How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- BigTime and Kantata suit established firms that need the full quote-to-cash lifecycle with accounting integrations.
- Accelo and Scoro work best for firms that want sales, delivery, and finance connected in one system.
- Solo consultants and small shops should look at TimeCamp, Avaza, and Plutio first; they start cheap and include free plans.
- The deciding factor is usually invoicing depth: if billing is complex, buy up; if it is simple, save the money.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 BigTime | full project accounting | $20 per user/month | No |
 Accelo | sales-to-delivery in one system | See website | Free trial |
 Scoro | end-to-end work management | See website | Free trial (14 days) |
 Productive | agencies and consultancies | See website | Free trial (14 days) |
 Kantata | large professional services firms | See website | No |
 TimeCamp | automatic time tracking | $2.99 per user/month (billed annually) | Yes |
 Avaza | all-in-one on a budget | $9.96 per user/month (billed annually) | Yes |
 Plutio | solo consultants | $19 per month | Free trial |
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We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best software for consultants
Starting price$20 per user/month
Free planNo
BigTime is the professional services automation platform built for firms where billing accuracy is everything. The Essentials plan starts at $20 per user per month, and the workflow runs from time entry through approvals to project-based invoices that sync with QuickBooks. Multi-rate billing, expense tracking, and real-time profitability dashboards come standard on the higher tiers.
Consulting, engineering, and IT services firms are its core audience, and the QuickBooks sync is genuinely two-way, which removes the reconciliation work that eats month-end. The honest catch is scope: solo consultants will find simpler tools cheaper and easier. BigTime earns its price when you have multiple people, multiple billing rates, and clients who scrutinize invoices.
What we like- Deep QuickBooks integration
- Project-based invoicing from approved time
- Utilization and profitability reporting
Watch out for- No free plan
- Can feel heavy for teams under five people
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Accelo takes the position that client work should be managed as one lifecycle, not scattered across tools. Sales opportunities, project delivery, retainers, time tracking, and invoicing live in a single system, with AI layered on top for forecasting project outcomes and recommending resource assignments. The 2025 acquisition of Forecast PSA deepened the predictive side further.
For consultancies that lose money in the handoffs, between sales promises and delivery reality, Accelo is persuasive. The automatic capture of client communications against projects alone can recover billable hours that otherwise vanish. The trade-off is that this is an enterprise-grade commitment: quote-based pricing and a real onboarding process. Firms under ten people should weigh whether they need this much platform.
What we like- Connects sales, projects, retainers, and billing
- AI-assisted forecasting and resource recommendations
- Strong client communication tracking
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing
- Implementation takes commitment
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Scoro covers the entire workflow consultants live in: CRM, quoting, project management, resource planning, time tracking, billing, and reporting, all feeding one dashboard. The utilization views and margin reporting are among the best in this lineup, and the company has a strong base among professional and creative services firms across more than 60 countries.
The appeal is replacing three or four subscriptions with one. Scoro's dashboards answer "who is overloaded, which projects are profitable, what is coming next" without custom reports. The catch is pricing transparency: plans are quote-based, and the per-user cost lands above simpler tools. It fits established consultancies that want one system of record and can use all of it.
What we like- True all-in-one from quote to cash
- Excellent dashboards and utilization views
- Strong for creative and consulting firms
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing can surprise smaller firms
- Some depth trade-offs versus specialists
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Productive grew up serving agencies and expanded into consultancies and professional services firms generally. The platform unifies project management, resource planning, time tracking, and financials, and the 5.0 release added AI agents that automate routine operational work like time tracking nudges and report generation.
Consultants like the resource planning views and the speed of onboarding; the company claims thousands of agency customers and built the product for fast adoption. The AI features are genuinely aimed at reducing admin rather than adding dashboards. The limitation is pricing opacity and fit: some workflows still feel agency-flavored, and firms should confirm consulting-specific needs like complex rate cards in a demo.
What we like- Modern interface teams adopt quickly
- Strong resource planning
- AI features for time tracking and reporting
Watch out for- Pricing requires a quote
- Agency heritage shows in some consulting workflows
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Kantata, formerly Mavenlink, is the heavyweight PSA in this lineup. Resource management and forecasting are its signature strengths: skills-based staffing, capacity planning, and real-time visibility into project financials. The platform serves more than 1,500 professional services organizations, and its financial management tooling handles the revenue recognition and margin control that large firms require.
This is the choice for consultancies with real delivery complexity: multiple practices, global staffing, fixed-fee and time-and-materials mixed engagements. The resource recommendations and forecasting genuinely help partners staff engagements well. The catch is everything enterprise: quote-based pricing, a sales-led process, and implementation effort. Firms under 50 people will get more value per dollar elsewhere.
What we like- Purpose-built PSA with deep resource management
- Strong financial controls
- Proven across 100+ countries
Watch out for- Enterprise pricing and sales process
- Overkill for small firms
Starting price$2.99 per user/month (billed annually)
Free planYes
TimeCamp's pitch is simple: stop filling in timesheets by hand. The desktop and mobile apps capture activity automatically, and consultants review and assign the entries rather than reconstructing their week from memory. The Starter plan runs $2.99 per user per month billed annually, with a free plan that covers the basics.
For consultants whose main problem is lost billable hours, TimeCamp pays for itself fast. The automatic capture is the differentiator; everything else, projects, invoicing, attendance, is competent but not remarkable. Firms that need sophisticated project accounting should pair it with accounting software or buy up to BigTime. Solo consultants and small teams who just need reliable time-to-invoice will find it hard to beat at this price.
