BQE CORE vs SmartTask Comparison
Compare BQE CORE vs SmartTask features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
BQE CORE
6.3/10
Cloud firm management platform for architecture, engineering and consulting firms. It combines project management, time tracking, billing, accounting, CRM and payroll.
SmartTask
6.7/10
SmartTask is a work management platform that combines projects, time tracking, a client portal and a sales CRM for agencies and client delivery teams.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.3/10 | 6.7/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 9/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $6/user/mo Premium |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free Free Forever |
| Features | ||
| Scheduling | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Gantt charts | ||
| Task management | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Dashboards | ||
| Reporting | ||
| Team messaging | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Client collaboration | Not listed | |
| Task lists | Not listed | |
| Timeline view | Not listed | |
| Workflow Automation | Not listed | |
| Kanban boards | Not listed | |
| Collaboration tools | Not listed | |
| Whiteboards | Not listed | |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose BQE CORE
- Higher Integration score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Scalability score (7/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose SmartTask
- Has a free plan (BQE CORE does not)
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for agencies (9/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
BQE CORE
Pros
- Time entries, project budgets and invoicing live in one system, so billable work flows straight into invoices.
- Reviewers say they can track project budgets in a way QuickBooks could not.
- Built specifically for architecture, engineering and consulting firms, including phased billing and fee schedules.
- The base plan includes 24/7/365 support and a dedicated account manager.
- More than 100 pre-built integrations, including QuickBooks, Xero, DocuSign and Power BI, plus Zapier and an open API.
Cons
- No public prices. Every plan and module needs a quote.
- Users report slow page loads and occasional glitches.
- Some reports take considerable work to configure for the result you want.
- Its project pages don't mention Kanban boards, a client portal or document collaboration.
- Implementation can be hard, especially with the QuickBooks Online integration.
SmartTask
Pros
- The free plan has no cap on users, projects or guests, which is unusually generous for small teams.
- Paid plans are cheap at 6 and 11 USD per user per month on yearly billing.
- It combines project management, a sales CRM, a client portal and billable time tracking in one tool, so agencies need fewer separate apps.
- Reviewers on G2 and Capterra often praise how quickly new users learn it and how responsive support is.
Cons
- Capterra reviewers say the interface looks dated and the app can be slow to start.
- Reviewers report bugs and slowdowns, particularly in the mobile app.
- Timeline view, dashboards and time tracking require the Business plan.
- No whiteboard view and no two-way Google Calendar sync, according to reviewers.
- The vendor is very small, about 9 to 50 staff, which may concern larger buyers.
