CMiC Construction Platform vs. ZipBooks

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
CMiC Construction Platform
Score 7.6 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
CMiC Project Management is a construction project collaboration and management solution. It centralizes project-related communications and documents onto one platform, and connects the job site with the back-end office.N/A
ZipBooks
Score 7.0 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
ZipBooks is an accounting software solution for small business owners and accountants. Users can track expenses, manage their team, send recurring invoices and manage projects.
$0
Pricing
CMiC Construction PlatformZipBooks
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
ZipBooks Starter
$0
ZipBooks Smarter
$15
ZipBooks Sophisticated
$35
ZipBooks Accountant
Custom
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CMiC Construction PlatformZipBooks
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
CMiC Construction PlatformZipBooks
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
CMiC Construction PlatformZipBooks
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
6.4
29 Ratings
19% below category average
ZipBooks
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data4.119 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history7.223 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.219 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.618 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting5.513 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management8.113 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)4.118 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
6.6
23 Ratings
15% below category average
ZipBooks
-
Ratings
Pay calculation7.523 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors3.814 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.814 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.716 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files7.920 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.919 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management3.814 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
4.4
18 Ratings
48% below category average
ZipBooks
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets4.418 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
7.7
55 Ratings
2% below category average
ZipBooks
10.0
6 Ratings
27% above category average
Dashboards8.142 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Standard reports6.954 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Custom reports7.045 Ratings00 Ratings
Data exportability8.752 Ratings00 Ratings
Construction Project & Field Management
Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
6.5
105 Ratings
15% below category average
ZipBooks
-
Ratings
Plan distribution & viewing6.366 Ratings00 Ratings
Plan markups & sharing5.262 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue tracking & punchlists5.680 Ratings00 Ratings
Photo documentation5.676 Ratings00 Ratings
Jobsite reports6.187 Ratings00 Ratings
Document sharing6.388 Ratings00 Ratings
RFI tools7.989 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration & approvals7.894 Ratings00 Ratings
As-built drawings5.553 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile app8.263 Ratings00 Ratings
Submittal design and management7.784 Ratings00 Ratings
Checklists5.246 Ratings00 Ratings
Meeting Minutes6.450 Ratings00 Ratings
Specifications5.838 Ratings00 Ratings
Change orders8.359 Ratings00 Ratings
Estimating
Comparison of Estimating features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
5.9
55 Ratings
32% below category average
ZipBooks
-
Ratings
Takeoff tools4.120 Ratings00 Ratings
Job costing8.251 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost databases7.542 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost calculator6.529 Ratings00 Ratings
Bid creation3.128 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
-
Ratings
ZipBooks
9.1
2 Ratings
25% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
-
Ratings
ZipBooks
9.5
5 Ratings
19% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings9.74 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings9.34 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
-
Ratings
ZipBooks
8.8
6 Ratings
18% above category average
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings9.06 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
-
Ratings
ZipBooks
9.2
6 Ratings
22% above category average
Credit card processing00 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
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CMiC Construction PlatformZipBooks
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User Ratings
CMiC Construction PlatformZipBooks
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(114 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
5.5
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
4.5
(96 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
CMiC Construction PlatformZipBooks
Likelihood to Recommend
CMiC
CMiC is a robust platform best suited for large companies with resources for implementation and management of the program. One analogy is CMiC is like a droid phone where the user must decide how to use all the features of the program (as opposed to an iPhone where most configuration decisions are made for the user). Smaller companies with limited resources can struggle with CMiC both with the expense and configuration.
Read full review
ZipBooks
ZipBooks is really strong for small businesses (and non-profits like the ones I help manage). It may not yet be ready to handle medium or large businesses given the deep, niche functionality that is sometimes required in those cases.
Read full review
Pros
CMiC
  • The user interface is similar to that of other project management software applications so folks in our company that had previously used other applications have been able to switch over fairly easily.
  • I really like the software and it was much less expensive than other applications.
  • I like the mobile application so that our superintendents can view the documentation on their phones.
  • I really like the punch list capability mobile field, however, we have a hard time getting our superintendents to use it for some reason.
