Top Plutio Alternatives for Running Your Agency

Finding the best Plutio alternative can help streamline your agency’s busy schedule.

According to data from PMI, agencies that don’t leverage the power of the latest technology failed 18% of their projects. While switching to a new software solution can feel intimidating, finding the best choice for your agency goes a long way in getting stakeholder buy-in.

In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the best Plutio alternatives currently available, such as Productive, Notion, Trello, and more. Keep reading to learn more about their benefits, downsides, and user reviews.

Plutio is a project management platform with proposal and contract creation, time tracking, a client portal, basic invoicing, and project budget management features.

The software solution has high customer ratings on review websites such as Capterra and G2. However, users still report some notable downsides, such as:

As for the main benefits of Plutio, users enjoy that it offers multiple features in one, though some think that the team has stretched themselves too thin considering the frequent bugs. Some reviewers also report good experiences with customer support, and that they find the user interface user-friendly and intuitive.

Here’s our list of various software alternatives to Plutio, from comprehensive agency management tools to specialized billing and client management solutions.

Productive is a stand-out Plutio alternative with its extensive project management solutions and collaboration features. As an all-in-one agency management software, Productive goes a step further by providing robust resource planning, financial management, and forecasting features.

Read the full story: Joi Polloi’s Teammates Have More Autonomy Since Using Productive

With a 4.6 star rating on both G2 and Capterra, Productive provides a comprehensive, yet user-friendly experience for business performance management and workflow automation. It’s a tool for professional services agencies of all shapes and sizes, including marketing, development, design, consulting, and more.

Now, let’s explore some of Productive’s top features in more detail.

Productive offers many Project Management features that Plutio does, including project templates and various views, from Kanban and Gantt to Calendar. Team collaboration is simplified with custom task fields, to-dos and dependencies, and automated notifications that can be configured for frequency.

You can invite your clients free of charge to view your progress, create and comment on tasks, and even view budgets with specific permissions.

When it comes to time management, users of Plutio on Capterra specifically emphasize that:

Productive’s Time Tracking feature resolves this issue with a desktop widget that lets you track time without flipping through numerous browser tabs. Other than using the integrated timer, you can manage your entries manually or even automatically by booking hours with the resource planning feature. With time approvals, managers can mark entries as billable and confirm them or ask for additional information.

See more: Top 8 Billable Hours Tracker Solutions for Professional Service Agencies

Productive’s Budgeting feature offers a robust solution for financial management, adaptable to various pricing models like hourly, fixed, retainer, or hybrid. It simplifies managing cost rates and tracking billable hours with automated alerts for better control over project expenses.

The platform also allows for phased budgeting and automatic retainer setups to enhance cash flow management.

Productive integrates seamlessly with leading accounting systems such as QuickBooks and Xero. You can create your brand-friendly invoices on the platform and copy them into specialized project accounting software, or send them directly from Productive.

Find out more about Productive’s Billing.

A stand-out feature of Productive compared to Plutio is its integrated Resource Planning. It offers an effective way to optimize the employee utilization rate and manage project schedules.

Key features include:

Productive’s Docs help you keep all your project documentation in one place. Docs are seamlessly integrated with the rest of the platform so you can mention teammates and create tasks directly from pages. The feature also includes real-time collaboration, version history, and an Ask AI feature that helps your team translate their thoughts into text efficiently.

Productive’s Reporting feature consolidates data from various sources like budgeting, time tracking, and resource management into easy-to-comprehend visualization. It offers over 50 agency-specific templates that can be populated with additional parameters with custom fields and organized into shareable dashboards to facilitate team and client communication.

Additional features: Sales, Automations, Purchase Orders.

Integrations include: Xero, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Breathe, Zapier, Slack, Jira, Google Calendar, and more.
 

Productive offers a 14-day free trial, so you can decide if it’s the right Plutio alternative for your agency.

Notion is a popular project management tool that provides a centralized platform for task and documentation management.

Key features:

Notion users frequently praise the intuitive interface and strong collaboration features. It can be a good Plutio alternative for teams that want a more simplified solution. When it comes to the negatives, Notion lacks some key end-to-end agency operations features such as time tracking and invoicing, so keep this in mind.

Trello is a streamlined collaboration software with project and task management capabilities.

Key features:

For teams that enjoy Plutio’s collaboration features, but are looking for something a bit more scaled down, Trello can be a great choice. Users enjoy Trello as a good option for inexperienced project teams. However, agencies who are looking for more advanced agency management should consider different alternatives.

See more: Trello vs Wrike vs Productive: Choosing the Best Software for Your Agency (Features & Reviews)

Podio is a versatile work management solution that offers a range of customizable features for your agency’s needs.

Key features:

Podio allows users to combine various apps to adjust the project management software to their needs. As a downside, this high amount of customizability means that implementation and user onboarding might take a longer time than with solutions with integrated workflows. Keep this in mind if your time is limited.

Kantata, previously known as Mavenlink, is an integrated platform for project, resource, and financial management.

Key features:

Users usually enjoy Kantata’s management features for professional services agencies, but many reviewers note that the user interface seems outdated. Additionally, users report that it’s not as intuitive as it could be and that the platform performance can be a bit slow at times.

