Choose for the firm you are building
DesignSpec is strongest around commercial and hospitality specification depth, Revit workflows, and custom reports. Workroom is designed for residential design-firm operations spanning projects, procurement, time, billing, and profitability. The right choice depends on which operating problem matters most.
What DesignSpec does — and where it stops
What DesignSpec does well
Large commercial and hospitality specification: coding schemes, areas, subareas and floors, revision tracking, Revit sync, and a bidding portal that drops vendor quotes straight into the project.
Where it stops
After the budget. No invoices, no retainers, no contractor bills, no design fee schedules, no time tracking, no profitability — and purchase orders and shipment tracking start at the Complete tier.
Why the gaps cost money
A spec is the first version of a number, not the last. Workroom takes that same line through the PO, the invoice, the ledger, and the audit that tells you what the job actually earned.
Trusted by the studios doing the work
| Capability | Workroom | DesignSpec |
|---|---|---|
| Web clipper / product import | ✓ Built-in, any URL | ✓ All plans |
| Specification schedules | ✓ Rooms, areas and revisions | ✓ Areas, subareas, floors, revision dates |
| Spec coding schemes | ◐ Tags and custom fields | ✓ Studio PRO |
| Revit sync | ✗ Not offered | ✓ Studio PRO |
| Brand standards | ✓ Enforced across projects | ✓ Core positioning |
| Client portal | ✓ Approvals per line item | ✓ All plans |
| Purchase orders | ✓ Every plan | ◐ Complete tier only |
| Shipment tracking | ✓ Item-level receiving | ◐ Complete tier only |
| Vendor bidding / RFQs | ✗ Not offered | ✓ Complete PRO |
| Budgets | ✓ Live against the schedule | ✓ Generated from specifications |
| Estimates & invoices | ✓ Native suite | ✗ Not listed |
| Retainers | ✓ Held as client funds, drawn down | ✗ Not listed |
| Bills / contractor AP | ✓ Included | ✗ Not listed |
| Design fee schedules | ✓ Flat, hourly and per square foot | ✗ Not listed |
| Time tracking | ✓ Timelogs feed the fee schedule | ✗ Not listed |
| Project profitability | ✓ Live, plus a post-project audit | ✗ Not listed |
| Accounting sync | ✓ Two-way QuickBooks | ◐ Export of budgets and POs |
| Pricing | $29–$67 per user / month | $59–$149 first user, $69–$85 each after |
Compiled from DesignSpec’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 →
“A specification is not the finish line. It is the first version of a number that will change six times before anyone gets paid.”
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.