Agency project management software is designed to help advertising agencies and other industries, such as marketing and creative – organize workflows within a unified interface.
Agencies need to consider various factors when choosing a project management platform, such as transparency for external clients and customizable workflows. Agency project management software can address these needs and cater to specific industries.
Geekflare has researched and compiled the best agency project management software based on parameters like collaboration, tracking client deliverables, and visual project planning.
- 1. monday.com – Best for Customizable Workflow Management
- 2. Wrike – Best for High-Performance Agencies
- 3. AgencyAnalytics – Best for Marketing Agencies
- 4. Productive.io – Best for Resource Planning
- 5. Hive – Best for Collaborative Agencies
- 6. Teamwork – Best for Client-Deliverable Focused Agencies
- 7. Accelo – Best for Seamless Business Operations
- 8. Improvado – Best for Marketing Data Aggregation
- 9. Workamajig – Best for Creative Teams
- 10. ProofHub – Best for All-Size Agencies
- 11. HoneyBook – Best for Independent Business
- 12. Basecamp – Best for Simplified Project Management
- 13. ActiveCollab – Best for Task Breakdown
- 14. Airtable – Best for Visual Project Planning
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1. monday.com
Best for Customizable Workflow Management
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementYes
- Customer SupportLive Chat, Email, Phone
About monday.com
monday.com has more than 225,000 users, including small and large agencies. It was founded in 2012 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). With customer project templates and single-interface client project overviews, monday.com is the best agency project management software for customizable workflow management.
monday.com integrates with collaborative tools like Google Calendar and Slack, making it an easy solution for communicating with clients and moving projects forward more quickly. It also integrates with Gmail to set up automatic reminders if a client doesn’t respond within a designated period. The Client Projects window shows the list of deliverables for each month.
Marketing and creative teams can view all internal and external creative requests within a single interface with monday.com. Users can quickly set project statuses and priority levels to ensure processes run smoothly. They can also allocate tasks, such as adding copywriters and designers.
To track tasks appropriately, agencies using monday.com have access to clear overviews highlighting which tasks are overdue and which are in progress or have been planned. Those responsible for each project are also informed when things don’t seem to be moving along.
monday.com has over 200 integrations, including Zoom and OneDrive. The software is also well-known for its pre-designed and customizable templates, such as single project overviews, project requests and approvals, and client campaign dashboards.
Users can also download the monday.com app for iOS and Android for on-the-go project management. Moreover, monday.com enables task automation with “if > then” protocols.
monday.com Pros and Cons
Customizable client project management templates, including the ability to view each task within individual dashboards.
Automated follow-up reminders if a client hasn’t responded via email based on your parameters.
Access 200+ templates with a free plan.
Some features, like timeline views, are only available with paid plans.
All teams with more than 50 users have to contact the sales team for a customized plan, and no online purchase is possible.
monday.com Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Free Forever | $0 | Up to 3 boards, 8 column types, iOS and Android apps |
Basic | $12 | Unlimited free viewers, access to over 200 templates, priority customer support |
Standard | $14 | 250 integration actions per month, guest access for individual projects |
Pro | $24 | Customizable dashboards (up to 10 boards), time tracking for each task |
Enterprise | Customizable | 24/7 support, personalized onboarding |
2. Wrike
Best for High-Performance Agencies
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementYes
- Customer SupportPhone, Community Forum
About Wrike
Wrike, founded in 2006 in the US, is used by over 15,000 companies worldwide. It’s recognized as the best project management software for high-performance agencies due to the fact that Ogilvy and similar companies use it. Wrike stands out with features like asset reviews and simple team workload overviews.
Wrike has numerous high-end tools for bigger agencies, including the option to download templates for your creative briefs and minimize the time spent on designing these. The software also lets teams and clients comment on tasks and continue to move things forward, and it’s also possible to integrate with Google Drive, Adobe Creative Cloud, Gmail, and more than 400 other apps.
Teams can visualize agency projects in several ways, including via Gantt charts and tables. Each team member’s task count and status (i.e., whether they’re pending approval or in progress) can be viewed. Wrike also has team-by-team overviews, meaning that anyone can view how things are progressing with minimal difficulty.
Wrike also lets you view how many priority tasks each team member has, allowing for better resource allocation. It’s also possible to view all planned upcoming projects via the table view. The app uses AI to help you automate tasks, such as adding reminders when tasks are nearing their due date and moving each card to a new location once the previous requirements are fulfilled.
