Productive vs Worklenz (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Worklenz 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. Worklenz 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
Worklenz
Project and time tracking for agencies, with a self-host option
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 Worklenz if
- Fits if you run an agency and want time tracked against projects
- Works for teams that want the option to host the tool themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, as the plan stops at 5 members, 3 projects and 1 GB
- Pricey if you need the client portal, invoices or Gantt editing, which are Business at $10 yearly
- Watch out: time tracking is not on the free plan
- Watch out: self-hosted Business editions have no published price and the plugin marketplace is listed as coming soon
- Skip it if you want many integrations, as only Slack and Zapier are listed
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAProductiveFair | 2.6GPAWorklenzGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BPro is $6 per active user a month billed annually, the cheaper quarter's starting figure. Business is $10 yearly. |
| 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: up to 5 members, 3 active projects and 1 GB. There is also a free self-hosted Community edition. |
| 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. | CTasks, Kanban, time tracking, workload and a Gantt view. Pro has read-only Gantt, with editing, the client portal and invoices on Business. |
| 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. You set up projects and teams, and the self-hosted edition adds server work. |
| 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 Slack and Zapier. No desktop app. |
| Best for | agencies that want projects and money in one place | agency project and time tracking, hosted or self-hosted |
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 Worklenz. 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. Worklenz 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 Worklenz 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
- Worklenz is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Productive also covers invoicing and reports.
- Worklenz also covers templates.
At a glance
| Productive | Worklenz | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per user / month, billed yearly (3-seat minimum) | $6 per active user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Up to 5 team members and 3 active projects, with task lists, Kanban boards, templates and mobile access. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of paid plans, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | The Productive Company Inc. | Worklenz |
| Price read from | productive.io | worklenz.com |
| 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.
Worklenz
- The Free plan stops at 5 team members, 3 active projects and 1 GB of storage.
- Time tracking needs Pro; the client portal, invoices and project finance need Business.
- Pro includes only read-only Gantt and scheduler views; editing is a Business feature.
- Self-hosted Business editions have no published price, and the plugin marketplace is listed as coming soon.
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.
Worklenz
- Tasks and Kanban boards
- Projects hold task lists and Kanban boards with sub-tasks, labels, priorities, custom fields on paid plans, and recurring tasks.
- Time tracking and timesheets
- A live timer or manual entries log hours against tasks, with reports comparing estimated and actual time per project and per member. Paid plans only.
- Resource scheduling and workload
- A scheduler plans tasks around each member's capacity, and a workload view shows utilization. Full editing of the scheduler needs the Business plan.
- Client portal and project finance
- The Business plan lets clients see project progress, tracks budgets and billable hours, and creates client invoices.
- Gantt and project roadmap
- A timeline view shows task dependencies and phases. The Pro plan gives read-only access, and editing is part of Business.
- Self-hosted edition
- A free Community edition runs on your own infrastructure with unlimited users. Paid self-hosted editions are priced through sales.
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.
Worklenz
Free$0
Up to 5 team members, 3 active projects, 1 GB storage, task lists and Kanban boards.
Pro$6
per active user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)
No cap on members or projects, time tracking and timesheets, workload view, 3 guests per project, read-only Gantt. 5 GB storage.
Business$10
per active user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Adds client portal, project finance and invoices, full Gantt and scheduler editing, advanced reports, unlimited guests. 25 GB storage.
Community (self-hosted)$0
Open-source edition you host yourself: unlimited users, core task management, community support only.
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.
Worklenz
- Lifetime license
Business plan lifetime deal, $79 per code
Each $79 one-time code gives 5 seats and 5 GB on the Business plan with future updates; up to 10 codes can be stacked.
- Annual discount
3 months free on Pro, 2 months on Business, billed yearly
Pro costs $72 and Business $120 per active user per year, against $96 and $144 on monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Productive or Worklenz?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Worklenz 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 Worklenz starts at $6 per active user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Productive or Worklenz?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Worklenz has a free plan. Productive does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Productive and Worklenz 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.