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ALICE vs SmartPM

Two tools that work from an existing CPM schedule but do different jobs: ALICE uses AI to generate and compare alternative construction scenarios to optimize, de-risk or recover a schedule, while SmartPM is a project-controls and schedule-analytics platform that checks schedule quality and tracks delay across a portfolio. Desk research from vendor pages read Oct 25, 2026; not tested, no winner.

DESK RESEARCH, NOT TESTED. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Oct 25, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: ALICE (Scheduling; no public prices (quote / sales)) vs SmartPM (Schedule analytics & project controls; vendor publishes prices). Facts last checked Oct 25, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

ALICE vs SmartPM: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowALICESmartPM
CategorySchedulingSchedule analytics & project controls
AI role (our label)AI-firstNot AI-first
What it doesAI construction scheduling software that simulates many scenarios to optimize, de-risk, and recover schedules, at bid stage and during construction. The vendor calls this planning approach "generative scheduling", with "what-if" exploration of construction scenarios. Products listed: ALICE Optimize, ALICE Analyze, ALICE Model (baseline from a 3D model), and ALICE FieldPlan (beta), plus a Schedule Insights Agent for chatting with a schedule. Imports Microsoft Project, Oracle Primavera P6, and Primavera Cloud schedules. Vendor says it has been deployed on more than $410 billion of construction projects (vendor claim). Re-read Oct 17, 2026: the homepage also lists Targeted Optimization (finding the fastest path to a schedule acceleration target), a Schedule Quality Score that says what to fix and why, and a Construction Schedule Agent; its FAQ says the platform is SOC 2 Type II compliant and Cyber Essentials Plus certified, data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256), and customers own all data they submit and generate (vendor statements). Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: ALICE FieldPlan is still marked In Beta and is described as building lookaheads connected to drawings, ALICE Analyze as a single view of project and portfolio health, and the homepage names industrial (energy, data centers, battery plants, chemical plants, mines, pipelines), civil and transit (railways, metros, highways, bridges, tunnels, viaducts) and building project types. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (ALICE Optimize, Analyze, Model and FieldPlan, still marked In Beta; Targeted Optimization; Schedule Quality Score; works with Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project). The page names both a Construction Schedule Agent and a Schedule Insights Agent; the $410 billion deployment figure is an unchanged vendor claim. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged in substance (Optimize, Analyze, Model, FieldPlan in beta, Targeted Optimization, Schedule Quality Score, Construction Schedule Agent and Schedule Insights Agent); the $410 billion figure and 17% / 14% / 12% savings lines remain vendor claims and are not used. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (generative scheduling with Targeted Optimization, the Schedule Insights Agent and Construction Schedule Agent, Schedule Quality Score, and FieldPlan still marked In Beta). The project-value figure on the homepage remains a vendor claim not used here. Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (generative scheduling with Targeted Optimization, the Construction Schedule Agent and Schedule Insights Agent, works with Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project schedules, and ALICE FieldPlan still marked In Beta). Project-value and savings figures remain vendor claims not used here. Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: unchanged in substance (FieldPlan still marked In Beta; Schedule Insights Agent and Construction Schedule Agent still listed).Project controls and schedule analytics platform that connects to existing CPM scheduling software to check schedule quality, progress and delays. It runs what the vendor calls Automated Project Controls: schedule quality checks, progress against baselines, delay and compression metrics, and windows analysis (a customer quote says this went from weeks to minutes or hours; customer claim, not verified). Company, executive, and project dashboards plus a web-based Gantt. Procore integration is mentioned in a customer quote. The homepage does not describe the product as AI, so we tag it Not AI-first. Re-read Oct 17, 2026: the pricing FAQ says SmartPM's Analytics Engine can be connected to existing tools through an API without changing scheduling tools, individual projects can be upgraded from Essentials to Controls and projects can sit on different plans, managed services are available as add-ons, and it is cloud-based with no installation. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: homepage and pricing unchanged in substance; the menu lists Controls, Essentials, Reporting and Integrations, solutions for GCs and CM firms, owners and developers and government, a Certified Consultants program and SmartPM Bootcamp, and the homepage still does not describe the product as AI; the integrations page lists Procore, Autodesk Forma and an Open API. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (Automated Project Controls on top of existing CPM scheduling software, portfolio dashboards and schedule timelines for GCs, owners and developers in commercial construction); it still does not describe the product as AI. Customer quotes were not used. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: homepage and integrations page unchanged in substance (Automated Project Controls on existing CPM schedules; Procore, Autodesk Forma and an Open API); the pages still do not describe the product as AI. Re-read Oct 23, 2026 for a compare: homepage, pricing and integrations pages unchanged in substance (Automated Project Controls on top of existing CPM schedules; executive, company and project dashboards and a web-based Gantt; Autodesk Forma, Procore and an Open API); the pages still do not describe the product as AI. Customer quotes were not used. Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: homepage, pricing and integrations pages unchanged in substance (Automated Project Controls on top of existing CPM schedules; executive, company and project dashboards and a web-based Gantt; Autodesk Forma, Procore and an Open API); the pages still do not describe the product as AI. Customer quotes and ratings not used. Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (Automated Project Controls on top of existing CPM scheduling software; executive, company and project dashboards, a project workspace and a web-based Gantt; integrations with Procore, Autodesk Forma and an Open API); the pages still do not describe the product as AI. Customer quotes are not used.
