Archie App vs andcards vs Cobot vs Nexudus vs Office RND vs Zapfloor

 

A year ago I made the statement that: “Coworking is becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason.” Which, based on the data from this Allwork article proves that I was right. 

 

In 2021 coworking has a forecast growth of 21% and in the second quarter of 2020, the total amount of square footage of coworking spaces has doubled. 

 

The “new normal” as we used to call it, seems to just be normal now. We have all gotten used to wearing our face masks and some of us even wear them in our dreams. 

 

Though, things have been changing since the last time I spoke to you about coworking software. Vaccines are being administered all over the world and seem to be changing many things. Hybrid working is in the mix and some companies are even thinking about letting employees come back. 

 

Choosing the best software for your coworking space can be a bit of a challenge if you don’t know what you are looking for or what you need. So to start, you need to answer these questions: 

 

1. Do I want door access control?
2. Should the software offer white labeling?
3. Does it need to support multi-location?
4. Do I want my users to easily pay me?
5. Do I want a social platform for my users? 
6. Am I considered a small coworking space or an enterprise? 

 

Now that you have answered these questions, let’s dive into the blog and see what these coworking spaces have to offer. Then, based on the information you have gathered, you can go ahead and pick one that suits your needs the best!

 

We have decided to add more competitors to our blog, and keep some of the ones we already have discussed. In this blog we have: andcards, Archie App, Cobot, Nexudus, Office RND, Zapfloor 

 

I spoke to these experts and asked them to tell us all about what the software they work with is capable of doing:  

Iryna Kovalova, Marketing Director at andcards. 

Maxime Bouillon, Account Executive at Archie App. 

Sam Bender, Senior Communication Specialist at Cobot.

Fiona Ross, Founder of Pink Scottie, who is considered our Nexudus expert.

Michael Everts, Product Marketer at Office RND.

Maarten Claes, International Business Development Manager at Zapfloor. 

 

Just like the last one, I will not be comparing these software companies to each other. My main goal here is to help you as a coworking space owner or founder to better understand what this software has to offer you. The opinions and information gathered here are from the experts themselves. 

 

Why coworking software is good for your space

 

In the last blog I mentioned that having a gazillion spreadsheets is not the way to go, and I still stand by that statement. Implementing a software to help you with admin will give you time to focus on the important things. 

 

That’s why the update was needed. New technologies are in the foreground and your needs might be different since a year ago!

 

Some more questions you need to ask yourself is do you want to: 

1. Save money?
2. Save time? 
3. Do less accounting? 
4. Grow your space?
5. See analytics?

 

Answering these questions will help guide you to understand better what you want from the software, thus making it easier for you to choose. It also helps to know that these softwares will change your life for the better no matter who you choose. 

 

What to consider before choosing coworking space management software

 

In my last blog I went into detail about what you should consider when choosing the right software for your coworking space. I mentioned that the two vital things you need to consider before choosing the right software is: 

• Understand what features your coworking space needs

• Understand what integrations you need for your coworking space

 

To understand this better, go back and read there why these two factors are important and why you should consider it. 

 

Now, without further ado let’s jump into the overview of each!

 

An overview of the software

Before we dive into each software individually, I want you to remember that this is not a comparison of who has the best software. I think they are all amazing and you should choose the one that suits your coworking space the best. 

 

Thus, the order in which these softwares are named, has nothing to do with the hierarchy. It is simply structured like this for no reason. 

 

1. Archie App

Archie App is dedicated to the end-user experience for flexible coworking spaces. They believe that if their functionalities are easy to use and all in one place, then the user will be more inclined to make use of their systems. 

 

For instance, they make sure that users can easily edit their content with the click of a button. 

 

They also ensure that the coworking space owner can easily see both the admin side of the software and what it looks like to the user. 

 

“No more flip flopping between the backend and frontend,” says Maxime. 

 

In fact, they are so proud of their product, that they even have a demo link for users to try out to see if they are interested in making use of their application. 

 

For them it is all about the user experience and having a good looking design is part of it, but functionality should come first. Their software is also versatile and can be customised for those who would like to have customised features. 

 

The best part is that they also have white labeling that allows users to have their own personalised application. They also integrate with a multitude of applications to ensure seamless integration and quick set up. 

