# Worklenz review (2026): is the free plan enough?

> Project and time tracking for agencies, with a self-host option

Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA.

Worklenz is a project management tool aimed at agencies and service teams that bill for their time. It combines task lists and Kanban boards with time tracking, resource scheduling, project budgets and a client portal. A free open-source edition can be self-hosted, and the vendor also runs paid cloud plans.

- **Category:** Project Management
- **Made by:** Worklenz (since 2022)
- **Website:** https://worklenz.com
- **Runs on:** Web, iOS, Android
- **Who should skip it:** Tight if you stay free, as the plan stops at 5 members, 3 projects and 1 GB.
- **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026

## Pricing

As of Nov 13, 2026, Worklenz has a free plan, and paid plans start at $6 per active user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Up to 5 team members and 3 active projects, with task lists, Kanban boards, templates and mobile access.
- **Free trial:** 14-day free trial of paid plans, no credit card needed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://worklenz.com/pricing on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Worklenz before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Business plan lifetime deal, $79 per code** (Lifetime license): 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. Source: https://worklenz.com/lifetime-deal/
- **3 months free on Pro, 2 months on Business, billed yearly** (Annual discount): Pro costs $72 and Business $120 per active user per year, against $96 and $144 on monthly billing. Source: https://worklenz.com/pricing

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- Agencies and consultancies that bill client work by the hour
- Small teams: the free plan covers 5 members and 3 projects
- Teams that want to run an open-source tool on their own servers

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Worklenz tracks projects and time for agencies, with a free plan of 5 members and 3 active projects and an open-source self-hosted edition. Time tracking needs Pro at $6 per active user, and the client portal and invoices need Business.

- **Value for money: B.** Pro is $6 per active user a month billed annually, the cheaper quarter's starting figure. Business is $10 yearly.
- **Free plan and trial: B.** Free plan: up to 5 members, 3 active projects and 1 GB. There is also a free self-hosted Community edition.
- **Features: C.** Tasks, 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: C.** No store rating on record. You set up projects and teams, and the self-hosted edition adds server work.
- **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web, iOS and Android apps with Slack and Zapier. No desktop app.

These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Worklenz's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

## Where it stands among project management tools

- Worklenz's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 98 of the 149 other project management tools we grade, and level with 21.
- It stands best on value for money (B, above 114 of 149) and worst on features (C, above 2).
- Its paid plans start at $6 a month for each person, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 26 of the 121 others that charge start lower.
- On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 16 tools score higher and cost less.

The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/project-management

## Keep it, or make your own?

**Keep it.** The plain part of Worklenz you could make: tasks, kanban boards, Gantt & timelines, time tracking and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend. It costs $72 a year. Worklenz is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.

- You could make: Tasks, kanban boards, Gantt & timelines, time tracking and templates: an app builder makes these well.
- You could not: A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- You could not: It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.

A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it.

## Works with

Slack, Zapier

**Tags:** Tasks, Kanban boards, Gantt & timelines, Time tracking, Open source, Self-hostable, Templates

## Alternatives

- [Paymo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/paymo): Project management with time tracking and client invoicing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/paymo-vs-worklenz)
- [Productive](https://toolgpa.com/tools/productive): Projects, resourcing and finances for agencies and consultancies. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/productive-vs-worklenz)
- [Plane](https://toolgpa.com/tools/plane): Open-source project management with cycles, wiki and AI agents. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/plane-vs-worklenz)
- [OpenProject](https://toolgpa.com/tools/openproject): Open-source project management for classic and agile teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/openproject-vs-worklenz)
- [Teamwork.com](https://toolgpa.com/tools/teamwork): Project and resource management for client service teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/teamwork-vs-worklenz)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026:

- https://worklenz.com/pricing
- https://worklenz.com
- https://worklenz.com/lifetime-deal/
- https://worklenz.com/about/
- https://worklenz.com/integrations/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/worklenz
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).