Cornerstone PM™ is the modern NEWSTAR and BuildPro alternative for small-to-mid home builders. Same core capabilities - options engine, floorplan pricing matrix, multi-community management - plus native AI agents (Foreman AI on Pro $499/mo), 37+ named webhook events (Pro+), and a public REST API (Pro+ $599/mo). Starts at $149/mo, up to 30 users (60 on Pro+), operational in hours not months.
Side-by-side for small-to-mid home builders.
| Feature | Cornerstone PM™ | NEWSTAR |
|---|---|---|
Implementation cost NEWSTAR requires extensive consultant-led implementation. | $0 | $25k-$100k+ |
Time to operational AI Migration Wizard + 23 import endpoints. Drop files, wizard does the rest - operational in an afternoon. | Hours | 3-12 months |
Built for small-to-mid home builders NEWSTAR is designed for top-100 enterprise home builders. Cornerstone is built for small-to-mid home builders - production, semi-custom, and custom - who need the same core capabilities without the $50k+ implementation and dedicated IT team. | ||
Native AI agents (Foreman AI + Blueprint AI) Cornerstone Pro ($499/mo): 396+ Foreman AI skills that read AND write data, plus Blueprint AI floor plan takeoffs in 60 sec. NEWSTAR has no native AI. | ||
AI image search, vision & anti-bot web scraping Foreman searches product images, hosts them on CDN, reads Home Depot/Ferguson product pages with AI-powered web scraping. Plus: paste or drag-drop any screenshot from inside the app and Foreman reads it with AI vision and acts on it. Cornerstone Pro feature. | ||
37+ named webhook events (catalog growing) Cornerstone Pro+ ($599/mo): 37+ named events and counting — typed payloads, HMAC signatures, delivery logs, auto-retry. New events ship as the platform grows. NEWSTAR offers no public webhook catalog. | ||
AI Migration Wizard (one-click CRM import) AI auto-detects NEWSTAR export column mapping and runs 23 import endpoints. ~$0.01 per migration. | ||
Designer Packages (64 curated by an interior designer, 7 categories) Packages curated by an actual interior designer - the same playbook K. Hovnanian Homes uses. Buyers pick a package; all category options auto-lock. Cornerstone Builder+. | ||
Triple QR ecosystem (vendor + PM + buyer, no app install) Three QR codes for three audiences, no app required: (1) vendor jobsite check-in captures GPS + timestamp + weather + photo upload automatically, (2) PM/internal-builder check-in feeds GPS-validated timesheets so you can prove who was actually on-site, (3) sales model home QR for walk-in buyer lead capture — replaces paper sign-in sheets, recognizes returning visitors, instantly creates a Lead record tied to the community with email + in-app notification to the sales agent. NEWSTAR ships none of these. | ||
Vendor Activity Map (Google Maps, real-time) Live Google Maps view of every vendor check-in across every community, 30-second refresh. See exactly who's on which jobsite right now. Filter by date or vendor. Stat cards show how many vendors are currently on-site. NEWSTAR has no equivalent. | ||
Flexible PO generation (4 patterns, mix on same job) Cornerstone gives you four PO patterns: (1) all POs at job start, (2) partial deposit POs from earlier pipeline tasks (permit pull, contract sign, foundation pour), (3) full PO auto-generated when a task is marked complete, or (4) configurable per task / scope / community. Mix all four on the same job. NEWSTAR's PO flow is enterprise-rigid, typically tied to fixed milestone gates with custom configuration cost. | Limited | |
Homeowner portal (realtime sync + photos + messaging + ZIP export) Real-time buyer portal synced with construction scheduling — when framing moves three days, buyers see it instantly. Plus: (1) builder/PM uploads job-site photos to every milestone (up to 5 photos per milestone via a camera button on the task row), (2) built-in messaging app between builder and customer with a permanent searchable record, and (3) one-click ZIP download of all job photos. NEWSTAR has buyer-facing tools but they're enterprise-implementation-dependent, not turnkey. | Limited | |