Wrike also lets teams create folders to keep their projects organized. Team members and managers can also see progress bars for each task to determine a rough timescale for when tasks are likely to be completed. Besides desktop devices, Wrike is available on iOS and Android and optimized in 18 languages, including English, Indonesian, French, and Danish.
Wrike Pros and Cons
Team-by-team overviews to view what the entire company is working on.
View each team member’s number of priority tasks to allocate resources better.
Optimized in 18 languages, including English, German, and Japanese.
Active task limitations for free users (up to 200 tasks allowed).
No month-to-month subscriptions are available.
Wrike Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Free | $0 | Table and Kanban board views, resource assignment |
Team (2-25 users) | $9.80 | Unlimited tasks, unlimited free viewers (internal and external), workflow customization (i.e. change conditions) |
Business (5-200 users) | $24.80 | Guest approvals on tasks, unlimited dashboards, automated task prioritization |
Enterprise (5+ users) | Customizable | Custom access roles for tasks and folders, SSO via OneLogin, Okta, and Google Apps |
Pinnacle (5+ users) | Customizable | Planned vs. actual billable utilization, customizable reports, and forecasting |
3. AgencyAnalytics
Best for Marketing Agencies
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementNo
- Customer SupportEmail, Chat, Knowledge Base
About AgencyAnalytics
AgencyAnalytics was founded in 2010 and is used by over 6,500 agencies. The software was designed specifically for marketing agencies, which is one reason it is the best project management tool for these companies. AgencyAnalytics’ array of features includes website audits and the ability to manage all clients in one place.
AgencyAnalytics integrates with over 80 tools used by marketing agencies, including Google Analytics, SEMrush, Google Ads, and social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. The software also lets you customize your reports with graphs, including pie charts and bar graphs, which showcase how your business is performing online.
The tool also lets teams automate client management, reporting and schedule reports with custom timescales to your desired recipients. To ensure professionalism, AgencyAnalytics lets users add their own brand logos and colors.
To help clients better prepare for future campaigns and optimize their strategies, AgencyAnalytics lets you choose custom templates and drag and drop the metrics you want to include in the reports. You can also use the platform to store login details for all of your clients and staff, in addition to assigning user permissions. It’s possible to store these details for an unlimited number of users.
AgencyAnalytics also lets you assign custom tasks and workflows. The service lets you add a “My Agency” shortcut to your home screen, but it doesn’t have an app at the time of writing this article.
AgencyAnalytics Pros and Cons
Customizable reporting tools (e.g., drag and drop metrics) and automate when you send them.
Get custom emails and domains with the Agency and Enterprise plans.
Monitor clients’ campaigns on search engines, social media, etc., with specific plugins for marketing agencies.
Limited task management options, such as boards for tasks and workflow overviews.
No mobile app in the App Store or Google Play.
A minimum of five client campaigns is required to use the service.
AgencyAnalytics Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Freelancer | $12 per client campaign | Custom commenting, One custom dashboard per campaign |
Agency | $18 per client campaign | Unlimited staff, client messaging, in-app goal-setting |
Enterprise | Customizable | Priority customer support, dedicated account manager |
4. Productive.io
Best for Resource Planning
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementYes
- Customer SupportEmail, Phone, Live Chat
About Productive.io
Productive.io was founded in 2014, and its founders had previously formed a design and development agency with 350 employees. Today, the company is headquartered in Claymont, Delaware. With a range of features like booked vs. available hours, tentative bookings, and workplaceholders, Productive.io is the best agency project management software for resource planning.
Productive.io has several helpful project management tools for agencies, including simple task creation with customizable text boxes. Teams can also track billable hours in the app, along with looking at all of their metrics in Gantt, list, table, calendar, board, and timeline view. The workload view lets you see how much team members are expected to work over the coming days and weeks.
Teams have access to comprehensive real-time data, which includes budgets, service rates, and tracked time. It also shows average rates and amounts earned per client, along with which project managers have generated the most money. With Productive.io, teams can also quickly deliver feedback via in-app comments. The app also receives notifications for task updates, and it is compatible with iOS and Android, as well as computers. Productive.io integrates with a handful of third-party tools, including Xero, Google Calendar, Slack, and BambooHR. It’s also possible to make custom integrations via the Productive API.
In terms of customer support, Productive.io has a live chat feature with a typical response time of a few minutes.
Productive.io Pros and Cons
Comprehensive resource planning tools, including staff capacity hours.
Complex real-time data, including the ability to set revenue goals and see how close you get to them.
Automatically turn deals into projects once they’re won to start working more quickly.
A limited number of app integrations; creating your own integrations requires some technical knowledge.
