ActiveCollab vs Basecamp
We give ActiveCollab a 3.2 GPA and Basecamp a 3.6, out of 4.0. Basecamp grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ActiveCollab
Project workspace with time tracking and invoicing for service teams
Basecamp
Flat-priced project management with chat, to-dos and files
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAActiveCollabVery good | 3.6GPABasecampExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlus is a flat $12.50 a month for up to 3 members, billed yearly, which is a bargain for three. Past that it's Pro at $10 a user, the top of what's typical here. Invoicing, budgets and workload planning need Pro+ at $15. | BFreelancer is a flat $25 a month for up to 20 users. Fill it and it's far cheaper per head than the $8 or so a user that's typical here. With one or two of you it's dear. And it only covers 3 active projects. Need 10 and it's Studio at $59. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. The 14-day free trial has every feature unlocked and needs no credit card, so it's a fair look. After that you pay or you stop. | BFree for personal use with no credit card, but it's a single project with 1 GB of storage and up to 5 users. Enough to see how it works, not enough to run a business on. Paid plans get a 30-day trial. |
| Features | AList, Kanban and Gantt views with subtasks, recurring tasks and dependencies that update automatically, plus a stopwatch, chat, discussions and notes on every plan. Pro+ adds estimates, invoicing, budgets and capacity planning. The whole agency job. | AEach project gets a message board, to-do lists, kanban-style Card Tables, Campfire chat, a schedule and file storage. Hill Charts show where work stands, the Lineup plots every project on a timeline, and client mode controls what clients see. |
| Ease of use | BThere's no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as high as we go. Tasks, time and chat sit in one workspace, and clients can be invited without anyone counting seats. | A4.7 from about 20,900 App Store ratings. Every project gets the same page of tools, so once you've seen one you've seen them all. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Dropbox and Google Workspace work on Plus, and Zapier, Slack, webhooks and an MCP server start on Pro. There's also a self-hosted edition you install on your own server. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. There's a public API, and it links up with Zapier, Unito and Zoho Flow, plus time trackers like Harvest, Toggl, Clockify and Everhour. |
| Best for | agencies that track time and bill clients | flat-fee projects with clients in the room |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ActiveCollab and Basecamp. How we grade
Where they differ
- ActiveCollab starts at $12.50 / month flat for up to 3 members, billed yearly. Basecamp starts at $25 per month, flat rate for up to 20 users (Freelancer).
- Basecamp has a free plan. ActiveCollab does not, though it has a free trial.
- ActiveCollab is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- ActiveCollab also covers Gantt & timelines, team chat and invoicing.
- Basecamp also covers templates and calendar.
At a glance
| ActiveCollab | Basecamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12.50 / month flat for up to 3 members, billed yearly | $25 per month, flat rate for up to 20 users (Freelancer) |
| Free plan | None | Free plan for personal use: 1 project, 1 GB of storage and up to 5 users. No credit card required. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with every feature unlocked, no credit card required | 30-day free trial on Freelancer, Studio and Pro; 45 days on Unlimited Edition. No credit card required. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ActiveCollab Inc. | 37signals LLC |
| Price read from | activecollab.com | basecamp.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
ActiveCollab
- Agencies and consultancies that track time and invoice clients
- Teams of up to three that want a flat monthly price
- Organizations that must host project data on their own server
- Teams that bring clients into projects without paying for their seats
Basecamp
- Agencies and studios that bring clients into projects
- Teams that prefer a flat monthly fee to per-user pricing
- Companies replacing separate chat, file and task tools
Worth knowing
ActiveCollab
- There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and the pricing FAQ states a no-refund policy for subscriptions.
- Plus is capped at 3 members; time and expense reporting need Pro, and invoicing, budgeting and workload management need Pro+.
- Zapier, Slack and webhook integrations and the MCP server start on Pro; Plus lists only Dropbox and Google Workspace integrations.
- The self-hosted edition is priced by quote, and upgrades after the first year require a yearly support plan.
Basecamp
- Paid plans are limited by active projects: 3 on Freelancer, 10 on Studio and 25 on Pro.
- The Free plan covers a single project with 1 GB of storage and 5 users.
- Every person added counts as a user, clients included, and Freelancer is capped at 20 users.
