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Steelray Delay Analyzer vs Planera

Two schedule tools that sit at different points in a project. Steelray Delay Analyzer is desktop software that runs an automated AACE RP 29R-03 half-step analysis on Primavera P6 update exports to find and quantify the delays that moved the finish date. Planera is a cloud, collaborative CPM scheduling platform it calls AI-native, used to build and update the schedule itself. Not like-for-like (our reading): Steelray looks back at a series of P6 updates; Planera is where a team plans and updates the schedule. Desk research from vendor sites read Nov 5, 2026; no winner.

DESK RESEARCH FROM VENDOR SITES. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Nov 5, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Steelray Delay Analyzer (Forensic delay & critical path analysis (Primavera P6); vendor publishes prices) vs Planera (AI-native CPM scheduling; no public prices (quote / sales)). Facts last checked Nov 5, 2026. No winner declared; desk research from vendor sites.

Side by side

Steelray Delay Analyzer vs Planera: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowSteelray Delay AnalyzerPlanera
CategoryForensic delay & critical path analysis (Primavera P6)AI-native CPM scheduling
AI role (our label)Not AI-firstAI-first
What it doesDesktop delay-analysis software for Primavera P6 schedules that automates half-step analysis to find and quantify delays. Vendor says it runs a fully automated half-step analysis using the Daily Progress Method, following AACE RP 29R-03 (MIP 3.4), on any number of XER update exports, and identifies and quantifies delays that moved the finish date, including concurrent and but-for delays. Outputs listed: an Overview Report splitting delays and accelerations into progress-related changes and schedule revisions per period, Period Detail Reports naming the activities that drove impact, schedule revision summaries showing float before and after each change, longest-path change analysis, a contemporaneous critical path for each window, a progress-only schedule export, near-critical thresholds, delay overlays and filters, an Excel export, and a 3D Gantt where you drag the data date. The page offers Purchase, Request a Demo and a Screenshot Tour. Steelray also sells Project Analyzer (MS Project quality), Analyzer for P6 (Steelray and DCMA checks) and Project Viewer. The site does not describe AI. Expert-witness and days-saved lines are vendor claims and are not used.Visual, collaborative CPM scheduling platform described as AI-native. Features listed: critical path and float management, DCMA-14 schedule quality checks (plus a free DCMA quality check), risk simulations, resource loading and trade stacking, field schedules connected to the master, a whiteboard for pull planning, a project dashboard, iPad schedule updates and side-by-side comparison of schedule versions. AI: an AI Scheduling Assistant (manny) turns plain-English requests into schedules and updates, explores what-if scenarios, flags missing logic and shrinking float, and drafts owner updates and delay narratives; Planera MCP is described as connecting Planera to Claude and ChatGPT (vendor statements). Solution pages include Data Centers / Hyperscalers and Planera for Universities. The pricing FAQ says teams moving from P6, MS Project or other tools get schedule import assistance and team training, with optional expert services. Builder counts, the vendor's competitor comparison pages and customer quotes are not used here.
Who it's forScheduling professionals, delay analysts and claims consultants working with Primavera P6 updates (vendor wording).Builders' project managers, superintendents, schedulers, and field crews.
Pricing (as publicly stated)Per user, unlimited projects, tech support and updates included: annual subscription $3,990 per user per year, or monthly subscription $390 per user per month, both auto-renewing. Confirm current pricing with the vendor.Not publicly listed. The pricing page describes customized pricing from a single project to company-wide use, with unlimited users at no extra cost and optional professional services; book a demo for a custom quote. The FAQ describes tiers without figures: every plan includes the CPM engine, critical path analysis, the visual canvas and collaboration, higher tiers add DCMA quality checks, Monte Carlo risk simulation, resource loading, portfolio dashboards and advanced integrations, and enterprise adds SSO and dedicated account management.
User reviewsNo reviews yet. Read or writeNo reviews yet. Read or write
Vendor links
Sources

Facts last checked: Nov 5, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • Who it is for: Steelray names scheduling professionals, delay analysts and claims consultants working with Primavera P6 updates. Planera names builders' project managers, superintendents, schedulers and field crews.
  • Inputs: Steelray reads any number of P6 XER update exports. Planera is the scheduling tool itself; its pricing FAQ describes schedule import help for teams moving from P6, MS Project or other tools.
  • Delay work: Steelray runs a fully automated half-step analysis using the Daily Progress Method (AACE RP 29R-03, MIP 3.4) and lists Overview and Period Detail Reports, schedule revision summaries with float before and after, longest-path change analysis, a contemporaneous critical path per window and concurrent and but-for delays. Planera lists critical path and float management, side-by-side comparison of schedule versions and risk simulations, and says its assistant drafts owner updates and delay narratives from live schedule data.
  • Schedule quality: Planera lists DCMA-14 schedule quality checks (plus a free DCMA quality check). Steelray sells DCMA checks in a separate product, Analyzer for P6.
  • AI: Steelray's site does not describe AI, so it is tagged Not AI-first. Planera is tagged AI-first: its AI Scheduling Assistant (manny) turns plain-English requests into schedules and updates, explores what-if scenarios and flags missing logic and shrinking float, and Planera MCP is described as connecting Planera to Claude and ChatGPT (vendor statements).
  • Pricing (read Nov 5, 2026): Steelray lists $3,990 per user per year or $390 per user per month, unlimited projects, support and updates included. Planera publishes no prices: customized pricing from a single project to company-wide use, unlimited users at no extra cost, and higher tiers adding DCMA checks, Monte Carlo risk simulation and resource loading. See each tool page for detail.
  • Not used here: expert-witness and days-saved lines, competitor comparison pages, builder counts and customer quotes (vendor material). Facts for both tools come from vendor websites (desk research).

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.

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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

  • Whether you need a forensic look back across P6 updates for a claim, or a better way to build and update the schedule as the job runs
  • Whether Planera's delay narratives and version comparison would hold up the way a named half-step method does in a dispute
  • How cleanly a schedule kept in Planera can be exported back to P6 XER for an analyst
  • 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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