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Construction · head to head

ALICE Technologies vs Foundation Software

ALICE Technologies logo

ALICE Technologies

Construction

Generative construction scheduling that produces and compares millions of build sequences

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Foundation Software logo

Foundation Software

Construction

Job cost accounting and construction payroll for contractors running certified and union jobs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ALICE Technologies the output is only as good as the recipes, and building accurate recipes is specialist modelling work most contractors cannot staff, so engagements depend on ALICE or a consultant doing it, which turns software into a services contract.; Foundation Software no pricing is published anywhere, so shortlisting requires sitting through a sales process before you know whether the product is within budget at all.
  • They diverge on capability: ALICE Technologies covers Generative scheduling, Foundation Software covers Job costing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ALICE Technologies and Foundation Software actually diverge.

Attributes where ALICE Technologies and Foundation Software differ
AttributeALICE TechnologiesFoundation Software
PlatformsWeb, WindowsWindows, Web, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Construction).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ALICE Technologies

  • Generative scheduling
  • Recipe modelling
  • Optioneering
  • Schedule recovery
  • Resource levelling
  • 4D visualisation
  • P6 and MS Project import
  • Scenario comparison reports

Only in Foundation Software

  • Job costing
  • Certified payroll
  • Union payroll
  • AIA billing
  • Equipment costing
  • Service dispatch
  • Mobile time entry
  • Executive dashboards

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ALICE Technologies

  • A data centre programme where six months of earlier energisation is worth more than the entire construction management budget, and the owner wants evidence that a proposed sequence change actually delivers itnot Foundation Software
  • A contractor facing liquidated damages that must decide between a second shift, a second crane and resequencing, and needs the cost and duration consequence of each before committingnot Foundation Software
  • A bid team wanting to submit a shorter programme than competitors while proving to the client that the resource profile is achievable rather than optimisticnot Foundation Software
  • A delay claim where the contractor must demonstrate to a client or adjudicator what the schedule would have looked like without a specific disruptionnot Foundation Software

Foundation Software

  • A union electrical or mechanical contractor whose payroll spans several trades and fringe schedules in the same weeknot ALICE Technologies
  • A general contractor bidding federally funded work that requires weekly certified payroll filingsnot ALICE Technologies
  • A contractor whose QuickBooks file has outgrown job costing and who is reconciling work in progress in spreadsheetsnot ALICE Technologies
  • A firm with owned plant that needs equipment hours costed back to jobs to see true contract marginnot ALICE Technologies

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ALICE Technologies

  • The output is only as good as the recipes, and building accurate recipes is specialist modelling work most contractors cannot staff, so engagements depend on ALICE or a consultant doing it, which turns software into a services contract.
  • Pricing is quoted per project or programme with no published rates, so the tool is effectively unavailable to anyone who cannot justify a bespoke enterprise negotiation.
  • It only pays back on projects where float has a high monetary value; on a mid-size commercial building the modelling effort exceeds the schedule saving, which is why the customer list skews to data centres, energy and heavy civils.
  • A generated schedule still has to be accepted by superintendents and subcontractors who did not build it, and adoption failures are usually social rather than technical: the field runs the plan it believes in.
  • The 2026 McKinsey alliance pushes distribution towards consulting-led engagements, which raises the effective cost of entry and makes the direct-purchase path less certain for a contractor that just wants a licence.

Foundation Software

  • No pricing is published anywhere, so shortlisting requires sitting through a sales process before you know whether the product is within budget at all.
  • Implementation, data conversion and training are billed separately from the licence and routinely run into five figures, which buyers comparing monthly software subscriptions do not budget for.
  • The payroll compliance engine is built for United States federal and state law, so the product has essentially no value to contractors outside the US.
  • The interface is a long-lived Windows-style application, and staff hired from cloud-native tools find it slow to learn compared with Buildertrend or Procore.
  • Project management, document control and field collaboration are weaker than the dedicated construction platforms, so most sites end up running Foundation for money and something else for the job, and paying twice.

Pricing, plan by plan

ALICE Technologies

On request
  • ALICE$undefined/year
    • Quoted per project or per programme
    • Generative scheduling and optioneering
    • Recipe modelling support

Foundation Software

On request
  • FOUNDATION$undefined/year
    • Modular licensing, priced by modules and user count
    • Cloud hosted or installed on your own server
    • Separate one-off implementation, data conversion and training fee

Which should you pick?

Choose ALICE Technologies if

  • You need generative scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want recipe modelling.
ALICE Technologies review

Choose Foundation Software if

  • You need job costing.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want certified payroll.
Foundation Software review

Questions people ask

Is ALICE Technologies or Foundation Software better?
Neither clearly leads. ALICE Technologies starts at On request and Foundation Software at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ALICE Technologies or Foundation Software?
ALICE Technologies starts at On request and Foundation Software at On request.
Does ALICE Technologies or Foundation Software run on more platforms?
ALICE Technologies runs on Web, Windows. Foundation Software runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is ALICE Technologies best used for?
ALICE Technologies is most often used for a data centre programme where six months of earlier energisation is worth more than the entire construction management budget, and the owner wants evidence that a proposed sequence change actually delivers it, a contractor facing liquidated damages that must decide between a second shift, a second crane and resequencing, and needs the cost and duration consequence of each before committing, a bid team wanting to submit a shorter programme than competitors while proving to the client that the resource profile is achievable rather than optimistic, a delay claim where the contractor must demonstrate to a client or adjudicator what the schedule would have looked like without a specific disruption. Of those, a data centre programme where six months of earlier energisation is worth more than the entire construction management budget, and the owner wants evidence that a proposed sequence change actually delivers it and a contractor facing liquidated damages that must decide between a second shift, a second crane and resequencing, and needs the cost and duration consequence of each before committing are not what Foundation Software is typically brought in for.
What can ALICE Technologies do that Foundation Software cannot?
ALICE Technologies covers Generative scheduling, Recipe modelling, Optioneering, Schedule recovery. Foundation Software covers Job costing, Certified payroll, Union payroll, AIA billing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ALICE Technologies: What does ALICE actually produce?

A set of alternative construction sequences generated from your constraints, scored on duration, cost and resource use, so you can choose rather than accept one plan.

Foundation Software: How much does Foundation Software cost?

The vendor publishes no rates. Pricing is assembled per contractor from module selection and user count, with a separate implementation fee, and is only given after a discovery call.

ALICE Technologies: Does it replace Primavera P6?

No. It imports from and exports to P6. P6 remains the contractual schedule of record on most projects.

Foundation Software: Does it replace Procore?

No. Foundation is the accounting and payroll system; Procore is project management. They integrate, and many contractors run both.

ALICE Technologies: Is the company still operating?

Yes. ALICE is active as of 2026 and announced an alliance with McKinsey in April 2026 to deliver AI scheduling to McKinsey clients.

Foundation Software: Can it handle certified payroll for multiple states?

Yes, it produces state-specific certified payroll formats as well as the federal WH-347, which is the main reason multi-state contractors buy it.

ALICE Technologies: How much does it cost?

Not published. It is quoted per project or programme and typically includes modelling and onboarding services.

Foundation Software: Is there a cloud version?

Yes, it is offered hosted as well as on-premise, but the hosted version is the same application delivered remotely rather than a rebuilt browser product.

ALICE Technologies: What size project justifies it?

Projects where a week of schedule has a large monetary value: data centres, energy, industrial and major infrastructure. It is hard to justify on standard commercial building work.

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