The 11 Best Project Management and Time-Tracking Tools

Across professional services industries and roles, project management is critical to the successful delivery of client work. Supporting that work with a project management tool is the best way to keep your team organized, improve efficiency in your work and increase overall profitability for your business.  

From managing individual tasks to improving team collaboration, project management software can improve the day-to-day work of project managers, project contributors and business leaders alike — ultimately improving consistency and quality in your client work and increasing client satisfaction. 

While managing and delivering successful projects is your goal, staying profitable and productive while doing so requires an accurate understanding of how your team is using their time. Project management software with the addition of time-tracking features is the combination your business needs to grow.

Why Your Professional Services Team Needs Accurate Time-Tracking Reports

Most businesses can benefit from time-tracking tools, but for service businesses that charge an hourly rate, it’s a necessity. Especially for hybrid and remote teams, time tracking can be an incredible resource for tracking productivity and team availability. 

Having access to accurate time data provides leadership with the knowledge they need to understand individual workload and better assign tasks to the appropriate employees. Plus, it offers increased visibility with detailed reports of billable vs. non-billable hours — resulting in more accurate estimates for clients and the ability to adjust priorities to become more profitable.

Time-tracking apps vary from tool to tool: Some offer manual tracking while others automate the process to reduce human error and create more accurate records. Finding the time-tracking tool that fits best with your existing workflows will simplify the process, and often, the easiest approach is finding a project management tool with integrated time-tracking features.

Top Platforms to Track Time and Manage Tasks

There are plenty of project management software options to choose from, many of which also track time. It’s important to consider all the project management features your team needs, from task management to tracking project progress, as well as pricing plans and how each tool may fit into your existing tech stack.  

We’ll explore the top project management platforms with time-tracking solutions below so that you can compare their features and better understand the pros and cons of each. 

1. Accelo
2. Celoxis
3. ClickUp
4. GanttPRO
5. Hive
6. LiquidPlanner
7. ProofHub
8. Smartsheet
9. Teamwork
10. Timely
11. Wrike

1. Accelo

Accelo is an end-to-end client work management platform built to help professional services businesses automate tasks, improve visibility and increase profits. 

While it offers robust project management and advanced time-tracking features, Accelo also offers solutions for all stages of client work, including sales and quoting, customer relationship management, a complete ticketing system, billing and retainer management.

Features

• An end-to-end solution for managing projects from quote to cash – including sales, billing, projects and retainers
• Log time across product areas and activities to track billable and non-billable hours 
• Custom workflows and custom fields to fit your unique business processes
• Collaborative tools like the Activity Stream with a complete history of client and project interactions
• Connect with your existing CRM, like HubSpot, to link project tickets with client and customer information 

Pros

• A built-in CRM connects your projects to a contact or company record, seamlessly merging  your client information and time-tracking data across the entire platform — simplifying billing and improving team collaboration 
• Accelo’s automated time tracking collects important data with no additional work and feeds into the platform’s robust reporting capabilities that offer advanced forecasting tools including revenue analysis, a team member performance dashboard and client profitability reports

Cons

• Because Accelo is most effective for teams of five or more, it may not be the best fit for smaller teams or solopreneurs
• Teams primarily seeking project management or time-tracking solutions may not need Accelo’s end-to-end solution for managing all aspects of client work

Start a free trial today to see Accelo in action. If you have questions or want to explore custom solutions for your business needs, schedule a demo to speak with a product expert.

2. Celoxis

Celoxis is a project management software with time-tracking features, workflow automation, resource management and powerful reporting. The platform is ideal for medium and large businesses looking for a system that offers a blend of classic and agile project methodology. Celoxis’s powerful API and numerous integrations make it a customizable solution. 