No free pricing tier is available, even if you only have one user.
Productive.io Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Essential | $11 | Manage employee and contractor time off, 100 monthly automation runs, to-do list, and subtask creation |
Professional | $28 | Client comment visibility customization, five task workflows, maximum of five teams |
Ultimate | Custom | 15 custom fields, expense approval |
Enterprise | Custom | Custom number of rate cards, 5,000 monthly automation runs |
5. Hive
Best for Collaborative Agencies
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementYes
- Customer SupportEmail, Phone
About Hive
Launched in 2015 and an AngelPad graduate, Hive serves the likes of Google, EA, and Starbucks and has raised over $12 million in venture capital. With in-app chats, Zoom integrations, and native video chat features, Hive is the best project management software for collaborative agencies.
Agencies using Hive can automate repetitive tasks within the app and also automate projects across different programs. The app integrates with over 1,000 other tools, including HubSpot, Gmail, Salesforce, and Outlook. Besides using pre-made automation, you can set up your own customized versions.
Hive automatically tracks time spent on different tasks, meaning that you, your clients, and your contractors can bill more accurately. The HiveMind feature allows agencies to populate projects with AI, and it’s also possible to label all of your projects for easier organization. You can also quickly request client approval to minimize bottlenecks.
While you can integrate Hive with tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, it’s also possible to communicate with colleagues and clients directly within the app. You can do this via both chat and video. The app also integrates with other collaborative tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, and Google Calendar.
Hive has many of its own apps that you can use, such as Hive Mail and Goals. View late actions and tackle these tasks before they become too delayed, and get progress bars for your big project and time-bound goals within the program. The program is SOC2-certified, and workspaces are kept safe by not becoming visible unless an admin allows them to be.
Hive Pros and Cons
Lots of in-app collaboration tools, including Hive Chat.
Relatively high allowances on the free plan, with 10 users and unlimited collaborative notes.
AI-powered content writing and project planning.
Time-tracking tools are only available with a Teams plan or above.
Limited resourcing features (e.g. assignees and due date customization).
Hive Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Free | $0 | Unlimited tasks, 10 workspace members, native chat messaging, in-app email |
Starter | $7 | In-app Calendar (via Google Calendar or Outlook integration), AI workflow optimization |
Teams | $18 | Unlimited workspace members, external project sharing, customizable project tracking fields |
Enterprise | Custom | Flexible add-ons (e.g. analytics), custom analytics and dashboards |
6. Teamwork
Best for Client-Deliverable Focused Agencies
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementYes
- Customer SupportEmail, Live Chat
About Teamwork
Used by over 6,000 agencies and 20,000 customers, Teamwork is headquartered in Ireland, was founded in 2007, and specifically caters to agencies. With task management templates, subtask creation for each project, workload planners, and OKR features, Teamwork is the best agency project management software if you need to focus on client deliverables.
Teamwork lets you track all billable hours and quickly scale depending on the number of client projects you manage. Moreover, you can view a percentage of how much capacity each team member has. Another handy feature is the ability to see how many hours each person in your team has completed over the course of several months.
The Teamwork app offers a timeline view that enables teams to view all tasks within a single interface and see how much of their annual budget they’ve already allocated. Meanwhile, the workload planner allows you to include different folders and use drag-and-drop tools to adjust to project delays.
Teamwork offers the chance to quickly apply client feedback and swiftly onboard new clients with a checklist. You also have templates for content and SEO planning, in addition to creative requests and more. The app integrates with Slack, Google Drive, Quickbooks, and various other third-party apps. You can also integrate with Teamwork’s native apps, including Teamwork Chat.
You can download Teamwork for iOS and Android. To contact customer support, you can email them or submit a form. The company aims to have a 99.9% uptime and stores sensitive information in EU/US data centers. Two-factor authentication is also available.
Teamwork Pros and Cons
Create simple subtasks to break projects down into more manageable chunks.
Choose from hosting in Europe, North America, and Australia for fast data processing.
Unlimited free client access for transparency on deliverables and better project progress.
High-end core reporting tools are not available with lower pricing plans.
Unlimited customer reports are not available unless you have a Scale plan.
Teamwork Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Free | $0 | Time-tracking features, two project templates (max.), add sub-tasks and tags |
Deliver | $13.99 | Max. 3 custom fields, integrated team chats, unlimited client users |
Grow | $25.99 | 20,000 automated actions per month, 50 project management templates |
Scale | Custom | Unlimited project templates, 50,000 monthly automated actions, profitability reports |
7. Accelo
Best for Seamless Business Operations
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementYes
- Customer Support24/6 Global Support, Help Guide
About Accelo
Accelo was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The tool was founded by Geoff McQueen and is used by companies in more than 80 countries. Accelo states that its app has a 99.9% uptime, has team project syncing, and features automation tools like automatic triggers, making it the best agency project management solution for seamless business operations.
