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If you're still hunting through half-a-dozen spreadsheets to answer a simple budget question, you're not alone. Teams lose entire afternoons reconciling time, expenses, and phase budgets: busywork that pushes projects off course. When firms replace this "spreadsheet shuffle" with live dashboards, they cut budget overruns by as much as 44% and invoice weeks sooner.
Architecture and engineering projects aren't managed like generic professional-service gigs. You bill in distinct phases, each with its own scope and rate table. A principal's hour costs three times more than a junior's; reimbursables and consultant fees have to land on the right invoice line. Projects stretch over years, with field visits, change orders, and regulatory checkpoints woven throughout. Tools built for office-bound teams don't understand that complexity. Some generic professional-service software tools lack robust support for role-based rates, multi-phase budgets, or reliable GPS-verified time from job sites.
I've evaluated dozens of systems with one question in mind: will this help you spend more time designing and less time babysitting data? The ten platforms that made the cut share a common foundation. They all include:
- Phase-based tracking that mirrors actual A&E workflows
- Flexible rate tables accommodating different roles and experience levels
- Real-time budget views that surface problems before they become crises
- Rock-solid integrations with QuickBooks and other essential tools
- Resource planning tools that show who's overloaded before deadlines slip
These core capabilities separate professional-grade solutions from generic time trackers that leave A&E teams frustrated and over budget.
You'll see how each product tackles those requirements, and where it shines for firms like yours.
Best Overall Practice-Management Platform: Monograph
If you're tired of stitching together spreadsheets, time-clock apps, and half-broken QuickBooks exports, Monograph feels like finally switching on the house lights. Built by practicing architects, the platform connects every part of your workflow: project planning, time tracking, resource allocation, and invoicing, so the numbers you see match the reality on your drawing board.
The signature Monograph's MoneyGantt™ view turns each project into a living section cut. Instead of a static Gantt chart, you watch budget, fee, and schedule intersect in real time. When a phase starts drifting, the red bar appears before the damage spreads, giving you space to re-scope or re-staff while there's still money on the table.
Time you log feeds straight into draft invoices. A couple of clicks, and you're sending a Stripe-enabled bill that's already synced to QuickBooks Online: no copy-paste, no "find/replace" gymnastics. Because everything lives in one database, you aren't re-entering consultant hours or hunting for expense receipts the night before payroll.
Monograph is unapologetically A&E-specific. Phase-based budgets mirror the way you actually write proposals. Consultant bill approvals keep subs honest without clogging your inbox. Capacity planning shows whether your structural engineer can pick up that new mixed-use tower or if you need to shuffle the bench. It's the kind of operational clarity most firms only discover after an expensive ERP rollout.
Pricing typically lands in the $30–$40 per-user range (double-check before you buy), but remember you're replacing four or five separate tools and gaining hard insight. Firms report adding significant revenue in their first year, a bump that more than covers the subscription. When every hour flows from timesheet to invoice to cash, you spend less time policing the process and more time doing the work you're proud to stamp.
Pros
- Unified practice management replaces a patchwork of apps
- Real-time profit forecasts and capacity alerts keep projects on track
- Terminology and workflows match the way A&E firms actually operate
Cons
- No on-premise deployment for firms locked into local servers
- Teams must commit to new habits; half-measures bring half the value
The cloud-based approach requires consistent team adoption, but the integration eliminates the constant switching between tools that burns through billable hours on administrative tasks.
Best for Mid-Sized, Project-Heavy Firms: Deltek Ajera
When you're managing dozens of concurrent projects and need to satisfy both clients and regulators, Deltek Ajera provides the project accounting foundation that keeps everything organized. Built specifically for A&E work, it connects time tracking, project accounting, and resource planning so you can track profitability by phase instead of waiting until month-end to discover problems.
Every logged hour feeds live work-in-progress and earned-value dashboards. When your construction administration phase starts burning budget faster than schematic design, you'll know immediately. Interactive tools such as Schedule Manager and dashboards show each team member's upcoming workload, while flexible reporting options reveal utilization and cash-flow patterns with minimal need for exporting data to spreadsheets. The system integrates with the broader Deltek ecosystem, letting you add CRM, proposal management, or payroll modules as your firm grows while still pushing summary data to QuickBooks if your accounting team isn't ready to switch.
