Start here · Team & projects

How to choose agency project management and client portal software

Running client work at an agency means tracking tasks and deadlines per client, getting files and approvals to and from clients, logging time and billing for it. The software for it spans project management, a client portal or guest view, time tracking, and accounting for invoices. Marketing agencies may also use an agency platform that bundles CRM, funnels and client reporting.

By Bill Belcamino · Page updated September 19, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team

Price this for my team See the software it takes

How to run client work at an agency, step by step

Build one project template per service you sell, with standard tasks and approval steps.
Create a project for each client engagement and assign owners and due dates.
Give clients a portal or guest view for approvals, files and status instead of email threads.
Track time against each client and task from the first day of the project.
Review time logged against budget every week and flag overruns early.
Turn approved work and logged time into invoices in your accounting software.

The software this job takes

Which categories a job needs is Editorial assessment; the tools, prices and dates are Verified data.

Prices are each vendor’s published entry plan, recorded from its own pricing page and dated. The example column prices a team of 10: only per-user prices are multiplied; flat and per-account prices are shown as published. Change the team size in the finder.

You need this

Project Management Software

Project management software tracks tasks, owners and deadlines across the team.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Asana	Free (2 users), from $10.99/seat/mo	Per seat	$109.90/mo$10.99 × 10 seats	YesYes — Personal plan, up to 2 users	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing
ClickUp	Free, from $7/seat/mo	Per seat	$70/mo$7 × 10 seats	YesYes — Free Forever	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Monday.com	From $9/seat/mo (3-seat min)	Per seat	$90/mo$9 × 10 seats	YesYes — up to 2 seats	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing
Trello	Free, from $5/user/mo	Per user	$50/mo$5 × 10 users	YesYes — up to 10 collaborators per Workspace	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing
Jira	Free (10 users), from $9.05/user/mo	Per user	$90.50/mo$9.05 × 10 users	YesYes — up to 10 users	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing
Linear	Free, from $10/user/mo (billed yearly)	Per user	$100/mo$10 × 10 users	YesYes — unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Project Management pricing →Head to head:Trello vs Asana Jira vs Linear Asana vs Monday.com Monday.com vs ClickUp Asana vs ClickUp10 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

You need this

Time Tracking Software

Time tracking software records hours by person, project and client, for billing, payroll and timesheets.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Toggl Track	Free for up to 3 users; Starter $9/user/mo (annual)	Per user	$90/mo$9 × 10 users	YesYes — up to 3 users	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
Clockify	Free for up to 5 users; Basic $3.99/seat/mo (annual)	Per seat	$39.90/mo$3.99 × 10 seats	YesYes — up to 5 users	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
Harvest	Free for 1 seat; Teams from $9/seat/mo (annual) plus usage charges	Per seat	$90/mo$9 × 10 seats	YesYes — 1 seat, 2 projects	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Time Tracking pricing →Head to head:Toggl Track vs Harvest Toggl Track vs Clockify Clockify vs Harvest6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

Agency, CRM & Funnel Software

Agency platforms bundle CRM, funnels and client reporting for marketing agencies.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
GoHighLevel	Starting at $97/mo	Per account per month; unlimited users	$97/moFlat per account per month; unlimited users	No14-day free trial	Sep 14, 2026Vendor pricing
Vendasta	Starting at $99/mo minimum spend (on wholesale products)	A $99/month minimum spend on wholesale products ($0 subscription)	$99/moFlat a $99/month minimum spend on wholesale products ($0 subscription); includes 1 login, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	NoFree demo / trial access	Sep 14, 2026Vendor pricing
ClickFunnels	Starting at $97/mo	Per account per month, billed monthly	$97/moFlat per account per month, billed monthly; includes 2 logins, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	No14-day free trial	Sep 14, 2026Vendor pricing
Kartra	Starting at $59/mo	Per account per month, billed monthly (500 contacts)	$59/moFlat per account per month, billed monthly (500 contacts)	NoNo free trial — 30-day money-back guarantee	Sep 14, 2026Vendor pricing
Keap	Starting at $299/mo	Per account per month; extra users $39/month each	$299/moFlat per account per month; extra users $39/month each; includes 2 logins, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	NoNo free plan — limited free trial (no card required; 25 email sends, no payments or texts)	Sep 14, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Agency & Funnel Software pricing →Head to head:GoHighLevel vs Vendasta GoHighLevel vs Keap GoHighLevel vs Kartra GoHighLevel vs ClickFunnels8 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

Small Business Accounting Software

Accounting software sends invoices, records payments and expenses, and keeps the books your accountant needs.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
QuickBooks	From $38/mo	Per account per month (Simple Start)	$38/moFlat per account per month (Simple Start); includes 1 login, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	YesYes — 1 user, 2 invoices/month, 1 bank connection	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Xero	From $25/mo	Per account per month, no per-user fees	$25/moFlat per account per month, no per-user fees	NoNo permanent free plan — free trial available	Sep 18, 2026Vendor pricing
FreshBooks	$23/mo (Lite, 5 billable clients)	Per account per month; extra team members $11/month each	$23/moFlat per account per month; extra team members $11/month each	NoNo free plan — 30-day free trial, no card required	Sep 18, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Accounting Software pricing →Head to head:Xero vs FreshBooks QuickBooks vs Xero QuickBooks vs FreshBooks6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

