ProjectLibre vs. Viewpoint ProContractor

As a project management tool, especially with more straightforward timelines and components, ProjectLibre is a great alternative to some of the costly PM software tools. I have managed many projects with both MS Project and ProjectLibre, and I think ProjectLibre is a great alternative, especially when I've worked in regions of the world where users cannot afford other PM tools.

Incentivized

It is appropriate for the size and scale of my company - 150 projects a year that has a lot going on a multiple lines with each project. However there are many features and things that go unused with the software, because of how tinkery it can be. For example - our company needs a positive pay file, however we had to employ an outside service provide to create the file within the system. Same with a Backlog - the system kind of has a report but then again it has to be manipulated in order for it be of use. It gets the job done and has the reports needed to submit for certified payroll to the state, which was why we purchased Viewpoint ProContractor, however its ease of use is one of its biggest downfalls.

Incentivized

• ProjectLibre is great for project management. It allows us to establish milestones and timeline planning for projects.
• It allows us to stay organized among multiple projects.
• It is extremely simple to use with a simple interface. It takes little time to plan out a project with key dates and provides a nice graphic.

Incentivized

• Procontractor is great with direct imports from CAD files.
• It is great with balancing sites or specific areas on site.
• Procontractor has multiple views and reports that help you to view the dirt movement on the site (grid, profile, 3D).

Incentivized

• Customer service is not there - I understand that the product is open source but some kind of forum with FAQs, etc. can come in handy
• App crashes at time for no reason. There have been instances where you try to create a new task and all the diagrams and other items get messed up

Incentivized

• The program is siloed, so connecting to other software or databases is not going to happen.
• When hosted, the program can run slow.
• The program is not going to perform complex accounting tasks with subledgers.
• The program does not do much in terms of HR other than payroll.

Incentivized

I give Viewpoint ProContractor a 10 out of 10. This system is user friendly to help keep me organized on a daily basis. I can find everything I need daily with this system. I am able to look up our subcontactors, vendors and clients I need to find quickly. I am able to see bills that I need to pay as well as invoices that I need to send out.

There are a lot of discussions online about it, and a customer addition based manual. While that can lead to some confusion, I am not the kind of person who likes talking on the phone. So it is easier to go online with ProjectLibre!

Incentivized

When something isn't working, you can contact support who will gladly remote into your system and try and work out a solution. Though several of the issues we encountered, they were not able to fix and had to submit for further review. While some were eventually rectified in updates, it takes time for these to be addressed and implemented.

Incentivized

We decided to go with ProjectLibre because it is a free tool and there is a great community that supports us in case there are any questions or concerns about the software. This has allowed us to be able to invest time without having to worry about licensing costs or anything else.

Incentivized

Procore beats Viewpoint hands down but can integrate well with Viewpoint Vista accounting software. I think that if the Viewpoint software was more flexible if they were more interested in patches, updates, and hearing customer feedback in the way the Procore does, that they would actually have the opportunity to corner the market.

Incentivized

• ProjectLibre is free so it has allowed us to collaborate on MS Project files for users that run a Mac or Linux machine
• Learning curve is minimal since it so closely resembles MS Project
• Not all MS Project features (especially the newer editions) are present but it's best for users that are not the primary PM to user ProjectLibre.

Incentivized

• Overall it allowed us to go electronic for certified payroll allowing us to be more accurate in reporting which was a giant win for the company
• It's viewable pay estimates with dates and records of payment are crucial to a company like ours that relies on a general contractor and the state for payment of EADA quantites
• Negatively training is not the easiest for the company and therefore onboarding new employees with no experience with the software is time consuming and difficult.

Incentivized