Who it's forOwners, contractors, and consultants. Pricing FAQ says it is most often used by GCs and owners in infrastructure, industrial, and commercial sectors, generally on projects of at least $75M construction value.General contractors, owners, and developers in commercial construction (vendor wording).
Pricing (as publicly stated)No public prices (checked Oct 16, 2026; unchanged Oct 17 and Oct 19, 2026): the pricing page says "Start here to request a custom quote of ALICE", with a questionnaire (company type, project size, construction value of your average project, priorities, location) followed by a consultation call to share tailored pricing; no figures. The pricing FAQ says the price covers access to the platform plus dedicated time from the customer success team. Earlier note (Oct 14, 2026): pricing based on the size and scope of your projects, with unlimited users and unlimited data. Confirm current pricing with the vendor. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged (custom-quote questionnaire on company type, project size, priorities, business model and average project value, then a consultation call; no figures; unlimited users). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged (custom quote, no figures, unlimited users and data; the FAQ still says customers generally use it on projects of $75M+). Re-checked Oct 23, 2026 (pricing rendered in a headless browser): unchanged (custom quote via a questionnaire; unlimited users and unlimited data; typically used on projects of at least $75M construction value per the vendor). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged (custom quote via a questionnaire and consultation call; no figures; unlimited users and unlimited data; typically used on projects of at least $75M construction value per the vendor). Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: unchanged (custom-quote questionnaire; the pricing page still says it typically works with projects of $75M or more; no prices).Annual plans with unlimited users. Essentials $12K per year for up to 50 projects (automated schedule health checks, revision compare, core analytics). Controls $25K per year with 5 Controls slots (adds full project analytics, interactive Gantt, what-if scenarios and time impact analysis, portfolio insights). Pricing page offers a 60-day risk-free trial. (Pricing checked Oct 15, 2026; unchanged Oct 17 and Oct 19, 2026; the FAQ says Controls starts with 5 slots that can be expanded, alongside up to 50 Essentials projects.) Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged (Essentials $12K a year for up to 50 projects; Controls $25K a year with 5 Controls slots; unlimited users; 60-day risk-free trial). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged (Essentials $12K a year for up to 50 projects; Controls $25K a year with 5 Controls slots that can be expanded; unlimited users on both; 60-day risk-free trial; managed services as add-ons). Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: unchanged (Essentials $12K a year for up to 50 projects; Controls $25K a year with 5 Controls slots that can be expanded; unlimited users on both; 60-day risk-free trial; managed services as add-ons). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged (Essentials $12K a year for up to 50 projects; Controls $25K a year with 5 Controls slots that can be expanded; unlimited users on both; 60-day risk-free trial; managed services as add-ons). Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: no price change (Essentials $12K a year for up to 50 projects; Controls $25K a year with 5 Controls slots that can be expanded; unlimited users on both; 60-day risk-free trial; managed services as add-ons).
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Facts last checked: Oct 25, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • What each does: ALICE describes generative scheduling. It works from a Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project schedule and simulates many construction scenarios (ALICE Optimize, including Targeted Optimization), with ALICE Analyze for schedule quality and project and portfolio performance, ALICE Model for building a baseline from a 3D model, and ALICE FieldPlan for lookaheads connected to drawings (marked in beta and coming soon). SmartPM describes Automated Project Controls on top of existing CPM scheduling software: schedule health checks, revision comparison, core analytics and trends, plus what-if scenarios, time impact analysis and critical path tracking on its Controls plan.
  • AI: ALICE presents itself as AI construction scheduling software and lists a Construction Schedule Agent and a Schedule Insights Agent. SmartPM's homepage and pricing page do not describe the product as AI; our directory tags it Not AI-first.
  • Where they fit: ALICE's pricing FAQ says GCs and owners in infrastructure, industrial and commercial work generally use it on projects with a construction value of at least $75M. SmartPM says it is built for general contractors, owners and developers in commercial construction, with executive, company and project dashboards and a web-based Gantt.
  • Pricing: SmartPM publishes annual prices: Essentials $12K a year for up to 50 projects and Controls $25K a year with 5 Controls slots that can be expanded, both with unlimited users, a 60-day risk-free trial and managed services as add-ons. ALICE is custom-quoted after a questionnaire and consultation call, with unlimited users and unlimited data; no figures are published.
  • Not like-for-like: ALICE is aimed at exploring how to build a job (sequencing, acceleration, recovery options), while SmartPM is aimed at monitoring the schedule you have across projects. They overlap mainly at what-if and delay analysis.
  • Not used here: ALICE's deployment total and percentage savings lines, and SmartPM's customer quotes (vendor content).

Paraphrased from the sources listed above. Vendor claims are reported as claims.

What users say

The facts above come from vendor websites. Whether either tool is any good for your work is something only people who use them can say. These are member reviews, all ratings shown, never edited or removed for being negative.

Used either of these? Share your take

Good or bad, an honest review from an estimator, PM or super helps the next team more than another vendor demo. You post under a handle; your email is never shown.

Questions to ask in your review

  • How ALICE's generated scenarios compare with your own planners' sequencing on a real job
  • How SmartPM's schedule quality and delay metrics compare with your scheduler's own analysis
  • What ALICE costs for your project size; no prices are published
  • What did you use it for, on what kind of work and project size?
  • How long did setup and training take, and who on your team did it?
  • What does it cost you in practice, compared with what the sales call said?

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