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Alternatives

7 Project Studio alternatives for interior firms (2026)

By the Pakka team · Updated 21 October 2026

The short answer

  • Stay with Project Studio if you want one app for everything, including labour, payroll, inventory and AI renders.
  • Pakka if your site team lives on WhatsApp and payments, vendor bills and rework are your biggest leaks.
  • Potlu or Zygn for a lower-cost or simpler interior back office.
  • RDash, Onsite or Powerplay if you are closer to a construction contractor than a design studio.
  • Houzz Pro if you work outside India and want marketplace leads.

We make Pakka, and it is on this list. We say where other tools are better, and every fact about them comes from their own websites. Prices change, so we describe pricing models, not figures.

Why look for an alternative

Project Studio describes itself as AI-native software to manage interior projects from design to delivery, for studios, design-build teams, contractors and manufacturers across India, the Middle East and the US. Its strengths are real: a very wide module list (CRM, quotes, POs, finances, inventory and warehouse, attendance with geolocation, timesheets, HRMS, snags and client progress), AI agents and BOMs from drawings, mobile apps, and WhatsApp integration on higher plans. Firms look for alternatives when they want site teams to stay on WhatsApp, want tighter control of payments, need a lower price, or run construction rather than design-led work. Disclosure: Pakka publishes this page and makes one of the alternatives.

How we evaluated

  • What Project Studio does well. We start from its strengths and only suggest a switch where another tool is clearly better for a type of firm.
  • Site team adoption. Own app versus working inside WhatsApp.
  • Money control. Payment approvals, vendor bills and links to quality checks.
  • Breadth versus focus. Labour, payroll and inventory versus a narrower, deeper product.
  • Pricing model. Annual by team size, per user, one plan or quote-based.

Interior-first alternatives

Built for interior studios and design-build firms, like Project Studio.

  1. Pakka (that's us)

    pakka.work

    Best for: Pick Pakka if your site team will not use another app and your leaks are payments, vendor bills and rework rather than HR.

    Pakka (which we make) is a platform of four desks: Sales, Design, Money and Ops. Site engineers report by voice note, photo or one tap on WhatsApp with nothing to install, and the office sees tasks, QC and snags update live. A firm can start with any one desk and add the others later.

    Strengths

    • Site work runs inside WhatsApp: voice notes become tasks, issues and approvals with an owner.
    • Quotes drafted from the client's brief and floor plan using your own rate library; the AI never writes a price.
    • Money moves on proof: a QC pass or GFC issue releases a stage, and whoever raises a payment cannot approve it.
    • Drawing revisions carry a change note to site, and nothing goes to production before the GFC set is approved.

    Limits

    • No labour attendance, payroll, inventory or warehouse management.
    • Fewer integrations than established tools, and no 3D design or rendering: you keep your design software.
    • New to the market, and prices are not published yet.

    Pricing: Founding firms: first project free. Per firm and per desk, no seat fees for site teams; prices announced before the waitlist opens.

    India fit: Built for Indian firms: site work on WhatsApp, GST in proposals, TDS on receipts, MSME pay-by countdown, and phase lengths from Indian output norms.

  2. Potlu

    Website

    Best for: Pick Potlu if price matters most and you want accounts and payroll in one low-cost plan.

    Potlu, by Atluz, is business software for Indian interior designers, from first enquiry to handover and final payment. It covers enquiries, BOQs, quotations, planning, tasks, budgets, mood boards, purchasing, teams and accounts, with an AI assistant called Sia.

    Strengths

    • One plan with every feature, for up to 15 users.
    • Free initial setup and data migration.
    • Accounting reports, payroll and HR alongside projects.

    Limits

    • Site work happens in its web app; WhatsApp workflows are not described on its site.
    • No published customer proof on its homepage.

    Pricing: One annual plan with every feature, up to 15 users, plus GST; AI credits included on first purchase.

    India fit: Built for Indian interior designers; priced in INR plus GST.

  3. Zygn

    Website

    Best for: Pick Zygn if you want CRM, BOQ, procurement, accounting and HR in a simpler Indian product.

    Zygn is all-in-one software for interior designers in India: CRM, project management, BOQ, procurement, accounting and HR in one platform, from first enquiry to final invoice.

    Strengths

    • A broad module list, including procurement and HR.
    • Built specifically for Indian interior designers.

    Limits

    • Pricing is not published on its site.
    • Young product with little public review history.

    Pricing: Not published on its site; book a demo.

    India fit: Built for interior designers in India.

Construction-first alternatives

Better if your work looks more like contracting: crews, materials and procurement.

  1. RDash

    Website

    Best for: Pick RDash if you are a large fit-out contractor with a procurement team and an ERP to connect.

    RDash is AI-powered construction management software that unifies site teams, procurement, design and finance. Its plans cover BOQ and change orders, purchase requests, vendor orders and invoices, materials, DPRs, snags and QC, and client billing.

    Strengths

    • Deep procurement and materials management.
    • Integrations with Tally, Zoho, Odoo, SAP, Oracle and more.
    • DPRs, task reminders and approvals sent to WhatsApp, with a 90-day deployment guarantee.

    Limits

    • Plans are sized for firms running large annual project volumes.
    • Implementation and onboarding are priced separately.

