Updated October 25, 2026. Independent editorial; how we research.
Who this is for
A developer or acquisitions team of one to three people sourcing infill or land sites in a handful of counties, with one project in design or construction at a time.
Jobs the stack must cover
Site sourcing
Searching parcels by zoning, size and location, and reaching owners.
Field parcel lookups
Parcel lines and ownership on a phone while you drive sites.
Development underwriting
Land residual, construction budget and returns in a model you control.
Project budget and payments
Budgets, contracts and payment tracking once a project starts.
Zoning verification
Code-level answers on uses, setbacks and height before an LOI.
Feasibility and massing
Fast test fits for unit counts and parking yields.
The stack at a glance
| Tier | Job | Tool | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start with | Site sourcing | 
Plotzy Starter | $180/mo |
| Start with | Field parcel lookups | 
Landglide Personal, billed annually, 2 users | $16.67/mo |
| Start with | Development underwriting | 
Adventures in CRE A.CRE model library | Free |
| Start with | Project budget and payments | 
Mastt Starter (free) | Free |
| Add when | Zoning verification | 
Zoneomics Essentials | $92/mo |
| Add when | Feasibility and massing | 
TestFit Parking Solver | $195/mo |
| Add when | Project budget and payments |
Mastt Professional | $165/mo |
| Skip until | Construction management | 
Procore | Pricing on request |
| Skip until | Project budget and payments | 
Northspyre | Pricing on request |
| Lean total (Start with) | $196.67/mo | ||
| Fuller total (Start with + Add when) | $648.67/mo | ||
Start with
The essentials for day one. These make up the lean total.
Plotzy Starter
Nationwide parcel search with zoning filters, owner contact lookup, folders, notes and CSV export, so you can sweep a county for sites that fit before you drive it. Caveats: it is in beta at pre-launch pricing, owner contacts are metered (25 a month on Starter), and it has no comps or debt data. Production ($300/mo) raises owner contacts to 100 a month and adds Zoning AI chat.
Alternatives: Regrid (nationwide parcel data app and API; plan prices load only after sign-in); LandID (parcel and owner maps from $7 per user per month billed annually, best for rural land)
Landglide Personal, billed annually, 2 users
Parcel lines and owner names on your phone, with unlimited lookups. Cheap enough that everyone who drives sites should have it.
Alternatives: LandID ($7 per user per month billed annually)
Adventures in CRE A.CRE model library
Free development and land residual models in Excel. Lenders and equity partners will want to see your assumptions, and a spreadsheet keeps them visible.
Alternatives: REFM (Excel development models, one-time purchase); Top Shelf Models (Excel models, one-time purchase)
Mastt Starter (free)
Your first project is free, with unlimited users, budgets and contracts and up to 10 tracked payments: enough to replace a budget spreadsheet before construction gets busy.
Alternatives: Northspyre (owner-side development management, pricing on request); JobTread (builder-side project management, $159/mo billed annually)
Add when
Worth buying once the trigger applies. These, minus anything they replace, make up the fuller total.
Zoneomics Essentials
Add when you need code-level zoning answers before an LOI more often than you can call the planning desk.
25 zoning searches a month and one analyst-verified zoning report. Advanced ($279/mo) gives 150 searches. Annual billing is advertised at 20% off, but the annual price is not shown.
Alternatives: Gridics (zoning and parcel analytics, pricing on request)
TestFit Parking Solver
Add when you test more than a couple of sites a month and need unit counts and parking yields fast.
Unlimited users at a monthly price. Site Intelligence (+$150/mo) and Pro Forma (+$170/mo) are add-ons; Site Solver, the full building configurator, starts at $15,000 a year.
Alternatives: Forma Site Design ($185/mo or $1,500/yr per our listing; the vendor site blocks automated checks); Giraffe (feasibility and site analysis, self-serve price not published)
Mastt Professional
Add when a project moves into construction with contracts, change orders and payment claims to track. Upgrades the Starter (free) plan above.
Cost, risk, schedule and dashboard modules with flexible month-to-month licences.
Alternatives: Northspyre (pricing on request)
Skip until
Tools newcomers are often sold too early, and what has to be true before they pay off. Not included in either total.
Procore
Priced on annual construction volume and billed upfront each year. It is your general contractor's system; owner-side teams usually get access through the GC's account.
Northspyre
Strong owner-side development management that pays off across several concurrent projects. With one project at a time, a lighter tool or a good spreadsheet does the job.
Monthly cost
Assumptions: 2 people; 1 active project; Monthly billing unless the vendor only offers annual; US prices before tax.
Totals are rebuilt from each line's published price whenever the site is published, and exclude tax, payment processing, onboarding fees and hardware. How we built these stacks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What software does a small land acquisition team need first?
A way to search parcels by zoning and reach owners, a phone app for parcel lines in the field, and a model you trust. At published prices, Plotzy Starter ($180/mo), LandGlide for two people ($16.67/mo billed annually) and the free A.CRE models come to $196.67 a month, with Mastt's free plan for the first project budget.
Is TestFit worth it for a small developer?
Once you test more than a couple of sites a month. Parking Solver is $195/mo with unlimited users; before that, a civil engineer's test fit on your best site may be the better spend. With TestFit, verified zoning searches and project controls, the fuller stack is $648.67 a month.
Do I need Procore as a developer?
Usually not on the owner side. Procore is priced on annual construction volume and is typically the contractor's platform; owners get project access through the GC. Owner-side budget and payment tracking can live in a lighter tool.