Contractor Foreman vs. Microsoft Project

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Contractor Foreman
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Contractor Foreman is an online construction management software for contractors and boasts users among contractors in more than 75 countries.
$588
per year
Microsoft Project
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Project is a project management software. It provides core PM functionality, including agile workflow support and resource management. Project can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise.
$10
per user/per month
Pricing
Contractor ForemanMicrosoft Project
Editions & Modules
Basic
$588
per year
Standard
$948
per year
Plus
$1,497
per year
Pro
$1,990
per year
Unlimited
$2,988
per year
Project Plan 1
$10
per user/per month
Project Plan 3
$30
per user/per month
Project Plan 5
$55
per user/per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Contractor ForemanMicrosoft Project
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPlans are based on features and licenses needed. Plus, Pro, and Unlimited plans include a 100-day money back guarantee.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Contractor ForemanMicrosoft Project
Considered Both Products
Contractor Foreman
Chose Contractor Foreman
I would put them side by side any day.... and at a cost of 8-10K cheaper its a no brainer! Not to mention their training options!
Chose Contractor Foreman
Simply put, no other software platform had all the features we needed at a sustainable price point. Contractor Foreman was the perfect solution to integrated several stand alone platforms we were using. We now pay 1/4 of what we were paying for all the other software service …
Microsoft Project

No answer on this topic

Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Features
Contractor ForemanMicrosoft Project
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Contractor Foreman
7.7
16 Ratings
0% below category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data7.53 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history7.712 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.816 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.83 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management8.53 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.45 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Contractor Foreman
6.7
4 Ratings
12% below category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Pay calculation6.33 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors6.54 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment4.51 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management6.63 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management6.72 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Contractor Foreman
7.7
2 Ratings
1% above category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets7.72 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Contractor Foreman
8.7
23 Ratings
8% above category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Dashboards8.922 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports8.722 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports8.520 Ratings00 Ratings
Data exportability8.619 Ratings00 Ratings
Construction Project & Field Management
Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Product A and Product B
Contractor Foreman
8.8
24 Ratings
17% above category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Plan distribution & viewing7.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Plan markups & sharing9.115 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue tracking & punchlists9.622 Ratings00 Ratings
Photo documentation9.424 Ratings00 Ratings
Jobsite reports9.918 Ratings00 Ratings
Document sharing9.021 Ratings00 Ratings
RFI tools9.016 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration & approvals9.019 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile app8.324 Ratings00 Ratings
Submittal design and management9.213 Ratings00 Ratings
Checklists9.122 Ratings00 Ratings
Meeting Minutes8.13 Ratings00 Ratings
Specifications7.54 Ratings00 Ratings
Change orders9.122 Ratings00 Ratings
Estimating
Comparison of Estimating features of Product A and Product B
Contractor Foreman
9.1
22 Ratings
11% above category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Takeoff tools7.72 Ratings00 Ratings
Job costing9.421 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost databases9.317 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost calculator9.618 Ratings00 Ratings
Bid creation9.619 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Contractor Foreman
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
8.0
107 Ratings
6% above category average
Task Management00 Ratings9.0106 Ratings
Resource Management00 Ratings6.9103 Ratings
Gantt Charts00 Ratings10.0103 Ratings
Scheduling00 Ratings9.9105 Ratings
Workflow Automation00 Ratings8.582 Ratings
Team Collaboration00 Ratings7.795 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology00 Ratings7.679 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology00 Ratings8.279 Ratings
Document Management00 Ratings7.276 Ratings
Email integration00 Ratings6.081 Ratings
Mobile Access00 Ratings7.966 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking00 Ratings8.472 Ratings
Change request and Case Management00 Ratings8.462 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management00 Ratings6.382 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Contractor Foreman
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
7.0
76 Ratings
6% below category average
Quotes/estimates00 Ratings7.053 Ratings
Invoicing00 Ratings7.044 Ratings
Project & financial reporting00 Ratings6.973 Ratings
Integration with accounting software00 Ratings6.949 Ratings
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Contractor ForemanMicrosoft Project
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Score 9.5 out of 10
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Score 8.9 out of 10
SAP Ruum
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Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Revit
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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User Ratings
Contractor ForemanMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
9.4
(27 ratings)
6.5
(107 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(2 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(5 ratings)
Support Rating
8.8
(3 ratings)
8.2
(34 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Contractor ForemanMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
Contractor Foreman
In this case, CF is the best of the 'OK so far' category in my mind. NONE of the software available today gets close to a truly effective, user friendly GUI and functionality set. I have used 7 different systems over the years, with the top 4 big names having the largest hours operating. Most have less functionality, others are severely overpriced and under featured. Still others are so complicated you need an entire IT department to implement them. Contractor Foreman does much of what it does the absolute best for the money, meaning this is probably the best value for construction management software I'm aware of. I believe I can say with confidence, that if CF does it, it strives to do it well, and continues to strive to get it better. Picking a feature or two that excels is rather pointless in a company with that outlook. THAT is a company I can get behind...
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Microsoft
Microsoft Project Online is suited to Turnkey Projects where more Collaboration is required in Project Progress monitoring, risk assessment and conveying, issue recording and tracking. It is less appropriate when ERP Suites other than MS Dynamics are used, i.e when Enterprises need to integrate Finance / Accounting with It and having straight project management workflow
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Pros
Contractor Foreman
  • Estimates
  • Project management
  • Lead management - tracking where they are in the funnel and having web lead automatically pull into the system.
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Microsoft
  • I love the Gantt Chart that Microsoft Project offers me, because it provides me with a view from various aspects, it provides me with exact details about the fulfillment of tasks over a period of time, it also allows me to make comparisons with the necessary data and the fulfilled data. by the employees, in order to know exactly if the project's expectations have been met.
  • I love the Gantt Chart that Microsoft Project offers me, because it provides me with a view from various aspects, it provides me with exact details about the fulfillment of tasks over a period of time, it also allows me to make comparisons with the necessary data and the fulfilled data by the employees, in order to know exactly if the project's expectations have been met.
  • The alert system for the fulfillment and delay of assignments is perfect. Microsoft Project allows me to configure the task system, I can assign the necessary tasks to fulfill the project, and the software alerts me immediately if the managers are fulfilling the assignments.
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Cons
Contractor Foreman
  • Some of the modules like checklists and forms are confusing and hard to use
  • some of the training videos or versions of an old outdated version of the software
  • Would like to see a more efficent way of creating a submittal log generated from a specification book
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Microsoft
  • Seems overly complicated for users sometimes in using Project and its functionalities
  • Hard to share files for those folks who do not have MS Project, and then have to print out for them
  • Can be confusing since it looks and feels like MS Excel
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Likelihood to Renew
Contractor Foreman
Eliminated the need for our team to log into multiple systems to do their jobs which aligns to our Lean approach
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Microsoft
I like using Microsoft Project. It simplifies building a schedule
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Usability
Contractor Foreman
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Microsoft Project was for many years the reference tool when you were talking about project management software, even if it has some gaps. However, in the last several years, other tools emerged and covered those gaps and are getting more and more users. Microsoft needs to keep up with the trends as they did with adding Project Server. However, that needs a significant rework.
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Support Rating
Contractor Foreman
I rarely give anyone a 9 or 10 rating for service. The main reason for this rating is Contractor Foreman's dedication to improvement. To be completely frank, CF has fallen down on their tech help with me several times, but I am an exceptionally difficult user to service as I tend to use a product up to it's limits and want more. CF has actually addressed these wants several times (after waits that seemed interminable, but were actually pretty damn fast in the reality of software development)
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Microsoft
Microsoft in recent years has transformed itself and gives a positive feeling when one interacts with the company. The company is focusing on its customers and willing to go extra mile to make customers happy.The company continues to invest in its products and bringing new features from time to time. Overall it is a positive feeling to be associated with such an iconic company.
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Implementation Rating
Contractor Foreman
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
I wasn't part of it so I don't know
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Alternatives Considered
Contractor Foreman
I've used Buildertrend and Conconstruct near daily for a little over 10 years. They were both pretty solid. But the price kept going up without much value being added to the software. As they grew, they didn't upgrade with the growth, so the sites became slower. Contractor Forman has all the functionality of the others, and several other tools that they don't. There are several tools our company doesn't even use yet that look great. It's not perfect, and the learning curve due to its increased capability is a bit of a challenge. But overall, it is superior in every way that mattered to us, and more affordable.
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Microsoft
While many of the above tools are extremely well-versed, Microsoft Project's largest advantage comes from it being related to the largest business productivity company in the world. Project does have its sharing limitations - but regardless, offers one of the most robust tools in the market today. Microsoft Project is built with large-scale projects in mind but is more than up to the task for smaller projects as well. However, there are options available (especially cloud-based options) that may be more fitting for higher-level projects that do not require going into the weeds.
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Return on Investment
Contractor Foreman
  • We don't have to double enter our job information anymore (estimates, bills, labor hours) to show employees what they need to see. Specific access within Contractor Foreman does that for us.
  • It's taken us longer to learn how Contractor Foreman works within itself than we thought it would, so implementation is taking a little longer than ideal. However, we have been learning a lot along the way about the easiest ways to use the workflow that Contractor Foreman has.
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Microsoft
  • Project saved me, as the project manager, countless hours of digging through tickets and schedules to plan everything out. It also saved me time in adjusting the project triangle as needed, since it does so much automatically.
  • It is costly, and since it requires extensive training to master, it's not just the high licensing cost that you need to take into account.
  • The reporting features - even just printing out Gantt charts - makes it far easier to communicate with stakeholders. That means less time for PMs doing all of this manually, and it means less follow-up questions and delays moving forward.
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ScreenShots

Contractor Foreman Screenshots

Screenshot of The client portal that lets customers to stay in the loop and know what is going on during all phases of the project.Screenshot of The custom dashboard which allows users to see the data that matters most to them.Screenshot of Stats that keep users informed to help them make use of data.Screenshot of The lead manager, that helps close deals without letting leads fall through the cracks.Screenshot of the Files & Photos screen, where making up plans can be done with Contractor Foreman.Screenshot of Time Cards, that display who is where and what they are doing.