What happened
A construction company owner on Reddit says he uses free ChatGPT for estimates and general questions. He asked if he should pay for ChatGPT Plus or try a different AI.
Source: Reddit r/Contractor, 2026-10-15. This is our short summary. Read the source for the full story.
How a contractor could use it
Make a list of the 5 things you use AI for most. Try each one on the free plan for a week. Only pay if you keep hitting limits on real work.
Added 2026-10-15. Check any tool's price and terms on its own site before you use it.
Try this prompt
Copy it into Grok Bot, Claude or ChatGPT. Fill in the parts in [brackets].
I run a [trade] company with [number] people. Here is what I use AI for each week: [list]. Help me test if I need a paid plan. Give me a one week test plan and what to watch for.
Want it set up for you? We can do it.
More Office ideas.
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Idea for contractors
Build a job budget dashboard in Claude or ChatGPT with ProNovos
ProNovos said on Oct 30 that you can now hook Claude or ChatGPT up to your ProNovos account. You ask about your jobs and money in plain words, and it builds dashboards, trackers and what-if views from your live numbers.
View prompt
Show me every active job with billed to date next to budget. Flag any job over 90% of budget. For each flagged job, add one short note on what to check first. Do not change any data.
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Idea for contractors
Make a job checklist file right in the Gemini app
Google said on Oct 29 that the Gemini app can now make files right in the chat. You can see a PDF, doc, sheet or slide deck, fix it by typing or by asking Gemini, then open it in Google Docs, Sheets or Slides or save it. It is for all Gemini app users. PDFs work on the phone too. Other files work on the web.
View prompt
Make a one page PDF checklist for starting a [job type] job. Sections: before we leave the shop, when we get there, before work starts, and before we leave for the day. Short lines with check boxes. Leave space at the top for the job name, address and date.
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Idea for contractors
Build a supplier list in Sheets with Gemini and check sources
Google said on Oct 28 that Fill with Gemini in Google Sheets now shows the web sources it used right in each cell. It can also fill up to 3,000 cells in one go. It is rolling out on some paid Workspace and Google AI plans.
View prompt
For each business name in column A, fill in its street address, phone number, open hours and the main things it sells. They are all near [city, state]. If you can not find something, write Not found. Do not guess.