Accelo provides clear overviews of ongoing projects and shows you how much billable work your company has performed each week. On top of that, you can use the software to view how much work has not been invoiced and the number of projects that aren’t yet approved.
To ensure that efforts are spent in areas that matter the most, teams can see overall project value based on hours worked. The tool also has profitability forecasts and budget overviews, along with bar graphs and pie charts that summarize essential metrics, like which clients are the most profitable. Accelo also features cross-team project syncing, meaning that you can see what everyone is working on in real-time.
For retainer clients, Accelo lets you view your recurring projects and also include ad-hoc requests as and when they come in. Other extensive features include a progress bar to see how many outstanding tasks have been completed, along with in-app invoice creation.
Accelo integrates with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Stripe, and 14 other apps. The tool also has iOS and Android apps. Customer support is comprehensive, with an informative resource base, support requests, and live chat. You can use SSO and 2FA to secure your account, and all data transported via Accelo is protected by Transport Layer Security (TLS).
Accelo Pros and Cons
Comprehensive customer support, including support requests and an information base.
Update retainer clients with ad-hoc projects to avoid complicating workflows.
Cross-team syncing to provide complete transparency and up-to-date project progress.
Additional payment processing fees in the app, such as a 3.4% card sales volume fee.
No fixed pricing is available.
8. Improvado
Best for Marketing Data Aggregation
- Time TrackingNo
- Workload ManagementNo
- Customer SupportHelp Center & Documentation, 24/7 Support
About Improvado
Founded in 2015, Improvado is headquartered in the US and has over 65,000 subscribers worldwide – including Illy and Docker. Improvado’s platform has several automated marketing reports, including eCommerce, paid ads, paid search, and social media. These, combined with campaign health audits, make Improvado the best tool for marketing data aggregation.
Improvado’s data aggregation tools provide comprehensive marketing campaign analytics, including attribution models that compare current and past performances. You can also view bar graphs, dot charts, and line graphs that outline essential statistics (e.g., ad performance and spending by platform and leads generated from different sources). Improvado uses the Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) technique to deliver results.
When using Improvado, you can connect data from more than 500 sources. These include:
– Shopify
– Bing
– TikTok
– Google Ads
– YouTube
Agencies can use several tools to produce data visualizations. These include Google Data Studio and Power BI, which can be done from within the Improvado app. Other integrations include Mailchimp, HubSpot, Salesforce, Moz SEO, and AdButler.
Since its main area of excellence is data reporting, Improvado lacks task management features. Nonetheless, it’s a handy tool to use alongside tools specializing in the implementation phase. To contact the support team, you need to raise a ticket. Improvado doesn’t have iOS or Android apps, but it does have a comprehensive data processing agreement.
Improvado Pros and Cons
Extract information from 500+ data sources.
Comprehensive reporting analytics in dot charts, bar charts, line graphs, etc.
Use the AI data analyst to extract information on ad spending and other metrics.
Health audits to determine the viability of ongoing campaigns (including link-tracking validation).
No individual task management tools – for example, you can’t view your to-do lists in the interface.
Limited in-app communication features (for example, the Slack integration is by request only).
9. Workamajig
Best for Creative Teams
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementYes
- Customer SupportEmail, Live Chat, Phone
About Workamajig
Workamajig is based in Arizona and was launched in 2008, but it was previously known as Creative Manager Pro. Over 3,500 users signed up for Workamajig in 2023 alone, and the tool specifically caters to creative teams. This is one reason why we’ve named it the best agency project management software in this respect, but project intake features like spec sheets and free client access also contribute.
Workamajig lets you assign and share tasks and grant free access to clients so they can see how each of their projects is progressing. You can generate projects from its CRM software and quickly track time for effective and accurate billing. Moreover, creative team members can see which tasks they need to do each day and what’s coming up – allowing them to plan accordingly.
Other Workamajig features, such as project intake solutions and the Items to Approve window, allow users to set up tasks within their team and with others across the company. You also have the option to re-assign tasks easily if someone’s unavailable.
Collaboration and task allocation become easier with calendar integrations, namely Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook Calendar. Workamajig also lets you have internal and external conversations within the app, with integrations like Incoming Emails and a Project Conversations to Slack tool, currently in beta mode.