Ajera uses quote-based pricing. Implementation requires commitment, and mid-sized firms needing robust project management or detailed subconsultant reporting may recover the investment through improved billing and project controls; however, for DCAA compliance or specialized audit facilitation, Deltek Costpoint is the solution typically referenced.
Pros
- Comprehensive project accounting tracks every cost from labor to reimbursables
- Government-grade compliance reporting handles DCAA or state DOT audits
- Resource planning and BI dashboards eliminate staffing and cash flow blind spots
Cons
- Quote-only pricing complicates budget approval compared to off-the-shelf tools
- Steeper learning curve than lightweight trackers requires structured onboarding
These enterprise-level capabilities make Ajera particularly valuable for firms working on public sector projects, though the investment in training and setup time requires commitment to realize the full benefits.
Best All-in-One PSA Suite: BQE Core
Tired of bouncing between timesheets, accounting software, and a separate HR portal? BQE Core folds all those moving parts into one workspace. Built for project-heavy businesses, the platform handles scheduling, expense management, vendor bills, payroll, and PTO, then feeds that data into real-time dashboards for work-in-progress, utilization, and profitability. You see exactly how every project performs before the fees go underwater.
The financial engine runs deep. Core's batch invoicing converts approved entries and expenses into phase-based invoices in minutes, while its expense OCR pulls line items straight from receipts: no manual entry required. Those invoices sync with the system's built-in general ledger, so you skip the error-prone export dance. The result is a closed-loop billing cycle that gets cash in faster and keeps your accountant happy.
Automations extend to vendor bills and reimbursables, so consultant costs land in the right project buckets without hunting through email threads. Add resource planning and you can spot overloaded engineers, or idle ones, weeks in advance. Pricing is quote-based, but most firms see entry-level plans near the $29 per user mark; verify current rates before committing.
Here's where Core shines and where you'll need to weigh trade-offs:
Pros
- One suite handles scheduling, billing, accounting, and HR, reducing tool sprawl
- Live WIP and profitability dashboards surface trouble spots early
- Integrated accounting eliminates double entry and version chaos
Cons
- Setup is a project itself; plan on mapping every workflow up front
- Smaller studios may pay for modules they won't touch for years
This unified approach particularly benefits growing firms that want to consolidate their tech stack, though the comprehensive feature set requires a significant upfront investment in configuration and training.
If you run a mid-sized A&E firm with complex billing and growing headcount, BQE Core's all-in-one approach can replace a tangle of spreadsheets with a single source of financial truth, freeing you to focus on the work that moves projects forward.
Best for Rapid Time-to-Invoice: Harvest
When you just need to get hours off everyone's desk and onto a client invoice, Harvest cuts straight through the complexity. You spin up an account, invite the team, and within an afternoon you're logging hours against projects instead of wrestling with another spreadsheet. The appeal is speed: entries flow straight into branded invoices, and clients can pay online the moment the email lands.
Harvest keeps pricing simple. A forever-free plan covers one seat and two projects, while the Pro tier runs $13.75 per user each month (or $11 per user/month billed annually) and unlocks unlimited projects and team members, as noted in this roundup of architect-friendly tracking solutions. For small studios, that means predictable costs and zero procurement drama.
You also get the essentials that keep cash moving. Built-in invoices sync with payment processors, so Stripe or PayPal deposits hit your bank without manual follow-up. Dozens of integrations, QuickBooks, Xero, Asana, and more, let you drop Harvest into an existing tech stack without rebuilding your entire workflow. If your firm already manages project phases elsewhere, Harvest simply captures the hours and pushes clean data to finance.
For A&E teams who value momentum over elaborate feature sets, Harvest turns a week-long billing cycle into a same-day task.
Pros
- Set up in minutes; intuitive for non-tech staff
- Invoices and online payments live in the same workspace
- Wide integration catalog keeps current tools in play
Cons
- Free plan caps out quickly
- Lacks phase-specific fields many A&E firms rely on
This simplicity makes Harvest ideal for teams that want to start tracking time immediately, though the streamlined approach trades A&E-specific functionality for universal ease of use.
Best Freemium Option for Small Teams: Toggl Track
Running a five-person studio means every dollar goes back into the work. Paying $30 per seat for heavyweight software isn't realistic when you need one simple thing: everyone hits "start" and captures their day before the details vanish. Toggl Track delivers exactly that. The free tier supports up to five users working on unlimited active projects, so even interns on their first site visit can log hours without license negotiations.
