PDWare's ResourceFirst is a deep resource and portfolio capacity-planning platform built for PMOs and IT or R&D organizations that juggle many concurrent projects. It gives leaders real-time visibility into who is available, what they are committed to, and whether the portfolio is even feasible given current capacity. It is powerful, and it is priced and deployed like enterprise software: no public pricing, a starting point reported near $50,000 for a perpetual license or around $50 per user per month for smaller subscriptions, a five-user minimum, and no free trial. Those factors, plus a real learning curve, are why buyers look at alternatives.
The alternatives below split into two groups, and knowing which you need is most of the decision. Enterprise portfolio tools, Saviom and Tempus Resource, match PDWare's depth for planning capacity across a whole portfolio. Lighter schedulers, Runn and Float, are cheaper and faster to adopt for team-level resourcing. Here is how they compare.
Quick picks:
Best enterprise match for deep forecasting and what-if: Saviom
Best direct portfolio what-if alternative: Tempus Resource
Best modern, affordable capacity forecasting: Runn
Best lightweight scheduler for smaller teams: Float
How to choose a resource planning tool
Portfolio level or team level. This is the first fork. PDWare, Saviom, and Tempus plan capacity across an entire portfolio of projects and skills. Float and Runn schedule people on projects at a team level. Buying a portfolio tool for a small team is overkill; buying a team scheduler for a 500-project portfolio will not hold up.
Forecasting and what-if scenarios. The value of an enterprise tool is modeling capacity against demand and testing scenarios before you commit. If you need to answer whether you can take a new project without breaking the others, you need real scenario planning, which is the heart of a capacity vs demand gap analysis.
Skills and role modeling. Planning by named person is easy; planning by skill and role is what scales. Confirm the tool models roles, skills, and availability, not just individuals, or it will stall as you grow.
Deployment and price transparency. Enterprise tools are custom-quoted and often involve implementation work. Lighter tools are self-serve and per user. Match the deployment weight to your team's appetite and budget before you fall for a feature list.
PDWare alternatives compared at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Level | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDWare (ResourceFirst) | Enterprise portfolio capacity | Portfolio | ~$50/user/mo or ~$50k license | 4.0/5 |
| Saviom | Enterprise forecasting and what-if | Portfolio | Custom (enterprise) | 4.2/5 |
| Tempus Resource | Portfolio what-if scenarios | Portfolio | Custom (enterprise) | 4.2/5 |
| Runn | Modern, affordable forecasting | Team to mid-size | From $10/person/mo (free up to 5) | 4.4/5 |
| Float | Lightweight team scheduling | Team | From $7/scheduled person/mo | 4.4/5 |
Enterprise tools are quote-based, so confirm current pricing and implementation scope with each vendor.
1. Saviom: the enterprise match
Saviom is the closest alternative to PDWare for a large organization. It is an enterprise resource management and workforce planning platform with more than two decades serving Fortune 500 companies across many countries, and it offers the deep capacity forecasting, what-if scenario planning, skills-based matching, and multi-dimensional reporting that a complex, multi-geography workforce needs. Pricing is custom with no free plan, in line with its enterprise positioning. If you need PDWare-level depth from an established enterprise vendor, Saviom is the primary alternative.
Pros
- Enterprise depth to match PDWare
- Deep forecasting, what-if, and skills matching
- Two decades of Fortune 500 clients
- Multi-geography, multi-dimensional reporting
Cons
- Custom enterprise pricing, no free plan
- Implementation and a learning curve
- Overkill for small teams
2. Tempus Resource: portfolio what-if planning
Tempus Resource by ProSymmetry is arguably the most direct competitor to ResourceFirst. It is a resource forecasting and capacity-planning tool built for portfolio-level decisions, with strong what-if scenario modeling that lets you simulate adding, delaying, or cutting projects and see the capacity impact before you act. It serves IT, manufacturing, healthcare, and similar project-heavy sectors, and like PDWare it is enterprise and custom-quoted. If scenario modeling across a portfolio is the specific job, Tempus is purpose-built for it.
