HCSS vs. Knowify

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
HCSS
Score 9.5 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
Score 9.6 out of 10
N/A
Knowify 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 *186 if paid monthly
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
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
HCSSKnowify
Features
HCSSKnowify
Construction Project & Field Management
Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Product A and Product B
HCSS
6.8
Ratings
11% below category average
Knowify
-
Ratings
Plan distribution & viewing6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Plan markups & sharing6.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue tracking & punchlists9.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Photo documentation10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Jobsite reports8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Document sharing7.10 Ratings00 Ratings
RFI tools3.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration & approvals4.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile app6.10 Ratings00 Ratings
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HCSSKnowify
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Score 8.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
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Score 8.3 out of 10
Procore
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Score 8.8 out of 10
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Oracle Aconex
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User Ratings
HCSSKnowify
Likelihood to Recommend
6.1
(0 ratings)
6.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
HCSSKnowify
Likelihood to Recommend
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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This is great if only used for job costing.
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Pros
  • #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.
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  • Job costing.
  • Job tracking.
  • Progressive invoicing.
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Cons
  • 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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  • 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.
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Usability
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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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
The people at HCSS who I interact with, whether it is a support technician, product manager, or the HCSS President, Mike Rydin, are as passionate at making construction management for heavy civil contractors a valuable experience as I am. They want to get us emphatic, project management addicted people in to tell them why their product is not working, and work with us to design the software to work for us. HCSS is good for the heavy civil contractor; it is going to help us to manage our projects with precision, accuracy, and accountability.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
It is critical to select the right team to take to HCSS for implementation. They take very good care of you and your team and listen to all of your concerns. During implantation we often discuss wants and needs with VPs and Officers as they pass through to check on our progress.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
We researched other software companies but none provided the depth of support and knowledge that HCSS brought to the table. HCSS is also always growing and listening to its customers. Customer support seems to remain the backbone of the company that is always striving to grow with the industry.
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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.
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Return on Investment
  • The biggest ROI for us was the ease of adoption by field personnel.
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  • 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.
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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