Productive vs Ravetree (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Productive if

• Fits if you're an agency or consultancy of 3 or more people that bills clients by project
• Works for teams that bring clients into projects, since client seats are free

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan, because there's only a 14-day trial
• Not for you if you're one or two people, since every plan needs at least 3 seats
• Pricey if you need Xero or QuickBooks sync, rate cards or approvals, which start on Professional at $25 a user
• Watch out: HubSpot, webhooks and enforced SSO or 2FA need Ultimate, which has no public price
• Watch out: the AI Notetaker for calls is a paid add-on, and there's no Linux app

Pick Ravetree if

• Fits if you run a studio or agency and want billing and projects in one tool
• Works for firms that want retainers and proposals next to the timesheets

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are a small team: $29 a user a month on yearly billing, and every seat pays the same
• Skip it if you want a free plan, as there is none
• Watch out: the FAQ says Ravetree does not issue refunds
• Skip it if you want phone apps, since the pages mention none

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.

Ravetree

• The pricing page shows a single plan at three billing frequencies, so every user pays the same per-seat price and there is no free plan.
• The FAQ says Ravetree does not issue refunds; a paid plan can be cancelled and stays active until the period ends.
• The FAQ lists supported browsers and the pages mention no desktop or mobile apps.
• The integrations page marks the Slack integration as coming soon.

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.

Ravetree

Projects, Gantt and agile

Tasks, milestones, templates, portfolios and Gantt timelines for traditional projects, plus epics, user stories, Kanban boards and sprint planning for agile ones.

Time and expense tracking

Time logs, timers and weekly timesheets tied to projects, tasks, clients and retainers, with optional manager approval. Expenses take categories, markups and receipts.

Billing, retainers and proposals

Ravetree lists invoicing, retainer management, estimates and quotes built from templates, and purchase orders linked to vendors.

Resource planning

Capacity views for individuals, teams and the whole company, with budget forecasts drawn from expected resource needs.

Built-in CRM

Accounts, contacts and deals with customizable sales pipelines, plus email history from Gmail or Exchange shown on each contact.

Client portals and request forms

Clients see live project status in a portal, and customizable request forms let internal or client users ask for work that is approved before it becomes a project or task.

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.

Ravetree

• Yearly$29

  per user / month, billed yearly

  One plan with every feature, billed $348 per user up front. The page says this saves 26% against monthly billing. Includes unlimited projects, onboarding, training and support.

• Quarterly$34

  per user / month, billed quarterly

  The same plan billed every three months at $102 per user. The page says this saves 13%.

• Monthly$39

  per user / month, billed monthly

  Pay as you go month to month, with unlimited projects, onboarding, training and support.

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.

Ravetree

• Annual discount

  Save 26% on yearly billing

  Ravetree's pricing page shows $29 per user per month billed yearly against $39 billed monthly.

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit and education pricing on request

  The pricing page tells nonprofit and education buyers to contact Ravetree; no discount figure is published.