Paymo vs Productive
We give Paymo and Productive the same GPA: 3.2 out of 4.0. Paymo grades higher on the free plan. Productive grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Paymo
Project management with time tracking and client invoicing
Productive
Projects, resourcing and finances for agencies and consultancies
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAPaymoVery good | 3.2GPAProductiveVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CSolo is $5.9 a month billed annually, but it's 1 user and 5 projects. Teams start on Plus at $10.9 a user, just above the dear end of this category, and Gantt charts, dependencies and scheduling need Pro at $16.9. Monthly billing is steeper still: $9.9, $15.9 and $23.9. | BEssential is $10 per user a month billed yearly, $12 monthly. That's the dear end of typical for project tools, but budgeting, resource planning, time tracking and expenses are all in it. The catch is the jump: invoicing integrations and approvals need Professional at $25. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for 1 user, with unlimited tasks, time tracking and invoices, the desktop and mobile apps and 1 GB of storage. But it's 1 client and 2 projects, with only the task list view. Paid plans have a 15-day trial with no credit card required. | CThere's no free plan. You get a 14-day free trial with no credit card needed, and after that it's paid, with a 3-seat minimum on every plan. Client seats are free, mind. |
| Features | ATime logged by stopwatch, in bulk, or automatically by the desktop app, then turned into invoices. Tasks as lists, calendars, Kanban boards, spreadsheets or Gantt charts. Estimates, expenses, file proofing and project profitability come on Plus, and team scheduling and leave on Pro. | ASeven project layouts, including board, timeline, Gantt and workload. Every logged hour ties to a project budget, so you get revenue, cost and margin per project. Add resource planning, invoicing, a sales CRM and an AI Assistant, and that's the whole job for a client-service firm. |
| Ease of use | BThere's no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as high as we go. Tracked time flows into timesheets and invoices, so there's no retyping. Working out which view lives on which plan takes a minute. | BNo app rating on record, so a B is the ceiling. It's hosted, so there's nothing to install, and you log hours with a timer or by hand on web, desktop or phone. It covers a lot of ground, though, so we'd expect more to learn than with a plain task board. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. It connects to Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, QuickBooks Online, Zapier, Make and Typeform. Integrations and API access start at the Plus plan. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, though there's no Linux app. It connects to Jira, Slack, Xero, QuickBooks, Google Calendar, Outlook and Zapier. API access is in from Essential, and an MCP server opens your data to Claude or ChatGPT. |
| Best for | tracking time and invoicing clients | agencies that want projects and money in one place |
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: Paymo and Productive. How we grade
Where they differ
- Paymo starts at $5.9 per month, billed annually (Solo, 1 user). Productive starts at $10 per user / month, billed yearly (3-seat minimum).
- Paymo has a free plan. Productive does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Paymo lists a Linux app.
- Paymo also covers Pomodoro timer.
- Productive also covers reports.
At a glance
| Paymo | Productive | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5.9 per month, billed annually (Solo, 1 user) | $10 per user / month, billed yearly (3-seat minimum) |
| Free plan | 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. | None |
| Free trial | 15-day free trial of a paid plan, no credit card required | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Paymo LLC | The Productive Company Inc. |
| Price read from | paymoapp.com | productive.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
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
Worth knowing
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.
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.
Key features
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.
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.
Plans
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.
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.
Ways to pay less
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.
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.