Read full review
ZipBooks
  • Invoicing is particularly easy-to-use, quick, clean and beautiful. GREAT for branding.
  • The time tracker was unexpected, but very useful and integrates well with the invoicing. Leads to quick invoicing every time.
  • Customer support is phenomenal -- the support staff is friendly and helpful.
  • Although they are a new company, they are definitely on the right track!
  • I recommend this software to clients, colleagues, and friends alike, mostly for it quick and beautiful invoicing.
  • They do what they can to live up to their name! It doesn't take very long to get set up, or very long to create a complete invoice and send it to the right person.
Read full review
Cons
CMiC
  • Needs to be more user friendly on the mobile side of the platform. Ease of use is key here.
  • There is not much instruction or support in standing up some programs like deploying ECM for outlook, making Collaboration Gateway work, or setting up the system for getting Plans available on the mobile devices.
  • Security configuration is extremely detailed and spread throughout the system. It is extremely hard to make adjustments to a person's security unless you know exactly where to look, which requires years of experience but shouldn't.
Read full review
ZipBooks
  • There is some difficulty with a need to learn the use of the menus, they are not open and click, at the moment, the user needs to open the menu then using the pad keys scroll down and use enter to select from the drop-down menu. A mouse does not work.
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Likelihood to Renew
CMiC
This is a platform that would continue to be in the best interest for our company. I just hope that CMiC support removes the gaps between the enhancements that they create to better the system to what they currently have
Read full review
ZipBooks
No answers on this topic
Usability
CMiC
I believe it isn't easy to use and is unintuitive. Undecipherable error messages appear throughout the application without indicating what is wrong or how to correct it, in my experience. The terminology on the screens is specific to Canada, which adds to the confusion.
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ZipBooks
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
CMiC
Sometimes since this is a cloud based product the system can become slow but we haven’t had any issues of availability without CMiC first letting us know it would be down
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ZipBooks
No answers on this topic
Performance
CMiC
Reports are pretty shown to run but general pages typically load pretty quick.
Read full review
ZipBooks
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
CMiC
The support team [has] been in touch with our deployment team and has given them effective guidance up to completion. It has helped us in [the] best methods of resource allocation and secure record-keeping process. We have tracked all our billing information and made the right payments with documentation and avoided [unnecessary losses]. [The] support team has [to] lead our teams to the right channels and empowering our team with the right skills for maximum production.
Read full review
ZipBooks
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
CMiC
The training was on system functions and not really how best to use it for our business. It would have been nice to be provided recommendations for use rather than just a blank slate of functionality.
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ZipBooks
No answers on this topic
Online Training
CMiC
I felt the training was good and the trainers knew the software.
Read full review
ZipBooks
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
CMiC
Lots of confusion between sales and implementation regarding what was included and not included...the security encountered a "bug" and made it extremely difficult to set up roles and individual responsibilities
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ZipBooks
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
CMiC
CMiC Construction Platform is the best price point in the market. Others are revenue-based billings, and the annual fees reflect as such. CMiC Construction Platform support staff is generally amazing and offers real-time support on critical issues. The imaging and workflow functions are real-time savers. CMiC Construction Platform is generally a smaller and in touch organization that treats your team like their own and stays with you after the purchase.
Read full review
ZipBooks
I've primarily compared ZipBooks vs. Quickbooks because I've used Quickbooks at larger companies before. ZipBooks was the right fit for a smaller organization because it still had all the core features of Quickbooks but at a dramatically lower price that fits the budget.
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Scalability
CMiC
CMiC has several key features that can either work together or independently depending on your companies needs.
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ZipBooks
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
CMiC
  • Better project visibility, surely. I can step into a former project and see how well/poorly it was run.
  • Forecasting underway - nearly complete with year 2.
  • Cost status tracking - this has been valuable, especially when figuring out how much of a liquid budget is left over.
Read full review
ZipBooks
  • ZipBooks is entirely affordable, and with my current $15/mo payments, I get ROI pretty quickly.
  • Invoices are simple and easy to make, while staying beautiful and functional at the same time. This saves me TIME, which means that I don't need to spend 15-20 minutes fiddling with the software to make it do what I want it to do. It just works. And that means, I can spend more time doing client work, and managing projects and sales.
Read full review
ScreenShots

CMiC Construction Platform Screenshots

Screenshot of CMiC FIELDScreenshot of CMiC AnalyticsScreenshot of CMiC Drawing ManagementScreenshot of CMiC FIELD

ZipBooks Screenshots

Screenshot of ZipBooks DashboardScreenshot of ZipBooks TransactionsScreenshot of ZipBooks InvoicingScreenshot of ZipBooks Accountant Messaging