Features

• Project request tracking simplifies the process of accepting, organizing and tracking requests made from emails, forms and spreadsheets 
• Dynamic project planning automatically adjusts your projects to adapt to changing conditions
• Project accounting provides your team visibility into project budgeting and profitability across your projects and portfolios
• Customizable portfolio dashboards allow your team to track important portfolio KPIs

Pros

• The platform is highly customizable with custom fields, custom dashboards and multiple project layouts
• Users appreciate the simple and elegant user interface and share that the platform is easy to use 

Cons

• No billing or invoicing features, so additional tools would be needed to collect payment for projects
• Because there is no built-in CRM, if you are managing projects to support clients you would need to integrate with additional software to connect your projects to your client records

3. ClickUp

ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform with project management and time-tracking features to help teams collaborate on project planning, project organization and execution of tasks. The platform offers goal tracking, a variety of project views and dashboards to track project progress.

Features

• Goal Folders help teams automatically track project progress 
• Time estimates and reporting supported by manual and automatic time tracking 
• Multiple project views, including lists, Kanban boards, calendars, Gantt charts and more
• Collaborative tools like Whiteboards to help teams visualize ideas and workflows

Pros

• A large catalog of educational tools including demos, help docs and ClickUp University 
• ClickUp offers a free plan with limited features

Cons

• ClickUp does not have a built-in CRM, so connecting projects to their respective clients can be challenging
• Users share that the platform can be overwhelming and some share that there are bugs and performance issues

4. GanttPRO

GanttPRO is a robust project management software with a focus on Gantt charts for tracking project progress. The tool offers task, cost, resource and portfolio management, team collaboration and time-logging features.

Features

• Time management tools to track time and create time log reports
• Plan projects with auto-scheduling tools, task hierarchy and dependencies
• Multiple project views including Gantt charts, grid, board and portfolio views
• Manage team resources with role-based assignments and project budgeting 

Pros

• Pre-made Gantt chart templates are available to users and support numerous industries and project types
• Dynamic charts can be shared with stakeholders and others outside of the platform through public URLs 

Cons

• GanttPro is not able to support billing and invoicing needs, so integrations would be needed to complete your organization’s tech stack
• The task timer is not automatic, so time tracking in this platform requires starting a timer or manually logging time after a task is complete

5. Hive

Hive is a productivity tool that helps teams manage projects and processes with flexible project layouts, native email, resourcing, group messaging and file sharing. Specifically made with hybrid and remote teams in mind, the platform supports collaborative work with communication tools like video chats and shareable notes.

Features

• Automatic and manual time-tracking options and timesheet reporting
• Custom action statuses to help users track progress and urgency levels 
• Goals tracking helps teams set, track and monitor team and organization goals
• Custom project and action templates to simplify recurring work 

Pros

• A free version is available for individual users 
• A library of pre-built workflows are available to customize 

Cons

• Some users share feedback that the platform can be slow at times
• Users share that they need more detailed analytics, and one user shares that the Hive Analytics tool frequently breaks and is unable to load data

READ NEXT: Accelo vs. Hive

6. LiquidPlanner

LiquidPlanner is a project management solution that helps teams plan projects, collaborate on tasks and manage resources with planning intelligence tools like predictive scheduling, change tracking and built-in time tracking.

Features

• Automatic resource allocation evenly distributes workload
• Predictive project planning tools create accurate estimates of project completion
• Portfolio management to visualize how new projects will impact current project timelines
• Integrated time-tracking tools offer insight into how your team uses its time  

Pros

• A free version is available for three or fewer users
• The platform’s predictive technology helps teams set accurate timelines for project delivery

Cons

• The platform only offers solutions for project and resource management, so teams needing to support the full client journey will need to find tools that can integrate with the platform
• Multiple users shared feedback about the platform’s design and UI, saying it can be “clunky” and “awkward” 

7. ProofHub

ProofHub is all-in-one project management and team collaboration software with a powerful time-tracking feature to help you track project progress, improve productivity, and increase profit margins. It allows you to accurately track the time spent on tasks, create timesheets, and visualize data in reports.  

