# BQE CORE Suite Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is BQE CORE Suite the right Trust Accounting solution for you? Explore 786 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/141096/BQE-Software/reviews --- BQE CORE Suite 4.5 (786) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/141096/BQE-Software/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of BQE CORE Suite Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.6 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Jessica S AdminAccounting, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “It’s a powerful, all-in-one solution that helps streamline project management, time tracking, and accounting in a single platform. While there is a bit of a learning curve at the beginning, the efficiency and visibility it provides into projects and finances make it well worth it.“ May 6, 2026 CF Colby F Architectural TechnologistArchitecture & Planning, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Not being able to read longer titles on projects.“ April 18, 2026 Montasir M Civil EngineerCivil Engineering, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “It is an intuitive and powerful tool that simplifies project management, time tracking, and expense management for small to midsize businesses.“ January 13, 2025 Bryon Y PrincipalArchitecture & Planning, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Very slow, cumbersome at times to run reports and navigate. “ March 18, 2026 CC Carmela C Accountant-administratorConstruction, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It did have some features that we thought were great, like the invoicing which I still think works very well, and the easy synchronization with QB.“ March 26, 2026 Bryon Y PrincipalArchitecture & Planning, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Not really geared for project/task management. “ March 18, 2026 JS Jess S Project DesignerArchitecture & Planning, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “It allows for clear communication between myself and my team leadership, so there is no question about where my time is going and how long a task took to complete.“ September 3, 2024 TM Tim M Senior Engineer IConstruction, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “One minor complaint is that sometimes my time entries double up for no reason. “ November 21, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 786 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Amy H. Project Coordinator Civil Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "BQE Review" August 6, 2024 4.0 I switched to this system after using another finance system for 18 years and it was an easy interface and allowed for minimal training so even our entry level staff picked it up quickly. Pros The ability to run multiple reports and drop them into excel. Cons I wish we could save multiple filters for the T&E reviewer since I use that the majority of the time. Switched from [BST10](https://www.capterra.com/p/36030/BST10/) My job changed so I had to change from the system I used for almost 2 decades! Review Source SH Sydney H. Office Manager Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Speed up time and expense tracking, easy all-in-one system!" June 9, 2025 5.0 Overall our company is very satisfied with the use of CORE. We have become much more efficient in our operations and allowing more of our employee's time to be not only used for more important things than tedious admin work, but also easier to view and project their day to day tasks. Pros Able to implement it quickly, and my team caught on quick with training. It was not as painful to switch from our previous processes as we expected. Cons There have been some minor bugs but we were never without anything for an extended amount of time and customer service has been very helpful. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Director of Operations Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Software has issues, but their customer support is pretty good" September 1, 2023 2.0 In theory, I like all of the features that core has to offer, however, when the features don't work the way they're supposed to it becomes a bit of a nightmare to use. It has a lot of bugs, crashes often and in general is just not very user friendly. Pros I like the expense management feature for employee reimbursement and client billing purposes. I also liked the accounting feature that allows you to bill expenses straight from the Cloudfeeds. I also really liked their customer support. They have a solid team on standby for customer support. I would often get the same person when I called. They are super friendly and know how to navigate the software. Cons It's time consuming to use - it's so slow and there are a lot of features that bug out and simply don't work the way they're supposed to, so I spend a lot of time navigating all of that, which is a bummer. Alternatives considered [Deltek Costpoint](https://www.capterra.com/p/155685/Deltek-Costpoint/)[Deltek Acumen](https://www.capterra.com/p/10001903/Deltek-Acumen/)[Deltek PPM](https://www.capterra.com/p/154650/Deltek-Project-Portfolio-Management/)[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)[Deltek Vision](https://www.capterra.com/p/1404/Deltek-Vision/) Reason for choosing BQE CORE Suite The owner of the firm worked with the BQE team when