Modern Operations vs Legacy ERP
Site Samurai vs COINS for UK Contractors
COINS is an established ERP and accounting platform for construction. Site Samurai is a modern, integrated operations platform that connects field execution with commercial control for UK contractors.
TL;DR
If you are a tier-1 UK contractor, a top-75 homebuilder, or a mid-to-large construction business with dedicated finance and IT — and you need deep construction ERP covering general ledger, multi-company, job costing, CVR, procurement, payroll, and plot/land modules — Access Coins (formerly COINS) is the better fit. Access Coins serves 1,000+ UK construction companies and 43 of the top 75 UK homebuilders. If you are a UK SME contractor (10-250 staff) that wants applications for payment, HMRC CIS verification, RAMS, CDM 2015 Phase Plans, subcontractor management, and field capture in one mobile-first platform live in weeks — not a multi-month ERP deployment — Site Samurai is the better fit. Access Coins is per-user with annual/quarterly/monthly billing on quote; Site Samurai is £99/£199/£699 per month flat, unlimited users, 14-day free trial, no credit card.
Last reviewed: 21 April 2026 (2026). Competitor feature claims verified against the Access Group COINS product page on 21 April 2026 (coins-global.com redirects to theaccessgroup.com). Pricing is quote-only. Competitor source.
Where COINS is strong
- • Deep construction accounting with general ledger, multi-company, and financial reporting.
- • Established platform with long track record in UK construction ERP.
- • Strong financial governance and audit trail capabilities.
Where Site Samurai is stronger
- • Modern, mobile-first platform connecting field operations with commercial workflows.
- • Native UK compliance: RAMS, CIS, CDM 2015, and Construction Act workflows.
- • Self-service implementation measured in weeks, not months or quarters.
Pricing side by side
Headline price
£99/mo Starter, £199/mo Professional, £699/mo Enterprise (or 17% off annually).
Not published on theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/construction/products/coins — "priced per user" on quote.
User / seat model
Unlimited users on every plan.
Per-user pricing with annual, quarterly, or monthly billing options per the Access Coins product page.
Free trial
14-day free trial. No credit card required.
No self-serve free trial — Access Coins routes prospects to demos and consultancy-led scoping.
Contract term
Monthly or annual. Cancel anytime on monthly.
Annual/quarterly/monthly billing referenced; contract term not published.
UK CIS included
Yes — HMRC UTR/NI verification, 0%/20%/30% rates, re-verification cascade. Included in Starter.
Yes — automated CIS verification and deduction calculations with HMRC-compliant returns on the product page.
Applications for Payment
Yes — s.111 pay less notices, client portal, valuations, retention. Included in Starter.
Yes — applications for payment and subcontractor valuation workflows referenced on the product page.
COINS pricing claims sourced from public documentation.
See how it works
Start a free 14-day trialCapability comparison
COINS advantage
Construction businesses need accurate financial management across multi-company structures.
Best fit by contractor profile
Finance-led contractor prioritising accounting and financial governance
Best fit: Competitor
COINS offers deeper financial accounting and multi-company structures for finance-led organisations.
Operations-led contractor needing field-to-office integration
Best fit: Site Samurai
Modern field operations, compliance, and commercial workflows in one mobile-first platform.
Growing SME contractor standardising processes
Best fit: Site Samurai
Faster implementation, transparent pricing, and integrated workflows suit growing teams better than heavy ERP deployment.
Migration checklist (30/60/90)
0-30 days
Foundation and parallel pilot
- • Map existing ERP workflows and identify operational gaps in field and compliance areas.
- • Pilot one project with PM, QS, and site lead using Site Samurai alongside existing systems.
- • Define baseline KPIs: setup time, field adoption rate, payment cycle turnaround.
31-60 days
Operational expansion
- • Roll out field operations and compliance workflows across active projects.
- • Train commercial teams on payment application and valuation workflows.
- • Establish data flow between Site Samurai and existing accounting systems where needed.
61-90 days
Standardisation and assessment
- • Standardise operating procedures across field, compliance, and commercial workflows.
- • Assess which ERP functions can be consolidated vs. retained.
- • Run leadership review on operational efficiency and adoption metrics.
Choose Site Samurai when
- • You need modern field operations and compliance workflows alongside commercial controls.
- • Your priority is fast implementation without consultancy-led deployment.
- • You want transparent, predictable pricing as your team grows.
Choose COINS when
- • Deep construction accounting and multi-company financial governance is your primary need.