Workamajig doesn’t have a mobile app, but you can use the tool in your smartphone or tablet’s web browser. The service has SSO support and lets you install the software within your workplace’s servers, allowing for extra security. Meanwhile, Workamajig lets you view tasks available today by person and YTD hours per client.
Workamajig Pros and Cons
Free client portal access.
Daily task overviews that make it clear what everyone needs to do.
Install the software locally and via the cloud to prevent significant data breach damage but maintain flexibility.
No plans are available for fewer than 10 users.
Basic reporting features.
Workamajig Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
In-house/Agency (10-19) | $41 | Dashboard customization, in-app invoicing features |
In-house/Agency (20-49) | $39 | Same as above |
In-house/Agency (50+) | $37 | Same as above |
Enterprise | Custom | 100,000+ users, customized training |
10. ProofHub
Best for All-Size Agencies
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementYes
- Customer SupportEmail, Chat, Support Manual
About ProofHub
ProofHub was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in the US. Over 90,000 teams use ProofHub, including Disney, Pinterest, and Google. The solution lets you add multiple assignees, import and export tasks via CSV files, and quickly customize workflows. All of these reasons contribute to us ranking ProofHub as the best project management software for all-size agencies.
ProofHub lets agencies add custom currency fields if they deal with international clients, and you also get a complete project overview with different board visualizations (including Gantt charts and board view). Teams can add custom fields to each task and auto-schedule completion dates, in addition to letting clients send requests via forms.
Teams using ProofHub get comprehensive task completion reports showing when projects were completed and if they were overdue or not. You can also view time utilization reports for better planning, which shows how many hours each team member spent on specific projects. Each team member can also get paid accurately via time-logged reports.
The ProofHub intuitive user interface also has a pie chart showing active and completed tasks within its Project status dashboard. You also can see how many projects each team member is balancing to see where you may have additional resources.
Teams also get daily task agendas and estimate how long is left on each task. Moreover, the internal chat option allows team members to quickly and effectively collaborate. ProofHub has apps for iOS and Android, and for security purposes, you get a complete uptime overview and the option to restrict IP addresses. ProofHub also uses 128-bit SSL encryption.
ProofHub integrates with Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, and five other tools.
ProofHub Pros and Cons
Flat monthly pricing.
Unlimited users for both plans.
Native individual and group chat features.
Limited number of projects unless you get the Ultimate Control plan.
Limited storage, even on the highest pricing tier.
ProofHub Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Essential | $50 | Unlimited users, max. 40 active projects |
Ultimate Control | $99 | Time-tracking, add files and documents, in-app chat |
11. HoneyBook
Best for Independent Business
- Time TrackingNo
- Workload ManagementNo
- Customer SupportLive Chat, Email, Phone
About HoneyBook
HoneyBook was founded in 2013 by Oz and Naama Alon, and the software was originally born out of frustration. The couple realized that paying their wedding photographer was more complicated than it should have been when preparing for their big day, and sought to simplify payments for self-employed people going forward. With in-app invoicing, automated follow-ups, and the option for clients to choose meeting time slots based on availability, it’s the best software for independent businesses.
HoneyBook offers customizable proposals to effectively land clients and get faster approval on big projects. The tool also lets you create invoices based on your branding and automatically add new sessions in your calendar whenever someone books a meeting with you. Prior to that gathering, both parties receive a reminder and can reschedule if needed.
You can use a selection of templates with HoneyBook, including service guides, brochures, intake questionnaires, and pricing guides. Each of these features options to add images and pick fonts and colors that match your business. With your proposals, you can add plenty of detail in bullet point format.
HoneyBook integrates with several tools, including Zoom, Zapier, QuickBooks, and Google Calendar. In addition to using it on your computer, you can also access HoneyBooks’ iOS and Android apps. HoneyBook lets you create tasks for each step of the way, such as sending emails and contracts, and you can also automate these.
HoneyBook allows two-factor authentication and smart file access codes. You can also add a security phone number if needed. Users can access priority support with a Premium subscription; you can contact HoneyBook via email or chat for all plans.
HoneyBook Pros and Cons
Extensive invoice and proposal customization features.
In-app invoicing capabilities without needing integrations.
Schedule invoices to ensure that they’re paid when you need them.
Only available in the US and Canada.
Maximum of two users unless you get Premium.
Priority support only included in Premium.