they first started building the software, he was informing them of features that would be useful for the architecture firm, so he set the company up with BQE to support their mission. Switched from [Harvest](https://www.capterra.com/p/75598/Harvest/)[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) The owner of the firm worked with the BQE team when they first started building the software, he was informing them of features that would be useful for the architecture firm, so he set the company up with BQE to support their mission. Review Source GB Gideon B. Customer Manager Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "An elegant tool for expense management " March 20, 2025 4.0 The software has automated our daily operations and saved us alot of time. Tye product is a game changer. Pros The software is simple and easy to use. Recording expenses using the platform is much easier. BQR CORE also enbles us to quickly track and control our expenses in real-time. Cons I appreciate services of the product. It is worth it. Review Source TM Tim M. Senior Engineer I Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Helps Me Focus on the Business End" November 21, 2024 5.0 Overall, I find the suite to be very helpful for what I need it for. It allows me to focus on my work without stressing about this aspect of the business. I more-often-than-not trust that things are taken care of properly and effectively. Pros It's easy to navigate and find what you need. This is an important aspect because I don't want to have to spend a lot of time trying to navigate my way around. Cons One minor complaint is that sometimes my time entries double up for no reason. This can lead to confusion within our payroll department. Switched from [ArchiOffice](https://www.capterra.com/p/233317/ArchiOffice/) Tried to make invoicing more streamlined Review Source VG Vicky G. Interior Project Manager Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Recommended" January 13, 2025 5.0 Pros It is very easy to use. And lots of functions Cons nothing I really don't like. It is all good. Review Source MK Mary K. Finance Analyst Management Consulting Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "BQE Core makes life easier!" January 6, 2025 5.0 BQE Core is easy to navigate and if issues and/or questions do arise, their customer service team is always quick to answer our questions! Pros BQE Core Suite makes invoicing and reconciling expenses fast and efficient, giving us the opportunity to update any items that may need adjusted prior to finalizing any entries each month. Cons BQE Core Suite runs a bit slower than we would prefer, but otherwise, it suits all our needs! Review Source GN Garrett N. Architect Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Signal Arch" January 3, 2025 5.0 Excellent a great tool - would recommend to any ARE firm. Pros I think it is easy to navigate and the user interface is very pleasing. I like the webinars too. Cons Signing in every time can be a bit of a slog. Review Source GH Gunes H. Attorney Legal Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Good time keeping program" January 3, 2025 4.0 Pros It's convenient to use. I like how it tallies all my hours on a daily and weekly basis. Cons Sometimes BQE CORE Suite glitches (not too often, though). Review Source CC Cassidy C. Interior Design Design Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great Product" January 3, 2025 5.0 Overall, very satisfied with using the program Pros It is organized; everything is easy to find. Clear labels, info graphics, and tutorials are great Cons I did find the expenses portion to be a little confusing Review Source JH Joanthan H. Off ce admin Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great software" July 30, 2024 5.0 Pros time tracking is super helpful for everyone Cons initial setup is a heavy lift if you're the only one doing it Alternatives considered [NetSuite](https://www.capterra.com/p/135757/NetSuite/) Reason for choosing BQE CORE Suite price Switched from [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Quickbooks Online was a massive downgrade from their desktop program Review Source CS Christine S. Finance Manager Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Existing User" May 7, 2019 5.0 We've had our ups and downs. After a couple of days on the phone with customer support, things have been clarified and settled. I understand some of my problems now and how to fix them. It is really the first time I have felt comfortable with my choice in software. As I learn new things, play with it more and talk with customer support things that I thought might be deal burners, are really not. We all need to accept change, and for me as a former development programmer, I am used to it. I was not that into our existing software that we are replacing as I only had to deal with it for a year as I am kind of the new employee. Yes, I looked at several different software options. Yes, some had more features than others, some less. It is going to be pretty difficult to find a replacement software that is exactly like the one you are replacing. My original review stated there were a lot of bugs. I'm not so sure about that statement any longer. For me, it works better through Crome than Edge. I did have quite a few issues when running in Edge. This may be a problem that has since been fixed, but I'm okay