What is Procore?
Procore is a US construction project management software with many different modules.
The software covers preconstruction, project management, resources management, and financial management.
A Bit More Context
Procore has been building out its software since 2003. This makes it a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, it’s very comprehensive. It covers many different functions through different models, which means you can unify processes more.
On the other hand, companies tend to move upmarket as they mature. Their solutions get way more complex, and the pricing goes up and up. Procore is like Salesforce in that sense—it’s used by the biggest companies in the world, but they are all paying through the nose.
Because Procore has been a software in development for almost 20 years, it probably contains a lot of legacy technology. Things that were built ten years ago look outdated now in software.
A Word of Warning
Quite often, the software buyer is not the same as the end-user. Not only that, but there might be different groups of end-users—project managers, accountants, site engineers, subcontractors, management, etc.
So, when evaluating software, don’t only look at the checklist. Test out the software with actual end-users.
Where to Start?
To give you some sense of the alternatives out there, we’re going to divide the construction project work into four different parts (similar to what Procore does on its website and with its modules).
Of course, in real life, these are all connected. Your job is, however, to decide which of these are the most critical for you to solve (in one tool) and which are not.
Preconstruction
Preconstruction mainly includes estimating and bid management.
Project management
Project management includes tools that let you communicate the plans with your team.
Resource management
Resource management is mainly about field productivity.
Financial management
Financial management syncs your office with what is happening on the field.
Features and Pricing Comparison
What is Plangrid?
Plangrid is a construction productivity software.
It’s mainly meant to share blueprints and other documents for real-time collaboration.
Note that there’s also a more detailed feature comparison for Procore vs Plangrid.
What is Planyard?
Planyard is a cloud-based software for real estate developers and construction companies. It allows users to build without repetitive data entry.
You can manage your budget without Excel and back-and-forth emails and let your subcontractors do the work.
What is Fieldwire?
Fieldwire is a cloud-based software for field productivity.
The feature set includes real-time messaging, tasks, inspections, scheduling, reports, document sharing, and more.