- • You have an established ERP ecosystem and dedicated IT resources to manage it.
- • Financial reporting depth and audit trail capabilities are your dominant requirement.
Feature comparison with sources
Construction financials / GL / multi-company
Integrated platform covering financials, job costing, procurement, payroll, HR, and reporting with immutable audit trails.
sourceNot a general ledger or multi-company accounting system. Two-way Xero/Sage sync on Professional keeps the commercial ledger aligned.
Access Coins wins decisively on depth of construction accounting.
CIS compliance (HMRC)
Automated CIS verification and deduction calculations; HMRC-compliant returns across hundreds of subcontractors.
sourceHMRC UTR/NI verification, 0%/20%/30% rates, re-verification cascades forward to unpaid amounts, encrypted storage.
Applications for Payment
Applications for payment and subcontractor valuation workflows connected to live CVR tracking.
sourceNative AfP with Construction Act s.111 pay less notice tracking, client portal, valuations, retention.
Homebuilder modules (plot tracking, land appraisal)
Additional modules for plot tracking, land appraisal, and customer care targeted at UK homebuilders.
sourceNot a homebuilder-specific product. No plot, land appraisal, or customer care modules.
Field operations / mobile-first
Office-centric ERP; mobile field capture is not the primary product surface.
sourceMobile-first site diary, photo capture, whereabouts, RAMS sign-off on phones and tablets.
RAMS and CDM 2015
Not published as a dedicated RAMS builder with Construction Phase Plans on the Access Coins product page.
sourceRAMS builder with versioning and digital sign-off plus CDM 2015 Construction Phase Plans.
Implementation model
Enterprise ERP — typically consultancy-led deployment scoped against modules and company structure.
sourceSelf-service setup; most SMEs run a live pilot inside the 14-day free trial.
Deployment
Cloud solution hosted on Microsoft Azure with role-based access and immutable audit trails.
sourceCloud-hosted SaaS with role-based permissions, audit log, and SSO/SAML on Enterprise.
Target customer size
Serves 1,000+ UK construction companies including 43 of the top 75 UK homebuilders — enterprise-focused.
sourceBuilt for UK SME contractors, typically 10-250 staff.
Pricing transparency
GBP pricing not published on the Access Coins product page — priced per user on quote.
sourcePublished £99/£199/£699 per month on sitesamurai.co.uk/pricing.
UK-specific regulations this comparison turns on
Access Coins (formerly COINS) is a mature UK construction ERP; coins-global.com redirects to theaccessgroup.com as of April 2026 following the Access acquisition. It already handles the heavy UK regulatory stack on the finance side: HMRC CIS verification under Finance Act 2004 Chapter 3, applications for payment under HGCRA 1996 / the Construction Act (payment notices within 5 days of the due date, pay less notices at least 7 days before the final date for payment), and multi-company financial governance. Where Site Samurai differs is operating model rather than regulatory coverage: Site Samurai is a mobile-first SME platform that pairs the same Construction Act and CIS mechanics with RAMS under CDM 2015, Construction Phase Plans, RIDDOR, toolbox talks, and field capture — without a multi-month ERP deployment.
Choose COINS if
You are a UK homebuilder or tier-1 contractor with multi-company group structure and dedicated finance function.
Access Coins has plot tracking, land appraisal, customer care, and multi-company GL that SME-focused platforms do not match.
You need a single construction ERP of record for general ledger, job costing, CVR, procurement, and payroll.
Site Samurai is not a GL or payroll system — it syncs with Xero/Sage rather than replacing them.
You have an internal IT and finance team able to run a consultancy-led ERP implementation across several months.
Access Coins is scoped to be deployed with services and can absorb that investment; SMEs rarely can.
Choose Site Samurai if
You are a UK SME contractor (10-250 staff) and need to go live in weeks, not quarters.
Site Samurai is self-serve with a 14-day free trial and most SMEs pilot one live project inside it.
You want a single mobile-first platform for RAMS, site diary, whereabouts, and photo-led evidence alongside AfPs and CIS.
Access Coins is office-centric; field-and-commercial-in-one is where Site Samurai was designed to live.
You already run Xero or Sage for finance and do not want to replace your accounting system.
Site Samurai two-way-syncs with Xero and Sage on Professional; Access Coins replaces them.
You want unlimited users so every labourer, subbie, QS, and office user is on the platform without per-seat cost.
Flat £99/£199/£699 per month with unlimited users. Access Coins prices per user.