Brighthammer vs. Encircle vs. CompanyCam: Which Fits a Small Restoration Team?
Software GuideA small restoration company evaluating documentation software usually ends up looking at some mix of these three tools. Each one solves a different part of the problem, and the right fit depends on how much of your work is water mitigation, how many people need access, and how deep your claims documentation needs to go.
Brighthammer publishes this comparison and is one of the three products covered. Feature and pricing details for Encircle and CompanyCam are based on their public product information as of July 2026.
Which Tool Fits a Small Restoration Team?
CompanyCam organizes jobsite photos across many trades, Encircle builds deep restoration claims documentation, and Brighthammer focuses on fast, affordable field documentation built for restoration contractors, with water mitigation as one of its core workflows.
Choose Brighthammer if…
- You run a small-to-midsize restoration company and want photos, notes, signatures, floor plans, and reports connected in one job file, with a dedicated workflow when the job involves water mitigation.
- Unlimited users at a flat monthly rate matters more to you than a deep claims-scoping suite.
- Your crew needs to learn the tool in minutes, not days.
Choose Encircle if…
- Your team regularly handles complex or disputed claims that need deep mitigation, contents, and scoping documentation.
- You need AI-generated, IICRC-aligned scope justification, not just field capture.
- You have the training time and budget for a broader platform.
Choose CompanyCam if…
- Your business spans several contractor trades, not just restoration.
- Your main need is organized jobsite photos and team communication.
- Water mitigation documentation, like moisture logs and drying records, isn't a regular part of your work.
Feature Comparison
Dimension | BRIGHTHAMMER | Encircle | CompanyCam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly tiers by job volume, unlimited users on every plan: $99/mo (100 jobs), $269/mo (300 jobs), $469/mo (unlimited jobs) | Tiered by job volume: $285/mo (200 jobs), $480/mo (400 jobs), $685/mo (600 jobs), plus $170/mo for floor plan scanning | Tiered by user count: $79/$129/$199 per month for 3 users, plus $29 per additional user; only the top plan includes signing and floor plans |
| Moisture logging | Readings, equipment, and daily drying logs tied to the same job file, with AI-assisted reading capture on the Growth plan and up | A dedicated mitigation workflow with reading capture, psychrometrics, and drying alerts | No dedicated water mitigation workflow; a general notes field can hold a reading but not a connected drying record |
| IICRC-aligned workflows | An S500-based equipment calculator built into the water mitigation workflow | AI-generated mitigation scopes with IICRC-based justification, the deepest offering of the three | No IICRC-specific workflow in public product information |
| Field reporting fit | Carrier-ready reports and AI claim summaries generated from the same job file the crew already built | Deep claims and carrier reporting across mitigation, contents, and scope, suited to complex or disputed losses | Photo and jobsite reports built for project updates, not claim-specific documentation |
Comparing What Matters for Restorers
Pricing Model: Flat Rate, Job Volume, or Per User?
The three vendors price restoration software in three different ways, and the difference matters more as a small team grows. CompanyCam charges by user count, so adding technicians during a busy season adds cost on top of the plan price. Encircle charges by job volume, with floor plan scanning priced separately on top of that. Brighthammer charges a flat rate by job volume with unlimited users included on every tier, which tends to favor a small team that wants to add seasonal help without recalculating the software bill.
Moisture Logging: How Much of Your Work Is Water Mitigation?
This is where the three tools separate the most clearly. If your company handles water losses regularly, a general notes field isn't built to show whether a reading is trending toward a drying goal or confirm where a dehumidifier sat on day three versus day one. Encircle's mitigation workflow is the deepest of the three, with reading capture, psychrometrics, and alerts built for complex jobs. Brighthammer keeps moisture readings, equipment, and the daily drying log tied to the same job file, with AI-assisted reading capture to cut down on manual entry, aimed at teams that want that connection without a heavier setup. CompanyCam doesn't build around this workflow at all, which is worth knowing if water mitigation is a regular part of your business rather than an occasional job type.