 

Memberships & Billing	Notifications and reminders to end-users
	Automatic invoicing
	Multi-currency
	In-app payments (without having to make a profile)
Bookings	Digital books for: meeting rooms, desk check-ins, event spaces
	Access to building services like food services
Onboarding Members	Sign contracts in-app
	Easy, quick onboarding with manager portal
CRM	Help Desk
	Formal ticket system
	Direct contact with coworking space owner/manager
	Notifications for deliveries
	Updates on coworking space trading hours
Building guide	Rules, guidelines, and information accessible in-app
Access to day-to-day users	No need for account, instant billing
	Access to all amenities without an account
Quotes	Send quotes for prospects
	Quotes get turned into billable
	Automatic integration once accepted
Space architecture	Multi-location
	Interactive floorplan
Reports	Can view all accounts at once
	Analytics of users
	Reports on expenditure

 

Go take a look at their full list of features and see the integrations that they offer. 

 

2. Cobot

They were in my last blog as well! So, instead of going into more detail, we will just tell you what has been updated! 

 

The founders of Cobot are dedicated to creating community. They strive to offer coworking spaces the best possible integration to ensure that building a community is easy and stress free. 

 

“Our belief is that we do a few things well and then provide you with what you need,” Sam said “we don’t want to do anything mediocre, we want to do everything excellently.” 

 

One thing that Cobot does is that they offer one price to coworking spaces, based on the amount of members that you have. And this only includes recurring, paying members. Not those who just drop by once in a while. 

 

Cobot is flexible and offers you the peace of mind that things will run smoothly. They have multiple integrations and which are designed to automate your life. Just take a look at what they did here!

 

If you were to be interested in using your own developers, Cobot will offer all of their documentation to them so that you can customise these solutions to exactly fit your needs. 

Updated features 

 

Improved invoicing	Easy to understand invoicing
	Members can see exactly the amount of credits used
	Non-members can view invoices on Cobot interfaces
Improved payments	Non-members can pay with PayPal
Help centre	Answers to troubleshooting
	FAQ
	Guides are already translated into Spanish, French, and German
Real person calls	Schedule a call with team members
Check-in and Access Control	Wifi and network check-in
	Integration with access control systems, including mobile locks
The Tip Jar	Let’s users donate small amounts of money
Multi language function	Core translations are English, Spanish, French, and German
	Added translations for eight other languages
Events	Register and promote events
	Sell tickets for said event

 

Check out a full list of their features here and explore the integrations available for Cobot. 

 

3. Nexudus

When I spoke to Fiona, she explained to me what Pink Scottie is all about. They work as product consultancy and integrate coworking spaces with Nexudus software. 

 

Go back to my previous blog and read about the features they have there, and then see what they have updated. 

 

“We built Nexudus with a range of tools to help automate workflows, streamline operations, support members and help to scale up coworking and flex workspaces.”

 

According to Fiona, overall the services that Nexudus offers ensure that coworking space owners and managers can focus on building a relationship with their members rather than being focussed on processing documents. 

 

Because of the easy integration, Nexudus offers room for customisation and can easily fit the needs of any coworking space. They offer everything from white labeling to door access control. 

 

They offer fully white labeled applications and each coworking space can have their customised application on the app stores. 

Updated features

Help desk improvements	How to use Nexudus
	Advice on implementing integrations
Member portal	Fully self hosted membership portal
	Customised portal
	Improved UI and UX
	Floor plans
Application	Fully white labeled
	Can manage all of your teams on the go
	Access control
Asset management	Assign asset (like furniture and keys) to member
	Create contracts on the app
	Allows for electronic signage
Online courses	Offer courses to members
	Uploaded online

 

Here is a more extensive list of the features they can offer. The best part about Nexudus is their multiple integrations that they offer, making your life just a tad easier. 

 

4. Office RND

I also spoke to Office RnD in my last blog. So, I won’t bore you with the same details and explain what they have to offer. Instead I will only focus on the updates that they have made over the past year. 

 

Office RnD has been around the block. They know how to improve the lives of coworking spaces, whether you are a flex workspace or hybrid. They know what you need before you! 

 

Because of their background in coworking, they can offer many services to their clients, customizable or standard, and they allow for multi-location management. All from one dashboard. 

 

They allow members to make use of floor plans that have been set out exactly like the office space. And, when desks get shifted, or new ones get added, the manager can simply make use of the portal to shift the office around. 

