BigTime vs Costlocker (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Costlocker grades higher than BigTime: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
BigTime grades higher on features. Costlocker grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BigTime
Professional services platform with time, billing and projects
Costlocker
Time and cost tracking that shows profit per project for agencies
Which one is for you
Pick BigTime if
- Fits if you run a services firm that tracks time, expenses and invoices together
- Makes sense if you already use QuickBooks or Salesforce
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are a freelancer: $20 a user is nearly three times the category middle
- Skip it if you want to try first, as no free plan or trial is listed
- Watch out: only Essentials has a price, and the others come after a demo
- Watch out: Quotes, Resource Management and the Data Hub are extra modules
Pick Costlocker if
- Fits if you run an agency and want project profit next to the hours
- Makes sense if you only pay for the people who actually log time
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $20 against $12 on a yearly plan
- Skip it if you are a freelancer, as one plan means no cheaper tier for light use
- Not for you if you need ready-made integrations, as only the API and Make.com are listed
- Watch out: it is aimed at agencies and may carry more than a small team needs
How we grade them
| 1.8GPABigTimeWeak | 2.0GPACostlockerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DEssentials is $20 a user a month with the billing basis not stated, against a time-tracking dearest tenth from $12. | D$12 per active user a month billed yearly, or $20 monthly. The dearest tenth of time tracking starts at $12. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial is listed on the page. | C30-day free trial with no card needed, and no free plan. |
| Features | BTime, expenses, billing, projects, resource management and quotes cover the services job, though Quotes and Resource Management are extra modules. | CTime, costs, expenses and budgets in one plan, but integrations are limited to the API and Make.com, per the listing. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A services platform means setting up projects, rates and billing first. | CNo store rating on record. Projects, clients and budgets have to be built before the profit view is any use. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web service with QuickBooks, HubSpot, Salesforce, Jira and Sage Intacct. | BWeb, Mac, Windows and iPhone apps with an API; no Android app on record and only the API and Make.com for integrations. |
| Best for | professional services firms that bill by the hour | agency profitability with time tracking |
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: BigTime and Costlocker. How we grade
Price against what you get
BigTime starts at $20 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Costlocker starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
BigTime scores higher, and starts $8 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other time tracking apps on the chart, 16 score higher than BigTime for less, and 31 score higher than Costlocker for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BigTime also covers invoicing, expense tracking and quotes and estimates.
At a glance
| BigTime | Costlocker | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $20 per user / month, billing basis not stated | $12 per active user / month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | BigTime Software | Costlocker |
| Price read from | bigtime.net | costlocker.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BigTime
- Only Essentials has a published price; Advanced, Premier and Enterprise are quoted after a demo request.
- The pricing page does not say whether $20 assumes annual or monthly billing, and shows no free plan or trial.
- Quotes, Resource Management and the Data Hub are extra modules, and some AI agents are marked coming soon.
Costlocker
- There is a single plan, so no free tier and no cheaper tier for light users.
- The $12 price needs yearly billing; monthly billing is $20 per active user.
- Integrations are limited to the API and Make.com; no native apps by name are listed.
- Aimed at agencies, so it may carry more than a freelancer needs.
Key features
BigTime
- Time and expense management
- Staff log time and expenses on the web or in a mobile app, with approvals and rate management for billable work.
- Billing and invoicing
- Invoices come from tracked time and expenses, with automatic reconciliation; higher plans add custom invoice templates and multi-currency invoicing.
- Project portfolio management
- Track projects across the firm; Premier adds project budgeting and custom cost and rate management.
- Resource Management module
- A separate module for demand and capacity planning, a staff availability heat map, skills records, time-off requests and utilization reports.
- Quotes module
- A separate module that builds quotes and statements of work and converts approved quotes into live projects.
Costlocker
- Profitability insights
- Compares projects, clients and teams on revenue against cost, so unprofitable work shows up and high-value clients stand out.
- Time tracking
- Logs billable and non-billable hours per project, with apps for Mac, Windows and iOS alongside the web app.
- Cost and expense tracking
- Records labor costs, subcontractors, overhead and other expenses next to the hours, not only time.
- Budget control
- Sets a budget per project and compares it with actual cost as work is logged, to catch overruns early.
- Active-user billing
- Only active users are billed. A deactivated user keeps their data, and unused prepaid time becomes credit on the next invoice.
- API and Make.com
- Connects to other tools through its developer API and through Make.com.
Plans
BigTime
Essentials$20
per user / month, billing basis not stated
Time and expense, project portfolio management, billing and invoicing, automatic reconciliation, QuickBooks integration, AI Assistant.
AdvancedCustom
Essentials plus multi-currency expenses, custom reporting center, project templates and custom invoice templates. Request a demo for pricing.
PremierCustom
Advanced plus multi-currency invoicing, custom cost and rate management, project budgeting and multi-level approvals. Request a demo.
EnterpriseCustom
For organizations with established systems: Enterprise PSA, Services CPQ and resource management. Speak with an expert.
Costlocker
All-Inclusive Plan$12
per active user / month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly)
One plan with unlimited projects and clients, desktop apps, API access and chat and email support.
Ways to pay less
BigTime
No public discounts listed.
Costlocker
- Annual discount
40% off with yearly billing
The pricing page states a 40% discount on the yearly plan compared with monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BigTime or Costlocker?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Costlocker is cheaper to start with: $12 a month for each person, against $20 a month for each person for BigTime. BigTime starts at $20 per user / month, billing basis not stated, and Costlocker starts at $12 per active user / month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, BigTime or Costlocker?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither BigTime nor Costlocker has a free plan. Costlocker has a free trial.
Which platforms do BigTime and Costlocker run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Costlocker lists macOS, Windows and iOS apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.