of storage. There is no per-seat pricing and no fee based on construction volume. A family-owned contractor gets the same tools as a large builder, without negotiating a contract or counting seats.
Owners, architects, and subcontractors join free. Each sees only their own project and the tools their role allows, so sensitive budget details stay internal.
"Construction project management software shouldn't charge you more because you won a bigger job," Doll says. "Axion PM is one flat price, and your whole team, your subs and your owners can all use it."
Fast to Start, Easy to Trust
Axion PM runs in any web browser and works on a phone in the field. Superintendents can write a daily log, take photos, and close punch items from the jobsite. Project managers and executives track budget, cash flow, and profit from the office. Everyone works from the same source of truth.
Getting started takes minutes, not a sales process. Every company begins with a 30-day free trial, no credit card required, and a fully built sample project to explore. Contractors can import cost codes, budgets, and contacts from spreadsheets, so there is no painful setup before the real work begins.
That speed surprises people who have endured enterprise onboarding. One early user felt it immediately.
"I've used Procore for years, so I know what good construction project management software looks like," says Matthew S., a Project Manager II. "Axion PM had everything I actually use day to day: daily logs, drawings, RFIs, submittals, the budget and sub pay apps. I signed up and was clicking around a full sample job within a few minutes. No sales call, no demo to schedule, no waiting on a quote. What surprised me most was how quick it felt. Everything is where you'd expect it, and I didn't need anyone to walk me through it. For a contractor who doesn't want to pay enterprise prices, it's a real Procore alternative."
What Makes Axion PM Different
The platform stands on a few clear principles. It was built by a working construction PM, not a software company guessing at how jobs run. It charges one flat, simple price with no volume-based fees. It puts field, document, and money tools in one place, including the financial features many competitors charge extra for. It lets the whole team, owners, architects, and subcontractors, join at no cost. And it lets a contractor start in minutes.
For growing contractors, that combination is rare. It means serious construction project management without the enterprise price tag. It means never getting penalized for winning more work. It means a tool that reflects how a real job actually runs, because the person who built it runs real jobs.
The result is a Procore alternative with a clear point of view. Fairness in pricing. Depth in features. Simplicity in setup. All shaped by someone who still logs into the software every day to manage his own projects.
Explore Axion PM for Your Next Job
If your current software bill climbs every time you win bigger work, there is a better way to run your projects. Consider starting a 30-day free trial of Axion PM with no credit card and no sales call. Explore the ready-made sample project, import your own cost codes and budgets, and invite your team, your subs, and your owners at no extra cost. See for yourself how one flat price can cover a whole job, from the first daily log to the final closeout. Visit axionpm.co and run your next project the way a builder would.
