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Construction · head to head

Briq vs Chief Architect

Briq logo

Briq

Construction

Financial automation and forecasting for contractors sitting on top of construction ERP

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Chief Architect logo

Chief Architect

Construction

Professional home design and construction software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Chief Architect has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Briq briq layers on top of an ERP rather than replacing it, so the total finance software bill goes up and the business case has to come from headcount or close-time savings that are hard to measure in advance.; Chief Architect no free tier after trial
  • They diverge on capability: Briq covers Invoice capture and coding, Chief Architect covers 2D and 3D design.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Briq and Chief Architect actually diverge.

Attributes where Briq and Chief Architect differ
AttributeBriqChief Architect
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWindows, Mac
FoundedUnknown1991

Identical on both: 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 Briq

  • Invoice capture and coding
  • WIP schedules
  • Cash flow forecasting
  • Cost at completion forecasting
  • Multi-entity consolidation
  • Overhead allocation
  • Workflow automation
  • Dashboards and reporting

Only in Chief Architect

  • 2D and 3D design
  • Floor plan creation
  • Construction documentation
  • Material lists
  • Rendering
  • Revit
  • SketchUp
  • CAD

What people use each for

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

Briq

  • A contractor whose month-end close runs three weeks because WIP is rebuilt by hand in Excel every periodnot Chief Architect
  • A group with four operating companies on different chart-of-accounts structures that needs one consolidated margin viewnot Chief Architect
  • A specialty contractor processing thousands of supplier invoices a month that wants coding and approval automated rather than keyednot Chief Architect
  • A finance director who needs a defensible cost-at-completion forecast for a surety or lender rather than a project manager's estimatenot Chief Architect

Chief Architect

  • Home design and architectural planningnot Briq
  • Kitchen and bathroom designnot Briq
  • Interior design and remodelingnot Briq
  • Professional building designnot Briq

Where each one falls short

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

Briq

  • Briq layers on top of an ERP rather than replacing it, so the total finance software bill goes up and the business case has to come from headcount or close-time savings that are hard to measure in advance.
  • The output is only as good as job cost coding in the underlying ledger, and contractors with inconsistent cost codes get faster visibility of a mess rather than a clean forecast.
  • No pricing is published and the contract is scoped by entities, modules and transaction volume, which makes budgeting impossible without a full discovery exercise.
  • Implementation is a data mapping project against systems such as Vista and Sage 300 that were not designed to be read this way, so go-live timelines run into months and depend on your own finance team's availability.
  • It targets mid-market and larger contractors; a firm with one entity and a competent controller in Excel will not recover the cost, and the product is oversized for smaller subcontractors.

Chief Architect

  • No free tier after trial
  • Monthly subscription at $229/month is significantly higher than annual equivalent ($166.25/month)
  • Trial download available but duration and features not specified
  • No mention of team or multi-user plans

Pricing, plan by plan

Briq

On request
  • Briq$undefined/year
    • Annual platform subscription
    • Scoped by modules, entities and transaction volume
    • Implementation and data mapping quoted separately

Chief Architect

Free
  • Monthly Subscription$229/month
    • Software upgrades
    • Premium catalog downloads
    • Priority technical support
  • Annual Subscription$1995/year
    • 27% savings vs monthly
    • All monthly benefits included
  • Legacy License Upgrade$995/year
    • 50% discount first year
    • Then $1,995/year
    • For existing Chief Architect users

Which should you pick?

Choose Briq if

  • You need invoice capture and coding.
  • You also want wip schedules.
Briq review

Choose Chief Architect if

  • You need 2d and 3d design.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac.
  • You also want floor plan creation.
Chief Architect review

Questions people ask

Is Briq or Chief Architect better?
Neither clearly leads. Briq starts at On request and Chief Architect at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Briq or Chief Architect?
Chief Architect has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Briq and Free for Chief Architect.
Does Briq or Chief Architect run on more platforms?
Briq runs on Web. Chief Architect runs on Windows, Mac.
Can I use Chief Architect for free?
Yes. Chief Architect has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Briq starts at On request.
What is Briq best used for?
Briq is most often used for a contractor whose month-end close runs three weeks because wip is rebuilt by hand in excel every period, a group with four operating companies on different chart-of-accounts structures that needs one consolidated margin view, a specialty contractor processing thousands of supplier invoices a month that wants coding and approval automated rather than keyed, a finance director who needs a defensible cost-at-completion forecast for a surety or lender rather than a project manager's estimate. Of those, a contractor whose month-end close runs three weeks because wip is rebuilt by hand in excel every period and a group with four operating companies on different chart-of-accounts structures that needs one consolidated margin view are not what Chief Architect is typically brought in for.
What can Briq do that Chief Architect cannot?
Briq covers Invoice capture and coding, WIP schedules, Cash flow forecasting, Cost at completion forecasting. Chief Architect covers 2D and 3D design, Floor plan creation, Construction documentation, Material lists.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Briq: Does Briq replace my construction accounting system?

No. It reads from Vista, Sage or similar and automates the reporting and forecasting layer above them. You keep the ERP.

Chief Architect: How much does Chief Architect cost?

Chief Architect costs $229/month on a monthly subscription, or $1,995/year ($166.25/month equivalent) for annual billing, representing a 27% discount.

Source
Briq: What does it cost?

Briq does not publish pricing. Contracts are scoped by module, entity count and transaction volume and quoted annually.

Chief Architect: Is there a free trial available?

Yes, a free trial download is available for prospective customers to evaluate Chief Architect before purchase.

Source
Briq: How long does implementation take?

Expect months rather than weeks, because most of the work is mapping and cleaning job cost data from the existing ledger.

Chief Architect: Is there a discount for existing Chief Architect license holders?

Yes, legacy license holders can upgrade to an annual subscription for $995 the first year (50% discount), then $1,995/year thereafter.

Source
Briq: Is it useful for a single-entity contractor?

Less so. The strongest case is multi-entity consolidation and high invoice volume; a small contractor gets thinner returns.

Chief Architect: What is included in the subscription?

Chief Architect subscription includes software upgrades, premium catalog downloads for design assets, and priority technical support.

Source
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