in chrome. Pros I have had more time with the software since my last review. As I slowly convert the firms old data to this new software, things are falling into place quickly. I'm becoming attuned to the software. Learning little things I didn't know where there, both by playing around and talking with customer support. This software is easy to learn. Not a real big learning curve, assuming you are familiar with project management, accounting, project setup or you have people familiar with those areas. I do it all, and basically maintain everything for everyone else. Cons I don't have many, but if I had to pick... they are not really cons, as I hope they will expand to these later on. API with Office 365/Outlook would be a nice added bonus. For me, especially Outlook. Also API with Quickbooks desktop version. This isn't a big issue, as I hope to also phase out QB and only use that software for payroll. Which I will then have an API if I go with QB Online/payroll. I will always use QB for payroll, so I am use to doing journal entries into systems to reflect the payroll numbers. This is not a hardship for me. Alternatives considered [Deltek Vantagepoint](https://www.capterra.com/p/225612/Vantagepoint/)[Kantata](https://www.capterra.com/p/110832/kantata/)[Wrike](https://www.capterra.com/p/76113/Wrike/)[Zoho Analytics](https://www.capterra.com/p/129749/Zoho-Analytics/) Reason for choosing BQE CORE Suite Zoho- (would have to interface with too many other software products) Mavenlink and Wrike, although awesome PM related software did not handle the AEC community as well as I would have liked. I currently have QB Enterprise Contractors edition, but it is for payroll only and duplicating invoices/checks from the old system at a high level for accounting purposes. This software did not, nor ever will do what I was told it could handle when I was looking to upgrade from PRO to an AEC community software. A total waste of high dollar money. Will go back to PRO or on-line for payroll only as soon as I am up and running 100% in CORE. Deltek, while they bought out WIND2, which is what I am replacing, and they covered pretty much everything in their new software options, I will not and cannot purchase a software where the company does not allow me some free demo months. If I couldn't demo and do one on one sessions with the software I was looking at and talk to techs, I wasn't interested. Deltek does not give you a free trial version and they are overpriced. Totally turned off by this company. They think they own the market in the AEC industry, and they really don't, but charge you like they do. Every software has a work around most of the time. I was determined to find one. Total Synergy...Never really gave this software a fair chance. With a walk thru demo, I was told something couldn't be done and just started looking elsewhere. Review Source DV Deborah V. Human Resources Administrator Maritime Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "This product delivers...if you want it, it can be done." June 12, 2023 4.0 the exec. appreciates the overall business analysis that can be obtained, time keeping is given back to the body of the staff and not the admin. staff, and can be seen and impacted live. project management is a complete task, not just partial tasks here and some in another area. Generally positive...difficult at first because change is hard, but once the benefits are realized, embraced ultimately. Pros once full integration is close, one can really see how the product can fully encompass all aspects. full analysis can be achieved if all data is inputted, but only then. if pieces are missing, so is the entire impact. time keeping can be accurate for all the employees...same story, expenses can be fully analyzed, project costing can be fully analyzed...but one must enter all of the data. it replaces most existing processes so it's difficult for some to "move on" so as not to duplicate. there are some glitches, but there usually is. Cons there might be too many features...not all businesses have them and while some recognize it, some will try to fill in all the blanks and this can be time wasteful. while there is a lot of "help", "dumbing it down" is never a bad thing. why not make it easy to understand? not everyone is an engineer...admins use it as well so keep it easy to understand for all. this gets more important the bigger the company gets...will support more administrative positions, so use the "kiss" principle-keep it simple st\*\*\*d. admins will get these tasks delegated to them ultimately so make it easier to understand no matter the degree/education Switched from [VeriClock](https://www.capterra.com/p/157274/VeriClock/) more features, ease of use, growing business, growing employee base Review Source IG Irving G. Design Principal Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best in Class Architecture Management" December 5, 2022 4.0 Overall, CORE has exceeded our expectations other than some basic simplicity in the user interface similar to Monograph, but with far more added flexibility meeting the daily needs of an architectural practice. Pros CORE has by far proven to be the most suitable fit for small architecture practices and firms as compared to many others out there cost hundreds of dollars more for each seat. The application serves our daily needs to keep our projects and staff on