Setup takes minutes: download the desktop app or browser extension, name a project, press play. Real-time timers sync across devices, making it nearly impossible to lose track of where the day went. The Starter plan at $9 per user per month (with annual billing) unlocks billable rates and export-ready reports that integrate cleanly with your existing accounting workflow.
For A&E firms coordinating interdisciplinary schedules, this clean interface removes excuses. Principals, project architects, and structural drafters work in the same system. You won't get phase-based budgeting or role-specific rate tables; that's the trade-off for simplicity. Consistent daily capture beats perfect-but-missing entries.
Pros
- Free tier handles tight budgets with unlimited users
- Intuitive timer encourages daily capture
- Quick setup means zero IT overhead
Cons
- Free plan caps you at five active projects
- No native phase or role-based workflows for advanced A&E billing requirements
This accessibility makes Toggl Track perfect for small studios testing time tracking, though growing firms will eventually need more sophisticated project management features.
Best Automated Time Capture: Timely
When you're juggling RFIs, site visits, and last-minute client calls, even the best intentions to "clock in later" evaporate. That's where Timely steps in. Instead of relying on manual timers, its AI-driven Memory watches the apps, calendars, and files you touch throughout the day, then builds a private timeline you can review and approve. This hands-free approach captures hours that architects and engineers typically lose when they forget to start a timer during deadline crunches.
Timely also sidesteps the surveillance concerns common with screenshot-based solutions. Instead of grabbing your screen, it records only metadata: protecting client confidentiality and your creative process. Plans start around $11 per user each month, giving small studios an accessible way to try automated capture without a major commitment.
Pros
- Hands-free logging eliminates the admin work of filling entries
- Recovers billable hours you never knew you lost
- Metadata-only approach protects confidentiality for sensitive design files
Cons
- Monthly cost adds up for budget-conscious micro-firms
- AI categorization takes time to learn your patterns; expect to review entries for the first few weeks
This automation particularly benefits creative professionals who lose track of time during deep design work, though the learning period requires patience before the system becomes fully reliable.
Best Productivity-Analytics Add-On: RescueTime
When you're knee-deep in design iterations or value-engineering a beam connection, hours vanish without warning. RescueTime runs quietly in the background, monitoring which applications and websites you use to show you exactly where your day went. No more guessing whether Tuesday disappeared to email threads or endless CAD revisions: you get objective data broken down by application, website, and project context.
This matters because A&E profitability depends on protecting billable hours. RescueTime's real-time alerts catch you when you drift from Revit or RAM into distractions, while Focus Sessions block websites and notifications during deep-work blocks. After a week, you'll spot patterns that spreadsheets miss: detailing tasks consuming twice the budgeted hours, or coordination calls bleeding into design work.
The Teams plan runs about $9 per user monthly: reasonable for the productivity intelligence it provides. You keep your existing invoicing setup; RescueTime simply feeds you the data to make it more accurate.
Pros
- Shows real work habits instead of guesswork
- Catches efficiency problems before they hit project budgets
- Focus Sessions protect billable hours from digital distractions
Cons
- Worthless if your team ignores the dashboard
- Provides productivity insights but doesn't handle phase-based billing
This visibility helps architects and engineers understand exactly where their time goes, though RescueTime works best as a productivity supplement rather than a complete billing solution.
Best Budget Tracker with Granular Roles: TimeCamp
Most solutions assume everyone bills at the same rate. That doesn't work when you're running projects with principals at $200/hour, project architects at $120, and interns at $65. TimeCamp gets this: you can set different billable rates for every role on your team and watch the budget calculations actually make sense.
Budget monitoring happens in real time. Set your project budget upfront, then watch a live meter climb as work gets logged. When that structural phase starts creeping toward its limit, you'll know before it's too late to course-correct. No more discovering budget overruns three weeks after the damage is done.
TimeCamp's automatic task detection runs quietly in the background, matching your apps and window titles to projects. Your timesheet fills itself while you're heads-down in Revit or running calculations. The attendance module handles clock-ins and vacation management without the usual Friday afternoon chase.
Pricing starts with a genuine free plan for solo practitioners, then $2.99 per user monthly for teams. For firms juggling multiple disciplines and experience levels, that flexibility means you can handle everyone from senior engineer to summer intern without forcing square pegs into round holes.
