Accelo vs Productive (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Accelo if

• Fits if you bill clients for time, retainers or fixed fees
• Works for firms that already run HubSpot, Salesforce, Xero or QuickBooks

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: no prices are published, so you can't budget before talking to sales
• Not for you if you want a trial or free plan, as none is listed
• Too heavy for internal task tracking, which gets little from the billing and financial features
• Tight if you need a desktop app: only iOS and Android are listed

Pick Productive if

• Fits if you're an agency or consultancy of 3 or more people that bills clients by project
• Works for teams that bring clients into projects, since client seats are free

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan, because there's only a 14-day trial
• Not for you if you're one or two people, since every plan needs at least 3 seats
• Pricey if you need Xero or QuickBooks sync, rate cards or approvals, which start on Professional at $25 a user
• Watch out: HubSpot, webhooks and enforced SSO or 2FA need Ultimate, which has no public price
• Watch out: the AI Notetaker for calls is a paid add-on, and there's no Linux app

Accelo

• No prices are published. The pricing page says cost depends on team size and growth goals and sends visitors to a custom quote.
• The pricing page says implementation guidance and onboarding support are part of the starting price.
• Built for client-billing firms. Teams that only need internal task tracking get little from the time-billing and financial features.
• The help center lists iOS and Android mobile apps; no desktop apps are mentioned.

Productive

• There is no free plan, and every plan requires at least 3 seats.
• HRIS and invoicing integrations start on Professional; the HubSpot integration, webhooks and enforced SSO or 2FA need Ultimate, which has no public price.
• The apps page lists desktop apps for Mac and Windows and mobile apps for iPhone and Android, but no Linux app.
• The AI Notetaker that joins calls is listed as an add-on rather than part of a plan.

Accelo

Quote-to-project workflow

Projects can be started from an approved quote and built from reusable templates, with timelines and dependencies that adjust when scope changes.

Planning views

The project toolkit lists Gantt charts, task dependencies, milestone tracking, portfolio views, and both agile and waterfall methods.

Time tracking and timesheets

Logged hours feed project performance, capacity planning and utilization reporting. AI-assisted timesheets suggest entries based on actual work.

Project financials

Planned and actual performance are compared across time, services, materials and expenses. The vendor says it handles retainer, fixed-fee and hourly work side by side.

Tickets and client requests

Requests can be captured from email into the same workflow as projects, with custom statuses, filters and SLA tracking.

Resourcing and capacity planning

Capacity and utilization views help managers spot overbooked staff and bench time before work is assigned.

Productive

Seven project layouts

Tasks can be shown as a list, table, board, calendar, timeline, Gantt chart or workload view, and customized views can be shared with teammates.

Budgets tied to tracked time

Each logged hour is linked to a project budget, so revenue, cost and margin are reported per project as the work is done.

Resource planning

Plan bookings by person or by project, with tentative and repeating bookings, placeholders, and each person's availability after time off.

Time tracking

Log hours with a timer or by hand on web, desktop or mobile. Entries attach to tasks and can be submitted for approval; the Mac app adds a menu bar timer.

Invoicing and accounting sync

Invoices can be pushed to Xero, QuickBooks Online, Exact, e-conomic, Fortnox or Twinfield with payments synced back. These integrations start on Professional.

AI Assistant, agents and MCP server

An AI Assistant that drafts and summarizes work is included from Essential. Custom agents and connectors are listed under Ultimate, and an MCP server opens the data to Claude or ChatGPT.

Accelo

Pricing could not be confirmed. See accelo.com.

Productive

• Essential$10

  per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)

  Budgeting, resource planning, projects and tasks, docs, time tracking, expenses, reporting, API access and the AI Assistant, with 5 account-level custom fields.

• Professional$25

  per user / month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)

  Adds HRIS and invoicing integrations, recurring budgets, rate cards, time and expense approvals, advanced reports and 15 account-level custom fields.

• UltimateCustom

  Adds revenue forecasting, Scenario Builder, multiple subsidiaries, the HubSpot integration, webhooks, agents and enforced SSO or 2FA.

Accelo

No public discounts listed.

Productive

• Annual discount

  Save up to 17% with yearly billing

  Essential is $10 per user / month billed yearly against $12 billed monthly, and Professional is $25 against $29. The pricing page labels the yearly option as saving up to 17%.

• Nonprofit

  50% off for nonprofits and charities

  The pricing FAQ says nonprofits and charities get 50% off all subscriptions and asks them to contact the company.

• Education

  Free accounts for teachers and students

  The pricing FAQ says Productive gives free accounts to teachers and students; details are available on request.

• Other savings

  Volume discount from 50 users

  Companies with 50 or more users are eligible for a volume discount on the Professional and Ultimate plans, according to the pricing FAQ.