account, efficient and profitable. Cons Sometimes there's too much of a good thing, being that there's more than 1 way to get what you need and therefore it can get a bit complicated and confusing to navigate. Alternatives considered [Monograph](https://www.capterra.com/p/178124/Monograph/) Reason for choosing BQE CORE Suite We came over from ArchiOffice and CORE offers flexible pricing tiers and discounts for long term subscription, as well as a full compliment of modules included. Review Source FG Felice G. Office Manager Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "BQE Core Review Dec 2022" December 5, 2022 4.0 This software does take some time and effort to learn, but as with everything you get out of it what you put into it. You need to take the time to both learn and enter data so that you get accurate results. Pros The customer service is outstanding and available 24-7. The software itself is easy to use as long as you put the time in to learn what it can do. Reports are great and very customizable and if you cannot find what you need there is an option to reach out for a custom report for a fee. Time entry is extremely easy to do whether you are in the office or on the go. Cons Invoices when in draft mode cannot only have some changes made to them, whereas other PM software I have used lets you update more whilst in this mode. Also we started using the accounting feature and the bank feed updates are still not working Alternatives considered [Deltek Ajera](https://www.capterra.com/p/82750/Deltek-Ajera/) Reason for choosing BQE CORE Suite We were already using ArchiOffice and where happy with this project, so we decided to stay with BQE. Review Source TY Thomas Y. Project Manager Utilities Used the software for: 2+ years ### "BQE makes time keeping and tracking simple" August 27, 2024 5.0 BQE makes time keeping and tracking relatively easy. Good layout for site navigation. You can add widgets to your "dashboard" for what is important to you. Pros Good for time-sheet tracking. Both for yourself and tracking time billed to projects. Easy input with a well-working search feature and "Load Recent Activities" button. Also breaks up billable and non-billable time for you. Cons Our company does not use the Project Planning/Tracking App, so not comment on the usability of that. Review Source HS Harshad S. Field technician Civil Engineering Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Simple, easy and quick " October 15, 2024 5.0 Pros All Entries are easy to maintain and quick. Cons It is very easy to categorised all the expenses Review Source KW Karl W. GIS Analyst Environmental Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Easy to Use" August 6, 2024 5.0 easy to use, strong visuals and project management tools Pros the personal dashboards and the ease of expense tracking and project management Cons it is difficult to convert foreign currency Review Source MB Mylene B. Business Dev. Manager Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for profitability" July 30, 2024 4.0 a necessary tool for business growth, happy we did it! Pros Great to assist in project profitability Cons Very hard to learn, a lot of updates which is great but challenging Review Source LH Lee H. Owner Computer Software Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "BQE Core Review" December 5, 2022 4.0 I am staying with BQE because it is the best all-in-one program I could find. It isn't perfect and, in many ways, it is miserable to use because it takes a long time and is slow, not optimized for fast use and there are a lot of features that are missing required for efficient use. Pros I like that this software is fully functional and can potentially do anything a consultant or engineer would need to do without having to use other products. Cons BQE can do almost everything and therefore it is complex and requires a lot of assistance from tech support. I have found that on most calls I have made the lower tier tech support has to contact the upper tier tech support and gets back with me later - sometimes. I am still waiting on them to fix some things (for weeks or months now). The 'powerful' proposal builder is a joke. Tech support just told me to type it in another program and import it, but that doesn't even work well. I have found a bunch of bugs and half thought out ideas. For example, to enter receipts or documentation for transactions other than credit card transactions requires a bunch of extra steps and cannot be done from the phone. Projects are complex (which is a good thing because they can do a lot) but it takes a lot of effort to setup a project and it can't be created from a template on the phone. I have bumped up against a bunch of walls inside BQE and when I ask how to do this or that I'm just told that isn't a feature BQE has. Switched from [QuickBooks Desktop](https://www.capterra.com/p/212058/QuickBooks-Desktop-Pro/) It has project management features. Review Source KS Ken S. President Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Value of Core" December 6, 2022 5.0 As mentioned, the product is great. The support is second to none. Core has been the tool we had been missing. Pros We have used Core for a couple of years. Our firm specializes in foodservice design and our services are performed through architectural firms. This software is an incredible tool for other service related firms. The software