Best Project Management Software for Interior Designers
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I work with a lot of interior designers and they use a variety of project management software including Studio Designer, Ivy/Houzz Pro, Design Manager, Mydoma, self-hosted and more. Which one is best for you? Hopefully, the information below will help you to decide.
Studio Designer
Studio Designer claims to be the leading application for interior design professionals. It provides project management and accounting systems for its users, and it includes a client portal to facilitate collaboration and item approval.
It is a very robust and extensive program for every operation a design firm could face. This is a one-stop shop for all your interior designer application needs. Because of this, Studio Designer can feel overwhelming for a novice designer. It is an accounting program and project management program wrapped up in one. You can manage your entire business from this program. Accounting, Expediting, Ordering, Timelines, Reminders, Logistics, Inventory and so much more.
This program is very technical, and you may need an accountant who specializes in the program.
Pricing:
Basic $48/month
Professional $64/month
Try it: Studio Designer does not offer a free trial, but you can sign up for a live online demo of the platform. www.studiodesigner.com/
Design Manager
Design Manager is an all-in-one software for project management, purchase order tracking, accounting, reports, inventory. Since Design Manager isn’t super user-friendly, it is often used by established design firms. Their website claims 70% of interior designers prefer Design Manager over QuickBooks.
Design Manager is the leading project management and accounting software for interior designers. Created in 1984 to respond to the requests of local interior design firms, it expanded into a nationwide software company and became one of the first providers of cloud-based design software.
“Because design firms have specific needs that cannot be answered by conventional software, it is our mission to provide a product that is dedicated to serving the design community. We deliver software that saves time, money, and frustration while eliminating countless hours of paperwork.”
Pricing:
DM Cloud $65/month
Save 10% by paying annually
Try it: They offer a free 30-day trial at www.designmanager.com
Gather
Gather is a cloud-based platform trusted by some of the industry’s top professionals. From the get go, this platform has designers in mind, as it is one of the most visually appealing options. Its organization, data entry and catalog system are intuitive and makes it all easily accessible. With it, you can produce reports and design deliverables while staying on top of important dates. Gather also facilitates communication by incorporating a real-time chat and allowing comments on products, as well as item approval from clients. Quickbooks integrates with Gather.
Unlike many other platforms, the pricing structure starts from a small team package, rather than individual rates, while the larger packages offer some additional features.
Pricing:
Studio (up to 5 users) $199/month or $1980 annually
Firm (up to 10 users) $349/month or $3480 annually
Enterprise (more than 10 users) contact for custom pricing
Try it: Gather offers a free 14-day trial. www.gatherit.co
Mydoma
Mydoma is a great organizational tool for your interior design projects. Many designers love the systems and processes and creating automation so that your business runs more smoothly, and Mydoma helps with this. The Mydoma platform helps with the onboarding process, a place to keep project info (e.g. space info, before images, measurements, inspiration images), and a place to collaborate with your clients. By using Mydoma, you are creating an online design studio/project binder to collaborate with your clients. You can have new clients sign contracts, fill out an onboarding questionnaire, and send initial payment all within the program. It’s a great option if you do e-design or offer smaller design packages.
This software is limited if you run a full-service interior design firm. For accounting, you can integrate Mydoma with QuickBooks, among other tools, but that means a double entry for products and adding QuickBooks monthly fees to your total cost.
Pricing:
Solo $59/month or $599 annually
Team $79/month or $799 annually
Agency $129/month $1299 annually
Try it: Free 15-day trial. www.mydomastudio.com
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Ivy/Houzz Pro
Acquired by Houzz in 2018, Ivy was absorbed by the Houzz Pro management tool. This acquisition has been met with certain hesitation and questions about the changes in its features and the possible implications that their privacy policy could have on designers’ work.
Nonetheless, Houzz Pro is a user-friendly option, designed to expedite the process of proposal creation, sourcing, invoicing, purchasing, and tracking. It also lets you build plans in 2D and tour clients in 3D. Houzz Pro makes it easy to create your own catalog of products and design mood boards within the same platform. You can choose between different plans depending on the features you need.
Pricing:
Starter $65/month
Essential $99/month
Ultimate $399/month
Try it: You can try the Starter or Essential plans for free for 30 days. www.houzz.com/pro
DesignDocs
DesignDocs is a total project management and online accounting solution for the interior design industry. Founded by a husband and wife team (a Chartered Accountant and a Designer), DesignDocs provides a full suite of business management tools for interior designers. Additionally, the system gives access to valuable financial reports so designers can gain a strong understanding of their profit margins and identify areas in their business where they can increase revenue.
The software is ideal for full-service design firms who are looking to increase profits, improve their operational processes, and/or scale their businesses.
Pricing:
Solo $69/month or $708 annually
Professional $98/p month or $1056 annually (minimum of 2 users)
Try it: Free 14-day trial. www.designdocs.com
Binary Management
BM consolidates 4 fundamental components: planning, costing, tracking, and reporting. Its design templates make it easy to get started, while its planning tool allows you to break your project down into stages or deliverables. The costing tool produces a full project program and payment schedule with all invoice payments highlighted. Each design team member can monitor their delivery and deadlines through their personal calendar and instantly notify their team leaders when a specific task has been completed. BM’s tracking and reporting features offer clear pictures of each stage of the design process and highlight areas that can be optimized for greater profitability.
Pricing:
$10/month or $93.60 annually
$20/month or $187.20 annually
Custom pricing options available for large enterprises
Try it: Free 14-day trial. www.binarymanagement.com
Indema
Indema states that they are the only tool your interior design firm needs. This cloud-based platform offers task management, time trackers, and project reports to stay on top of your business performance. On the other hand, Indema covers your needs for contact management and contracts. Use the project or task templates and create vision boards with their clipper tool, keeping products organized and easily shareable with clients and vendors. Not only can you automate emails and billing for greater efficiency, but also social media posts, which is a feature that many other platforms do not include. However, similar to some others, Indema is designed to sync with QuickBooks for your accounting needs.
Pricing:
Single $35/month or $385 annually
Group $55/month or $550 annually
Hub $75/month or $674 annually
Try it: Free 15-day trial. www.indema.co
Self-hosted
I know more and more interior designers who are going to a self-hosted type of program. They use landing pages on their websites, Pinterest, spreadsheets, and processes to stay organized and on top of their businesses. This isn’t for everyone, but if you are looking for a cost-effective way, you may be interested in checking out a self-hosted system.
If you are between a few options, take advantage of the free trials to see what works best for you and your team. Don’t be afraid of transitioning to a new platform, because the right solution will revolutionize the success of your business. As always, feel free to reach out if you have questions!
xx, Danae