In-Depth Review: Factor A/E
What It Is
All-in-one project management and business operations platform built exclusively for architecture and engineering firms
Who It's For
Best for firm owners, project managers, and office managers at A&E firms of all sizes.
Why It Matters
Most firms run project planning, time tracking, invoicing, and reporting in separate systems, then reconcile them by hand. Factor A/E holds all four in one place and is built around how architecture and engineering firms actually bill, including phased fees, subconsultant markup, and percent-complete billing that generic project management tools handle badly.
Problem Solved
Budgets live in spreadsheets, hours live in a time tracker, invoices live in accounting software, and nobody can say whether a project is making money until someone assembles all three by hand. Factor A/E keeps the project plan, the hours against it, and the invoice in one system, so profitability is visible while the work is running rather than after it closes. It supports fixed-fee, hourly, and phased billing, and syncs invoices and payments with QuickBooks Online. The company reports that one firm cut a 20-day billing cycle to four hours, which is the vendor's figure and not something AEC Hub has verified.
Audience Fit
Primary Users:
- Firm Owner
- Project Manager
- Office Manager
- Architect
- Engineer
Ideal Fit:
- A&E firms needing to consolidate multiple tools
- Firms struggling with billing efficiency
- Teams requiring real-time budget visibility
- Organizations managing subconsultants
- Firms using QuickBooks for accounting
- Small to mid-size practices seeking affordable solutions
Key Differentiator
Project planning, hours, and invoicing in one system, built around how A&E firms bill
Workflow Fit
Project Phases Covered:
- Pre-project (opportunity tracking)
- Planning & budgeting
- Execution & tracking
- Billing & invoicing
- Analysis & reporting
Where It Plugs In:
Serves as the central hub for all project and business operations throughout the entire project lifecycle. Integrates with QuickBooks Online for accounting synchronization. Replaces disconnected spreadsheets, time tracking tools, and manual invoicing processes.
User Experience
Speed: Browser-based, so there is nothing to install for staff entering time
Interface: Clean, modern web interface with role-specific dashboards (The Pulse) providing firm-wide visibility and individual project views
Learning Curve: Moderate. The vendor reports most firms entering time within weeks and invoicing by the next billing cycle, and provides onboarding help and live chat
Collaboration: Built-in task management with automated reminders, resource scheduling showing team availability, and shared visibility across roles from owners to project managers
Integrations: QuickBooks Online, syncing invoices and payments
Bonus Insight
Pricing is published, which is uncommon in a category where most vendors quote privately: $30 per user per month billed annually, or $36 billed monthly, with every feature included and no tiers. Implementation is scoped and quoted separately, so ask for that number before comparing against a competitor's all-in price. The comparison that matters is against Deltek Vantagepoint, Unanet AE, BQE CORE, and Monograph, and how your firm bills usually settles the choice rather than the feature list. If you run percent-complete billing on phased fees with subconsultant markup, test that specific workflow during a trial rather than the demo project. The claims of being the most affordable and the most adoptable platform in the industry are the company's own, with no independent benchmark behind them.
Need help implementing Factor A/E?
Our advisory team has hands-on experience across 520+ AEC tools. Book a free AI strategy session to get specific recommendations for your firm.
Real Users Say
"Factor saves us countless hours each month in tracking budgets, invoicing, and employee's time & expenses."
"A 20-Day Billing Cycle Cut Down to 4 Hours"
"Factor helps us stay on top of team members to keep them within their projected timeframes."