What we like- Automatic time capture reduces timesheet drudgery
- Generous free plan
- Affordable paid tiers
Watch out for- Project management is basic
- Invoicing is functional rather than deep
Starting price$9.96 per user/month (billed annually)
Free planYes
Avaza packs project management, time tracking, expense tracking, and invoicing into one platform at a price smaller consultancies can afford. The Startup plan runs $9.96 per user per month billed annually, and a free plan covers the essentials. Timesheets flow into invoices in a couple of clicks, and multicurrency support works for international clients.
The value proposition is straightforward: one subscription instead of three, at a fraction of PSA prices. Reviews consistently praise how much it covers for the money. The interface will not win design awards, and firms with complex resourcing needs will hit its limits. But for consultancies between one and twenty people that want time-to-cash in one place, Avaza is the budget pick that does not feel like a compromise.
What we like- Projects, time, expenses, and invoicing in one
- Free plan available
- Excellent value per dollar
Watch out for- Interface is utilitarian
- Advanced resource planning is limited
Starting price$19 per month
Free planFree trial
Plutio is the all-in-one business platform built for freelancers and solo consultants: projects, tasks, proposals, time tracking, and invoicing in one customizable workspace. The Core plan is $19 per month flat, which is cheap for a solo practice replacing two or three subscriptions.
The flat pricing is the key detail: teams pay per user on higher tiers, but a solo consultant gets everything for one price. Customization is unusually deep for this price range, so the workspace can match how you actually work. The honest limitation is scale and ecosystem: integrations are fewer than the big platforms, and growing firms will eventually want proper PSA tooling. For independent consultants, though, it is one of the best values in this guide.
What we like- Flat pricing that favors solo users
- Projects, proposals, and invoicing in one
- Deeply customizable
Watch out for- Per-user pricing math favors solos over teams
- Smaller company with fewer integrations
How we chose
We started from how consultants actually make money: time capture, billing, and project profitability. We verified each vendor's current site directly, confirmed pricing from vendor pricing pages where published, and cross-checked positioning against public review data from G2, Capterra, and SourceForge comparisons. We balanced full PSA suites against leaner tools so firms of different sizes have real options, and we weighted honest fit, who each tool is actually built for, over feature-list length. We never claim hands-on testing.
What consultants should actually compare
Feature lists blur together in this category. These are the questions that separate the right tool from the expensive mistake.
How does time become an invoice?
This is the whole game. Ask each vendor to show the exact path: a consultant logs hours on Tuesday, and the client gets an invoice at month-end. Count the clicks, the approvals, and the manual steps. The tools that win this test are BigTime, Avaza, and TimeCamp at their respective sizes.
Do you need resource planning or just scheduling?
Firms with ten or more billable people need utilization tracking and capacity forecasting; that is Scoro, Kantata, and Accelo territory. Below that size, honest scheduling plus good time tracking is enough, and the PSA suites add cost without adding value.
What does your accountant use?
The QuickBooks integration question decides more purchases than any feature demo. If your books live in QuickBooks, BigTime's two-way sync is a genuine advantage. If you use Xero, check each vendor's Xero depth before committing.
The solo-to-firm spectrum
Consulting software needs change predictably with size. Solo consultants should start with Plutio or TimeCamp and spend the savings on business development. Firms of five to twenty do well with Avaza or Productive, where one system covers delivery and billing. Past twenty billable people, the PSA suites earn their keep: BigTime for accounting depth, Scoro for all-in-one management, Accelo for sales-to-delivery unity, Kantata for enterprise delivery complexity. Buy for the firm you will be in eighteen months, not the firm you are today, but do not buy the eighteen-month tool when you are still at month one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best software for consultants?
It depends on firm size. BigTime is the strongest all-around pick for established firms needing project accounting. Solo consultants get the best value from Plutio or TimeCamp. Firms wanting one system for sales through billing should evaluate Accelo and Scoro.
What is professional services automation software?
PSA software manages the business side of selling expertise: quoting, resource planning, time tracking, billing, and project financials in one system. BigTime, Kantata, Accelo, and Scoro are PSA platforms; TimeCamp and Plutio cover parts of the workflow at lower cost.
How much does consulting software cost?
Simple time tracking starts under $3 per user per month with TimeCamp. All-in-one platforms like Avaza run around $10 per user per month. Full PSA suites like BigTime start around $20 per user per month, while enterprise platforms like Kantata and Accelo are quote-based and run higher.
Do consultants need QuickBooks integration?
Most do, because the books still live in accounting software. Two-way sync between time tracking and accounting removes reconciliation work and billing errors. BigTime has the deepest QuickBooks integration in this lineup; verify Xero support with each vendor if that is your system.
Can solo consultants use these tools?
Yes. Plutio, TimeCamp, and Avaza all suit solo practices, with free plans or low flat pricing. The enterprise PSA platforms are overkill for one person and priced accordingly.
What is the difference between PSA and project management software?
Project management software tracks tasks and deadlines. PSA adds the business layer consultants need: time capture, billing rates, invoicing, utilization, and project profitability. A consultancy can run on project software plus spreadsheets, but PSA removes the spreadsheet work.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.bigtime.net/
- https://www.accelo.com
- https://www.scoro.com
- https://productive.io
- https://www.kantata.com
- https://www.timecamp.com
- https://www.avaza.com
- https://www.plutio.com
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.