If you work in construction, trades, or home services, you already know how important it is to document job progress clearly and keep everyone in the loop. That includes clients, crews, and the office.
Apps like CompanyCam are popular for photo documentation and reporting. But as your team grows and your tech stack expands, these tools can start to feel limiting and expensive.
That’s where building your own custom photo app can make a big difference. When it's designed around your workflow and integrates with your existing systems, it gives you more flexibility, better control, and fewer headaches.
In this article, I’ll show you how to create a scalable photo documentation system using no-code tools like Glide. You’ll get the core features of apps like CompanyCam, without the ongoing cost or complexity. And it will fit the way your team actually works, both on site and in the office.
Continue reading or watch the full video breakdown here.
Why CompanyCam Might Not Be Enough
CompanyCam makes it easy to capture job site photos and generate reports, but there are two key reasons you might be looking for an alternative.
Pricing doesn't scale well.
Once your team grows beyond a few users, the per-user cost can quickly add up. What starts as an affordable tool becomes a significant monthly expense for larger crews.
It adds to the app overload.
Most construction and trade businesses already use a stack of apps for scheduling, estimating, and communication. CompanyCam often sits outside that system, which means more switching between platforms and more manual syncing.
Instead of bending your business to fit someone else’s software, consider building something that works the way you do—tailored to your team, your jobs, and your workflow.
Build Your Own Construction Photo App with Glide
Glide is a no-code platform that lets you quickly build your own construction photo app, tailored to your workflow. It’s a smart alternative for teams looking to move beyond CompanyCam competitors or avoid the limitations of off-the-shelf photo documentation tools.
While Glide isn’t built specifically for the construction industry, it gives you the flexibility to create a custom app that works exactly how your field crews and office staff need it.
You can set up a clean mobile interface for site teams, while giving admin users a simple way to access, review, and share project images.
Organise Construction Photos by Phase or Room
Let’s say you’re managing a residential remodelling project.
When you open the app, the first thing you see is a clean list of active jobs. Tap into a job, and you’ll find all your photos neatly grouped—either by project phase (like foundation, framing, or finishing) or by room, depending on what makes the most sense for your team.
This flexible structure makes it easy to stay organised and quickly find the photos you need at each stage of the build. It also helps teams add new images in the right place, without having to dig through a cluttered gallery.
Tag and Organise Job Site Photos with Context
Adding photos is quick and intuitive. Say you’re on the foundation phase of a project, you can snap a photo and it’s instantly tagged with the job, phase, and any other relevant details, like the room or area.
Using your phone, you can take a photo on the spot or upload one from your camera roll. You can even add voice notes, which are automatically transcribed and attached to the image. It's a fast, hands-free way to capture site updates or flag issues.
Each photo is also geotagged, so you always know exactly where it was taken. That extra context helps teams stay aligned and reduces back-and-forth between the field and the office.
View Construction Photos with Metadata and Comparisons
Every photo in the system comes with detailed metadata.
You’ll see the date and time it was captured, any tags or notes added, and the exact GPS location, often displayed on an interactive map. For residential projects, GPS coordinates can be converted into street addresses, making it easier to track and reference site photos.
Creating before-and-after comparisons is simple. Just link a new photo to an earlier one, and the app generates a slider view so you can clearly show progress or completed repairs.
Team members can also comment directly on each photo. This makes it easy to ask questions, flag issues, or share updates without relying on long email threads or chat apps.
Linking Job Site Photos to Specific Tasks
Photos aren’t just for documentation, they can be linked directly to tasks on your punch list or project task list. This creates a more connected system where progress photos support accountability and real-time updates.
When a new task is created, the system records the date and allows for custom fields that match your workflow. From there, you can attach photos, voice notes, GPS tags, and status updates, giving you a clear view of what’s been done, what’s pending, and where things stand on site.
This kind of construction photo documentation not only helps teams stay aligned, but also gives supervisors and clients a visual trail of each completed task.
Save Time with Automated Construction Reports
Manually creating reports is time-consuming and costly. One roofing company we spoke with even hires a full-time admin just to compile job site photos and documentation into client updates using Canva.
With a custom photo documentation app, you can automate the entire process. One click generates a PDF progress report that includes photos, notes, dates, and project phases. You control the layout and content, so it matches your brand and your client expectations.
This kind of automation saves time, reduces admin overhead, and ensures consistency across every project. S,o your team can focus on the work, not the paperwork.
Flexible Photo Storage That Puts You in Control
A common question we hear is: Where are the photos stored?
With a custom solution, you have options. You can store images directly within the app or use external cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Cloud storage gives you full control and avoids vendor lock-in. Files can be automatically sorted by job, phase, or room, so your documentation stays organised and easy to find—without getting buried inside someone else’s platform.
What This Means for Your Business
Building a custom photo documentation app tailored to your business processes offers tremendous benefits over off-the-shelf solutions like CompanyCam. You get more flexibility, better integration with your existing tools, and the ability to scale without breaking the bank.
By leveraging no-code platforms like Glide, you can create a powerful system that helps your team capture, organize, and report job site photos with ease, without writing a single line of code.
If you want to explore building a custom solution that fits your unique workflow, feel free to reach out for a free 30-minute consultation. Tailoring your tools to your business instead of forcing your business into software is the smartest way to work.