and its tools are incredibly robust. The single major aspect is residing in the cloud. This allows connectivity from any where. Additionally, the project and/or staff performance tools are an amazing snapshot of our things are going. We also schedule our project tasks with Core. Those tasks are assigned (allocated) to staff with end/due dates. Task completion percentages allows project management to monitor progress. The notification system alerts the appropriate team members when task have been completed. There is an abundance of management tools and controls. Cons Although the training is great, the online resources plentiful and the on-call support fantastic; there is a bit of a learning curve as the software is so robust. It just take a little time to become familiar with it and proficient. So you must go through the training and then dive in! Reason for choosing BQE CORE Suite We simply thought it was a better product. Review Source Gillian C. Business Manager Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Product" December 2, 2021 5.0 I have consistently had a wonderful experience with BQE Core. They are always there to help out when needed, and the monthly webinars are always helpful. Pros Nice and easy to set up and very easy to implement to new employees. Customer support is wonderful and prompt. Lots of one on one training options that will walk you through everything you need. Many different ways to track projects, budgets, staff etc. Always growing and adding features based on feed back from customers. Cons Project management set up can get tricky since there is so much involved, but there is good training to make it not so intimidating. Some features in project management would be nice to be available in Time/Expense subscription for ease of communication within the organization. Reason for choosing BQE CORE Suite Unique to the industry, good reviews and pricing Review Source JM John M. President Civil Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I am happy to say that I took a leap of faith in upgrading my office to BQE" April 3, 2020 5.0 Prior to using BQE software I used Wind-2 and SEMA4 which are costly programs. I was not a newbie to using project management software when implementing BQE. My greatest frustration in using those legacy programs was that they did not have any flexibility in them that allowed me to update or “correct” erroneous entries into the system database without having the data reprogrammed in some way by the vendor. Support for BQE can assist making changes on the fly if need be and hopefully will continue to support the services industry in the future. I have witnessed the mission of BQE to continue to improve the software and support for its users. I am happy to say that I took a leap of faith in upgrading my office to BQE and have not been disappointed. Pros SIMPLICITY – it is an easy transition from paper time sheets in a format that employees can easily understand. Employee time entries can add memos that are invaluable to explain charges to clients or counsel employees on their activities. FLEXIBILITY – Some projects require slightly different reporting/invoicing formats to fit the client’s needs. BQE support assists with accomplishing just that at a reasonable cost. SUPPORT – Over these years, issues in understanding inputs or reporting have been addressed in real-time, on-line, to help maintain operation schedules for billing and reporting. REPORTS – Both summary and detailed reports are available that can include memos to help clarify time and expenses. One can look at a project from different facets based on a manager’s needs. Cons Some of the labor reporting modules need to be reviewed that use an integer formatted numbers that round off and be updated to use an accounting formatted number with 2 decimal places. My accounting department uses two report for payroll that use incorrect time (rounding up) instead of an exact job time/cost figure. I have to review and have them update to the corrected time values each time. Review Source JC Jody C. Financial/Business Manager Civil Engineering Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "New to Core" April 5, 2023 5.0 The biggest issue we have had with BQE Core was integrating with our desktop QB. However, the support team was a tremendous help with mapping the integration app and problem solving information transfer issues. Pros I was began my position in mid-January. During this time, our company was making the transitions from BQE desktop to BQE Core. Since I was new our team was new to core, I embraced the fact that we were able to contact support and have them help us work through the transition. They are all wonderful to work with. Cons The only issues we periodically have is the online method could be slow and time out. Review Source ND Nancy D. Director of Administration Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "BQE Core rocks!" August 2, 2022 5.0 Overall we love this program. Support has been responsive when needed. Pros We really like the ease of time tracking and expense submissions. This has helped us keep on top of billing necessary items to the clients. Cons Allow allocation to be based on a fixed fee percentage instead of just hours. Also, be more proactive with the Cloud feed adjustments when the banks change their system. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.