Productive vs SmartTask (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SmartTask grades higher than Productive: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Productive grades higher on features and platforms. SmartTask grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Productive
Projects, resourcing and finances for agencies and consultancies
SmartTask
Project management, time tracking and CRM for client work
Which one is for you
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 SmartTask if
- Fits if you run client projects and want time tracking and a CRM in the same tool
- Works for small teams that want a free plan with no user cap
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $12 for Premium and $16 for Business against $6 and $11 yearly
- Tight if you want time tracking or budgeting, which need Business at $11
- Watch out: custom branding is a paid add-on on Business
- Skip it if you need single sign-on or enterprise API access, as they are Enterprise only with no published price
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAProductiveFair | 2.6GPASmartTaskGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DEssential is $10 a user a month billed yearly, $12 monthly, already the dear edge of this category, and the pieces an agency actually bills with, invoicing syncs, rate cards, time and expense approvals, sit on Professional at $25, three times the category's middle. Three seats minimum, no free plan. | BPremium is $6 per user a month billed yearly, which is the figure the cheaper quarter of the category starts at. Business is $11. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan at all. There's a 14-day trial with no card needed, and after that you're paying for at least 3 seats. Client seats are free, which softens it if you work with a lot of them. | BFree plan with unlimited tasks, users, projects, contacts and guests. Custom fields, reminders, forms and workflows are paid. |
| Features | BSeven layouts including board, timeline, Gantt and workload, every logged hour tied to a project budget so revenue, cost and margin come out per project, plus resource planning, invoicing, a sales CRM and an AI Assistant. Invoicing syncs and approvals need Professional. | CViews, time tracking, budgeting, client portal and CRM. Timeline, dashboards, portfolios and time tracking need the Business plan. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's hosted, so nothing to install, and logging time is a click. But this is budgets, bookings, rate cards and approvals in one place: someone has to set all that up, and it's a bigger job than a task board. | CNo store rating on record. Many modules mean setup before a team is productive. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with only Linux missing. It connects to Jira, Slack, Xero, QuickBooks, Google Calendar, Outlook and Zapier, the API is in from Essential, and an MCP server opens your data to Claude or ChatGPT. | BWeb, iOS and Android apps with Google Drive and Dropbox. No desktop app. |
| Best for | agencies that want projects and money in one place | client work with tasks, time tracking and a CRM |
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: Productive and SmartTask. How we grade
Price against what you get
Productive starts at $10 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SmartTask starts at $6 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Productive scores higher, and starts $4 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other project management tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Productive for less, and 16 score higher than SmartTask 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
- Productive also covers invoicing and reports.
- SmartTask also covers sales pipeline, workflow automation and AI agents.
At a glance
| Productive | SmartTask | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per user / month, billed yearly (3-seat minimum) | $6 per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Unlimited tasks, users, projects, contacts and guests, with embed views and Karma points. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | The Productive Company Inc. | Softronics Systems Pvt Ltd |
| Price read from | productive.io | smarttask.io |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
SmartTask
- Timeline view, dashboards, portfolios, time tracking and budgeting need the Business plan.
- Custom branding is a paid add-on on Business; white-labeling is an Enterprise feature.
- Single sign-on and enterprise API access are limited to Enterprise, which has no published price.
- Monthly billing costs $12 (Premium) and $16 (Business) per user, twice or more the yearly rates.
Key features
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.
SmartTask
- Multiple work views
- Tasks can be viewed as a list, a drag-and-drop board, a calendar or a timeline, with subtasks, dependencies and recurring tasks.
- Time tracking and budgeting
- Hours are logged against tasks, timesheets can be locked once approved, and project budgets sit alongside them. Both need the Business plan.
- Resource management
- Leave tracking and workload planning show who has capacity, and a Resource AI feature suggests allocations based on balanced workloads.
- Client portal and guests
- Guests can be invited to see chosen projects, tasks and comments while internal items stay private. Custom branding is a paid add-on.
- Sales CRM
- A CRM module tracks contacts and sales processes next to project work, with contacts that can be attached to tasks.
- Workflows and AI agents
- Multi-step workflow automations and AI agents are included from the Premium plan upward.
Plans
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.
SmartTask
Free Forever$0
Unlimited tasks, users, projects, contacts and guests for teams exploring the core features.
Premium$6
per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)
Adds custom fields, milestones, reminders, forms, private groups, workflows, AI agents and attendance.
Business$11
per user / month, billed yearly ($16 billed monthly)
Adds timeline view, dashboards, portfolios, time tracking, budgeting and call recording integration. Custom branding is an add-on.
EnterpriseCustom
Adds single sign-on, white-labeling, enterprise API access, a customer success manager and managed services. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
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.
SmartTask
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Productive or SmartTask?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SmartTask is cheaper to start with: $6 a month for each person, against $10 a month for each person for Productive. Productive starts at $10 per user / month, billed yearly (3-seat minimum), and SmartTask starts at $6 per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Productive or SmartTask?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SmartTask has a free plan. Productive does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Productive and SmartTask run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Productive lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. 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.