HCSS vs. Revit

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
HCSS
Score 8.8 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
Revit
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk’s Revit is a Building Information Modelling (BIM) tool. It enables architectural, MEP, structural, and engineering design, and provides analysis to support iterative workflows
$350
per month
Pricing
HCSSRevit
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Monthly
$350
per month
1-Year
$2805
per year
3-Year
$8415
per 3 years
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
HCSSRevit
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPricing available for monthly, annual, or 3-year subscriptions. Longer subscriptions offer greater discounts.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
HCSSRevit
Considered Both Products
HCSS

No answer on this topic

Revit
Chose Revit
Revit is one of the most powerful tools in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction Field. It is outmatched by none. There is definitely a learning curve, and it cannot be picked up by an average employee and learned without formal training. Revit can do more on the …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
HCSSRevit
Construction Project & Field Management
Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Product A and Product B
HCSS
6.8
33 Ratings
9% below category average
Revit
6.9
44 Ratings
7% below category average
Plan distribution & viewing6.99 Ratings8.442 Ratings
Plan markups & sharing6.06 Ratings5.837 Ratings
Issue tracking & punchlists9.913 Ratings7.027 Ratings
Photo documentation10.025 Ratings4.518 Ratings
Jobsite reports8.030 Ratings6.414 Ratings
Document sharing7.117 Ratings8.639 Ratings
RFI tools3.01 Ratings8.120 Ratings
Collaboration & approvals4.019 Ratings7.738 Ratings
Mobile app6.128 Ratings3.816 Ratings
As-built drawings00 Ratings7.642 Ratings
Submittal design and management00 Ratings7.519 Ratings
Checklists00 Ratings7.26 Ratings
Meeting Minutes00 Ratings6.75 Ratings
Specifications00 Ratings7.48 Ratings
Change orders00 Ratings7.47 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
HCSS
-
Ratings
Revit
6.7
5 Ratings
14% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings6.64 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings6.74 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings6.34 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.44 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings6.54 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings6.95 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.13 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
HCSS
-
Ratings
Revit
7.2
4 Ratings
5% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings7.44 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings6.64 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings7.43 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.14 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings7.14 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.43 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.63 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
HCSS
-
Ratings
Revit
6.6
4 Ratings
14% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings6.64 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
HCSS
-
Ratings
Revit
5.4
7 Ratings
41% below category average
Dashboards00 Ratings4.66 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings5.56 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings5.66 Ratings
Data exportability00 Ratings6.07 Ratings
Estimating
Comparison of Estimating features of Product A and Product B
HCSS
-
Ratings
Revit
7.6
31 Ratings
7% below category average
Takeoff tools00 Ratings8.431 Ratings
Job costing00 Ratings7.725 Ratings
Cost databases00 Ratings8.319 Ratings
Cost calculator00 Ratings6.420 Ratings
Bid creation00 Ratings7.514 Ratings
Best Alternatives
HCSSRevit
Small Businesses
FollowUp CRM
FollowUp CRM
Score 9.5 out of 10
FollowUp CRM
FollowUp CRM
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Revit
Revit
Score 8.9 out of 10
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Score 8.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Score 8.5 out of 10
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
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Score 8.5 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
HCSSRevit
Likelihood to Recommend
6.1
(38 ratings)
8.5
(46 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(2 ratings)
6.0
(2 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(35 ratings)
7.0
(8 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.2
(32 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
HCSSRevit
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.
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Autodesk
Revit is well suited for creating collaborative projects that are fully integrated into the design and construction document process. We work a lot with engineering firms who also use Revit and the program allows us to fully integrate and coordinate our models together to make sure that everything is correct. I can see where my electrical engineer has placed lighting into the model and same with my mechanical engineer and their HVAC equipment
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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
Autodesk
  • 3D Models - It's kind of a no brainer, but the key benefit of Revit is its ability to model in 3D. It's a somewhat complex modeling environment, however, it's not impossible to learn and I have seen users from a range of abilities to effectively model content in Revit.
  • Schedules - 3D is great, but the ability to quantify your geometry is contains valuable data if modeled correctly. If you model how you will build it, Revit has the ability to give very accurate schedules which includes quantities, and any data you would like to incorporate into your model.
  • Industry Standard - Revit is the industry standard. With that being said, it really help to use software that is compatible with other agencies for collaborative model review.
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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.
