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Project Management by Team · Researched comparison

Best Project Cost Management Software

By the TaskReports Editorial Team
Published 13 Nov 2026 · Updated 13 Nov 2026Last verified 13 Nov 2026How we score

TaskReports may earn a fee from some links on this page, and some placements are paid and labelled. Neither one decides the order. See our disclosure.

The short answer

ClickUp is the top pick because it pairs tasks and docs with budgets, time tracking and dashboards at $9 per user per month billed annually, with a free plan for small teams. Scoro is the better choice when a firm needs quotes, budgets and invoices to share one set of figures, with Core at $19.90 per user per month.

Best overall ClickUp $9 per user/month (billed annually) Also great monday.com $9 per user/month (billed annually) Also great Asana $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)
On this page

Key takeaways

  • ClickUp leads for teams that want budgets, time tracking and dashboards in one workspace at $9 per user per month billed annually.
  • Zoho Projects offers the lowest entry price here at $4 per user per month billed annually, with budgets and time tracking on the entry plan.
  • Harvest turns tracked time into invoices at $9 per user per month billed annually, with usage fees on top of the seat price in the 2026 model.
  • Scoro suits firms that sell time and need quoting, budgets and billing in one system, with Core at $19.90 per user per month.
  • ProofHub charges a flat $45 per month for unlimited users, which keeps the bill fixed as a team grows.

Comparison

How these compare
ToolBest forPrice rangeFree plan
ClickUpBudgets and time in one workspace$9 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
monday.comVisual budgets and cost columns$9 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
AsanaTask costs and project budgets$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
SmartsheetSheet-based budgets and forecasts$9 per user/month (billed annually)Free trial (30 days)
TeamworkClient budgets and billable time$9.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
Zoho ProjectsLow-cost budgets for small teams$4 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
WrikeStructured budgets and approvals$10 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
ProofHubFlat-price cost control$45 per month flat (billed annually)Free trial (14 days)
HarvestTime costs that become invoices$9 per user/month (billed annually)Free trial (30 days)
ScoroQuotes, budgets and billing in one place$19.90 per user/monthFree trial (14 days)

How we choose

We reviewed the vendor pricing pages, feature lists and plan comparison tables for each tool in this list, and we compared how budgets, time costs and billing connect in each product. We looked at the starting price on annual billing, the free plan or trial terms, the budget and time tracking features, and the limits that move a feature to a higher plan. We did not claim hands-on testing, and we treated vendor documentation as the source for each price and limit. Prices change, so open the pricing page in the Sources section before you buy.

Written by the Taskreports Editorial Team.

Our full method

The shortlist

★ Best overall

ClickUp

Best for Budgets and time in one workspace

  • Built-in timer and budget fields
  • wide range of views and dashboards
Price$9 per user/month (billed annually)
See ClickUp pricing

ClickUp lets a team set a budget on a project, log time against tasks and watch spend in dashboards that compare estimated cost with actual cost. Custom fields can hold hourly rates, fixed fees and expenses, and formulas can roll those figures up to the project level. The timer sits inside each task, so the hours that drive cost are recorded where the work happens.

The Core plan starts at $9 per user per month billed annually and includes unlimited storage, Gantt charts, custom fields and guest permissions. Teams that need timesheets, resource management and advanced dashboards should check the Business plan at $17 per user per month billed annually, since those features sit above Core.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: clickup.com

Watch out for

  • Cost reporting needs setup on the entry plan
  • advanced reporting sits on higher plans
2

monday.com

Best for Visual budgets and cost columns
$9 per user/month (billed annually)

monday.com organises budgets on boards with columns for planned cost, actual cost, owner and status. Formula columns can subtract actual spend from the budget and flag rows that pass a limit, and dashboards can sum costs by project, client or month.

The Basic plan starts at $9 per user per month billed annually and includes unlimited items, docs and more than 200 templates, with a minimum of 3 seats. The free plan covers up to 2 seats with 3 boards. Teams that need automations, integrations and Gantt views should check the Standard plan at $12 per user per month billed annually, since Basic includes none of those.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: monday.com

What we like

  • Numbers and formula columns suit budgets
  • boards show spend at a glance

Watch out for

  • Automations are missing from the entry plan
  • time tracking needs a higher plan
See monday.com pricing
3

Asana

Best for Task costs and project budgets
$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Asana keeps tasks, subtasks, milestones and timelines in a calm layout that suits teams of 5 to 200 people. Custom fields can hold cost, rate and budget figures, and dashboards can show spend by project and by person. Native time tracking lets people log actual time against a task and compare it with the estimate, which gives managers a clear view of labour cost as work progresses.

The Starter plan starts at $10.99 per user per month billed annually and adds timeline and Gantt views, dashboards, forms, custom fields and unlimited automations. The free Personal plan covers up to 2 users with unlimited tasks and projects. Teams that need portfolios, goals, workload and timesheet add-ons should check the Advanced plan at $24.99 per user per month billed annually.

Price: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: asana.com

What we like

  • Clean task lists and timelines
  • native time tracking on the Starter plan

Watch out for

  • Native time tracking is not in the free plan
  • cost and budget views need a higher plan
See Asana pricing
4

Smartsheet

Best for Sheet-based budgets and forecasts
$9 per user/month (billed annually)

Smartsheet presents budgets as sheets, with rows for cost items, columns for planned and actual spend, and formulas that total each section. Gantt charts show how cost spreads across the schedule, and reports can pull rows from many sheets into one view of spend by project or department. Forms collect expense requests from people outside the team, and automated workflows can send alerts when a cost item passes its budget.

The Pro plan starts at $9 per user per month billed annually and includes Gantt views, 250 automation runs a month and 20 GB of storage, for 1 to 10 members. A 30-day free trial gives a team time to build a real budget and test the integrations. Teams that need resource management, unlimited automations and proofing should check the Business plan at $19 per user per month billed annually.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Website: smartsheet.com

What we like

  • Familiar grid layout
  • formulas and reports suit large budgets

Watch out for

  • No built-in timer, time data comes through integrations
  • entry plan limits some automation
See Smartsheet pricing
5

Teamwork

Best for Client budgets and billable time
$9.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Teamwork is built around client work, with projects, milestones, tasks and time logs kept together. People can start a timer from a task or add time after the fact, and the logged hours connect to project budgets and to invoicing through integrations with QuickBooks and Xero. Budget alerts warn a team before a project runs over, and project templates help agencies repeat the same delivery process for each new client.

The Basics plan starts at $9.99 per user per month billed annually, with a minimum of 3 seats, and covers project delivery, client organisation and billable time tracking. The free plan covers up to 5 users and 5 projects. Teams that need time budgets, retainers, workload planning and invoicing should check the Accelerate plan at $24.99 per user per month billed annually.

Price: $9.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: teamwork.com

What we like

  • Built for client projects
  • time logs link to budgets and billing

Watch out for

  • Timesheets and invoicing need a higher plan
  • cost budgets need the higher plan
See Teamwork pricing
6

Zoho Projects

Best for Low-cost budgets for small teams
$4 per user/month (billed annually)

Zoho Projects covers task lists, milestones, Gantt charts, time tracking and budgets at a price most rivals cannot match. A project budget can hold planned cost, and timesheets show how logged hours translate into labour cost as work moves forward. The timeline view shows task dependencies, and the blueprint feature can move work through a fixed set of stages with approvals at each step.

The Premium plan starts at $4 per user per month billed annually and includes unlimited projects, Gantt charts, time tracking, budgeting and workflow automation. The free plan covers up to 5 users and 3 projects with 5 GB of storage. Teams that need portfolios, critical path and custom roles should check the Enterprise plan at $9 per user per month billed annually.

Price: $4 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: zoho.com

What we like

  • Lowest entry price in this list
  • budgets and time tracking on the entry plan

Watch out for

  • Reporting depth is lighter than larger rivals
  • cost features need the wider Zoho suite for billing
See Zoho Projects pricing
7

Wrike

Best for Structured budgets and approvals
$10 per user/month (billed annually)

Wrike suits teams that need a clear hierarchy of folders, projects and tasks, with approvals and proofing built into the workflow. Custom fields can hold budget, cost and rate figures, and dashboards can show spend by project, person and period. The calendar and workload views help managers spot overloaded weeks before deadlines slip, which also keeps labour cost from rising without warning.

The Team plan starts at $10 per user per month billed annually and covers 2 to 15 users, with Gantt charts, dashboards and integrations with common business tools. The free plan covers up to 5 users with basic task and board features. Teams that need resource planning, budgeting and advanced reporting should check the Business plan at $25 per user per month billed annually.

Price: $10 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: wrike.com

What we like

  • Strong task hierarchy and approvals
  • dashboards show spend by project

Watch out for

  • Resource planning and budgeting need a higher plan
  • setup takes care for large teams
See Wrike pricing
8

ProofHub

Best for Flat-price cost control
$45 per month flat (billed annually)

ProofHub charges one flat monthly fee for unlimited users, which keeps the software bill fixed while a team grows. Tasks, discussions, group chat, file proofing and time tracking sit in one project view, so a team can discuss a file, approve it and log time without opening another app. Time reports show hours by person and project, which gives managers the raw figures they need to work out labour cost.

The Essential plan costs $45 per month billed annually and covers unlimited users, 40 projects and 15 GB of storage. A 14-day free trial lets a team test the project structure before committing. Teams that need unlimited projects, custom workflows, white labelling and 100 GB of storage should check the Ultimate Control plan, which starts at $89 per month billed annually.

Price: $45 per month flat (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: proofhub.com

What we like

  • Flat price covers unlimited users
  • time tracking sits next to tasks

Watch out for

  • No free plan, only a 14-day trial
  • cost reporting is lighter than dedicated finance tools
See ProofHub pricing
9

Harvest

Best for Time costs that become invoices
$9 per user/month (billed annually)

Harvest answers a clear question for service teams: how do tracked hours become money. The timer, weekly timesheet and expense log feed into invoices that can be sent to clients and marked as sent or viewed. Budget alerts warn a team before a project runs over, and reports show time, cost and profitability by project and person, so managers can see which clients earn money and which ones do not.

The Teams plan starts at $9 per user per month billed annually, or $11 billed monthly, and includes unlimited seats, team reporting and invoicing. Harvest adds usage fees for active projects, clients, tasks and invoicing above the included allowances in its 2026 model, and it does not publish the per-unit amounts, so ask for a total cost estimate before committing. Enterprise starts at $14 per user per month billed annually and adds timesheet approval and profitability reporting.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Website: getharvest.com

What we like

  • Timers feed directly into invoices
  • budget alerts warn before overruns

Watch out for

  • Usage fees apply on top of the seat price in the 2026 model
  • timesheet approval needs Enterprise
See Harvest pricing
10

Scoro

Best for Quotes, budgets and billing in one place
$19.90 per user/month

Scoro combines quoting, project planning, time tracking and billing in one system, so a quote can become a project, then a set of tasks, then an invoice without re-entering the same figures. The dashboard shows utilisation, project budgets and overdue work in one view, and the calendar ties time entries to the work they belong to. That structure suits consultancies and agencies that sell time and need to see margin per project.

The Core plan starts at $19.90 per user per month, the highest entry price in this list, and includes projects, tasks, time tracking and basic reporting. A 14-day free trial lets a team test the workflow before committing. Teams that need advanced finance, custom workflows and deeper reporting should check the Growth plan, since those features sit above Core.

Price: $19.90 per user/month

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: scoro.com

What we like

  • Quotes, projects and invoices share one data set
  • real-time utilisation views

Watch out for

  • Highest starting price in this list
  • no free plan, only a 14-day trial
See Scoro pricing

What to check before you buy

Start with a short trial that uses real work, not a demo project. Give 3 to 5 people a live project with a real budget, ask them to log time and expenses for one full week, then check whether the budget view, the timesheet and the report match what the project actually cost. If the budget figures are hard to find, people will stop updating them, and the reports will understate spend.

The decision table below gives a quick starting point by team size and budget. Use it as a guide, then confirm the price and plan limits on the vendor page.

Before you sign up, run through this checklist. Confirm the starting price on the pricing page and note whether it is billed annually or monthly. Confirm the free plan or trial length and what happens when it ends. Confirm whether budgets, billable rates and utilisation reports are included in the plan you would buy. Confirm whether usage fees sit on top of the seat price. Confirm how many seats you need, including viewers and clients. Confirm the export options for budgets, timesheets and invoices, since you may need that data if you switch tools later.

FAQ

Which tool is best for tracking project costs on a small budget?

Zoho Projects is the cheapest entry point here, with Premium at $4 per user per month billed annually and budgets plus time tracking on that plan. ClickUp is the stronger all-round choice at $9 per user per month billed annually, since it adds docs, goals and dashboards next to the budget features.

Does Harvest charge extra on top of the seat price?

Yes, Harvest adds usage fees for active projects, clients, tasks and invoicing above the included allowances in its 2026 model, and it does not publish the per-unit amounts. The Teams plan starts at $9 per user per month billed annually. Ask for a total cost estimate before committing, so the usage fees do not surprise the budget.

Is Scoro worth $19.90 per user per month?

Scoro is worth that price for firms that sell time and need quotes, budgets, projects and invoices to share one set of figures, since that structure removes re-entry and shows margin per project. Teams that only need a budget field and a timer will find cheaper options, such as ClickUp at $9 or Zoho Projects at $4 per user per month billed annually.

Can monday.com track project costs?

Yes, monday.com tracks costs with numbers and formula columns on boards, and dashboards can sum spend by project, client or month. The Basic plan starts at $9 per user per month billed annually, though automations and time tracking need higher plans. Teams that need full cost reporting should check the Standard plan at $12 per user per month billed annually.

Sources we checked

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