- Unlimited Edition is billed annually only, and a paid plan cannot be downgraded to the Free plan.
Key features
ActiveCollab
- List, Kanban and Gantt task views
- Every plan shows tasks in three views and includes subtasks, recurring tasks, project templates and task dependencies that update automatically.
- Built-in time tracking
- A stopwatch, manual time entries and personal timesheets are in every plan. Time reports start on Pro and team timesheets on Pro+.
- Workload and capacity planning
- Pro+ adds workload management, capacity planning, utilization, user availability and days-off management.
- Invoices, budgets and payments
- Pro+ covers estimates, invoicing, project budgets, budget against cost tracking and profitability, with PayPal and Stripe payment gateways and a QuickBooks integration.
- Free client access
- Any number of people can be invited in the Client role at no cost on every plan, and clients do not use up a seat.
- Chat, discussions and notes
- An integrated chat app sits alongside unlimited discussions and notes, so project conversation stays in the same workspace as the tasks.
Basecamp
- Message Board
- Announcements and discussions are kept as posts inside each project, intended as a replacement for internal email.
- To-dos and Card Tables
- To-do lists support assignees, due dates, attachments and subtasks. Card Tables are Basecamp's version of kanban boards.
- Campfire chat
- Group chat is built into Basecamp, so a team does not need a separate chat app alongside its projects.
- Schedule and Lineup
- A per-project calendar holds deadlines, milestones and events, and the Lineup plots every project on a timeline by start and end date.
- Hill Charts and Automatic Check-ins
- Hill Charts show where a piece of work stands, and Automatic Check-ins ask the team recurring questions on a set schedule.
- Client mode
- Clients can be brought into a project, with control over what they can and cannot see, project by project.
Plans
ActiveCollab
Plus$12.50
per month flat for 3 seats, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly)
Up to 3 members, unlimited projects and free clients, list, Kanban and Gantt views, time tracking, chat and 10GB of storage.
Pro$10
per user / month, billed yearly ($11 billed monthly)
Unlimited members, time and expense reporting, the MCP server, Zapier, Slack and webhook integrations, and 125GB of storage (100GB on monthly billing).
Pro+ (Get Paid)$15
per user / month, billed yearly ($17 billed monthly)
Adds invoicing, estimates, project budgets and profitability, workload and capacity planning, team timesheets, payment gateways and QuickBooks.
100+ seats$3.50
per user / month, billed annually
Volume rate for teams with 100 or more seats, arranged through a demo call with the sales team.
Self-HostedCustom
One-time perpetual license installed on your own server, with unlimited users, projects and storage and one year of support and upgrades.
Basecamp
Free$0
One project for personal use, 1 GB of storage and up to 5 users.
Freelancer$25
per month, flat rate
Up to 3 active projects, 5 GB of storage and up to 20 users, with no per-user fees.
Studio$59
per month, flat rate
Up to 10 active projects, 25 GB of storage and unlimited users.
Pro$99
per month, flat rate
Up to 25 active projects, 100 GB of storage and unlimited users.
Unlimited Edition$299
per month, billed annually
Unlimited projects and users, 1,000 GB of storage, priority support and personalized onboarding.
Ways to pay less
ActiveCollab
- Annual discount
Up to 17% off with yearly billing
Yearly billing lowers Plus from $15 to $12.50 per month, Pro from $11 to $10 per user and Pro+ from $17 to $15 per user. The pricing page labels this as saving up to 17%.
- Education
50% off for educational institutions
ActiveCollab's pricing page says educational institutions get 50% off and can apply for the discount through the company.
- Nonprofit
50% off for nonprofits
The same pricing page offers nonprofit organizations a 50% discount on application.
- Lifetime license
One-time license for the self-hosted edition
ActiveCollab Self-Hosted is a perpetual license with no seat count or monthly bill. The price is by quote, and the first year of support and upgrades is included.
- Other savings
Volume rate for 100+ seats
The pricing FAQ says teams with 100 or more seats pay $3.50 per user per month on annual billing.
Basecamp
- Nonprofit
10% off for registered nonprofits
Basecamp's pricing FAQ gives registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits 10% off after verification.
- Education
Free for classroom use
Basecamp is free for K-12 schools, homeschoolers and universities as long as it is used for class work only.