Pros
- Strong portfolio what-if scenario modeling
- Purpose-built for capacity forecasting
- Serves IT, manufacturing, and healthcare
- A direct ResourceFirst competitor
Cons
- Enterprise, custom-quoted pricing
- Not for lightweight team scheduling
- Needs portfolio-level data to shine
3. Runn: modern, affordable forecasting
Runn is the modern, accessible alternative. It combines resource scheduling with capacity forecasting and real-time reporting in a clean interface, and it is priced to start: around $10 per person per month for Starter and $14 for Professional, with a free tier for up to five people. It does not reach the portfolio-planning depth of PDWare or Saviom, but for a mid-size team that wants solid forecasting without an enterprise commitment or an implementation project, it hits a sweet spot of capability and price.
Pros
- Modern interface, quick to adopt
- Forecasting plus scheduling in one tool
- From $10/person/mo, free up to 5 users
- Strong mid-size value
Cons
- Less portfolio depth than PDWare or Saviom
- Not built for 500-project portfolios
- Fewer enterprise controls
4. Float: the lightweight scheduler
Float is the simplest and cheapest option here, focused on straightforward resource scheduling for teams. It starts around $7 per scheduled person per month, with a Pro tier near $12, and it is fast to adopt because it does one thing well: showing who is working on what and when. It is not a capacity-planning or portfolio tool, so it will not answer complex feasibility questions, but for a services team or agency that just needs clear scheduling, it is hard to beat on ease and cost.
Pros
- Simple, fast, and cheap from $7/person/mo
- Clear team scheduling at a glance
- Easy for services teams and agencies
Cons
- Not a capacity-planning or portfolio tool
- Limited forecasting and scenario modeling
- Outgrown by complex portfolios
Which PDWare alternative should you pick?
If you need PDWare's depth from an established enterprise vendor, Saviom is the primary alternative, and Tempus Resource is the most direct match when portfolio what-if modeling is the core requirement. If you are a mid-size team that wants strong forecasting without the enterprise weight, Runn is the value pick, and if you only need clear team scheduling, Float is the simplest and cheapest. Still deciding whether ResourceFirst is right for you? The PDWare review covers what it does well and what it costs, and the resource management roundup ranks the full field. To frame the underlying problem first, start with capacity vs demand gap analysis and top-down vs bottom-up capacity planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best PDWare alternative?
It depends on your scale. Saviom is the best enterprise match, with deep forecasting and what-if planning comparable to PDWare. Tempus Resource by ProSymmetry is the most direct alternative for portfolio-level what-if scenario modeling. Runn is the best modern, affordable option for a mid-size team, and Float is the best lightweight scheduler for smaller teams that just need clear resource scheduling.
How much does PDWare cost, and are alternatives cheaper?
PDWare does not publish pricing. Third-party listings report a starting point near $50,000 for a perpetual license, or around $50 per user per month for smaller subscriptions, with a five-user minimum and no free trial. The lighter alternatives are cheaper and self-serve: Runn starts around $10 per person per month (free up to five users) and Float around $7 per scheduled person per month. Saviom and Tempus Resource are enterprise and custom-quoted, in PDWare's range.
What is the difference between portfolio resource planning and team scheduling?
Portfolio tools like PDWare, Saviom, and Tempus Resource plan capacity against demand across many projects and skills, with scenario modeling to test whether the whole portfolio is feasible. Team schedulers like Float and Runn assign named people to projects at a team level. The first answers strategic questions such as whether you can take on more work; the second answers who is doing what this week. Pick by scale and by the question you need answered.
Which PDWare alternative is best for enterprise?
Saviom and Tempus Resource are the two enterprise-grade alternatives that match PDWare's depth. Saviom is an established enterprise resource management vendor with deep forecasting, what-if planning, and skills-based matching for large, multi-geography workforces. Tempus Resource specializes in portfolio-level what-if scenario modeling. Both are custom-quoted rather than self-serve, which fits large PMOs and IT organizations planning across many concurrent projects.