Best Project Management Software for Consultants

Website: https://clickup.com

Best for: All round consulting work

Starting price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Free Forever plan with wide features; deep customisation for client workflows

Cons: Timesheets and resource management need Business at $17 per user per month

ClickUp gives a consultant one place for tasks, docs, goals and time, and the Free Forever plan covers a surprising amount of that. You can build a separate space per client, set custom fields for engagement type or billing status, and keep templates for repeatable work such as audits, onboarding or monthly reporting. The Core plan at $9 per user per month adds unlimited storage, more integrations and advanced permissions, which suits a consultant who shares boards with clients.

The catch is that time tracking and resource planning sit on the Business plan at $17 per user per month, so the headline price is not the price of a full consulting setup. Storage on the free plan is capped at 60 MB, which fills fast if you attach client files. Still, for a solo consultant or a small practice that wants one flexible tool, ClickUp covers more ground than most rivals at the same price.

Website: https://asana.com

Best for: Structured client projects

Starting price: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Clean task structure and timelines; strong templates for client work

Cons: Time tracking and workload views need Advanced at $24.99 per user per month

Asana suits consultants who run engagements as a clear sequence of tasks with owners and due dates. The Starter plan at $10.99 per user per month includes timeline and calendar views, project templates and unlimited guests, so you can bring clients into a project without paying for their seats in most cases. Portfolios help you watch several engagements at once, and the rules engine can move work forward without manual chasing.

The free Personal plan is limited to 2 users, so it works for a solo consultant but not for a team. Native time tracking, goals, workload and approvals are locked to Advanced at $24.99 per user per month, which more than doubles the cost if you need capacity planning. Asana is a strong pick when your work is task driven and your clients want a clear view of progress.

Website: https://monday.com

Best for: Visual client boards

Starting price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Visual boards clients understand at a glance; wide template library

Cons: Basic has no automations, integrations or timeline view

Monday.com presents client work as colourful boards that non technical clients can read without training. A consultant can track each engagement on a board, with columns for status, owner, budget and due date, and share a read only view with the client. The Basic plan at $9 per seat per month is cheap, but it has no automations and no integrations and no timeline or Gantt view, so most consultants will need Standard at $12 per seat per month.

All subscription plans require a minimum of 3 seats, and seats are sold in fixed buckets above that, so a solo consultant pays for three seats. The free plan covers up to 2 seats. Time tracking needs the Pro plan at $19 per seat per month. Monday.com works best for consultants who want client facing boards and are happy to pay for the Standard tier.

Website: https://www.teamwork.com

Best for: Client work with time tracking

Starting price: $9.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Built for client work with time and invoicing; clear project templates

Cons: Timesheets and retainers need Accelerate at $24.99 per user per month

Teamwork was built for agencies and consultancies, and it shows in the way it handles clients, projects and billable time together. The Basics plan at $9.99 per user per month covers tasks, milestones, templates and a free plan for up to 5 users and 5 projects, which is enough for a small practice to start. Client users can be added to projects, and the interface keeps each client separate, which reduces the risk of showing one client another client work.

The limit is that timesheets, workload planning, invoicing from logged time and retainers are locked to Accelerate at $24.99 per user per month, so the billing features a consultant needs most sit on the higher tier. Basics also has a 3 seat minimum. Teamwork is still a strong fit when your main need is structured client delivery with time attached to every task.

Website: https://www.wrike.com

Best for: Formal project workflows

Starting price: $10 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Strong request forms and approvals; handles complex project structures

Cons: Time tracking, proofing and resource management need Business at $25 per user per month

Wrike fits consultants who run formal engagements with intake, review and sign off steps. Request forms let clients submit work in a structured way, and approval workflows keep deliverables moving without long email threads. The Team plan at $10 per user per month covers the core task and project features, and the free plan allows unlimited users, which helps when several clients need access.

The trade off is that Team has no time tracking, and proofing, approvals, request forms and resource management need Business at $25 per user per month. Seats are sold in bundles of 5, 10 or 25, and the free plan caps at 200 active tasks. Wrike is the right choice when your consulting work follows a repeatable process and you need clients to follow it.

Website: https://www.notion.com

Best for: Flexible docs and tasks

Starting price: $10 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Docs, wikis and tasks in one flexible workspace; cheap to start

Cons: No native time tracking or invoicing; blocks limited on the free plan once a second member joins

Notion is the most flexible tool in this guide, and that is both its strength and its weakness for consultants. You can build a client hub with pages for each engagement, linked databases for tasks and deliverables, and a shared wiki for each client. The Plus plan at $10 per user per month adds unlimited file uploads, longer page history and more guests, and the free plan works for a solo consultant who mostly needs notes and task lists.

There is no native time tracking and no invoicing, so you will need another tool or an integration to bill hours. The free plan limits blocks once a second member joins, and full Notion AI is only on the Business plan at $20 per user per month. Notion suits consultants who think in documents first and want a single workspace for notes, plans and client portals.

Website: https://www.smartsheet.com

Best for: Spreadsheet style planning

Starting price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Pros: Familiar spreadsheet grid with Gantt and automation; strong reporting

Cons: Pro caps at 10 members; no free plan for new signups

Smartsheet will feel familiar to any consultant who has run engagements in spreadsheets, because it keeps the grid and adds Gantt charts, automations and dashboards on top. The Pro plan at $9 per user per month covers the core sheets, reports and automations, and a 30 day free trial lets you test it with real client data before you commit. It is a good fit for consultants who manage budgets, timelines and resource lists in tables.

The Pro plan caps at 10 members, so a growing team must move to Business at $19 per member per month, more than double the per seat price. The free plan has been closed to new signups since August 2024, so there is no free tier to fall back on. Smartsheet is best for consultants who want spreadsheet control with proper project structure behind it.

Website: https://basecamp.com

Best for: Simple flat rate teams

Starting price: $29 per month (flat rate, up to 5 users)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Flat monthly price with no per seat charges; simple and easy to learn

Cons: Free plan allows only 1 project; templates and time tracking excluded from Freelancer

Basecamp takes the opposite approach to per seat pricing, which makes it attractive for small consulting teams. The Freelancer package costs $29 per month flat for up to 5 users, and Pro costs $79 per month, so the price does not rise as you add people. The tool keeps everything simple: message boards, to do lists, schedules, docs and file storage in one place per project, with no complex setup.

The free plan allows only 1 project with 3 users and 1 GB of storage, so it is a trial rather than a working tier. The Freelancer package excludes templates, time tracking and multiple tools per project, so consultants who bill by the hour will need the Pro package or a separate time tool. Basecamp is the right pick when simplicity and a flat price matter more than advanced features.

Website: https://www.accelo.com

Best for: Full client lifecycle

Starting price: quote only

Free plan: No

Pros: Covers sales, projects, retainers and billing in one system; built for services firms

Cons: No published prices and no self serve trial; buyers must talk to sales first

Accelo is the only tool in this guide built to run the whole client lifecycle, from proposal and retainer to project delivery and invoicing. For a consultancy that sells retainers, tracks utilisation and bills from logged time, that breadth is hard to match with a general project tool. The platform ties time entries to projects and invoices, so the gap between doing the work and billing for it is small.

The drawback is that Accelo publishes no prices and offers no self serve trial, so you cannot budget for it or test it without a sales conversation. That also makes it hard to compare against the per seat prices in this guide. Accelo suits an established consultancy that knows it needs a full services platform and is ready to go through a sales process to get it.