Platform comparison · Practice management and ERPs
Unanet AE is an ERP for architects and engineers: projects, resources, time, accounting and reporting in one system. Its accounting and resource planning go deeper than ARK's. ARK runs time, fees and invoices on QuickBooks, then the projects those hours go into, at one published price.
Pricing
Checked October 2026: About $24–$39* per user per month on third-party estimates (one directory gives its low figure per feature, not per user), plus implementation estimated from $5,000*. Unanet quotes after a demo.
Third-party estimates; the vendor does not publish prices.
* Pricing not publicly posted. Estimated from online sources, checked October 2026; confirm with the vendor.
Unlimited $179/user/mo list — the Founding Forty lock $119/user/mo for three years, firms 41–100 lock $149/user/mo for three years. Staff seats $34/user/mo for people who log time and do assigned work. Construction à la carte $69/project/mo. First project free forever.
| Feature | Unanet AE | ARK Projex |
|---|---|---|
| Timesheets and expenses | Yes — mobile time and expense | ✓ |
| Invoicing | Yes — with AR automation as an add-on | ✓ |
| AIA-style pay applications (G702/G703-style schedule of values) | Firm invoicing only — no contractor pay-app review | ✓ |
| Project budgets and fee forecasting | Yes — project planning and forecasts | Yes — Fee & Budget per project, plus Revenue and Profit forecasts |
| Staffing and resource planning | Yes — resource management | Yes — Staff Allocations, with a monthly capacity view |
| Financial reports | Yes — reporting and analytics | ✓ |
| QuickBooks Online connection | Not needed — Unanet keeps its own books | ✓ |
| CRM pipeline | Partial — prospect management; Unanet CRM is sold separately | ✓ |
| Proposals | Partial — ProposalAI, a separate product | ✓ |
| Submittals and RFIs (construction administration) | — | ✓ |
| Design-phase management | Partial — project planning, not deliverable workflows | ✓ |
| Bidding | — | ✓ |
| Client portal | Not listed on its site | ✓ |
| AI access under the person's own permissions | Partial — its own Champ AI add-on, not your own AI tool | Yes — your own AI tool reads ARK under your permissions; an owner or administrator can also make a token that sets up the firm |
| Published pricing | No — quote only | ✓ |
| Self-serve trial | No — demo first | ✓ |