FunctionFox vs Tick (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Tick grades higher than FunctionFox: 2.4 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Tick grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FunctionFox
Time tracking and project management for creative agencies
Tick
Time tracking against project budgets, priced by project count
Which one is for you
Pick FunctionFox if
- Fits if you run a small agency tracking budgets and hours together
- Makes sense if you want one tool for estimates and timesheets
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you work alone, as every plan needs at least 3 users
- Skip it if you want to try before buying, as no free plan or trial is listed
- Pricey if you need Gantt charts or availability reports, which need Premier at $16 a user
- Watch out: custom intake forms and the request portal only arrive on In-House at $36.75 a user
- Not for you if you need phone apps or integrations, as none are listed
Pick Tick if
- Fits if you're an agency with fixed hour budgets and want to see them shrink as you log
- Works for teams whose projects live in Basecamp, as Tick imports them and turns to-dos into tasks
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want invoices from the same tool, because Tick sends time to QuickBooks Online for that
- Pricey if you're one freelancer with a few clients, at $19 a month once you pass a single open project
- Not for you if you budget in money or track expenses, as Tick only works in hours
- Watch out: these prices come from Tick's comparison pages, which give no plan names or exact project limits; its pricing page couldn't be read
- Not for you if you work on Windows or Linux, as the only desktop app listed is for the Mac menu bar
How we grade them
| 1.4GPAFunctionFoxWeak | 2.4GPATickFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$10.50 per user a month billed yearly with a 3-user minimum, so at least $31.50 a month, and Gantt charts and to-dos need Premier at $16. | C$19 a month covers a team running 10 projects with unlimited users, which is $1.90 a head split ten ways and dear for one freelancer. It climbs to $49 for 30 projects and $149 for 100. These figures come from Tick's comparison pages, because its pricing page couldn't be read. |
| Free plan and trial | FThe pricing page mentions no free plan or free trial, only a demo booking. | CFree if you're tracking toward a single open project, with unlimited people on it. One project is a limit you'll hit on day one unless you really do have one client. Past that there's a 30-day trial with no credit card. |
| Features | CTimesheets, estimates, budgets and schedules, but Gantt charts, to-dos and availability reports need Premier and request forms need In-House. | CThree-step entry, several timers to switch between, and a time budget on every project and task with the hours left shown as you save. The gaps are its own: no invoicing, no expenses, and the help center says it doesn't work in dollar amounts at all. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Clients, projects and budgets have to be set up before it is useful. | CNo store rating on record. Logging is three steps, pick a project, pick a task, type the hours, and the budget updates without a report. Somebody still builds out the clients, projects, tasks and budgets first. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations or mobile apps on record. | AWeb, iOS, Android, a Mac menu bar app and a browser extension, with timers on a watch too. There's an API, plus Basecamp, Trello, Asana, QuickBooks Online and Zapier. No Windows or Linux desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | timesheets and project budgets for agencies | tracking hours against project budgets |
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: FunctionFox and Tick. How we grade
Price against what you get
FunctionFox starts at $10.50 a month for each person and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Tick starts at $19 a month and scores 2.7.
Tick scores higher, and starts $8.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other time tracking apps on the chart, 45 score higher than FunctionFox for less, and 16 score higher than Tick 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
- FunctionFox also covers tasks, Gantt & timelines, forms and invoicing.
- Tick also covers menu bar app.
At a glance
| FunctionFox | Tick | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10.50 per user / month, billed annually ($12.75 billed monthly) | $19 per month for a team running 10 projects, unlimited users |
| Free plan | None | Free when tracking time toward a single project, with unlimited people. An account downgraded to the Free plan must first close its other open projects. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | FunctionFox System Inc. | Higher Pixels |
| Price read from | functionfox.com | tickspot.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FunctionFox
- Every plan requires at least 3 users.
- The pricing page does not mention a free plan or a free trial; it offers a demo booking.
- Gantt charts, to-dos and availability reports need Premier; custom job intake forms need In-House.
Tick
- Tick's pricing page is behind a bot check and was not read; prices here come from its comparison pages, which give no plan names or exact project limits.
- Tick tracks time budgets only: the help center says it does not track expenses or work with dollar amounts.
- There is no built-in invoicing; time and billable rates are pushed to QuickBooks Online to create invoices there.
- A Mac menu bar app is listed, but no Windows or Linux desktop app.
Key features
FunctionFox
- Timesheets with a timer
- Enter time on a timesheet or with a stopwatch, with approvals, reminders, batch timesheets and locking of projects and timesheets.
- Estimates, budgets and retainers
- Build fixed-fee or hourly estimates, apply billable rates and markups, track job costs and manage retainers on every plan.
- Schedules and Gantt charts
- Premier and In-House add project schedules, Gantt charts, milestones, calendar and board views and recurring to-dos.
- Resource availability
- Availability and traffic reports show who has capacity; resource forecasting is listed on the higher plans.
- Request forms
- In-House includes a request portal with custom job intake forms and email alerts when new requests arrive.
Tick
- Timecard
- Entering time takes three steps: pick a project, organized by client, pick a task, and enter the hours. Notes can be added to each entry.
- Running timers
- Start one timer or switch between several as you move between tasks, then save the time from the timer. Timers run on phone, watch, desktop and browser.
- Budget feedback on every entry
- Projects and individual tasks each carry a time budget. After an entry is saved, Tick shows how many hours remain in both, without running a report.
- Recurring projects
- A monthly project such as a retainer can be set to recur: it closes at the end of the month and a new one opens. The help center marks this as available on select plans.
- Reports and exports
- Reports show hours by client or by person for a week, month or custom period, expand to individual entries, and export as CSV or to QuickBooks.
- Basecamp integration
- Imports projects from a Basecamp account, creates tasks from Basecamp to-dos automatically, and lets people track time inside Basecamp 2 or 3.
Plans
FunctionFox
Classic$10.50
per user / month, billed annually ($12.75 billed monthly)
Timesheets with a stopwatch timer, unlimited clients and projects, estimate and budget tracking, retainers and reports. 3-user minimum.
Premier$16
per user / month, billed annually ($19.25 billed monthly)
Adds a to-do list, Gantt charts and schedules, availability and traffic reports and an internal blog. 3-user minimum.
In-House$36.75
per user / month, billed annually ($44 billed monthly)
Adds custom job intake forms, a request portal, an advanced report builder and unlimited custom job fields. 3-user minimum.
Tick
Free plan$0
Tracking time toward a single open project, with unlimited people.
10 open projects$19
per month, unlimited users
The price Tick's comparison pages quote for a team running 10 projects, whether it has 10 people or 30.
30 open projects$49
per month, unlimited users
The price Tick's comparison pages quote for a team running 30 projects.
50 open projects$79
per month, unlimited users
The price Tick's comparison pages quote for a team of 50 people running 50 projects.
100 open projects$149
per month, unlimited users
The price Tick's comparison pages quote for a team of 100 people running 100 projects.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FunctionFox or Tick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, FunctionFox starts at $10.50 per user / month, billed annually ($12.75 billed monthly), and Tick starts at $19 per month for a team running 10 projects, unlimited users. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, FunctionFox or Tick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Tick has a free plan. FunctionFox does not.
Which platforms do FunctionFox and Tick run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Tick lists macOS, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. 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.