Float vs Productive

Float

• Agencies and services firms scheduling people across client projects
• Resource managers who need capacity and utilization in one view
• Teams with many viewers, since people who are not scheduled join free as guests

Productive

• Agencies and consultancies that bill clients by project
• Firms that want budgets, resourcing and time tracking in one tool
• Teams that invite clients into projects, since client seats are free

Float

• There is no free plan. After the 30-day trial a paid plan is needed, though Float says it keeps trial data for 6 months.
• Time tracking, project cost estimates, expenses, SSO and team-enforced 2FA all need the Pro plan.
• Starter keeps the activity feed for 7 days, includes 1 placeholder and limits saved filtered views to personal ones.
• The download page offers iOS and Android apps only; no desktop app is listed.

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.

Float

Resource scheduling

People are scheduled onto projects in hours or percentages. Placeholders add planned hires, contractors or shared equipment without using a seat: 1 on Starter, 5 on Pro.

Capacity and time off

Custom workdays and hours, global holiday calendars, departments, roles, skills and tags feed each person's capacity. Time off management is on every plan.

Project planning and budgets

Projects have phases, milestones, tasks, templates and budget tracking on every plan. Project cost estimates and expenses are Pro features.

Time tracking

The Pro plan adds timesheets that are prefilled from the schedule or logged automatically, and time entries that can be locked.

Reporting and forecasting

Utilization trends, billable versus non-billable hours, budget burn and margin tracking are on every plan. Finance and people dashboards and estimates versus actuals need Pro.

Integrations and API

Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Slack, Zapier and custom API integrations are included on every plan. A Float MCP connector for Claude is in beta.

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.

Float

• Starter$7

  per scheduled person / month, billed annually ($8.50 monthly)

  Resource scheduling, capacity and time off management, project phases, budgets and templates, utilization reports, integrations and API access. 1 placeholder.

• Pro$12

  per scheduled person / month, billed annually ($14 monthly)

  Adds time tracking, project cost estimates and expenses, client rate cards in up to 5 currencies, finance dashboards, AI experience profiles, SSO and domain restrictions.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Described as best for teams of 100 or more seats. Adds dedicated onboarding, SLAs, custom contracts, manual payment options, priority support and account management.

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.

Float

• Annual discount

  Lower rates with annual billing

  On annual billing Starter is $7 instead of $8.50 per scheduled person / month, and Pro is $12 instead of $14.

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.