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Construction · head to head

Procore vs Houdini

Procore logo

Procore

Construction

All-in-one construction management platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Houdini logo

Houdini

CAD

Procedural 3D animation and VFX

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Houdini has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Procore no price is published: the fee is an upfront annual amount set against Annual Construction Volume, the aggregate dollar value of work across a customer's projects; Houdini houdini Indie at $299 per year requires annual gross revenue under $100K USD
  • They diverge on capability: Procore covers Project management, Houdini covers Procedural modeling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Procore and Houdini actually diverge.

Attributes where Procore and Houdini differ
AttributeProcoreHoudini
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, MacOS, Linux
CategoryConstructionCAD
Founded20021987

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Procore

  • Project management
  • Quality & safety
  • Financial management
  • Resource management
  • Document control
  • QuickBooks
  • Sage
  • Microsoft 365

Only in Houdini

  • Procedural modeling
  • VFX
  • Simulations
  • Particle systems
  • Pyro FX
  • Ocean tools
  • Rigging
  • Rendering

What people use each for

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

Procore

  • Construction project management with unlimited team collaborationnot Houdini
  • Document management and real-time data access across projectsnot Houdini
  • Team communication and coordination on construction sitesnot Houdini

Houdini

  • Procedural 3D modelling and environment generationnot Procore
  • Visual effects simulation for pyro, fluids, cloth and rigid bodiesnot Procore
  • Building reusable procedural assets for a studio pipelinenot Procore

Where each one falls short

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

Procore

  • No price is published: the fee is an upfront annual amount set against Annual Construction Volume, the aggregate dollar value of work across a customer's projects
  • Pricing scales with construction volume rather than seats, so a contractor cannot estimate cost from team size
  • Every figure requires contacting sales, and products are quoted individually rather than as one list price

Houdini

  • Houdini Indie at $299 per year requires annual gross revenue under $100K USD
  • Houdini Indie cannot be used in the same pipeline as commercial versions of Houdini
  • Houdini Indie and Apprentice save to their own .hipnc file format, which commercial Houdini pipelines do not share
  • The free Apprentice edition is non commercial, caps render resolution at 1920x1080 and watermarks output images
  • Houdini Indie ships with only 2 render tokens
  • Full DOP level simulation node access requires Houdini FX at $4,495 per workstation; Core at $1,995 exposes only SOP level pre built simulation assets
  • Extra render tokens cost $195

Pricing, plan by plan

Procore

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Procore review.

Houdini

Free
  • ApprenticeFree
    • Learning version
    • Non-commercial
  • Indie$269/month
    • Revenue limit $100K
  • Core$1995/month
    • Full commercial
  • FX$4495/month
    • Full + simulations

Which should you pick?

Choose Procore if

  • You need project management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want quality & safety.
Procore review

Choose Houdini if

  • You need procedural modeling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want vfx.
Houdini review

Questions people ask

Is Procore or Houdini better?
Neither clearly leads. Procore starts at On request and Houdini at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Procore or Houdini?
Houdini has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Procore and Free for Houdini.
Does Procore or Houdini run on more platforms?
Procore runs on Web, iOS, Android. Houdini runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Can I use Houdini for free?
Yes. Houdini has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Procore starts at On request.
What is Procore best used for?
Procore is most often used for construction project management with unlimited team collaboration, document management and real-time data access across projects, team communication and coordination on construction sites. Of those, construction project management with unlimited team collaboration and document management and real-time data access across projects are not what Houdini is typically brought in for.
What can Procore do that Houdini cannot?
Procore covers Project management, Quality & safety, Financial management, Resource management. Houdini covers Procedural modeling, VFX, Simulations, Particle systems.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Procore: How is Procore pricing calculated?

Procore uses Annual Construction Volume (ACV) pricing, which is the aggregate dollar value of construction work across your projects. Pricing varies by products selected and company type. Annual contracts provide fixed, predictable pricing from day one.

Source
Houdini: How much does SideFX Houdini cost?

SideFX Houdini pricing is not published on their website. Specific prices for commercial, educational, and non-commercial licenses must be obtained by adding items to your cart or contacting SideFX sales directly.

Source
Procore: Are there per-user fees in Procore, or can I add unlimited team members?

Procore offers unlimited users at no additional cost. You can grow your team and collaborate without per-seat license fees. All plans include 24/7 support, product enhancements, implementation services, and 18 on-demand role-based certifications.

Source
Houdini: What license types does Houdini offer?

Houdini offers Commercial licenses (Houdini Indie for under $100K USD annual revenue, Houdini Core, Houdini FX, Houdini Engine), Non-Commercial licenses (Houdini Apprentice free, Houdini Education for Students and Schools), Rental options, and Annual Upgrade Plans. Volume-based discounts are available for Houdini Engine.

Source
Procore: What is included in Procore plans beyond the base price?

All Procore plans include unlimited users, unlimited data storage, unlimited 24/7 support, product enhancements, implementation services, and training resources. No additional fees apply for support, data overage, or user additions.

Source
Houdini: Is Houdini available for free?

Yes. Houdini Apprentice is available free for non-commercial use. Houdini Education licenses are also available for students and schools at no cost.

Source
Houdini: Are volume discounts available for Houdini?

Yes. Volume-based discounts are available for Houdini Engine licenses. Rental and Annual Upgrade Plan pricing have been adjusted as of Houdini 21.

Source
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