Pros:
- Role-based rates that match real A&E team structures
- Live budget monitoring catches overruns before they hurt
- Automatic capture and attendance features reduce admin overhead
- Honest pricing with a real free tier
Cons:
- Interface feels overwhelming until you dial in your view preferences
- Project phase setup may need tweaking to match your workflow
These features make TimeCamp particularly well-suited for small firms with diverse team roles, though the initial complexity pays off once you customize the interface to match your specific needs.
Best for Team-Workload Visibility: TrackingTime
When several projects run simultaneously, guessing who has bandwidth is a recipe for missed deadlines. TrackingTime eliminates that guesswork with a calendar-style workload view that shows exactly where every architect, engineer, or consultant sits in the weekly schedule. Open the dashboard and you see color-coded blocks that mirror project phases; drag one to reshuffle tasks and the change updates across the team in real time. Because assignments live in the same place you log hours, every shift you make immediately reflects in each person's schedule: no follow-up emails, no duplicate entries.
TrackingTime connects to the tools you already use for day-to-day coordination. Sync an Asana board, a Trello card, or a Basecamp to-do, and the task appears in the TrackingTime calendar with its original due date intact. That connection means you can keep managing deliverables where they already live while still capturing hours against the correct phase and budget.
The pricing works for lean practices: the free tier supports up to three users, and upgrading to Pro runs about $5.75 per person each month. For small and mid-sized teams that need clear workload visibility without enterprise platform complexity, that affordability makes a difference. The trade-off is scale; larger firms may outgrow the simple project structure, and highly complex, multi-phase jobs will still need deeper A&E-specific controls.
Best Lightweight Integration Layer: Everhour
If your team already lives in Asana, Trello, ClickUp, or Jira, you don't need another window to babysit: you need data right where the work happens. Everhour drops its timer and live budget counter directly into the task panes you stare at all day, so you can log a submittal review or RFI coordination the moment you check them off. No copy-pasting hours, no jumping between tabs; the numbers update in real time as you move cards across columns.
That embedded approach makes Everhour practically invisible until you need the insight. You'll see a colored budget bar inside every task and project, showing exactly how much schematic design work remains or when construction administration hours start bleeding into overrun territory. Since the data lives inside your project tool, pulling reports for invoicing takes a few clicks instead of burning your Friday afternoon.
Pricing starts around $10 per user monthly, making it an easy decision for small studios who can't justify a full practice management system but need phase-level accuracy.
Pros
- Embedded timers and budget bars in Asana, Trello, ClickUp, and Jira
- Real-time spend versus budget visibility at task, phase, and project levels
- Staff keep working in the tools they already know
Cons
- Custom workflows may need integration adjustments
- Relies on your existing project management platform for full functionality
This seamless integration eliminates the friction of switching applications, though its effectiveness depends entirely on how well your current project management tool handles A&E-specific workflows.
Don't Let Time Billing Hold Back Your Practice
The right time billing software transforms scattered timesheets into strategic intelligence. When budgets track automatically and overruns surface early, you spend less time chasing numbers and more time designing solutions that matter.
If you're ready to replace spreadsheet chaos with real-time project insight, Monograph delivers exactly that transformation. Built specifically for architecture and engineering workflows, it connects time tracking, budgeting, and invoicing in one intuitive platform.
Small firms using Monograph report 66% time savings on administrative tasks, while mid-sized practices see 2x faster billing cycles and 44% fewer budget overruns. The platform pays for itself through better project controls and faster cash collection.
While you're manually updating project budgets and chasing down timesheet data, firms across the street are using integrated time billing software to automate project setup, predict budget overruns, and streamline workflows. They're winning bids with faster turnarounds and growing profit margins through intelligent project management.
The gap is widening. Close it. Book a demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between time tracking and practice management software?
Time tracking captures hours; practice management connects those hours to budgets, phases, and profitability. A&E firms need both: simple time entry plus intelligent budget controls that prevent overruns before they happen.
Can I integrate time billing software with QuickBooks?
Yes. Most professional-grade platforms sync directly with QuickBooks Online, pushing invoices and financial data automatically. Monograph's integration handles the entire workflow from time entry to payment processing.
How do I handle different billing rates for different team members?
Look for platforms that support role-based or individual billing rates. Monograph, TimeCamp, and other A&E-focused tools let you set rates by position, experience level, or project type, ensuring accurate revenue calculations.
What if my team forgets to track time?
Automated solutions like Timely capture work passively, while platforms like Monograph send gentle reminders and make time entry quick enough that it becomes second nature. The key is choosing software that fits your team's workflow instead of forcing new habits.
