Project Estimator vs ActiveCollab

Likelihood to Recommend

Project Estimator

If you are considering purchasing this (very expensive) software, there is a 100% chance you are doing so because you have been awarded a Government contract that dictates you use 4Clicks Project Estimator. There are plenty of easier to use estimating packages out in the world, but you can't use any of them if you have a contract that requires 4Clicks.

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Tim Corbett

General Manager

Infinite Energy Construction, incConstruction, 51-200 employees

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ActiveCollab

Scenarios where ActiveCollab works well1) ActiveCollab works well for small teams specifically T&M teams.Its invoicing feature is unique & can make your life easy.2) It is very easy to use & posses good range of filters like on the task list, we can drag/drop tasks, Filter by assignee's,
tasks lists, due dates, or completed tasks. 3) It has some simple but awesome features like when you're in
the middle of writing something i.e a comment on story and get interrupted,
it retains what you wrote.4) It allows you to tag team members in threads of comments to grab their attention, its really needed when teams are distributed. Thus helping team members to collaborate easily & stay on same page.5) It integrates pretty well with other web apps like quickbooks , Slack, Trello, HubSpot, Zapier etcScenarios where ActiveCollab did not work well1) Tasks can not have multiple assignee's here so if two members are working on same task it did not allow you to reflect that.2) Sorting capability is not their under invoicing3) It did not work well for larger teams4) Search option is not very detailed & you may end up wasting lot of time searching one particular bug or issue.

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Sourav Singla ,Safe Agilist, CSP, ICP-ACC, CSM, CSPO, SSM, LSSG

Enterprise Agile Coach

Tata Consultancy ServicesInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employees

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Feature Rating Comparison

Project Estimator

5.2

ActiveCollab

—

Takeoff tools

5.0

—

Job costing

2.0

—

Cost databases

7.0

—

Cost calculator

6.0

—

Bid creation

6.0

—

Project Estimator

—

ActiveCollab

7.4

Task Management

—

9.3

Resource Management

—

7.4

Gantt Charts

—

6.1

Scheduling

—

6.5

Workflow Automation

—

7.0

Team Collaboration

—

8.6

Support for Agile Methodology

—

6.7

Support for Waterfall Methodology

—

7.0

Document Management

—

9.0

Email integration

—

8.0

Mobile Access

—

6.7

Timesheet Tracking

—

8.5

Change request and Case Management

—

5.2

Budget and Expense Management

—

7.0

Project Estimator

—

ActiveCollab

6.2

Quotes/estimates

—

5.6

Invoicing

—

6.4

Project & financial reporting

—

7.7

Integration with accounting software

—

5.0

Pros

The estimates it produces are simple and easy to follow. The formatting is good.
The tech support provided is very attentive.

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Tim Corbett

General Manager

Infinite Energy Construction, incConstruction, 51-200 employees

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Project Management - Makes it very efficient to manage projects using Gantt Charts, daily email reports and custom reports!
Collaboration - Allows to collaborate with team members, tag them in tasks, send files/attachments.
Task delegation - With just 2 clicks you can delegate tasks to other team members/users.

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Ali Zakeri

Data Analyst | SEO Specialist

Xivic, Inc.Information Technology and Services, 51-200 employees

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Cons

The software feels 20 years old. It has not kept up with modern times, and practically functions like an old DOS program.
Clunky interface, arcane commands.
Even their training info focuses on hotkeys like this is 1995. Even though I am of an age to remember computers in 1995, the younger generations of managers/estimators are not. It is time to bring the software into the new century!

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Tim Corbett

General Manager

Infinite Energy Construction, incConstruction, 51-200 employees

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It is confusing when a review is made, before buying the product.
It lacks animation and pleasant forms for the user.
Does not allow effective communication when activities are reported. Since it does not provide a direct message chat.
The reports that are generated are basic, they do not have personalization characteristics.

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Daniel Pacheco

Consultor ADF

Innova4JProgram Development, 201-500 employees

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Alternatives Considered

WinEst uses much the same database (RS Means/Gordion type) and has a similar interface. It is a bit cheaper.

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Tim Corbett

General Manager

Infinite Energy Construction, incConstruction, 51-200 employees

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Certainly, each of them has a particular advantage, which in the end makes it unique. ActiveCollab also belongs to a group of platforms created to be represented in particular, its way of project management is superior to JIRA or Trello. With this software, the work is more controlled and organized.

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Daniel Pacheco

Consultor ADF

Innova4JProgram Development, 201-500 employees

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Return on Investment

As stated before, if you are buying this software, it is because you have a contract forcing you to. While it does work, it is clunky, awkward, and very expensive.
The price of the software and databases has always been high, but with the fairly recent acquisition of 4Clicks by Gordion (who also bought RS Means for their databases), there is literally no competition. Prices will continue to be very high, with no check on how high they can go.
Again, can't fault 4Clicks tech support, as I think it is the best in the industry. They know their product and they respond to issues immediately. Considering what we spend a year for this product, however, you would expect nothing less.

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Tim Corbett

General Manager

Infinite Energy Construction, incConstruction, 51-200 employees

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We began to finish projects on time, which undoubtedly will influence the return of customers

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Иван Шайхисламов

CEO

Remeslo Branding agencyDesign, 1-10 employees

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Add comparison

Likelihood to Recommend

Project Estimator

ActiveCollab

Feature Rating Comparison

Takeoff tools

Job costing

Cost databases

Cost calculator

Bid creation

Task Management

Resource Management

Gantt Charts

Scheduling

Workflow Automation

Team Collaboration

Support for Agile Methodology

Support for Waterfall Methodology

Document Management

Email integration

Mobile Access

Timesheet Tracking

Change request and Case Management

Budget and Expense Management

Quotes/estimates

Invoicing

Project & financial reporting

Integration with accounting software

Pros

Cons

Alternatives Considered

Return on Investment

Screenshots

Pricing Details

Project Estimator

General

Free Trial

Free/Freemium Version

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Entry-level set up fee?

Project Estimator Editions & Modules

Additional Pricing Details

ActiveCollab

General

Free Trial

Free/Freemium Version

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Entry-level set up fee?

ActiveCollab Editions & Modules

On-premise Edition

SaaS Edition

Additional Pricing Details

Rating Summary