Choose for the firm you are building
Alcove is strongest around procurement automation, carrier tracking, and purchasing services. Workroom is designed for the full operating journey beyond procurement—from studio work and time to fees, accounting, and profit. The right choice depends on which operating problem matters most.
What Alcove does — and where it stops
What Alcove does well
Procurement automation, purpose-built: AI-assisted clipping, automatic FedEx, UPS and USPS tracking, and a purchasing service that quotes the order, buys at net, and ships at a flat 15%.
Where it stops
At the delivery. No time tracking, no design fee schedules, no retainers, no contractor bills, no change orders — and QuickBooks is a one-way invoice push.
Why the gaps cost money
Tracking a shipment well is not the same as knowing what the job earned. In Workroom the same order carries through to the fee, the invoice, the ledger entry, and the post-project audit.
Trusted by the studios doing the work
| Capability | Workroom | Alcove |
|---|---|---|
| Product clipper / import | ✓ Built-in, any URL | ✓ With AI extraction |
| Purchase order management | ✓ Full PO & receiving | ✓ Core feature |
| Carrier tracking | ◐ Tracking numbers on the order | ✓ FedEx, UPS, USPS automatic |
| Purchasing service | ✗ You buy direct from your vendors | ✓ Quotes, net discount, flat 15% shipping |
| Estimates & invoices | ✓ Native suite | ✓ Professional tier |
| Project profitability | ✓ Live, plus a post-project audit | ✓ Professional tier |
| QuickBooks | ✓ Two-way sync | ◐ One-way invoice push |
| Time tracking & billing | ✓ Timelogs feed the fee schedule | ✗ Not listed |
| Design fee schedules | ✓ Flat, hourly and per square foot | ✗ Not listed |
| Retainers | ✓ Held as client funds, drawn down | ✗ Not listed |
| Bills / contractor AP | ✓ Included | ✗ Not listed |
| Change orders | ✓ Priced and approved | ✗ Not listed |
| Pricing | $29–$67 per user / month | $75–$99 base, +$35 per seat |
Compiled from Alcove’s own published pages in August 2026. “Not listed” means the capability is not described anywhere on their site — it is not a claim that it cannot be done. Check their current pricing →
“Procurement is the loudest part of the job, not the whole of it. The order that ships still has to become an invoice, a margin, and a lesson for the next proposal.”
Compare Workroom on your real workflow
Bring a real active project. We’ll follow the work, the documents, and the money through Workroom from end to end.