BlogArticles
A Rapport3 alternative for a small or mid-size architecture practice
24 Oct 2026 · Systemais Team
What Rapport3 costs for about 100 people, and how Systemais Practice Admin App compares.
An alternative to Rapport3 for a small or mid-size architecture practice is Practice Admin App. It covers weekly timesheets, holidays, expenses, approvals, and the job book, for a practice that does not need Rapport3's full platform of job costing, resource planning, and CRM. This blog compares the two systems.
What is Rapport3?
Rapport3 is practice and project software for architects, engineers, and construction consultants. It is now part of Milient. The product covers timesheets, expenses, leave, job costing, resource planning, CRM, and reporting, and it is sold by providing a demo version and a bespoke quotation. There is no question that for an advanced large practice that needs a full system, Rapport3 might be a good fit. However, for a small or mid-size practice that does not need the full package Rapport3 provides, they would pay large Rapport3 costs for minimal software value.
Practice Admin App vs Rapport3
Practice Admin App is a much simpler office admin software. People log their timesheets against projects. Managers approve holidays and expenses. The submitted staff timesheets can be compared against the quoted project hours to keep track of cost resourcing. The job book is also included, so the practice can keep track of all project information in one place.
| Rapport3 | Systemais Practice Admin App | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Timesheets, leave, expenses, job costing, resource planning, CRM, and reporting | Weekly timesheets, holidays, expenses, approvals, overtime against contracted time, and the job book |
| Price model | Rapport3 publishes no actual prices and provides them on a quote only basis. However, as of October 2026, the estimated Rapport3 cost is about £10,000 to £20,000 a year for a 100 people. | The Practice Admin App will cost £4 user/month equating to total of about £4800 a year a 100 people practice. One off purchases are also available on request. |
| Over 5 years | About £50,000 to £100,000 | £24,000 in subscription fees (or £25,000 one off purchase with minimal annual running costs for database storage) |
| Perpetual licence | Does not offer | Option: £24,000 one off purchase with minimal annual running costs for database storage |
| Setup | Demo and implementation | Free account for up to 3 people, on request |
| Best for | Job costing, resource planning, CRM and reporting in one system, with an implementation | Weekly timesheets, holidays, expenses, approvals and job books |
Rapport3 fits a practice that wants that wider platform with client resource management. Practice Admin App fits a practice whose need is the weekly admin and the job book.
Price comparison over five years
Since Rapport3 do not publish their prices, we have obtained estimated quotations in a region of £10,000 to £20,000 a year for a 100 people practice. Over five year period this would add up to a total of £50,000 to £100,000.
The Practice Admin App is priced at £4 person/month bringing the annual price of software to £4,800 per 100 people practice. Over five years, this would sum up to only £24,000. It is at least half the price of Rapport3.
Differently to other software providers, Practice Admin App offers a one off purchase option (with minimal annual running costs for database storage). This is ideal for a practice that wants to stop the annual licence and pay a fixed price for the software.
To support the smallest practices, and to provide a testing platform for others, a free account for up to 3 people is available on request.
Other practice tools
There are of course more products available in the market that provide wider practice management. The below table sets out information about other few popular options: CMap, Total Synergy, and Noveos. The published prices were obtained from vendor's, but might vary between practice requirements.
| Tool | About 100 people | In short |
|---|---|---|
| CMap | About £15,000 to £85,000 a year | £150 to £850 a user a year on G-Cloud. Project accounting, resourcing, timesheets, invoicing, and CRM. CMap also advertises itself as an alternative to Rapport3. |
| Total Synergy | Public tiers in November 2022 were £10, £17.50, and £27.50 per user per month. Current price is not available. | Project financials for architects and engineers. |
| Noveos | Practice Manager is from £12 per user per month, which is £14,400 a year for 100 people at that starting rate. Practice Director is from £17 per user per month, and the full set is about £20 per user per month. | Financial project management software for consultants that also includes links to accountancy software. |
As can be seen, Rapport3, CMap, Total Synergy and Noveos, they can cost anywhere from £10,000, £15,000, £20,000 and above per year. No wonder architectural practices can struggle with overhead costs, especially when the available software is providing extensive practice management capabilities which are rarely needed for a small or mid-size practices.
Why should you choose Practice Admin App?
For a large practice with requirement for fee invoicing, a resource scheduling and pipeline planning, it might be better to pick Rapport3 or the other alternatives. However, if invoicing, full resource planning, or CRM is not tools that your practice requires, the Practice Admin App might be a better fit.
The Practice Admin App is your all in one weekly admin tool:
- Timesheets records for each day with project and RIBA stage information
- Staff holidays, including whole practice mandatory leave settings and bespoke allowances
- Expenses, with receipts, mileage, and approvals in full or in part
- Missing timesheets and overtime
- Total timesheet comparisons against quoted times for better resource management
- The job book: project name, sector, value, billing, and status
- A profitability view of fees, costs, and profit to date per project
- AI integration for more user friendly timesheet entries and expense claims
It also has a few things the larger platforms often do not:
- AI integrated from the start
- Built by architects themselves
- An onboarding module for new staff
- Extensive role settings, so the practice controls who can see what
- Company policies stored in one place, with a "read and understood" function so staff confirm they have read them
- A seamless connection to our other apps
- Site visit health and safety forms included
- Built with modern software development frameworks
- Fully accessible on a mobile phone
AI inside the app
Practice Admin App also includes AI integration for timesheet entries. This is added to assist users with quicker data entry, especially when data entry is often left till the end of the week or even later. User can simply describe what they did in the week using plain language and the AI will draft weekly entries by project and day. User can check the draft prior to submission.
The clip below shows this process in action.
Frequently asked questions
Is Practice Admin App a Rapport3 alternative?
Yes, for a small or mid-size architecture practice that needs weekly timesheets, holidays, expenses, approvals and a job book. It is the office-admin part of what Rapport3 covers. Stay with Rapport3 if you also need job costing, resource planning, CRM and reporting in one system.
Is the £4,800 price for the Practice Admin App per person?
No. The £4,800 a year is an estimated price for a 100 people practice. A free account for up to 3 people is available on request.
What does Practice Admin App leave out?
Invoicing, full resource planning and CRM are not included in this app. Rapport3, CMap, Total Synergy, and Noveos include those, or most of them. If the practice needs fee invoicing, a resource schedule, and a pipeline in the same system, it might be a better option to consider one of these applications. The job book in the Practice Admin App still shows project name, sector, value, billing, and status, plus fees, costs, and profit to date.
Does Practice Admin App replace Xero?
No. Accountancy of your practice stays in the your practice's accounts package. Practice Admin App does not replace Xero, Sage, or QuickBooks.
How do you try Practice Admin App?
The full description is on the Practice Admin App page. A free account for up to 3 people is available on request. Systemais will be adding further practice tools alongside this app over time.