Updated on: 08 December 2025
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Architecture work is project based, phase driven, and full of reimbursables. The right accounting software for architects helps you track hours by phase, bill with AIA-style progress draws, manage retainers, and keep an eye on budget versus actual.
Below you’ll find a practical shortlist, clear feature notes, and simple cost guidance so you can pick a tool that fits your studio size and workflow.

What is Accounting Software?
Accounting software is the system that records your firm’s income, costs, assets, and taxes so you can trust the numbers behind every project decision. For architects, the right platform connects the general ledger with project accounting so time, expenses, subconsultant bills, and retainers flow into invoices and reports. Typical capabilities include bank feeds and reconciliation, estimates to invoices, time and expense capture, AP/AR, and financial reporting. Many tools add project features like phase budgets, WIP and percent complete, plus integrations for proposals, e-sign, and payroll. The outcome is simple: one source of truth for fees, costs, and cash so PMs and partners can see budget vs actual in real time.
What to Look For When Evaluating: Best Accounting Software for Architects
Project billing that matches contracts: Support for progress billing, milestones, T&M, retainage, and change management. Easy AIA or RIBA style invoicing, with retainers you can apply across phases.
Project and phase control: Job costing by project, phase, and task, with budgets, ETC and EAC, and clear WIP visibility. Rebillable time and reimbursables should move to invoices in one click.
Time and expense usability: Fast mobile timesheets, receipt capture, mileage, role rates, approvals, and audit trails. Contractors and subs should be easy to add without breaking your chart of accounts.
Reporting that answers real questions: Dashboards for fee burn, margin, utilization, backlog, AR aging, and project P&L. Dimensions or tags for client, office, discipline, and manager so you can slice results without a bloated COA.
Cash and compliance: Solid bank reconciliation, sales tax or VAT handling, options for multi-currency and multi-entity consolidation if you grow into multiple offices.
Integrations and ecosystem: Connect proposals, e-signature, payroll, document storage, and PM tools. CSV or API access matters for migration and BI.
Security and roles: Role-based access for partners, PMs, and bookkeepers, with attachments for contracts, POs, and certificates.
Total cost of ownership: Map pricing for base seats, add-ons, storage, implementation, and training. Ask vendors for data migration help and a sandbox to test your AIA-style billing before go-live.
Fit by firm size: Solo or very small teams may prefer lightweight invoicing and time tracking. Growing studios usually need projects, retainers, and progress billing. Larger firms benefit from resource planning, advanced revenue recognition, and consolidation.
Use this checklist alongside the tool summaries and pricing notes above to shortlist 2 or 3 options, then pilot them on one active project to confirm billing fit, reporting clarity, and team adoption.
QuickBooks Online
Best for: small to mid-size architecture studios that need project-based job costing, progress billing, and clean financials without an on-prem server. Popular with small and mid-size studios that want project billing and clean books without servers. Use progress invoicing, time and expenses, and simple WIP views to keep margins visible while sharing access with your accountant.
Key Features for Architects
Projects & job costing (Plus/Advanced): Track revenue, labor, billable expenses, and profitability by project. Use estimates, progress invoices, retainers, and change-order style revisions to keep margins visible.
Progress invoicing from estimates: Convert an estimate to one or many invoices by percentage or line item, helpful for RIBA/AIA milestone billing and staged deliverables.
Time & expense capture: Attach staff time and reimbursable costs to projects, mark as billable, and push directly to invoices. Deepest automation when paired with QuickBooks Time for timesheets and QuickBooks Payroll for labor costing.
Vendor bills, retainers, and AP: Record supplier invoices, track retainers, set due-date reminders, and pay vendors online with Bill Pay.
Budgeting and reporting: Project-level P&L, burn vs. fee tracking using classes/tags, custom fields, and (Advanced) Spreadsheet Sync to build deeper reports in Excel while staying connected to live data.
Multi-user controls: Role-based access for partners, PMs, and bookkeepers with audit logs and document attachments for drawings, POs, and contracts.
Integrations: Connect to proposal/PM tools, receipt capture, and document e-sign; export clean CSV for your practice-management suite.
Pricing
Simple Start - €2.10/mo for the first 3 months (90% off), then €21/mo. 1 user + accountant access.
Essentials - €3.10/mo for the first 3 months (90% off), then €31/mo. 3 users + accountant access.
Plus - €4.50/mo for the first 3 months (90% off), then €45/mo. 5 users + accountant access.
Advanced - €7.50/mo for the first 3 months (90% off), then €75/mo. 25 users + accountant access.
Notes: The page also shows a 30-day free trial toggle and Intuit Assist (AI features) highlighted in the plan cards.
Pricing and promotions may vary by region and time. Please check the vendor’s current pricing page before purchase.
Xero
Best for: small to mid-size architecture practices that want clean bank feeds, progress invoicing, and optional project time and expenses without a heavy ERP.
A clean, cloud ledger with strong bank reconciliation and a rich add-on ecosystem. Track projects and costs, raise professional invoices, and extend into reporting or payments as your firm grows.
