Switching from PastPerfect
Keep the registrar discipline. Lose the desktop.
PastPerfect taught a generation of museums how to accession properly — and we mean that as a genuine compliment. MuseumBuild keeps that same standard workflow (temporary custody → accession → catalog → deaccession) and puts it on a modern web platform your volunteers can use from any device, with your existing catalog imported in an afternoon.
The move, in one afternoon
- In PastPerfect, export your catalog to Excel or CSV.
- In MuseumBuild, open Import and drop the file in — we recognize their column names (Objectid, Objname, Descrip, Origvalue…) automatically.
- Review the mapping, click Import. Your object numbers come with you, unchanged.
- Everything arrives private. Publish what you choose, when you choose.
Side by side
| PastPerfect | MuseumBuild | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Desktop software (Windows) or a hosted Web Edition | Web-based, works on any computer, tablet, or phone — nothing to install |
| Trying it | Webinar registration, then a trial arranged with their team | Start free yourself, today — no webinar, no sales call |
| Registrar workflow | Temporary custody, accessions, loans, exhibits — the standard pipeline | The same standard pipeline, taught in plain language as you use it, with e-signed Deeds of Gift and loan agreements built in |
| Pricing shape | Modular: base price plus separately priced add-ons (images, network users, barcodes, support plans) per their published price list | One subscription, every module included — plans differ only by collection size and seats |
| Images | A separately priced upgrade on the desktop edition | Included on every plan |
| Public collection online | A separate online product | Included: public pages, QR labels, digital exhibits, a walkable 3D tour |
| Connectivity | DPLA export available on their web edition | Every museum is a standing OAI-PMH repository (DPLA-harvestable) and speaks IIIF — no export step |
| Donors & fundraising | Contacts, campaigns, pledges — a real strength of theirs | Contacts, donations, campaigns with live goal thermometers, pledge schedules — one giving ledger tied to the same records |
| Search | Several search screens with separate indexes | One search box, always indexed — objects, donors, accessions, receipts, locations |
| Getting your data out | Exports available | Full-field CSV export any time, plus open standards (OAI-PMH, IIIF, Dublin Core API) — never locked in |
PastPerfect details reflect their own published product and pricing pages as of September 2026 — check museumsoftware.com for current specifics. They make good software; we think you'll like ours better.