Model home QR for lead capture Replaces paper sign-in sheets at model homes with a scan-and-go lead capture flow. | ||
AI camera-event auto-task-start Webhook endpoint accepts events from any camera or sensor. Cornerstone Pro+ feature. | ||
Take your data with you anytime — no lock-in Your data is YOURS. Full database export to CSV or JSON anytime, one click, $0, no fees, no waiting on a support ticket. Nightly auto-backups retained 7 days for instant rollback. If you ever leave us, you leave with everything — vendors, homes, schedules, options, budgets, every line. No strings attached. | ||
Modern web-based UI NEWSTAR is built on a Windows desktop architecture; Cornerstone is web and mobile native. | ||
Public REST API (150+ API endpoints) Cornerstone Pro+: 150+ API endpoints, public docs. New endpoints ship as the platform grows. NEWSTAR: enterprise integrations only. | Limited | |
BYOA (Bring Your Own Agent) Cornerstone Pro+ ($599/mo): connect Claude or ChatGPT to your live data. | ||
Options engine Both ship a full structural and design options engine. | ||
Floorplan pricing matrix Per-community plan pricing. | ||
Multi-community management Both support multiple communities and divisions. | ||
Construction scheduling Both ship full scheduling modules. | ||
Purchasing & POs Cornerstone Pro+ adds 7-wave automated bidding pipeline. | ||
Per-user fees Cornerstone: no per-seat pricing on any plan. | Up to 30 users (60 on Pro+), every tier | Per-seat |
Pricing model NEWSTAR requires enterprise contracts plus $25k–$100k+ implementation fees. Cornerstone starts at $149/mo, self-serve, zero implementation cost. More importantly: NEWSTAR is built for top-100 enterprise builders — small-to-mid home builders can't get this product at any accessible price point, regardless of what features they compare. | Flat — up to 30 users (60 on Pro+) | Enterprise quote + implementation |
Cornerstone tiers (flat — up to 30 users • 60 on Pro+) Starter ($149): scheduling, permits, homeowner portal. Builder ($299): adds sales pipeline, purchasing, design center with options engine and designer packages. Pro ($499): adds Foreman AI + Blueprint AI. Pro+ ($599): adds REST API, BYOA, 37+ named webhook events, 7-wave bidding. | $149 / $299 / $499 / $599 | — |
Pricing and feature availability reflect publicly available information as of 2026. Verify current pricing and capabilities directly with each vendor. NEWSTAR® is a trademark of its respective owner; Cornerstone PM™ is not affiliated with or endorsed by NEWSTAR.
NEWSTAR is built for top-100 enterprise builders. Cornerstone is built for small-to-mid home builders running 5-200 homes per year - without the $50k+ implementation and dedicated IT team.
Foreman AI (Cornerstone Pro, $499/mo) reads AND writes data, remembers your preferences, analyzes images, and scrapes product pages with AI-powered web scraping. Blueprint AI converts floor plans to takeoffs in 60 seconds. NEWSTAR has no native AI.
Built-in MCP server (connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf in ~30 seconds), 150+ REST API endpoints, 37+ named webhook events (catalog growing), HMAC signatures, and public docs on Pro+ ($599/mo). NEWSTAR integrations are enterprise-contract only with no MCP server. Wire Twilio or your own agents to our webhooks.
Export your NEWSTAR data, drag the files into our wizard, and AI auto-maps every column across vendors, homes, communities, design options, scopes, and budgets. Dry-run before you commit. ~$0.01 per migration - we absorb it.
Costs about $0.01 per migration in AI — we absorb it. You pay zero.
Common questions about switching to Cornerstone PM™ from NEWSTAR or BuildPro.
Also comparing alternatives?
Join the beta and get 2 years free. Operational in hours, not months.
Request Early Access