Construction & Architecture · head to head
Chief Architect vs Primavera P6

Chief Architect
Construction & Architecture
Professional home design and construction software
- From
- $695/perpetual
- Rated
- -

Primavera P6
Construction & Architecture
Enterprise project portfolio management for construction
- From
- $2500/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Chief Architect chief Architect Premier is $229 per month or $1,995 per year, with the monthly option costing 27% more than annual; Primavera P6 listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller RPC UK Limited at £165 to £439 per user per month for Oracle Primavera P6 EPPM
- They diverge on capability: Chief Architect covers 2D and 3D design, Primavera P6 covers CPM scheduling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Chief Architect and Primavera P6 actually diverge.
| Attribute | Chief Architect | Primavera P6 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $695/perpetual | $2500/year |
| Pricing model | one-time | subscription |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac | Windows, Web |
| Founded | 1991 | 1977 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Construction & Architecture).
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 Chief Architect
- 2D and 3D design
- Floor plan creation
- Construction documentation
- Material lists
- Rendering
- Revit
- SketchUp
- CAD
Only in Primavera P6
- CPM scheduling
- Resource management
- Cost management
- Risk analysis
- Portfolio management
- Oracle ERP
- Unifier
- Aconex
Both cover
- Windows support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Chief Architect
- Producing construction documents, elevations and 3D renderings for residential architecturenot Primavera P6
- Automatic generation of framing, roofs and material lists from a building modelnot Primavera P6
- Kitchen and bath design with manufacturer cabinet catalogsnot Primavera P6
Primavera P6
- Project schedulingnot Chief Architect
- Resource planningnot Chief Architect
- Cost controlnot Chief Architect
- Portfolio managementnot Chief Architect
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Chief Architect
- Chief Architect Premier is $229 per month or $1,995 per year, with the monthly option costing 27% more than annual
- Software rentals have been replaced with subscriptions and access to the software ends at the conclusion of the current billing period once cancelled
- The $995 upgrade price for existing legacy licence holders applies to the first year only, after which standard rates apply
Primavera P6
- Listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller RPC UK Limited at £165 to £439 per user per month for Oracle Primavera P6 EPPM
Pricing, plan by plan
Chief Architect
$695/perpetual- Standard$695/perpetual
- 2D and 3D design
- Floor plan creation
- Construction documentation
- Architectural$1595/perpetual
- Advanced architectural tools
- BIM capabilities
- Rendering
Primavera P6
$2500/year- P6 Professional$2500/year
- Project scheduling
- Resource management
- Cost tracking
- P6 EPPMFree
- Enterprise PPM
- Portfolio management
- Advanced analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Chief Architect if
- You need 2d and 3d design.
- You work on Windows, Mac.
- You also want floor plan creation.
Choose Primavera P6 if
- You need cpm scheduling.
- You work on Windows, Web.
- You also want resource management.
Questions people ask
- Is Chief Architect or Primavera P6 better?
- Neither clearly leads. Chief Architect starts at $695/perpetual and Primavera P6 at $2500/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Chief Architect or Primavera P6?
- Chief Architect starts at $695/perpetual and Primavera P6 at $2500/year.
- Does Chief Architect or Primavera P6 run on more platforms?
- Chief Architect runs on Windows, Mac. Primavera P6 runs on Windows, Web.
- What is Chief Architect best used for?
- Chief Architect is most often used for producing construction documents, elevations and 3d renderings for residential architecture, automatic generation of framing, roofs and material lists from a building model, kitchen and bath design with manufacturer cabinet catalogs. Of those, producing construction documents, elevations and 3d renderings for residential architecture and automatic generation of framing, roofs and material lists from a building model are not what Primavera P6 is typically brought in for.
- What can Chief Architect do that Primavera P6 cannot?
- Chief Architect covers 2D and 3D design, Floor plan creation, Construction documentation, Material lists. Primavera P6 covers CPM scheduling, Resource management, Cost management, Risk analysis. Both handle Windows support.
Related pages
More on Chief Architect
More on Primavera P6
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