Sonra is practice management software built for architecture firms - time tracking, budgets, resourcing and invoicing in one tool, with transparent pricing and a 30-day free trial. No sales call required.
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BQE Core is one of the most established platforms for architecture and engineering firms, and it covers a lot of ground - time and expenses, billing, project accounting, HR and more. That breadth is exactly what some firms want. But it comes with per-user, per-module pricing, a sales process, and real setup and training effort before your team sees value.
Sonra was built by a former architect for smaller practices that don't need a full back-office suite: time tracking, project budgets, resourcing and invoicing in one simple tool. Sign up, start a 30-day free trial, and have your team tracking time the same week.
How the two stack up on the things architecture firms ask about most.
| Feature | Sonra | BQE Core |
|---|---|---|
| Built specifically for architecture firms | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time tracking by project & phase | ✓ | ✓ |
| Phase-based budgets & project health | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team resourcing & scheduling | ✓ | ✓ |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Role-based access that hides financials from staff | ✓ | ✓ |
| Up and running without an implementation project | ✓ | Module setup & training |
| Transparent self-serve pricing | ✓ | Per-user modules, sales-assisted |
| 30-day free trial, no sales call | ✓ | Demo-led |
| Designed for small firms leaving spreadsheets | ✓ | Full back-office suite |
Comparison based on publicly available information from bqe.com, current as of August 2026. BQE and BQE Core are trademarks of their respective owner; Sonra is not affiliated with or endorsed by BQE Software. Features and pricing change - please verify current details with each vendor.
The reasons architecture practices pick Sonra when they evaluate a BQE Core alternative.
See the price, start a 30-day free trial, and onboard your team - no demo gate and no surprise quotes as you grow.
One tool, one price, no module matrix. Time, budgets, resourcing and invoicing cover what most small firms actually use day to day - and most teams are live the same week.
Sonra's founder practised architecture in Ireland and New York, then spent years building workforce software for large operations teams. Sonra is that operational rigour, sized for a studio.
BQE Core's breadth is genuinely useful for the right firm, and switching away from it isn't automatically an upgrade. Core is probably the better fit if:
If you're a small architecture practice paying for a suite you use a fraction of - or holding off on software entirely because the setup feels like a project in itself - Sonra gives you the core in one simple tool you can try today.
What firms ask when comparing the two.
Yes. Sonra is practice management software built specifically for architecture firms, covering time tracking, project budgets, resourcing and invoicing in one tool. It is a strong fit for small and mid-sized firms that want transparent, self-serve pricing and a simpler tool than BQE Core.
Sonra offers transparent, self-serve pricing and a 30-day free trial, so you can sign up and start without a sales call. BQE Core is priced per user, per module, and is typically bought through a sales-assisted process, so the total depends on which modules you take. Sonra is one simple price with everything included.
Time tracking by project and phase, phase-based project budgets with health indicators, team resourcing, a drag-and-drop invoice builder, tasks, clients, and role-based access that keeps financials private from individual employees.
No - and that's deliberate. Sonra covers the project side: time, budgets, resourcing, invoicing. Most small firms keep their existing accounting tools for the books rather than moving the general ledger into their practice management software.
Yes. Export your projects and time entries from BQE Core and we'll help you map them into Sonra during the 30-day trial. Your accounting history stays in your books software - Sonra takes over the project side.
Start a 30-day free trial, or book a demo and we'll walk through your firm's workflow.
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