HoneyBook Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Starter | $19 | Expense tracking, set availability for meetings |
Essentials | $39 | Automation, Zapier integration, custom fonts, task assignment |
Premium | $79 | Unlimited users, priority support |
12. Basecamp
Best for Simplified Project Management
- Time TrackingNo
- Workload ManagementNo
- Customer Support24/7 Priority Support, Email, Community Forum
About Basecamp
Founded in 1999 as 37Signals, Basecamp was originally a web design business that eventually became a project management software solution. It’s headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and has over 15 million monthly users. With an easy-to-navigate user interface, a dashboard where you can access everything, and the “campfire” feature that lets everyone communicate in one place, Basecamp is the best solution for simplified project management.
Basecamp features simple to-do lists where team members can assign themselves and others, and it’s also possible to comment on each task. You also see a pie chart with the number of outstanding projects you still have to finish, making it ideal for gaining quick overviews. Basecamp also lets you store multiple files online, including Google Docs and Sheets. So, you can easily keep client briefs and other essential documents in one place.
Basecamp agency project management software tool ability to see how well your projects are progressing. You can view whether you’re on track, if there’s some risk of not completing it on time, or if you should be concerned. Basecamp also has automatic check-ins that let project managers and creative teams share exactly what needs doing each week.
Teams using Basecamp receive access to timeline and Kanban views, and you can connect the software with Adobe Creative Cloud, Airtable, Google Drive, Notion, and over 700 other apps via the Doors solution. Basecamp has iOS and Android apps, along with desktop and web apps for Windows and macOS. The app also has integrations with tools like Unito.io (cross-project management software syncing) and Field Trip (for sharing activity on Google Hangouts and Slack).
Basecamp has round-the-clock staff to protect against security threats and breaches, and it also monitors its servers internally and externally. You can add 2FA and sign in via Google, but Basecamp says that it doesn’t specifically have SAML or SSO at the time of writing. Pro Unlimited users get 24/7 priority support. Otherwise, you can fill in a support request form.
Basecamp Pros and Cons
Easy in-app team communication via commenting and the Campfire feature.
Connect 700+ apps via Zapier, including iCloud Drive and Adobe Creative Cloud.
Automatic check-in feature to gain clarity on what each team member is working toward.
Renowned for its user-friendliness, including simplified dashboards and task views (i.e. timeline view).
No SSO authentication.
No annual plans for Basecamp’s basic subscription.
Basecamp Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Basecamp | $15 | 500GB storage, in-app messaging, customizable dashboard |
Basecamp Pro Unlimited | $349 | Unlimited users, free guest invites, unlimited projects, 24/7 support |
13. ActiveCollab
Best for Task Breakdown
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementYes
- Customer SupportLive Chat, Help & Support Forum
About ActiveCollab
ActiveCollab was founded in 2006 and was released in 2007 after $20,000 of spending from its founders. Headquartered in the US, the company has served over 50,000 teams across the globe. With horizontal and vertical project views, the easy addition of tasks to task lists, and the ability to connect obligations, ActiveCollab is the best agency project management tool for task breakdown.
ActiveCollab has a parent and child tasks feature, which lets you categorize subtasks and quickly search for them within the app. You can also batch-edit ongoing projects with minimal issues and view all of your upcoming tasks for the rest of the day, tomorrow, and the rest of the week. ActiveCollab can also send daily email updates with an overview of who’s available and what needs to be done.
When using ActiveCollab, team members can find a Personal Timesheet with all of their time records. Users can also quickly update their availability within the app if they have an upcoming holiday or other commitments. With four color themes and integration with Asana, Trello, and Basecamp, team members can quickly customize all of their workflows and tend to these with minimal difficulty.
ActiveCollab features Kanban boards and Gantt charts alongside its other workflow overview features. Moreover, you can set up automation for various necessities like sending personal reminders. With notes, in-app chats, and discussions, ActiveCollab has numerous tools to help team members communicate with each other.
In addition to project management tools, ActiveCollab also integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, and Slack – plus payment software like PayPal and Stripe. Each team can manage its resources better with dedicated progress boards. ActiveCollab has a knowledge base for simple troubleshooting, and you can also get in touch with the customer support team by filling out a form.
ActiveCollab features data encryption and 24/7 monitoring, in addition to firewalled access and MySQL.
ActiveCollab Pros and Cons
Comprehensive task breakdown features, including parent and child tasks.
Dedicated ongoing tasks boards for each team with an overview of what’s finished and needs doing.
Client profitability analysis to set target project budgets and use these as a reference for future planning.
Invoicing is only available with a Pro+Get Paid subscription.
Limited customer support options; you can only get in touch via a form.