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Autodesk
  • There are often several ways to draw certain things, but the object will have different capabilities based on the way it is drawn. This can be confusing when trying to use the object.
  • The way objects are drawn is not always user-friendly. This program would be difficult for someone to figure out on their own without having any Autodesk background.
  • There should be a better way to track changes in the model. Often times the architect will not share a model during construction to avoid sending changes that aren't finalized or complete.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
HCSS
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
We will almost certainly be renewing all of our current seats of Revit and will likely be adding seats as we look to get more and more of our staff trained and using Revit. The software is starting to become the standard for our projects as we move forward as more and more of our clients are requesting or accepting use of it
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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.
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Autodesk
It is a professional environment, but far from easy and overly complex in many places. The system is often too deep in settings and overrides (see Visibility/Graphics in combination with linked files, filters, color overrides and view templates). I don't really like the dialog-in-dialog interface and its spartan looks. But it works well overall if you know what you are doing.
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Reliability and Availability
HCSS
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
Revit seems to always be available when I need it. I have not experiences an outage. There are occasions where we need our internal IT department to trouble shoot a file on our Revit dedicated server and that sometimes causes a delay however that is not a software access issue
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Performance
HCSS
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
Revit is a fairly graphics heavy piece of software. It is powerful in its capabilities but as a result it takes a lot of the graphics card, the memory, etc. For all that it can do and the specs of my computer I find it pretty good from a performance standpoint
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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.
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Autodesk
Autodesk has always had a good support system in place. There is a massive user base for Revit, and there are thousands of forum threads and other discussions online about any and every problem that you could ever run into. For being such a large program with so many different options, there aren't many roadblocks or pitfalls that users can fall into.
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In-Person Training
HCSS
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
The training was Revit Essentials and it was very beneficial. I would say that it is best to get the training right before you know you will be using Revit as learning the basis then applying what you learned immediately is the most effective and best value for your money.
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Online Training
HCSS
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
The online training is hit or miss. I feel that its better to be live to be able to pace and ask questions to a live person as you are learning hwo to do things. Its not natural to learn Revit especially if you know AutoCAD so my suggestion is the live training
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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.
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Autodesk
Implementing Revit as your main drafting software (i.e. moving to BIM from CAD) may be a tough decision if you have learned drafting. It is a different way to approach and think about developing a project. However, if you are able to adapt to a new way of thinking and get used to it by working through a few projects than it is as efficient as CAD in most areas in general and will also be both better/worse in some areas
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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
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Autodesk
Revit like AutoCAD can produce both a 3d model & 2 dimensional drawings such as plans, elevations & sections which are required for any design project to be communicated on paper for construction. But unlike AutoCAD, Revit's focus is to build a 3d model that contain smart information for construction. So for Revit the 2 dimensional drawings becomes a byproduct. In addition to the required drawings needed on paper to communicate the design, Revit offers so much more information in the model for all engineering disciplines.
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Scalability
HCSS
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
While I am not directly involved with the deployment of Revit, it seems that our internal IT department has appreciated the ability to increase or decrease the number of seats. I have never had an issue with the deployment if and when needed, especially regarding the availability of a set
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Return on Investment
HCSS
  • The biggest ROI for us was the ease of adoption by field personnel.
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Autodesk
  • It's positive. It saves quite a bit of field time when used correctly, and lets us make sure we have proper room for all equipment and ductwork.
  • Helping minimize field 'thinking' time is an immediate add to the bottom line. 1 guy designing on the front side saves down time of 5-10 guys waiting in the field. Cost savings on labor is apparent.
  • Coordination time is also cut down, saving on office time. It's easy to spell out what your plan of attack is. All these savings directly add to bottom line profit by not expending labor.
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ScreenShots

HCSS Screenshots

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