IICRC-Aligned Workflows: What "Aligned" Means
It's worth being precise about this one. IICRC certification applies to technicians and companies who complete IICRC training, not to software. What software can do is build its calculations and workflows around the S500 standard so your crew isn't doing that math by hand. Encircle's AI Scope goes furthest, generating mitigation scopes with IICRC-based justification built in. Brighthammer includes an S500-based equipment calculator inside its water mitigation workflow, aimed at fast on-site sizing rather than full scope generation. CompanyCam doesn't publish IICRC-specific features. None of the three tools makes your company IICRC compliant on its own; that still comes down to your team's training and certification.
Field Reporting Fit: Claim Defense vs. Project Update vs. Fast and Simple
The right report depends on what the report is for. Encircle's reporting is built for claim defensibility across mitigation, contents, and scope, which suits companies that regularly face carrier pushback on complex losses. CompanyCam's reports and shareable "Pages" are strongest for visual project updates and communication across a broader range of trades, not restoration-specific claim documentation. Brighthammer generates carrier-ready reports and AI claim summaries directly from the same room-by-room job file the crew already built, aimed at getting a report out fast without a heavier claims platform behind it.
Where Each Tool Wins
Brighthammer: Restoration-Specific Documentation Without Added Complexity
Moisture readings, equipment, and drying logs stay connected to the same job file your crew already started, at a flat rate with unlimited users on every plan.
Encircle: The Deepest Restoration Claims Platform of the Three
Encircle's mitigation, contents, and AI-scoping tools go further than Brighthammer's or CompanyCam's, which matters most for companies that regularly handle complex or disputed claims.
CompanyCam: Strong Visual Documentation Across Many Trades
For a business that works restoration alongside other trades, CompanyCam's photo and video capture, project feeds, and team communication tools cover ground that a restoration-only tool doesn't try to.
The Right Fit Depends on What Your Restoration Work Looks Like
If your team handles complex, high-value, or frequently disputed claims, Encircle's depth may be worth the setup. If most of your work is general contractor photo documentation across several trades, CompanyCam may already cover what you need. If you're a small restoration company that wants photos, notes, signatures, floor plans, water mitigation tracking, and reports connected in one affordable, fast-to-adopt system, Brighthammer is built for exactly that.
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Frequently Asked Questions
IICRC certification belongs to technicians and companies, not software. A tool can build its calculators and workflows around the ANSI/IICRC S500 standard, which is different from making your company compliant on its own. Compliance still comes down to your team's training and documented practices.
It can be, particularly for water mitigation documentation. CompanyCam is strong for general jobsite photos across trades, but it doesn't build around moisture logging, equipment tracking, or IICRC-based calculations. A restoration company handling water jobs regularly often finds that gap shows up once a job needs more than photos.
Based on current published pricing, small business restoration tools in this category range from roughly $79 to $199 per month for CompanyCam depending on user count, $285 to $685 per month for Encircle depending on job volume, and $99 to $469 per month for Brighthammer depending on job volume, with unlimited users included on every Brighthammer tier.
Encircle offers the deepest dedicated mitigation workflow, including psychrometrics and drying alerts. Brighthammer connects readings, equipment, and a daily drying log to the same job file, with AI-assisted reading capture. CompanyCam doesn't include a dedicated moisture logging workflow.
Not necessarily. Encircle's depth is built for companies that regularly face complex claims requiring contents, scoping, and defensibility documentation. A smaller restoration crew mainly focused on getting jobs documented, reported, and paid may not need that level of platform, and a simpler, more affordable tool may cover the same core documentation.
Most restoration-specific tools, Brighthammer included, are built to be learned quickly, often in minutes, since ease of field adoption is central to the product. The bigger question is usually whether your team needs restoration-specific workflows like moisture logging and IICRC-based calculations that CompanyCam doesn't offer.