Monograph runs the money. Olumba checks the plan.
Monograph is a well-built practice-operations platform for architecture firms — time tracking, fee forecasting, and invoicing, done properly. Olumba covers a different job: pre-submission plan check, project documents, and a public firm reputation page. If you're comparing the two, the honest answer is that they mostly don't overlap.
It's tempting to frame every comparison as a fight, but this one isn't. Monograph is good at what it does, and what it does — the business mechanics of running a firm — is real, valuable work. If that's the hole in your practice, Monograph is a strong choice.
Olumba sits on the other side of the project: not what you bill, but whether the set survives the city. That's why plenty of firms could reasonably use both, and why we'd rather tell you where each fits than pretend Olumba replaces a fees-and-invoicing platform.
| Plan Proof | Monograph | |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Plan check + project documents + firm reputation | Time tracking, fees, forecasting, invoicing |
| Predicts city corrections | Yes — learned from real AHJ correction letters | No — it manages the business, not the drawings |
| Time & fee tracking | Not its focus | Excellent — this is what it is built for |
| Invoicing | Not its focus | Yes — a core strength |
| Public firm profile | Free Titleblock reputation page | Not a feature |
| Try it without a contract | $39 single check, no subscription | Subscription; pricing has drawn firm pushback |
When Monograph is the better choice
If your firm's pain is on the business side — tracking who spent hours on what, forecasting fees, seeing project profitability, and getting invoices out on time — Monograph is purpose-built for exactly that and does it well. Olumba has no equivalent to its time-and-fee engine, and we won't pretend otherwise. For running the financial operations of a practice, Monograph is the serious tool.
Where Plan Proof wins
Monograph tells you how a project is doing financially; it can't tell you the accessibility note is missing on A-1.2 or predict which corrections your jurisdiction will send. Olumba does, before you submit, for $39 with no subscription. And it gives every firm a free public reputation page — projects, disciplines, and jurisdictions clients can actually find — which a practice-management tool doesn't attempt.
Two different halves of the same firm
Think of it as front-of-house and back-of-house. Monograph is back-of-house: hours, fees, forecasts, invoices — the health of the business. Olumba is closer to the drawings and the outside world: does this set clear plan check, are the project documents in order, and can a prospective client find your firm and see your work. The two rarely step on each other, which is exactly why comparing them as substitutes misses the point. The real question is which half of the problem is costing you more right now.
On pricing — fair, not a fight
Pricing is the most common reason firms go looking for a Monograph alternative, and we'll be straight about our own: Plan Proof is $39 for a single check with no subscription, monthly plans start at $59/seat/mo for firms filing regularly, and a public Titleblock firm page is free. No annual lock-in to try it, no per-seat minimum to get a first result. Whatever you decide about Monograph's value for the business side, you shouldn't have to sign a recurring contract just to see what your city will flag on one set.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Olumba a Monograph alternative?
- Only partly, and it's worth being clear about it. Monograph's strength is the business side of a firm — time, fees, forecasting, and invoicing. Olumba doesn't do those. Where Olumba is an alternative is the project and compliance side: pre-submission plan check, project documents, and a public firm reputation page. Some firms run both, one for the money and one for the drawings.
- Does Olumba do time tracking and invoicing like Monograph?
- No. If your primary need is timesheets, fee forecasting, and getting invoices out, Monograph is purpose-built for that and Olumba is not the tool. Olumba focuses on what happens to the drawings — catching corrections before you submit — and on your firm’s public presence.
- Why do firms look for a Monograph alternative?
- In firm communities, the most common theme is pricing — some practices feel the cost has climbed faster than the value for a small studio. We won't tell you what to think about that. Our point is narrower: for the plan-check and documents side, Olumba offers a $39 single check with no subscription, so you can get value without committing to another recurring contract.
- What does Olumba cost?
- Plan Proof is $39 for a single check with no subscription. For firms filing regularly, monthly plans start at $59/seat/mo. Building a public Titleblock firm profile is free.
Plan Proof
Upload a plan set. We scan your first 8 sheets free and return one fully detailed finding plus the real counts — no account needed.
See what the city will flag — scan free →Titleblock
Build a free public firm profile — your projects, disciplines, and jurisdictions, on a page clients and search engines can actually find.
Create your firm page — free →Compare Plan Proof to
Comparison based on publicly available information as of July 2026. Competitor pricing and capabilities are self-reported by each vendor and may change — verify current details on each vendor's site.