Quick answer: Our top pick is Teamwork.com, followed by Hive and Paymo. Entry prices start near $10/mo. All 5 are compared below on price, strengths and the key trade-off of each, so you can match one to your needs.
Every pick is here for a concrete reason, spelled out below. This guide rounds up the 5 tools we'd actually recommend for Agencies, with what each does best, what it costs, and who should pick it.
We weighted picks on output quality, value for money, learning curve and how well each tool fits the specific workflow in this guide. Pricing is summarised from public plans at the time of writing.
Project Plan 1 from ~$10/user/mo; Plan 3 ~$30/user/mo; Plan 5 ~$55/user/mo (cloud, billed monthly/annually; on-premise editions separate).
Traditional/waterfall project managers
The picks, ranked
1. Teamwork.com client work management
Project management built specifically for client services and agencies, with built-in time tracking, billing, budgets and profitability reporting. Best suited to teams that care most about agencies and client services.
Why it's on this list: Project management built specifically for client work, with time, billing and profitability baked in. Aimed squarely at agencies and client-services teams that bill time and need profitability/retainer tracking.
Standout features:
Built-in time tracking with billable hours
Invoicing, budgeting and profitability/retainer reporting
Standout strength: Free guest/client users on all plans.
Worth knowing: SOC 2 compliant with US or EU data hosting options.
Pricing: Free Deliver plan (limited seats); Deliver from ~$10.99/user/mo; Grow ~$19.99/user/mo; Scale ~$54.99/user/mo; Enterprise custom (billed annually).
Flexible project and work management with multiple project views, native chat, time tracking and a growing AI assistant, aimed at collaborative teams. A strong default when collaborative cross-team work is the priority.
Why it's on this list: Project management that bundles native chat and an AI assistant alongside Gantt, Kanban and calendar views. Built for collaborative cross-functional teams wanting PM plus built-in chat in one workspace.
Standout features:
Approval workflows and proofing
Customizable dashboards
Standout strength: Flexible views suit different team styles.
Worth knowing: Integrates with 20+ apps including Microsoft Teams, Jira and QuickBooks.
Pricing: Free plan; Starter from ~$5/user/mo; Teams ~$12/user/mo; Enterprise custom (billed annually; verify current tiers).
Work management for freelancers and small agencies that bundles task management, time tracking, invoicing and resource scheduling in one tool. Picked here for how cleanly it handles freelancers and small agencies.
Why it's on this list: An all-in-one for freelancers and small agencies: tasks, time tracking, invoicing and scheduling together. Aimed squarely at freelancers and small agencies that bill time and want invoicing plus project profitability in one tool.
All-in-one project management combining tasks, milestones, docs, chat and time tracking in one workspace, with a strong free tier for small teams. It stands out for small to mid-size teams without a heavy setup cost.
Why it's on this list: An all-in-one workspace tying tasks to milestones, with docs and chat, plus unlimited members on free. Built for small-to-mid teams wanting one milestone-driven workspace for tasks, docs and chat.
Standout features:
Tasks, milestones and Gantt-style roadmap tracking
Built-in docs, discussions and team chat
Standout strength: All-in-one workspace (tasks, docs, chat, time) at a modest price.
Worth knowing: Free plan allows unlimited team members but only 2 active projects and 100 MB storage.
Pricing: Free plan; Starter from ~$7/member/mo; Pro ~$10/member/mo; Business ~$16/member/mo; Enterprise custom (billed annually).
Microsoft's classic project scheduling and portfolio tool with powerful Gantt, critical path, resource management and Power Platform/Teams integration. Best suited to teams that care most about traditional/waterfall project managers.
Why it's on this list: Microsoft's classic powerhouse for detailed Gantt scheduling, critical path and enterprise portfolios. A natural fit for traditional/waterfall project managers in Microsoft 365 orgs needing detailed scheduling and PPM.
Standout features:
Project financials, budgeting and costing (Plan 3+)
Enterprise portfolio and demand management (Plan 5)
Standout strength: Best-in-class for detailed scheduling and critical path.
Worth knowing: No public affiliate program; distribution via Microsoft Cloud Partner Program (CSP).
Pricing: Project Plan 1 from ~$10/user/mo; Plan 3 ~$30/user/mo; Plan 5 ~$55/user/mo (cloud, billed monthly/annually; on-premise editions separate).
Don't over-think the ranking: the gap between adjacent picks is small. Decide what you can't compromise on — price, a specific strength, or learning curve — and let that pick for you. Free tiers and trials mean a 30-minute hands-on test beats another hour of reading.
FAQ
What is the best option in this list?
Teamwork.com is our default recommendation here; that said, a lower pick can be the smarter buy if its strengths map more closely to your job.
Are there free options?
Yes — Hive, Paymo and Nifty offer a free plan or tier, so you can validate fit before paying. Check each entry's pricing line above.
How were these tools chosen?
Each pick is judged on fit for the specific job in this guide — its real strengths, pricing and who it suits — using features and facts drawn from independent reviews and the vendors' own documentation, cited in Sources below.
How often is this guide updated?
We revisit pricing and rankings regularly as vendors change plans and ship features.
Sources
The features, strengths and facts cited for each pick above are drawn from these independent reviews and vendor pages: