The right replacement depends on which of three jobs matters most to your agency: resource planning, time and billing, or full project accounting. Professional services platforms cover all three in one system, resource planners go deeper on who's free and when, and lighter time and invoicing tools suit small firms that mainly need hours turned into invoices.
Which part of running the agency is hurting most: the schedule, the timesheets or the project numbers? Productive (productive.io) sells itself as one platform for resources, projects and finances, and each of the eight alternatives below leans harder on one of those. They're in no particular order, grouped by what they're built around, with an A to Z list further down.
One platform, three jobs: start with the one that hurts
Productive (productive.io) pitches resources, projects and finances under one roof. That's a sensible pitch, but most agencies feel the pain in one place first. Maybe nobody can see who's overbooked next week. Maybe hours go unlogged and invoices go out late. Maybe the directors can't tell which client projects make money until the quarter's over.
Some tools below are strongest at resource planning, some at time and billing, and some at full project accounting. So the useful question isn't which tool does the most. It's which of the three jobs you'd fix first if you could only fix one, because that's the job your new tool has to do brilliantly from day one.
There's also a name change worth knowing before you build a shortlist. Forecast's own page now says Forecast.app is Accelo.com, with the same platform and the same login. If you've got an older shortlist with Forecast on it and a newer one with Accelo, they point at one vendor, so cross one off before you start booking demos.
Where each alternative leans
Full professional services platforms
Scoro, Birdview PSA and BigTime try to cover the whole delivery cycle: projects, resourcing, time and the money side together. They're the closest match to what Productive (productive.io) is aiming for, and they make most sense for consultancies and multi-team agencies that want one system of record. Expect a longer setup, because there's more to configure and more people to train.
Resource and capacity planners
Float and Teamdeck focus on people and time. They show who's booked, who's free and whether projects are on track, and they're lighter to roll out than a full platform. Plenty of agencies pair a planner like these with a separate tool for invoicing, and that split works well when the finance side already runs smoothly.
Time tracking and invoicing first
The remaining three start from hours worked. Paymo connects projects, billable hours and invoices for small businesses. Avaza adds chat, expenses and resource scheduling around the same core. Deltek Replicon brings billing and labour compliance tools on top of time tracking for project-based firms. If timesheets are where your current setup leaks, start your search here.
The eight side by side
| Tool | Category | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Avaza | All-in-one work management | Projects, time and invoicing under one login |
| BigTime | PSA with a finance focus | Firms that keep their books in QuickBooks |
| Birdview PSA | Professional services automation | Covering the whole services delivery cycle |
| Deltek Replicon | Time tracking and billing | Project-based firms with labour compliance needs |
| Float | Resource planning | Seeing who's booked and whether projects are on track |
| Paymo | Time tracking and invoicing | Small firms turning billable hours into invoices |
| Scoro | Professional services platform | Multi-office firms running projects, resources and finances |
| Teamdeck | Resource scheduling | Schedules, timesheets and leave in one calendar |
Alternatives listed A to Z
Alphabetical and in no particular order beyond that. Each line reflects how the vendor describes its own product.
Avaza
Best for: Growing teams that want projects, chat, resource scheduling, time tracking, expenses and invoicing in one place; the vendor pitches it as unifying all of those.
BigTime
Best for: Professional services firms wanting portfolio management, resourcing and finance management in one tool; the vendor highlights native integration with QuickBooks Desktop and Online.
Birdview PSA
Best for: Services firms connecting resources, projects, time, billing and financials, which the vendor describes as one AI-powered platform for the whole delivery cycle.
Deltek Replicon
Best for: Project-based firms that need AI-powered time tracking with billing and labour compliance tools; the vendor says it automates billing and reduces revenue leakage.
Float
Best for: Agencies wanting to see who's working on what and whether projects are on track, with AI-assisted staffing the vendor says finds the best-fit person.
Paymo
Best for: Small businesses tracking time, delivering tasks and sending invoices, with projects, billable hours and invoices in one connected system, per the vendor.
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Scoro
Best for: Consultancies, agencies, IT, architecture and engineering firms, which the vendor says it's purpose-built for, managing projects, resources and finances across teams and offices.
Teamdeck
Best for: Creative and technical teams wanting quick, lightweight resource management, with scheduling, capacity planning, timesheets and leave in one calendar, says the vendor.
My advice for agencies weighing a switch
Don't move just because another platform has a longer feature list. Switching agency software is disruptive: timesheets, client records, rate cards and project templates all have to move, and your team has to learn new habits. Only switch when one of the three jobs is clearly broken and the new tool fixes that job better than what you've got.
If resourcing is the problem, a dedicated planner is usually the quickest win, and you can leave everything else as it stands. If you want the whole delivery cycle in one place, shortlist two full platforms and compare them on your own projects, not on the demo. For wider shortlists, see my guides to resource management software and PSA software for services firms.
Running a real month through a trial
- Pick one finished month of real client work, with its projects, people and logged hours.
- Rebuild that month in each tool you're trialling, using your real team names and roles.
- Schedule the people, log a sample of the hours and raise the invoices you'd have sent that month.
- Ask a project manager and someone from finance to each do their normal weekly tasks in the trial.
- Keep the tool where both of them finished their week with fewer workarounds, and drop the rest.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between PSA software and a resource planner?
PSA software tries to run the whole services business: projects, people, time and the money side. A resource planner focuses on scheduling people and seeing capacity, and usually leaves invoicing to another tool.
Do I need one platform for everything?
Not always. Many small agencies run happily on a planner plus a separate invoicing tool. One platform helps most when several teams or offices need to share the same project data.
Can I move my historical timesheets to a new tool?
Usually, through an export and import, but check what each tool accepts before you commit. Keep a full export from your old system either way.
How long should I trial agency software?
Long enough to run a realistic slice of your own work through it. A month of real projects tells you far more than a week of demo data.
Is time tracking software suitable for client billing rules?
It can be, but billing and labour rules vary by country and contract. Check your own obligations with your accountant or the relevant regulator.
Should I tell clients I'm changing project tools?
Only if they log in to it, see reports from it or receive invoices that will look different. Otherwise it's an internal change.
