ActiveCollab vs Worksection
We give ActiveCollab a 3.2 GPA and Worksection a 3.4, out of 4.0. ActiveCollab grades higher on features. Worksection grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use 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
Worksection
Team project management with Gantt, time tracking and chat
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAActiveCollabVery good | 3.4GPAWorksectionVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | ABasic is $3.75 per seat a month billed annually, $5 monthly, with unlimited projects, reports and dashboards. That's the cheap end of this category. Business, where the Gantt chart, time and cost tracking and the API live, is $7.5. Still under the going rate for a plan with all that. |
| 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 up to 5 users with task lists, kanban boards, a calendar view and chat. But it's 2 projects and 1 GB, with no Gantt chart, reports or time tracking. Fine for a tiny team with one or two things on. Paid features get a 14-day trial with no credit card. |
| 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. | BTasks as a table, kanban board, calendar or Gantt chart, two levels of subtasks, dependencies, a task timer with hourly rates, cost reports and a built-in messenger. Solid. But the plan comparison still marks custom fields, project templates and the Zoom integration as coming soon. |
| 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. | BNo app rating on record, so a B at best. It's hosted, and chat and task comments live in the same place, which saves hopping between apps. You can't install it on your own server, so there's nothing to maintain either. |
| 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, iPhone and Android, with no desktop app listed. It connects to Slack, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Telegram, Figma, Google Meet, HubSpot and Pipedrive. There's an API too, from the Business plan. |
| Best for | agencies that track time and bill clients | teams that bill by the hour on a small budget |
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 Worksection. How we grade
Where they differ
- ActiveCollab starts at $12.50 / month flat for up to 3 members, billed yearly. Worksection starts at $3.75 per seat / month, billed annually.
- Worksection has a free plan. ActiveCollab does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ActiveCollab lists macOS and Windows apps.
- ActiveCollab is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- ActiveCollab also covers invoicing.
- Worksection also covers reports.
At a glance
| ActiveCollab | Worksection | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12.50 / month flat for up to 3 members, billed yearly | $3.75 per seat / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | Up to 5 users, 2 projects and 1 GB of storage, with task lists, kanban boards, calendar view and chat. No Gantt chart, reports, time tracking or dark theme. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with every feature unlocked, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of the paid features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ActiveCollab Inc. | Worksection OÜ |
| Price read from | activecollab.com | worksection.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 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
Worksection
- Agencies and service teams that bill clients by the hour
- Teams of up to 5 that can work within two projects for free
- Teams that want task discussion and chat in one tool
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.
Worksection
- The Free plan is capped at 5 users, 2 projects and 1 GB, and leaves out the Gantt chart, reports and time tracking.
- The Gantt chart, time and cost tracking, guest access, 2FA and the API all start on Business, at $7.5 per seat / month billed annually.
- No desktop app is listed, and the help center says Worksection cannot be installed on your own server.
- The plan comparison marks several items as coming soon, including project templates, custom fields and the Zoom integration.
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.
Worksection
- Task views
- Project tasks can be shown as a table, a kanban board, a calendar or a Gantt chart, with two levels of subtasks, checklists, priorities and saved filter views.
- Gantt chart and dependencies
- Projects, tasks and subtasks each get a draggable time bar, tasks can be linked as dependencies, and a per-person view shows workload. Needs Business or Premium.
- Time and cost tracking
- A task timer, hourly rates and planned-versus-actual cost reports support hourly billing. These tools start on the Business plan.
- Built-in messenger
- Private, group and project chats sit beside task comments, with mentions, scheduled messages and file sharing. Chat is included on every plan.
- Dashboards and reports
- Each member gets a widget dashboard. Paid plans add project dashboards and reports by task, project and team member, with export to Excel and CSV.
- Roles, guests and privacy
- Teams and read-only users come with Basic. Guest access, departments, and private tasks and comments need Business or Premium.
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.
Worksection
Free$0
Up to 5 users, 2 projects and 1 GB of storage. Task lists, checklists, kanban boards, calendar view, chat and the mobile apps.
Basic$3.75
per seat / month, billed annually; $5 billed monthly
Unlimited projects and 2 GB per seat. Adds teams, read-only access, advanced filters, project dashboards, reports, recurring tasks and Slack.
Business$7.5
per seat / month, billed annually; $10 billed monthly
5 GB per seat. Adds the Gantt chart, time and cost tracking, guest access, private tasks, status-based automations, AI search, 2FA and the API.
Premium$11.25
per seat / month, billed annually; $15 billed monthly
10 GB per seat. Adds Project Kanban, enforced 2FA, IP restrictions, external file storage on S3 or FTP, and on-premise backups.
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.
Worksection
- Annual discount
25% off with annual billing
The pricing page shows a 25% discount for paying annually: Basic is $3.75 per seat a month instead of $5, Business $7.5 instead of $10 and Premium $11.25 instead of $15.