    Pricing: Per user per year, paid annually in advance (Pro); Enterprise quoted by users and volume; implementation extra.

    India fit: Gurugram-based; Tally and Zoho integration; WhatsApp notifications.

  2. Onsite

    Website

    Best for: Pick Onsite if you want labour, materials and BOQ billing at a per-user price with Tally integration.

    Onsite is construction project management software that names design-build and interior firms among its segments. It covers BOQ and RA bills, leads and quotations, labour attendance and salary, material requests, inventory, purchase orders, payments and design management.

    Strengths

    • Labour attendance with GPS and facial recognition, and salary.
    • Materials, central warehouse, RFQs and purchase orders.
    • Multi-language support and Tally and Zoho integration.

    Limits

    • Construction-first language and workflows.
    • Site teams use the Onsite app, not WhatsApp itself.

    Pricing: Per user per year, billed annually with a minimum number of users, plus GST; Enterprise is quote-based.

    India fit: Priced in INR plus GST; multi-language; Tally and Zoho integration.

  3. Powerplay

    Website

    Best for: Pick Powerplay if large labour crews and material movement are your main problem.

    Powerplay is construction management software with a mobile app and desktop software for owners, project managers and site engineers. It covers project progress and daily reports, materials and POs, labour attendance and payroll, issues, reports and petty cash.

    Strengths

    • Labour attendance and payroll.
    • Material management, POs and petty cash.
    • A long track record in Indian construction.

    Limits

    • Not interior-specific: no client briefs, design approvals or GFC flow described.
    • Positioned as an app that replaces WhatsApp, so site teams need its app.

    Pricing: Not published on its site; demo on request.

    India fit: Built for the Indian construction industry.

Global alternative

For firms outside India.

  1. Houzz Pro

    Website

    Best for: Pick Houzz Pro if you work in a market where the Houzz marketplace brings leads.

    Houzz Pro is business software for home design and remodelling professionals: estimates, takeoffs, proposals, invoices, a client dashboard, 3D floor plans, schedules, daily logs and Houzz AI, plus lead generation from the Houzz marketplace.

    Strengths

    • A free plan and a 30-day free trial.
    • Estimates, proposals and invoices with AI help.
    • Client dashboard and 3D floor plans in the same product.

    Limits

    • Priced in USD and built around the US market.
    • No WhatsApp-based site workflow.

    Pricing: Free plan and 30-day free trial; paid plans (Design, Pro, Teams) shown per month on an annual subscription.

    India fit: Prices in USD; GST and India support Not stated.

Side by side.

7 Project Studio alternatives for interior firms (2026): comparison
ToolPick it whenSite reportingLabour and inventoryPricing model
Project StudioYou want one app for everythingOwn app; WhatsApp on higher plansYesAnnual, by team size
PakkaSite team lives on WhatsApp; money leaksInside WhatsAppNot offeredPer firm and per desk
PotluLowest cost all-in-oneWeb appPayroll; inventory Not statedOne annual plan
ZygnSimpler Indian back officeNot statedProcurement and HRNot published
RDashLarge fit-out contractorOwn app, reports to WhatsAppMaterials, yesPer user per year, plus implementation
OnsiteCrews and materials, per-user priceOwn appYesPer user per year
PowerplayLarge labour crewsOwn appYesNot published
Houzz ProOutside India, marketplace leadsDaily logs in appNot statedFree plan, paid monthly

How to choose.

  • List what you actually use in Project StudioIf labour, payroll and inventory are central, few alternatives match its breadth.
  • Ask your site engineersIf they avoid the app and keep posting in WhatsApp groups, a WhatsApp-first tool may fit better.
  • Look at where money goes wrongDisputed vendor bills and drifting client instalments point to stronger money control.
  • Compare the full costInclude users, implementation and add-ons, not just the headline plan.

Questions people ask.

What is the best alternative to Project Studio?

For WhatsApp-first site teams, Pakka. For the lowest cost, Potlu. For large fit-out contractors, RDash.

Where is Project Studio stronger than Pakka?

Labour attendance, timesheets and payroll, inventory and warehouse, AI from drawings and renders, and a wider module list. Pakka offers none of the first four.

Where is Pakka stronger than Project Studio?

Site teams work inside WhatsApp with nothing to install, payments are released by events such as a QC pass with a second approver, and vendor final bills come from countersigned measurements.

Does Project Studio have WhatsApp integration?

Its pricing page lists WhatsApp integration on the Pro and Enterprise plans.

Is there a cheaper alternative?

Potlu publishes one low annual plan for up to 15 users, and Zoho Projects has a free plan for general task tracking.

Where do these facts come from?

Each product's own website, read on 21 Oct 2026. Products change, so check their sites.

Sources: projectstudio.ai (home, pricing), read 21 Oct 2026; potlu.com (home, pricing), read 21 Oct 2026; zygn.app (home), read 21 Oct 2026; rdash.ai (home, pricing), read 21 Oct 2026; onsiteteams.com (pricing), read 21 Oct 2026; getpowerplay.in (home), read 21 Oct 2026; houzz.com (Houzz Pro pricing), read 21 Oct 2026; Pakka: pakka.work desk pages, Oct 2026.

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