Key Features for Architects
Quotes to progress invoices: Turn a quote into one or many invoices by line or percentage for staged billing and retainers.
Project time and expenses: Track time, costs, and billable expenses with Xero Projects and push them straight to invoices.
Expense claims and mileage: Mobile capture, approvals, and rebilling to projects.
Multi-currency and tax handling: Helpful for cross-border consultants and suppliers.
Bank feeds and rules: Automate reconciliations for retainers, deposits, and progress payments.
Reporting and budgets: P&L by tracking categories or projects, cash flow, aged AP/AR, VAT/GST returns.
Pricing
Starter - $2.90 per month for first 3 months, usually $29 per month. Quotes and 20 invoices, enter up to 5 bills, bank reconciliation, Hubdoc.
Standard - $5 per month for first 3 months, usually $50 per month. Everything in Starter, unlimited bills, bulk reconcile, cash-flow views.
Premium - $7.50 per month for first 3 months, usually $75 per month. Everything in Standard, plus multi-currency.
Add-ons shown in the pricing table
Expense Claims from $4 per month.
Projects from $7 per month.
Analytics Plus optional.
FreshBooks
Best for: Solo architects and small studios that need easy invoicing, retainers, time tracking software, and client-friendly estimates without a heavy ERP.
Built for client services with elegant time tracking and expense capture that roll straight into invoices. Great when you need polished proposals, deposits, and progress billing with minimal setup.
Key Features for Architects
Project-based time & expense tracking: Log team time by project/task, attach receipts, mark as billable, and push straight to invoices.
Progress & retainer invoicing: Request deposits/retainers, convert estimates to staged invoices, and automate reminders/late fees.
Estimates, proposals, and approvals: Send branded proposals with scope, options, and e-sign; convert to projects in one click.
Client portal & payments: Share a portal for estimates/invoices; accept ACH and cards; automate recurring invoices for long projects.
Reports for architects: Project P&L, unbilled time/expenses, sales tax, cash flow, and profitability snapshots.
Collaboration & accountant access: Add contractors/teammates with role-based permissions; give your accountant a free seat.
Pricing
Monthly plans (promo: “60% off for 4 months”)
Lite: $8.40/mo - Up to 5 billable clients.
Plus (Most Popular): $15.20/mo - Up to 50 billable clients; adds advanced automations.
Premium: $26.00/mo - Unlimited billable clients; advanced reporting and workflow features.
Select: Contact sales - Custom limits, dedicated support.
Yearly plans (promo shown includes a 10% discount)
Lite: $181.44/yr
Plus: $328.32/yr
Premium: $561.60/yr
Select: Contact sales
Note: Prices, currencies, and promotions vary by region and time. Always verify the latest numbers on the vendor’s site before purchasing.
Zoho Books
Best for: small to mid-size architecture firms that want clean project billing, retainers, and client/vendor portals inside an affordable, modern cloud suite. Part of the Zoho suite, so quotes, projects, and workflow automation live together. Use projects and tasks for budgeting and approvals, then push to invoices and real-time reports.
Key Features for Architects
Projects, timesheets, and billable expenses: Log staff time, attach reimbursables, bill timesheets, and monitor project profitability from one place. Useful for phase-based jobs and reimbursable contracts.
Estimates to staged invoices: Create quotes, enable progress invoicing, and convert to invoices by item or percentage for milestone billing.
Retainers and advance payments: Take deposits and apply them over the life of the project for better cash flow control.
Budgeting and cash-flow forecasting: Set project or firm budgets, forecast cash flow, and keep an eye on burn versus fee.
Multi-currency & approvals: Handle international suppliers/clients, add custom approvals for purchases and sales.
Client & vendor portals: Give stakeholders a portal to view invoices, make payments, and collaborate without email chaos.
Fixed-asset management (Premium+) and advanced analytics (Ultimate): Track assets and run deeper BI when your studio grows.
Pricing
Monthly (billed monthly)
Free: $0
Standard: $12/org/month
Professional: $24/org/month
Premium: $36/org/month
Elite: $129/org/month
Ultimate: $249/org/month
Yearly (paid annually; price shown per org/month)
Free: $0
Standard: $10/org/month
Professional: $20/org/month
Premium: $30/org/month
Elite: $100/org/month
Ultimate: $200/org/month
Deltek Ajera
Best for: mid-size and large architecture or A&E firms that want an end-to-end, project-based accounting and practice management system with strong dashboards, WIP control, and AIA-style billing.
Deltek Ajera centralizes time, expenses, job cost, AP/AR, and financials around projects and phases. PMs see real-time fee burn, backlog, and profitability while accounting gets clean subconsultant tracking, retainers, and revenue recognition purpose-built for A&E workflows.
Key Features for Architects
Project and phase budgeting: Build labor and subconsultant budgets by phase. Track fee burn, ETC, earned value, and margin at project, phase, and task levels.
