ActiveCollab vs Paymo
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
Paymo
Project management with time tracking and client invoicing
Where they differ
- ActiveCollab starts at $12.50 / month flat for up to 3 members, billed yearly. Paymo starts at $5.9 per month, billed annually (Solo, 1 user).
- Paymo has a free plan. ActiveCollab does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Paymo lists a Linux app.
- ActiveCollab is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- ActiveCollab also covers team chat.
- Paymo also covers Pomodoro timer.
At a glance
| ActiveCollab | Paymo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12.50 / month flat for up to 3 members, billed yearly | $5.9 per month, billed annually (Solo, 1 user) |
| Free plan | None | Free plan for 1 user: 1 client, 2 projects, unlimited tasks, time tracking and invoices, the task list view, desktop and mobile apps, and 1 GB of storage. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with every feature unlocked, no credit card required | 15-day free trial of a paid plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ActiveCollab Inc. | Paymo LLC |
| Price read from | activecollab.com | paymoapp.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 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
Paymo
- Freelancers billing clients for tracked time, on the single-user plans
- Agencies and consultancies that track time and invoice from one tool
- Teams that want resource scheduling and leave planning beside their projects
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.
Paymo
- Free and Solo are limited to 1 user, with 2 and 5 projects respectively. Adding teammates means moving to Plus or Pro.
- Gantt charts, task dependencies, team scheduling, timesheet approvals and leave management are on the Pro plan only.
- Integrations and API access start at the Plus plan.
- Monthly billing costs more: $9.9, $15.9 and $23.9 against $5.9, $10.9 and $16.9 on annual billing.
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.
Paymo
- Time tracking
- Time is logged with a stopwatch, as intervals or in bulk. The Paymo Track desktop app can also record time spent in desktop apps automatically and includes a Pomodoro mode.
- Task views
- The task list view is on every plan. Calendar and Kanban views start on Solo, the spreadsheet view and cross-project Meta Kanban on Plus, and the Gantt chart on Pro.
- Invoicing, estimates and expenses
- Timesheet data can be turned into invoices, which are unlimited on every plan. Estimates, expenses and recurring invoices are added on Plus.
- Team scheduling and leave
- The Pro plan adds employee scheduling, a workload view, automatic ghost bookings and employee leave management.
- Project profitability and templates
- From the Plus plan, projects can be created from templates and their profitability tracked. Flat-rate and retainer project types start on Solo.
- File proofing and versioning
- Files can be reviewed and versioned inside Paymo from the Plus plan, which also raises storage to 50 GB.
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.
Paymo
Free$0
1 user, 1 client and 2 projects with unlimited tasks, time tracking and invoices, the task list view and 1 GB of storage.
Solo$5.9
per month, billed annually ($9.9 billed monthly)
1 user, 3 clients and 5 projects. Adds calendar and Kanban task views, flat-rate and retainer projects, guest access, in-app support and 5 GB of storage.
Plus$10.9
per user / month, billed annually ($15.9 billed monthly)
Unlimited users, clients and projects. Adds spreadsheet view, recurring tasks, timesheet reports, estimates, expenses, proofing, integrations, API access and 50 GB.
Pro$16.9
per user / month, billed annually ($23.9 billed monthly)
Adds Gantt charts, task dependencies, employee scheduling and workload, timesheet approvals, leave management, priority support and 500 GB of storage.
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.
Paymo
- Annual discount
Up to 40% off with annual billing
Paymo's pricing FAQ puts the saving from yearly payment at up to 40%. Solo is $5.9 instead of $9.9 a month, Plus $10.9 instead of $15.9 and Pro $16.9 instead of $23.9 per user.
- Other savings
Reduced first 3 months on monthly plans
A Summer Special Offer gives new customers on monthly billing up to 40% off for the first three months: $5.9 Solo, $10.9 Plus and $16.9 Pro. The page shows no end date.
- Education
Half price for schools and universities
Paymo offers universities, colleges and schools its plans at half price. The offer is activated by contacting the company after signing up and cannot be combined with other promotions.