Updated features

Phone support	Help desk through phone calls
	Better than FAQ
Multi-location billing	One invoice for multiple locations
	Easily view member usage
	Easy integration
Floorplan booking	See who uses the space
	Reserve desks virtually
	Control door access easily
Analytics	Easily obtain data
	Make us of data for better management
	Implement widgets for ease
Marketplace	Order refreshments from the app
	Payment is automatic

 

Go try a 30-day free trial to see what they can offer you! Also take a look at their features for flex workspaces. 

 

5. andcards

So, I have not spoken about andcards before. Which means that I will explain all of their features here. 

 

One thing that ancards does differently is that they are member orientated. They want to make the lives of members easier to create a greater sense of community. This allows for members to make use of their social media-like apps that grow the community. 

 

Members can share posts, like, and share them. They can also communicate with other members through use of the app to grow their connections. 

 

“We are community orientated and we strive to facilitate the process for our clients and their members,” Iryna says. 

 

They have 100+ spaces that make use of their software to operate with ease. All of their applications are white-labeled which allows spaces to have their own applications. 

 

Iryna also mentions that owners or administrators are completely in control of their applications. They choose if members should be able to comment on other’s posts, or if members are allowed to post on the platform. 

Features

Memberships & Billing	In-app payment solutions
	Simple invoices
	Payment platform integration
Bookings	Book rooms or desks
	Push notifications with reminders
	Bird’s eye view of room/desks
Community	View all bookings and transactions in one place
	Manage members easily
	Discover other community members within the app
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)	Newsletters
	Ticket logging
	Live chats
Check-in and Access Control	Granted access based on membership
	Grant access to visitors
	Unlock doors straight from the app
White Label Member’s Portal	Customisable app
	White label websites
Events	Create and share events
Analytics	Access real-time and historical data
	Added customer reporting

 

Take a look at all of the features they have to offer, and see if your favourite application can be integrated with their API. 

 

6. Zapfloor 

Zapfloor is also a new addition to my blog. They are focused on larger corporations and coworking spaces that have large offices and a lot of members. 

 

Marteen speaks about how the future of work will be hybrid working. He mentions that the vaccine has accelerated that people return to work, but some would like to stay home. 

 

Some offices have the floor space but their employees aren’t making use of it. Therefore, these companies have decided to turn their real estate into coworking spaces that allow for hybrid work. 

 

Zapfloor can be used to easily control these arrangements, from door access to member communication. The software also allows for floor plan lay-outs so that members can easily see and book desks that they are interested in. 

 

The software can be used for billing, client integration, door access, hot desk bookings, and also assets and contracts. “It makes running a coworking space easier as all that you need is on one platform.” 

Features

Automated billing	Dashboard show all invoices
	Register all payments and invoices
	Import and export invoices
Multi location management	Have all locations under one account
	Add office hours with ease
	An overview of all of your locations
Bookings	Digital bookings
	Add attendees and extra resources
	Book at multiple locations
Visitor management	Reports on total visitors
	Announce visitors
CRM	Overview of the coworking space
	All deals are listed in one tab
	See the progress of each deal
Access Control	All controlled through the app
	Only have access after booking
Floor plans	Upload images of each floor
	Simply click on a vacant space to reserve it
	Gives members an overview of your space
Community	Interact with members
	Create events
	Add FAQs and member channels
Reports	See your most popular rooms/desks
	An overview of members and revenue

 

Go take a look at the full list of their features and find out which integrations they offer. 

 

How do I know which one will work best for me? 

It all boils down to the answers that you gave in the questions that we asked you in this blog. One way to find out how these software options can satisfy your needs is by contacting them and seeing what they have to offer. 

 

You can easily decide based on your budget and the size of your space. Zapfloor and Office RnD are more catered towards larger coworking spaces with multiple locations. Nexudus is fully customizable which allows you to change it to what you need. And, andcards is dedicated to your members and creates a sense of community. So is Cobot, they are focused on community but have the option to upscale should you need it. 

 

Like I mentioned before, speak to the experts. 

 

I have them listed here for you: 

Iryna Kovalova, Marketing Director at andcards. 

Sam Bender, Senior Communication Specialist at Cobot.

Fiona Ross, Founder of Pink Scottie, who is considered our Nexudus expert.

Michael Everts, Product Marketer at Office RND.

Maarten Claes, International Business Development Manager at Zapfloor.