AIA-style invoicing and revenue: Percent complete, T&M, unit, and schedule-of-values billing. Handle retainers, change orders, write-ups/downs, and automated revenue recognition with WIP aging.
Time, expense, and approvals: Web and mobile entry with role rates and cost rates. Multi-step approvals for PMs and principals. Reimbursables flow straight to invoices.
Subconsultant management: Capture sub agreements, budgets, and pay apps. Map vendor bills to phases so sub costs hit the correct job cost buckets.
Resource planning and utilization: Staff plans by role and person, forecasted hours and costs, utilization and realization KPIs, and capacity vs. fee dashboards.
Core accounting and cash: AP/AR, purchase orders, bank recs, GL, fixed assets, and financial statements. Drill from P&L to the originating project transactions.
Reporting and dashboards: Out-of-the-box A&E metrics such as backlog, DSO, effective multiplier, net labor multiplier, and project profitability. Ad-hoc report builder for partners.
Payroll options and integrations: Optional payroll, plus connectors for common payroll providers and document management softwares. Data import tools for legacy systems.
Pricing
Ajera pricing is quote based and typically charged per employee with one-time onboarding for implementation, data migration, and training. Modules are bundled by firm needs such as Accounting, Project Management, Payroll, and Business Intelligence.
BQE CORE
Best for: architecture firms that want a project-centric platform combining time and expense, billing, budgets, WIP, and firm financials in one place (with strong dashboards for utilization, realization, and profitability).
BQE CORE (formerly BillQuick) is built around A/E workflows. PMs plan fees and schedules at the phase level, staff log time/expenses from desktop or mobile, and accounting turns progress into invoices with tight WIP control. You get job-costed P&L, subconsultant tracking, retainers, and automated revenue rules without bouncing between apps.
Key Features for Architects
Project budgets and fee planning: Build labor budgets by phase/task with role rates, fee caps, planned hours, and ETC. See burn vs. fee, earned value, and margin in real time.
Time, expenses, and approvals: Web and mobile capture with receipt OCR, mileage, per-diem, and multi-step approvals (employee → PM → finance). Billable flags flow straight to invoices.
Progress, T&M, and SOV billing: Turn estimates or % complete into invoices by phase; handle retainers, write-ups/downs, and change-order style revisions; schedule-of-values for AIA-style billing.
WIP and revenue management: Configurable revenue recognition (percent complete, T&M, milestones). Age and release WIP, hold phases, and defer revenue until approval.
Subconsultant and vendor control: Track sub budgets and agreements; map vendor bills to phases; tie pay-when-paid to client receipts.
Resource planning & utilization: Capacity planning by role/person, vacations/holidays, and forecasted labor cost vs. fee. Utilization, realization, effective multiplier, and backlog KPIs.
Accounting & integrations: AP/AR, GL, bank rec, and financial statements available in suite; two-way integrations with QuickBooks Online/Enterprise and Xero if you keep accounting external.
Dashboards & reporting: Out-of-the-box A/E dashboards (DSO, WIP, Net Labor Multiplier, profit by phase). Custom report designer and scheduled email packs for partners/PMs.
Automation & AI helpers: Recurring invoices, late-fee rules, automated reminders, and built-in analytics to surface at-risk projects and overdue approvals.
Pricing
BQE CORE is quote-based. Pricing typically scales per user per month with add-ons for accounting, CRM, and HR, plus one-time onboarding (data migration, templates, and training). Volume discounts are common for larger teams.
Deltek Vantagepoint
Best for: mid to large architecture and engineering firms that need fully project-based accounting, resource planning, CRM, and time and expense in one AEC-focused system. PSA built for AEC firms with deep project accounting, resource planning, and WIP control. Manage opportunities to closeout in one place and align revenue recognition with contract methods.
Key Features for Architects
Project accounting and WIP: Track budgets, fees, retainers, percent complete, and revenue recognition by project and phase. Portfolio and project dashboards keep margins visible.
Resource planning: Plan people by role or named staff, balance workloads, and forecast capacity against fees to protect utilization and profitability.
Time and expense: Web and mobile capture with approvals, audit trails, and direct flow to billing and project P&L.
Billing for AEC: Progress billing, milestones, retainers, and change-order style adjustments so invoices match RIBA or AIA contracts.
CRM and pursuits: Track opportunities, proposals, hit rates, and client contacts, then convert wins into active projects with inherited budgets and codes.
Reporting and analytics: Project and firm-level KPIs, fee burn, backlog, utilization, and forecasting with configurable dashboards and security roles.
Deployment options: Cloud or on-prem, with API and integrations to downstream tools in the AEC stack.
Pricing
Custom quote. Deltek does not publicly list Vantagepoint pricing and plans on marketplaces show pricing upon request only. Total cost depends on users, modules enabled, deployment, and implementation scope. Request a demo and a tailored quote from Deltek.
Sage Intacct
Best for: mid to large architecture firms that need true project accounting, multi-entity consolidation, and tight time and expense-to-billing workflows in a cloud ERP. A mid-market finance platform with strong multi-entity and dimensions
