costgem.com

What It Is

Cost Gem is a cloud-based Practice Management software product for architects, engineers, and construction consultants. Its core focus is timesheets, project Jobs, project Stages, cost and revenue analysis, and invoicing. It is not trying to cover every industry; instead, it is designed for professional services firms working through architecture and engineering project workflows, from concept design and design development to construction documentation, tendering, and handover.

Core Features

Cost Gem runs in the browser, with no client installation or server maintenance required. Features include daily and weekly timesheet entry, customizable project stages, project milestones and calendars, project variations, file uploads, staff scheduling, project cost and time reports, revenue forecasting, payroll reports, leave requests and approvals, and reporting by region and department. For invoicing, it supports invoices generated by time, percentage, or fixed total price, and can also include subcontractor or consultant invoices.

Pricing and Integrations

Cost Gem offers a 14-day free trial with no payment details required, and all features are available to both trial and paid accounts. Paid plans are tiered by team size: AUD 25/month for 1-3 users, AUD 55/month for 4-10 users, AUD 95/month for 11-30 users, and AUD 125/month for 30+ users. Discounts are available for quarterly, half-yearly, and annual billing. Payments are made by credit card via Stripe. Third-party integrations are mainly focused on accounting systems, with connections to MYOB AccountRight, Xero, QuickBooks, and Reckon One for invoice export or synchronization.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are its strong vertical focus, with stage-based project management that fits the billing model of architecture and engineering consultancies; transparent and relatively lightweight pricing; and a fairly complete operational management loop covering timesheets, scheduling, revenue forecasting, and invoicing. Its limitations are that public materials do not clearly describe enterprise-grade capabilities such as role permissions, audit logs, data encryption, backups, or compliance certifications, and there is no disclosed API, Webhook, or developer documentation. Its integration scope is also mainly limited to accounting systems.

Best Fit and Access from China

Cost Gem is better suited to small and midsize architecture firms, engineering consultancies, landscape, planning, surveying, and similar teams that calculate labor costs and revenue by project stage. If a company needs a complex ERP system, deep permission controls, or localized tax and finance capabilities, it should evaluate the product carefully. Access from China is not mentioned in the available materials, so it is considered unknown. Payments are mainly via Stripe credit card in AUD, which may create inconvenience for domestic procurement and invoicing workflows in China. Comparable products include Harvest, Toggl Track, and BQE CORE; in China, alternatives such as DingTalk, Worktile, and Mingdao Cloud may be considered depending on collaboration and project management needs.