# Architecture & Engineering Technology Stack ## Best Architecture & Engineering Software With ever increasing demands on our time, new architecture & engineering software applications are emerging to help us manage the day-to-day tasks of running an architecture & engineering firm. Here’s a list of architecture & engineering software curated to help you run a modern and efficient firm. ### CAD/BIM - **[SketchUp + Layout](https://www.sketchup.com/)** $20/mo Easy to use 3D software with a 2D layout engine for basic construction drawings. - **[AutoCAD LT](https://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad-lt/overview?term=1-YEAR)** $55/mo Affordable and fully-featured CAD software that is suited for large, complex projects. - **[Revit](https://www.autodesk.com/products/revit/overview?term=1-YEAR)** $212/mo Defacto standard BIM package capable of producing enterprise-level drawing sets. ### Client Files (FTP) - **[Box](https://www.box.com/)** $5/mo Secure, enterprise-grade file storage and upload. Generates unique links for clients. - **[Dropbox](http://www.dropbox.com/)** $10/mo Robust storage with a friendly, approachable interface. Previews images, PDFs, and more. - **[Modelo](https://modelo.io/)** $70/mo/user Along with storage, has blazing fast 3D (Revit) rendering for collaborating on drawings. ### Management - **[Asana](http://www.asana.com/)** Free A web and mobile application designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. - **[Notion](http://notion.so/)** Free An application that provides components like notes, databases, kanban boards, wikis, and calendars. - **[Monograph](https://monograph.com/)** Offers 2 plans Gain deep performance insights into your A&E business from project planning, scheduling, invoicing, and time tracking. ### Communication - **[Slack](https://slack.com/)** Free Internal communication and chat software. Integrations make this a powerful tool. - **[Google GSuite](https://workspace.google.com/)** $5/mo/user Business version of Gmail which includes all the Drive products and user management. - **[FrontApp](https://frontapp.com/)** $15/mo/user Manages all communication channels in one spot including email, SMS, voice, and social media. ### Graphic Production - **[Figma + Pixlr](https://www.figma.com/)** Free Both web based tools give you advanced editing of raster and vector graphics, all for free. - **[Affinity Designer + Photo](https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/)** $3/mo/user Award winning software for visual editing, this product is both affordable and beautiful. - **[Adobe Creative Cloud](https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html)** $80/mo/user As an industry standard, Photoshop and family are robust software packages for creative output. ### Visualization - **[Rhino3D](https://www.rhino3d.com/)** $28/mo A commercial 3D computer graphics and computer-aided design application software. - **[Enscape](https://enscape3d.com/)** $68/mo A commercial real-time rendering and virtual reality plugin to add on to your visualization platforms. - **[3DS Max](https://www.autodesk.com/products/3ds-max/overview)** $142/mo A professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. ### Collaboration - **[Loom](https://www.loom.com/)** $8/mo/user A recording tool to help you record and share video messages of your screen, cam, or both. - **[Miro](https://miro.com/)** $16/mo/user An online visual collaboration platform for teamwork with an engaging, intuitive, in-person experience. - **[Bluebeam](https://www.bluebeam.com/solutions/revu)** $349/mo/seat An architect favorite tool that let you mark up drawings and collaborate among teams. ### Website - **[Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/sitedesignerSignup)** Free While Houzz has a free website product, their real value is the platform for architects. - **[Squarespace](https://www.squarespace.com/)** $18/mo An easy-to-use and beautiful website building and hosting platform. - **[Custom Wordpress](https://wordpress.com/)** $150/mo Powering over 20% of the internet, a custom built Wordpress website is both bespoke and stable. ### Accounting - **[Google Sheets](https://www.google.com/sheets/about/)** Free For basic accounting, there are several free Google Sheet templates for bookkeeping. - **[QuickBooks](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/)** $20/mo With over 4 million customers, the product was built with small businesses in mind. - **[Xero](https://www.xero.com/us/)** $32/mo While a robust accounting platform, this software also has bill pay, payroll, and more. ### Material Specification - **[Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/)** Free Create extensive public or private material boards with direct links to manufacturers. - **[Material Bank](https://www.materialbank.com/)** Free Search and order material samples with thousands of manufacturers. - **[Fohlio](https://www.fohlio.com/)** $30/mo/user With an easy to use browser plugin, this product makes material specification a snap. ### Construction Admin - **[PlanGrid](https://www.plangrid.com/)** $39/mo Highly-rated, in-the-field app for plans, punchlists, documents, and daily reporting. - **[BIM360](https://www.autodesk.com/bim-360)** $249/mo A super powerful Autodesk cloud-based solution with data management and collaboration functionality. - **[ProCore](https://www.procore.com/)** $667/mo Collaboration software focusing on documents, contracts, RFIs, and schedules. ### Proposals - **[Google Docs](https://www.google.com/docs/about/)** Free To collaborate on proposals, a simple doc allows text, image and tabular data to show capabilities. - **[PandaDoc](https://www.pandadoc.com/)** $19/mo/user Build custom proposals with unique styling, collaborative editing, and advanced analytics. - **[Nusii](https://nusii.com/)** $49/mo With templates and online signatures, this product simplifies the entire proposal process. ## Methodology To compare all the options, we simplified the pricing to monthly. For instance Sketchup costs $695 one-time but we amortize the price over 3 years which is $19.30/mo (rounded to $20/mo). As advocates for software in architecture & engineering, we trial and experiment with a diverse spectrum of applications. If you found a new useful software or want to suggest a new category, feel free to [send us a message](mailto:software@monograph.io).