ActiveCollab Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Plus | $3.67 | Task view customization (e.g., timeline view), tracking time spent on projects |
Pro | $9 | Workload planning and capacity views, tracked hours vs. estimated time |
Pro+Get Paid | $14 | Auto-rescheduling, integration with Slack |
14. Airtable
Best for Visual Project Planning
- Time TrackingYes
- Workload ManagementNo
- Customer SupportLive Chat, Community Forum
About Airtable
Airtable, founded in 2012, is headquartered in San Francisco. Over 400,000 companies have used the popular tool for its task breakdown charts and visual flow charts. Both of these extensive features, along with project standardization, product roadmaps, and capacity percentage overviews, make Airtable the best tool for visual project planning.
Airtable allows agencies to create product roadmaps with step-by-step tasks and status changes for each. The interface also gives ratings based on potential impact, cost, and reach. The status breakdown feature provides a chart showing how many tasks have already been completed, what needs to be done, and what is either in progress or overdue.
Teams using Airtable can create projects from small, medium, and large product templates. You also get charts to view goal completion rates and the amount of time remaining each quarter. Both are useful for planning your client projects more efficiently and ensuring you reach OKRs and deadlines.
Airtable has automation features that let you perform actions on third-party apps, such as sending messages on Slack. Team members can also customize their dashboards to feature the most essential metrics to them – such as how many objectives they still need to complete. Airtable integrates with GitHub, Miro, Salesforce, Zendesk, Dropbox, and 30 other apps.
You can download Airtable on iOS and Android. To ensure security, you can use multifactor authentication and benefit from the company’s “principle of least privilege” measures. The software is also SOC 2 Type 2-compliant. You can directly message Airtable’s support team from the app if needed.
Airtable Pros and Cons
Comprehensive feedback discovery features to enhance innovation (with star ratings for each).
Initiative grouping (e.g. improving delivery times) to help enhance products and services.
External third-party app automation (e.g. prompting messages on Slack).
Airtable AI requires an extra monthly fee.
Only 20GB of attachment storage per base for Team plans.
Airtable Pricing
Subscription | Pricing (monthly) | Offerings |
---|---|---|
Free | $0 | 1GB attachments, 100 monthly automation runs, 1,000 records per base |
Team | $20 | 50,000 records per base, 25,000 monthly automation runs, unlimited editors and commenters per workspace, unlimited bases |
Business | $45 | 100,000 monthly automation runs, two-way synchronization, SSO |
Enterprise | Custom | API, 500,000 monthly automation runs, on-premises syncing |
Comparing the Best Agency Project Management Software
The table below provides a comparison of pricing, ratings and features for the best agency project management software.
Agency Project Management Software | Pricing (monthly) | Rating Geekflare’s editorial team determines ratings based on factors such as key features, ease of use, pricing, and customer support to help you choose the right business software. | Resource Management | Explore |
---|---|---|---|---|
monday.com | FREE | Client project overviews, portfolio management tools, and pre-designed resource management templates | ||
Wrike | FREE | Project visualization (e.g., Gantt charts) and active task overviews | ||
AgencyAnalytics | $12 | Task assignment, campaign to-do customization | ||
Productive.io | $11 | Workload views, tentative bookings, work placeholders, teammate scheduling | ||
Hive | FREE | Project hierarchies | ||
Teamwork | FREE | Capacity-tracking, month-to-month capacity reports | ||
Accelo | Custom Pricing | Usage/budget statistics, approved/unapproved work parameters | ||
Improvado | Custom Pricing | Automated reports | ||
Workamajig | $37 | Scheduling table visualizations, task re-assignment | ||
ProofHub | $50 | Time utilization reports, resource utilization dashboard, number of projects graphs | ||
HoneyBook | $19 | Automated task overviews | ||
Basecamp | $15 | In-app scheduling, file storage and uploading Mission Control | ||
ActiveCollab | $3.67 | Progress boards for each team, Client+ profitability analysis | ||
Airtable | FREE | Resource allocation templates, allocated and available hours options |
What Is Agency Project Management Software?
Agency project software is a solution that helps agencies limit bottlenecks, complete tasks more effectively, and collaborate with clients. They often include data analytics tools, an agency command center, and role-based access.
Most agency project management solutions don’t require significant project management skills, but having these traits already makes completing tasks smoother.
How Does Agency Project Management Software Help?
Agency project management software can support project management techniques by monitoring how well you’re utilizing your resources. These solutions also provide complete task overviews, meaning that projects can move forward more transparently. With agency project management tools, teams can bill more accurately and easily collaborate on creative assets, content briefs, and more.
Key Features of Agency Project Management Software
Agency project management software usually involves the below-mentioned tools.
