In this article we’re going to take a look at the best project management software for interior designers.
With a lot of clients to juggle, you need a way to manage your projects efficiently so that you can deliver the best service every time.
The question is…which project management software should you use?
We’re here to help you answer that question.
1. Houzz Pro
Houzz Pro is an all-in-one business management tool for interior designers. The comprehensive suite offers everything an interior designer might need, including client communication software, CRM, and, of course, project management.
Houzz Pro is currently used and trusted by over 3 million contractors and design professionals. The Houzz Pro project management tool allows designers to invite their team and clients to collaborate together in one powerful place.
Interior designers can use the platform to create a schedule, upload important documents, and set reminders so keep on top of tasks.
How much does Houzz Pro cost?
There are 3 plans to choose from. Starter is $49 per month, Enterprise is $80 per month, and Ultimate is $299 per month. It’s important to note that these are all for one user. Additional users cost $47 per month (regardless of plan). You can test the platform out with a 30 day free trial before commiting.
Pros and cons of Houzz Pro
2. Gather
Gather is a project management tool that was also created specifically for interior designers. On their website they claim to save teams a minimum of 20 hours per week when it comes to sourcing, organising, and generating documents and reports.
Using Gather, interior designers can keep all their assets in one place thanks to a digital resource library. Plus, streamline workflows and collaborate more effectively with clients and internal team members.
Gather is ideal for those who prefer a visual tool. Key features include specification management, product sourcing, and document management.
How much does Gather cost?
Gather has 3 pricing plans available. Studio is for up to 5 users and costs $199 per month, Firm is for up to 10 users and costs $349 per month, and Pro is for up to 20 users and is $949 per month (paid annually). If you have a larger team then Gather can also discuss custom quotes with businesses who get in touch.
Pros and cons of Gather
3. Design Manager
As you probably guessed by the name, Design Manager is project management software that’s specifically for interior designers. In fact, it’s a little bit more than a project management tool – it also includes solutions for accounting and purchasing, so designers can keep their project details and finances together in one place.
Using Design Manager, interior designers can set tasks, manage project timelines, communicate with clients and vendors securely, track time, and more.
How much does Design Manager cost?
Design Manager has one very simple pricing plan. It’s $74 per user seat/month for access to all features. There’s also a 30 day free trial so you can give it a test drive before committing.
Pros and cons of Design Manager
4. Project.co
We have to mention our own tool, Project.co, because not many people know that it can be used really effectively by interior designers (and people from all different industries).
We pride ourselves on how easy Project.co is to use. We designed it so that your clients could pick it up and instantly understand how to navigate it – after all, what good is a project management tool if your clients don’t want to use it?
We have a strong set of core features that allow you to track time, take payments, schedule your projects, and keep everything you need in one secure place.
How much does Project.co cost?
Project.co is free forever for up to 3 team members, 10 clients, and 10 active projects. For those requiring more (plus access to the platform’s most powerful features), it’s just $10 per user seat/month or $99 annually and with the Pro plan, an unlimited number of clients can be invited for free.
Pros and cons of Project.co
5. Monday
Monday is another more general project management software, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work well for interior design teams.
Monday is generally used by teams (regardless of industry) for planning and managing projects, and tracking workplace tasks. The tool is great for mapping projects out visually with dashboards that can be easily customised.
It’s more of an internal work management tool so collaboration with external stakeholders isn’t built in. It’s possible to have asynchronous chats if you integrate with Slack, but other tools on this list have client communication features built in.
How much does Monday cost?
Monday has 5 plans available. It’s free forever for up to 2 users. The next tier is Basic, which is £11 per user seat/month, followed by Standard which is £13 per user seat/month, and Pro which is £21 per user seat/month. The final plan is Enterprise but users will need to get in touch with Monday directly for a quote on that.
Pros and cons of Monday
6. Mydoma Studio
Mydoma Studio is a comprehensive project management software designed especially for interior designers, and their motto is: Spend less time managing and more time designing!
Designers use Mydoma Studio to create 3D visualisations, communicate with their clients, and organise their design process. Projects can be broken down into tasks and assigned to team members, and clients can access all of their project data and design files whenever they need to with the client portal.
Plus, there’s also a Mydoma Studio mobile app so interior designers can have access to all of their projects from the palm of their hand.
How much does Mydoma Studio cost?
Mydoma Studio has 4 monthly plans to choose from. Starter is $49 per month ($20 for each additional user), Professional is $69 per month ($20 for each additional user), and Professional Team is $99 per month for 3 users (and then it’s $20 for any additional users after that). The final plan is for enterprise businesses. There’s no pricing online for that, simply a ‘contact us’ button for users who want to find out more.
Pros and cons of Mydoma Studio
7. Plaky
Plaky offers modern project management software for any industry, interior designers included! The tool helps teams to plan, manage, and track projects of any size with a user-friendly interface.
The visual project planning is perfect for interior design teams. You can also collaborate with your team, centralise all of your data, and get status reports with just one click.
Plaky offers pretty much every tool you could need for project management all in one place (aside from client collaboration). It’s part of a suite of softwares from Cake.com. The other softwares being Clockify for time tracking and Pumble for team communication.
How much does Plaky cost?
Plaky has 3 plans: Free Forever, Pro ($4.99 per user seat/month), and Enterprise ($10.99 per user seat/month). There’s also the option to go for the productivity bundle, which includes the other tools under the cake.com umbrella. This costs $15.99 per user seat/month.
Pros and cons of Plaky
Final thoughts
Choosing the right project management software is so important. It can really make or break your project efficiency and productivity.
A lot of the platforms we mentioned on this list offered free trials or free plans, so hopefully you can shop around and find the best one for your needs as an interior designer.
Once you’ve found one you love and are ready to dive deeper into the world of project management, take a look at this article: 16 Project Management Tips for Success.