Paid Ads Management Tools

Paid ads tools manage and optimise Google or Meta campaigns from one place, with automation rules and client-ready reports.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Optmyzr	Essentials $209/mo for up to $25K ad spend (annual); $299 monthly	Per account per month for up to $25K of monthly ad spend, billed annually ($299 monthly); not per user	$209/moFlat per account per month for up to $25K of monthly ad spend, billed annually ($299 monthly); not per user	NoNo — 14-day free trial, no card	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
Madgicx	Pro Complete $32/mo under $1K Meta ad spend (annual); $45 monthly	Per workspace per month under $1K of monthly Meta ad spend, billed annually ($45 monthly); price rises with spend	$32/moFlat per workspace per month under $1K of monthly Meta ad spend, billed annually ($45 monthly); price rises with spend	NoNo — 7-day free trial, then a limited freemium plan	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
AdEspresso	Starter $49/mo up to $1,000 ad spend; Plus $99/mo unlimited (monthly)	Per account per month, up to $1,000 of monthly ad spend (Starter); not per user	$49/moFlat per account per month, up to $1,000 of monthly ad spend (Starter); not per user	NoNo — 14-day free trial	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Paid Ads Management pricing →Head to head:Optmyzr vs Madgicx Optmyzr vs AdEspresso Madgicx vs AdEspresso6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

What to look for

Editorial assessment

Client access and how it is billed Check whether clients can view and approve work as guests, and whether guests count as paid seats.
Project templates Templates per service keep scopes consistent and make kickoff faster.
Time tracking tied to projects Budgets only work if time is logged against the right client and task. Check whether time tracking is built in or needs a separate tool.
Proofing and approvals Creative work needs a clear way for clients to comment on and approve versions. Test it with a real deliverable.
Path to invoicing Check that logged time and expenses reach your accounting software without retyping.
Branded client reports If you send clients reports, check whether they can carry your agency's branding.

Common mistakes to avoid

Letting clients live in email Approvals in email threads get lost. Point every client to the portal or guest view from the first project.
Paying full seats for clients Invite clients as guests where the plan allows, and check how guests are billed before you add many.
Scope creep without a record Extra client requests handled informally never reach the budget or the invoice. Log each change request against the project and agree on it with the client.
Buying an all-in-one you half use Agency platforms bundle a lot. Before you pay for one instead of plain project management, check that you will use its CRM and funnel parts.

What to settle before you buy

Which services do you sell, and how does each run from kickoff to invoice?
What should clients see and approve, and what stays internal?
Do you bill by the hour, on retainer or per fixed project?
Which accounting software sends your invoices today?
Do you need CRM, funnels or client reporting in the same platform?
How many freelancers and client contacts will need access?

Ready to take it to whoever signs off?Turn your shortlist into a one-page decision brief with verified prices, or price the whole job for your team size.

Build a decision brief Open the finder

Frequently asked questions

What is the best project management software for a creative agency?

Look for one that handles client approvals, project templates and time against budget in a way your team will keep up with. Compare guest access, proofing and how time reaches invoicing, then price it on your staff headcount. The table above shows each tool's verified entry price and billing unit.

What is a client portal, and does a small business need one?

A client portal is a shared space where a client sees status, files, approvals and sometimes invoices for their work. If you spend time answering status emails or chasing approvals, a portal or a guest view in your project tool can replace that.

What is agency management software?

The term covers different things. For marketing agencies it often means a platform bundling CRM, funnels and client reporting, but many results are systems for insurance or travel agencies. Check a tool is built for the kind of agency you run before comparing prices.

How we built this page

We start from the job, not the product. The phrasings people search for this job (for example “best agency project management software”) come from our research into how small and mid-size teams describe it. Which software categories the job takes is our editorial judgment. Every tool, entry price, billing unit and date comes from HelpCompare’s open dataset, recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page; nothing is estimated, and where a vendor publishes no price we say so. We take no affiliate commissions and publish no scores of our own. See our methodology or download the data from Open Data.

More jobs in Team & projects

Track projects, tasks and deadlines Track time and billable hours Set up business email and office apps Store and share files Chat with my team Hold video meetings Keep team docs and a wiki Share passwords securely with the team All jobs →

Browse by category

Recently verified

Recently updated switching guides

What every guide covers

Pricing data

Original research

Open data

Security & compliance

Where your team works

Side by side

How to choose agency project management and client portal software

How to run client work at an agency, step by step

The software this job takes

Project Management Software

Time Tracking Software

Agency, CRM & Funnel Software

Small Business Accounting Software

Paid Ads Management Tools

What to look for

Common mistakes to avoid

What to settle before you buy

Frequently asked questions

What is the best project management software for a creative agency?

What is a client portal, and does a small business need one?

What is agency management software?

How we built this page

More jobs in Team & projects

From shortlist to switched

Bill Belcamino