Scoro is a business management software that offers project management, work scheduling, and client management in one platform.

Key features:

Scoro offers valuable insights for service performance, making it an efficient tool for business management. However, its complexity can be overwhelming for new users, and its higher price point may not be suitable for smaller companies or startups with limited budgets.

Related: 13 Best Scoro Alternatives for Growing Agencies in 2023

Wrike is a project management software with integrated resource planning capabilities.

Key features:

Wrike can be a good Plutio alternative for agencies that need to manage their capacity more closely. Although Wrike has advanced resource management features, consider that budgeting capabilities are currently only available in the most advanced subscription plan. In comparison, tools such as Productive offer budgeting as an integral part of their platform.

See more: Wrike vs ClickUp vs Productive: An In-Depth Comparison

Asana is a project management platform tailored to professional services agencies.

Key features:

While Asana is a good choice for essential project management and team collaboration, the tool lacks some advanced features that can help you truly grow your agency. In particular, project managers who want to have a better grasp on their project financials should look for a more budgeting-heavy software.

ClickUp is a task and project management software solution with customizable workflows, collaboration, and automation features.

Key features:

ClickUp is a typical project management tool with custom dashboards and task management capabilities. As for the downsides, users have noted that reporting could be more robust and that the user interface can be unintuitive at times, especially for multi-project management.

See more: Best 11 ClickUp Alternatives: Exploring Top Competitors

HoneyBook is an invoicing and client management software for creative businesses and freelancers.

Key features:

Users enjoy HoneyBook for providing a straightforward invoicing process with a visually appealing user interface. HoneyBook can be a good Plutio alternative for users looking for a specialized accounting tool. For an end-to-end project management tool, consider other alternatives on this list.

Teamwork is a popular project management tool that helps business owners improve their efficiency and client management.

Key features:

Teamwork’s comprehensive approach makes it one of the best Plutio alternative project management solutions. However, even though it does offer extensive agency management capabilities, certain features might not be as developed in comparison to competitors — for example, financial forecasting and in-depth agency utilization insights.

See more: 11 Best Teamwork Alternatives

17hats streamlines administrative tasks such as bookkeeping, proposals, contracts, and online payments for small businesses.

Key features:

17hats provides a good platform for client management, especially when it comes to systemizing and organizing all steps of the process. However, despite being aimed at smaller companies, the pricing points can be considered expensive, especially when compared to similar available solutions.

Dubsado is a business management software solution designed to streamline workflows and client management for freelancers and small businesses.

Key features:

Users comment that Dubsado has many helpful features for dealing with various project types, such as custom fields, contracting, and proposals. However, certain features could also use some improvements, such as the way client information is stored: “I would love if it could recognize that I have already entered the same clients and maybe update information as needed” (Source: Capterra). Some users also report issues with email connectivity.

Like Plutio, SuiteDash is a customizable platform with a range of features that support day-to-day agency operations.

Key features:

Users enjoy SuiteDash for its variety of project management solutions and business performance capabilities. However, many reviews state that there’s a bit of a learning curve involved and that it takes a while to set the software up, especially as there’s no industry-specific template from the get-go.

Paperbell is a client and contract management software designed for coaches and consultants.

Key features:

Users praise Paperbell for its coaching capabilities and well-developed client portal. As for the downsides, some users had issues with the platform’s security features. Another user noted that the user interface might take some getting used as “there’s not a lot of pictures and such as it’s mostly text” (Source: G2).

Freedcamp is a project management and collaboration software solution for small to mid-sized professional services businesses.

Key features:

Users enjoy Freedcamp as a tool that helps them improve their team collaboration. As a downside, some reviews have mentioned issues with the Calendar project view and the reporting functionality. The tool has a free version with basic features, so it can be a good choice for agencies on a budget.

Bonsai is a business management alternative to Plutio that combines CRM, bookkeeping, and invoicing.

Key features:

Bonsai offers many of the same features as Plutio, especially regarding client management, making it a good alternative pick. However, users note that some notable features are missing: “The only item that I find lacking in Bonsai is there is no Kanban board or other visual way to track tasks and projects” (Source: Capterra). Consider this if you’re looking for an all-in-one project management tool.

ManyRequests is a client portal software for design, creative, and website development companies.

Key features:

ManyRequests can be a good solution for client work, but it does lack some features that can help you manage your agency’s operations on a daily basis. This includes project management and client budgeting. It’s a good if pricey solution for agencies with specialized needs.

Monday.com is a project and task management platform for workflow automation.

Key features:

Monday.com is a flexible project management tool that can be customized to suit your team’s specific needs. However, even though it offers a variety of task management capabilities, it lags behind other all-in-one project management tools due to limited financial capabilities — such as utilization tracking or forecasting.

Picking your best Plutio software alternative can feel like an intimidating task. Although having many options can be a good thing, it can also lead to analysis paralysis.

To help you choose between these excellent alternatives, here’s our main tip — no matter which functionalities you’re most interested in, keep an eye out for user-friendly, scalable, and comprehensive solutions. These three factors can significantly streamline your onboarding and implementation process.

To learn more about what integrated solutions can do for your business, book a demo with Productive, the all-in-one agency management software.