Features

• Automatic and manual timers to track task and project progress
• Reporting on time utilization, project status and resource utilization    
• Multiple project views including Kanban, Gantt, table and calendar 
• Collaborative tools like built-in chat, shareable notes, proofing and project discussions            

Pros

• User-friendly and simple interface with a minimal learning curve  
• Flat-pricing structure, so unlimited users can use this tool for a flat fee   

Cons

• Some users say that the platform’s notification system is overwhelming  
• Users need to rely on integrations with Freshbooks and Quickbooks to create invoice

8. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a project and work management tool that helps organizations and teams plan, execute and report on client work. Its capabilities include workflow and resource management, team collaboration and digital asset management tools, supporting more efficient processes and better business outcomes. 

Features

• Custom automated workflows for recurring work, client requests and approval processes
• A portal that creates custom project views for different teams or departments
• Content management tools including a digital asset management system
• Automated time tracking, including mobile time-tracking capabilities

Pros

• Proofing tools streamline the process of reviewing, revising and approving content
• Public-facing reports and dashboards make it easier to share outcomes with stakeholders outside of the platform

Cons

• While Smartsheet is a popular solution for project management, its resource management and time-tracking capabilities are only available with the purchase of an add-on license
• Due to the size and cost, the platform is most commonly used by enterprise accounts, so it may not be the best fit for small to medium-sized organizations

9. Teamwork

Teamwork is a project management platform built with client work in mind. The tool offers time tracking, schedule forecasting and budget and profitability tracking to help professional services businesses deliver client work on time and on budget.

Features

• Multiple project views including table, task list, Gantt chart and Kanban board
• Built-in online time tracker for improved resource allocation
• Ability for clients to collaborate on projects within the platform at no additional cost
• Advanced reporting on project profitability and project status

Pros

• Teamwork offers a free plan with limited features for up to five users
• Customizable platform that can be used to support various teams and industries including marketing, product development, project management and more

Cons

• While built for client work, Teamwork does not include a built-in CRM, so additional software would be required to manage your client records
• Some say that the platform notifications can be overwhelming and the user interface can be “clunky and unintuitive” 

10. Timely

Timely is an automated time-tracking app with built-in project and resource management, payroll and capacity planning capabilities. The platform allows businesses to easily track employee time, monitor project tasks and budgets and access full visibility of their teams’ performance. 

Features

• Automated time capture without a need for timers or manual tracking
• Team dashboards to visualize efforts across your client portfolio
• Project health reports to highlight tasks, activity, performance and budget changes
• Scheduling tools to optimize task assignments based on availability and team priorities

Pros

• Easy, automatic time tracking makes it possible to capture every billable hour — leading to more accurate billing and more profitable client work
• Live reports based on employee time data generate insights about team capacity, billable percentage, budget spend and time spent on clients

Cons

• No ability to create project or task templates for recurring work
• While the time-tracking feature is available at each pricing level, the additional project management features are only available at higher pricing plans

11. Wrike

Wrike is a work management software built to help teams collaborate on projects and increase productivity. A variety of industries and teams use Wrike to track tasks and projects, automate workflows and manage resources. 

Features

• Project management tools to create and visualize timelines, identify issues and allocate resources
• Time tracking
• Pre-built project templates tailored to team, department and organization needs
• Automated workflows defined by custom triggers

Pros

• Wrike’s Blueprints are templates for recurring work with more advanced functionality than duplicating tasks, folders or projects individually
• The Spaces tool allows teams to create custom, shared workspaces to highlight team workflows, work breakdowns and your team’s favorite tools

Cons

• Limited filters make it challenging to organize and locate tasks in current and past projects
• The complexity of the user interface makes navigating between projects cumbersome and the long learning curve can create a challenging onboarding experience for new users 

How Smart Tech Can Support Your Client Work — From Timesheets to Invoicing

From building efficient project timelines to accurately managing project budgets with automated time tracking, choosing the right smart technology can set your business ahead of the competition. Finding a system that can support all aspects of your client work — beyond just projects and resource management — is the solution for more efficient and more profitable client work.

Consider an end-to-end client work software platform. Here's how to compare your options.