- Client Collaboration: Some solutions offer in-app messaging and the option to invite clients for free. Here, each client can see how all of their tasks are progressing. You can often integrate your software with tools like Slack, Zoom, and Gmail.
- Resource Management: Agencies often work with contractors and freelancers, meaning that appropriately allocating tasks – and ensuring that you don’t go over the budget – is crucial. You can see how many available hours each team member has and identify bottlenecks before they become a big problem.
- Financial Management: Besides budget tracking, agency project management software also allows teams to view each project’s expected return on investment (ROI). Moreover, you can track hours worked, which means that billing will become much easier if you charge per hour.
- Flexible Methodologies: Since each team, client, and team member is unique, you must use flexible methodologies in your software. Many tools offer different task overviews, such as timeline views, and you can – in many cases – download templates to make the implementation phase much easier.
- Reporting & Analytics: You can track several campaign metrics in your agency project management solution, including ad spend for social media campaigns. Moreover, you can see the percentage of tasks completed and how many still need finishing. As you use these tools more frequently, you’ll get historical data (e.g., task completion rates) that help you improve your services in the long run.
What Differentiates Agency Project Management Software from Project Management Software?
Agency project management software and general project management software differ from each other in the following aspects.
Features | Agency Project Management Software | Project Management Software |
---|---|---|
Target Audience | Used by creative and marketing agencies as it focuses on the specific needs of these industries | Cater to a wide range of industries without emphasizing any specific business |
Specialized Features | Comes with special features such as creative proofing, client portals, resource allocation, version control, CRM, file sharing, and progress tracking | Offer basic features like task management, file sharing, and reporting but do not offer any special features for any industry |
Resource Allocation | Has advanced resource allocation tools such as project budget, task assignment based on skill set, and talent management | Offers basic resource allocation tools needed for all industries |
Client Collaboration | Streamlines communication with clients through client portals that allow feedback, approvals, and project updates | May have limited collaboration features that do not cater to the special requirements of agencies |
Time Tracking and Billing | Has time tracking and billing facilities, allowing clients to be billed based on project scope and tracked time | Comes with basic time-tracking features, but usually does not have billing features |
Project Types | Customized for client campaigns, marketing, and creative projects | Handles various projects, depending on the companies that use these tools |
How to Choose the Best Agency Project Management Software
Since picking the ideal project management tool differs for each agency, you must consider your individual needs. If you plan to scale, you need to think about whether your software can scale with you. For example, does it offer the types of comprehensive reporting or customization features (e.g., dashboard fine-tuning) that you may need?
You also need to think about integration capabilities, whether that’s via connecting with Zapier or other means. Other questions and features worth considering are outlined below.
- Essential Features: Ensure that your solution offers access to core project management tools, such as task allocation and views.
- Client Interaction: Agency project management software solution must offer easy file-sharing with clients and, ideally, in-app communication (e.g., a chat function and email app integrations).
- Team Collaboration: Choose software that lets you quickly leave comments on tasks and allocate projects. For the latter, look for tools that also have capacity overviews for effective planning.
- Transparent Pricing: Some apps offer flat or per-user monthly and/or annual pricing. These include all integrations and features. However, you may sometimes need to pay for add-ons or contact the sales team for a custom quote.
- Trial Period: Before committing to any software, it’s worth signing up for a free trial. These normally last 7–30 days. Check to see if you need to add a credit card.
- Data Security: Since you’re working with sensitive information, you should check to see if additional features like 2FA and SSO are available. It’s also worth reading about each company’s data protection protocols and seeing whether they have the right certification (e.g., SOC 2 Type 2).
- Regulatory Compliance: The fines for not complying with regulations are often huge. If you’re operating in the EU or EEA, you must pick a GDPR-compliant tool. Agencies operating in California need to comply with the CCPA, and you should also check for local regulations in each country you serve.
Reading online reviews will also help you pick an effective project management solution for your agency. Customers often mention what they like and dislike, and you can decide whether these will be a problem for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes – you can normally integrate your agency project management software with communication tools (e.g. Slack), invoicing tools (e.g. QuickBooks Online), and even other project management tools like Trello and ClickUp. Some tools, like Wrike, also double up as resource management software.
Cloud-based agency project management software is often secure and complies with mySQL, along with several other security protocols. This is the case even if you don’t use open-source project management solutions.
Pricing models for agency project management software are similar to CRM for agencies. You often get per-user, per-month structures with monthly and annual options. However, some tools only let you pay annually. While you sometimes get flat monthly or annual pricing, this is quite rare.