Productive vs Streamtime (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Productive grades higher than Streamtime: 2.4 against 2.0 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 the free plan and platforms. Streamtime grades higher on value for money. 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.
Productive
Projects, resourcing and finances for agencies and consultancies
Streamtime
Job planning, time tracking and invoicing for creative agencies
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 Streamtime if
- Fits if you run a design or marketing agency and bill by the job
- Works for teams on Xero, QuickBooks or MYOB who want invoices tied to jobs
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to see a price first, as none is published
- Not for you if you use Android, since only an iOS app is mentioned
- Watch out: accounting syncs cover Xero, QuickBooks and MYOB AccountRight only
- Too light for general teams, as it is built around creative agency jobs
- Tight if you want a free start, as no plan or trial is listed
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAProductiveFair | 2.0GPAStreamtimeFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo price is published. A quote is built from team size, freelancers and annual revenue, and the vendor says there is no fixed per-user fee. |
| 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. | FNo free plan and no trial is listed anywhere on the pricing page. |
| 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. | BJob planning, scheduling, time tracking, quoting, invoicing, reports and a Kanban board, with nothing in the listing missing for an agency's workflow. |
| 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. Agencies build job templates and connect accounting first, which takes some setup. |
| 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 and iOS apps with Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB, Slack, Google Calendar, Jira, Zapier, Outlook and an API. No Android app. |
| Best for | agencies that want projects and money in one place | creative agencies that quote, schedule and invoice jobs |
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 Streamtime. How we grade
Where they differ
- Productive also covers tasks and Gantt & timelines.
- Streamtime also covers quotes and estimates and dashboards.
At a glance
| Productive | Streamtime | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $10 per user / month, billed yearly (3-seat minimum) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | The Productive Company Inc. | Streamtime Australia Pty Ltd |
| Price read from | productive.io | Not confirmed |
| 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.
Streamtime
- No prices are published: the pricing page builds a quote from team size, freelancers and annual revenue, so pricing is recorded as unverified.
- The vendor says it does not charge a fixed per-user fee, so the cost depends on your usage.
- The FAQ recommends the latest Chrome for best performance; only an iOS app is mentioned, with no Android app.
- Native accounting syncs cover Xero, QuickBooks and MYOB AccountRight only.
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.
Streamtime
- Job planning with rates and timelines
- Jobs are set up with rates, teams, timelines and planned profit, and progress is followed on a burn-up chart.
- Scheduling and time tracking
- Drag-and-drop planning shows availability, including unscheduled hours, and the vendor says time is tracked without timesheets.
- Quoting and invoicing
- Job plans turn into quotes and invoices, with expenses rolled into the bill, and sync to Xero, QuickBooks or MYOB AccountRight.
- Reporting
- Reports cover utilization, profitability and job cost recovery, can be filtered and customized, and export with a click.
- Kanban board
- A Kanban board tracks every job stage and shows sell totals and status for each job.
- AI assistant connector
- An MCP connector lets assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot read hours and create jobs; quotes and invoices land as drafts.
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.
Streamtime
Pricing could not be confirmed. See streamtime.net.
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.
Streamtime
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Productive or Streamtime?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Productive starts at $10 per user / month, billed yearly (3-seat minimum), and Streamtime has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Productive or Streamtime?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Productive nor Streamtime has a free plan. Productive has a free trial.
Which platforms do Productive and Streamtime run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Productive lists macOS, Windows and Android apps. Both list a web app and an iOS 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.