ActiveCollab review
Bottom line
ActiveCollab is a project, time, and billing workspace that connects client work from estimate to invoice. Its clearest strength is that unlimited clients are free on every plan and a 14-day trial includes every feature without a credit card. The main cost to watch is that the three-member Plus tier is capped, and workload management, capacity planning, and integrated invoicing only appear at Pro+. It suits agencies and consultancies that bill clients for time and want one tool for delivery and billing.
What is ActiveCollab?
ActiveCollab is a project management and productivity workspace built for agencies, consultancies, and other service businesses. It keeps tasks, projects, client communication, time tracking, estimates, and invoices in one web-based workspace, so a job can move from a first estimate to a final invoice without leaving the tool. It addresses the common problem of tracking work in one app, time in another, and billing in a third, which makes project profitability hard to see.
Day to day, teams create projects and tasks with subtasks, due dates, dependencies, and recurring tasks, then view the work as a list, Kanban board, or Gantt chart. Members run a stopwatch or enter time manually against a task, and timesheets can be reviewed by team or by individual. Chat, comments, discussions, and notes live inside each project. Clients can be given access that is limited to the tasks and project elements the agency chooses. Won estimates convert into projects in one step, and billable time and expenses flow into invoices that can be paid online through Stripe or PayPal.
The software is aimed at freelancers, small businesses, mid-sized companies, and enterprises, with agencies and consultancies as its clearest focus. Pricing is per seat. Plus costs $15 per month, or $12.5 per month billed yearly, and includes three members. Pro is $11 per user per month, or $10 billed yearly. Pro+ is listed at $17 and adds workload management, capacity planning, budgeting, and integrated invoicing. Unlimited clients are free on every plan, and a 14-day trial includes every feature without a credit card.
What sets ActiveCollab apart from typical tools in its category is that project management, time tracking, and invoicing share one data set rather than syncing between separate products. The estimate-to-invoice path, budget versus cost tracking, and profitability reports connect delivery work directly to billing. Organizations that need their data on their own servers can buy the Self-Hosted edition, which is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription.
Who it's for
- Agencies and consultancies that bill clients for time
- Small creative teams running several client projects
- Nonprofits and educational institutions eligible for 50% off
- Organizations that need data on their own servers
Who should look elsewhere
- Solo users who need a permanent free plan
- Teams that need utilization reports right away
Typical uses
- Client project delivery with estimates and invoices
- Agency workload and capacity planning
- Billable time tracking across client projects
- Shared project work with outside clients and freelancers
ActiveCollab user reviews
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