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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    HCSS

    Score8.5 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    HCSS is a construction software suite. It includes functionality for bidding, time card and project management, safety, planning, scheduling, equipment management, and data warehousing and reporting. Each module can be purchased separately. The suite can be hosted in the cloud.N/A

    Knowify

    Score10 out of 10
    N/AKnowify in New York offers their construction management software solution to small household services companies (e.g. plumbing, HVAC, painters, etc.) and features project management type capabilities, along with integrations with popular services (e.g. Quickbooks).

    $149

    per month

    Pricing
    HCSSKnowify
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Essentials
    $149
    per month *186 if paid monthly
    Advanced
    $249
    per month *311 if paid monthly
    Unlimited
    Contact Sales
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    HCSSKnowify
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    HCSSKnowify
    Construction Project & Field Management
    Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of HCSS and Knowify
    Feature
    HCSS
    5.1
    34 Ratings
    40% below category average
    Knowify
    -
    Ratings
    Plan distribution & viewing5.010 Ratings00 Ratings
    Plan markups & sharing5.07 Ratings00 Ratings
    Issue tracking & punchlists5.014 Ratings00 Ratings
    Photo documentation5.026 Ratings00 Ratings
    Jobsite reports6.031 Ratings00 Ratings
    Document sharing5.018 Ratings00 Ratings
    RFI tools3.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Collaboration & approvals5.020 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile app7.029 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    HCSSKnowify
    Small Businesses
    CMiC Construction Platform
    Score7.5 out of 10
    CoConstruct
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Autodesk Build
    Score8.6 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Revit
    Score8.9 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    HCSSKnowify
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (39 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    7.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (35 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.2
    (32 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    HCSSKnowify
    Likelihood to Recommend
    HCSS
    Our operation uses several pieces of what we call specialty equipment (not used every day on every job). The foreman when finished will give a location of where this equipment is left, this many times can be very vague and lead to a lowboy driver trying to block around to find the piece or driving down a street he cannot get turned around in. With the GPS devices, the driver can pinpoint exactly where the unit is and if he has room to turn around at that location.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Knowify
    This is great if only used for job costing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    HCSS
    • #1 is support! HCSS is by far the best software support of any product we have ever used. Unlike most software companies HCSS utilizes their support calls to help upgrade their software. When you here them tell you that they will write down a particular issue you come across during a support call if they can't help you then and there they will research and get an answer to you extremely fast. If the software will not do it, you can bet there is a good chance it will be on the list of enhancements you will see come out in the near future.
    • Estimating software is very extensive. Their software is capable of handling the smallest estimate all the way to the largest joint venture estimate. It has advanced features that make it extremely useful for analyzing job materials, subcontractors etc.
    • HeavyJob is an extremely useful tool for the field to keep the office up to date with job costs. Everything is at the Foreman's fingertips on Tablets to allow the information from the field to get uploaded to HeavyJob manager which then can export to accounting. We are also able to give our Foreman the ability to deal with the Daily and weekly safety needs (Tailgate Meetings, incident Investigation, observations etc.) right on the Tablets thru HeavyJob.
    Read full review
    Knowify
    • Job costing.
    • Job tracking.
    • Progressive invoicing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    HCSS
    • All their apps are on mobile devices. Although there is not a clear company policy on Android versus iPhone. Updates for features lag behind on Android. Some apps are exclusive to one platform making it hard to fully interconnect all programs.
    Read full review
    Knowify
    • Syncing with QuickBooks could be a little better, only syncs to main customer and not projects.
    • Does not have the ability to be used in the field.
    • Cannot collect payment or invoice from the field, only office staff can do this which makes for a lot of missed money collection.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    HCSS
    As mentioned, user interface appears messy and complicated at initial onset. Training is necessary but becomes easy to maneuver through after solid daily use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Knowify
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    HCSS
    I have never had a bad experience or heard of one in 4 years of doing business with HCSS. That is unheard of even with the hurricanes and flooding in Houston area it feels like HCSS was always there and willing to help in every way.
    Read full review
    Knowify
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    HCSS
    I was not employed with PPI upon implementation. I would prefer to reference my previous statement, that each company needs to evaluate its culture and address your implementation accordingly. The purchasing company should assign an employee as point person and really take charge of not just the technical side of the implementation (HCSS pretty much handles that), but focus on company culture and training.
    Read full review
    Knowify
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    HCSS
    Other estimating products I have used consist of ICE/MC2 and MS Excel. ICE was not a good fit for our company, as they have awful technical support and offer very poor training. MS Excel is great for simple estimates where there is not a lot of data being compiled. However neither hold a candle to the power of HCSS Heavybid
    Read full review
    Knowify
    Knowify does job costing which HouseCall Pro does not, it syncs with QuickBooks a little better than HouseCall Pro but does not allow our technicians to invoice from the field which is crucial.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    HCSS
    • Because of the codebooks (bid item codebook for DOT's specifically), we're able to carve off significant time in "stick-building" estimates
    • It's very easy to train newer estimators with HeavyBid due to the abundance of resources available on HCSS Academy and elsewhere (i.e. Arthur Nix's material)
    • The KPI's and Insights that Pre-Con offers helps us to make better decisions on Bid Day.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Knowify
    • Keeps good track of all bills and expenses.
    • It would be nice to be able to see a list of all bills and not have to look under each project/job.
    • Allows us to see if a job is headed south and quickly correct it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    HCSS Screenshots

    Screenshot of HeavyBid - build the structure of an estimateScreenshot of HeavyBid - manage sub and material quotesScreenshot of HeavyBid - create professional bid proposalsScreenshot of HeavyJob - manage a job site from a mobile deviceScreenshot of HeavyJob - capture job site photos from any deviceScreenshot of HeavyJob - review, edit, and approve time cards from a mobile device