Productive, Scoro, Kantata, and Accelo are built for services firms, so they cover project budgets, utilization, and client billing in one place.
monday.com, Asana, Teamwork, and Airtable work well when a data consultancy wants flexible project tracking with lighter billing features.
Harvest is the simplest choice for time tracking and invoicing when a small data team does not need full resource planning.
Starting prices in this guide run from $9 to $20 per user or seat per month when billed annually, while Kantata, Accelo, and SuperOps use quote only pricing.
Check utilization reporting, time tracking, rate cards, and invoicing before you choose, because those four areas decide whether a tool fits data work.
Comparison
How these compare
Tool
Best for
Price range
Free plan
Productive
Full PSA for data consultancies
$9 per user/month (billed annually)
Free trial (14 days)
Scoro
Utilization and project budgets
$19.90 per user/month (billed annually)
Free trial (14 days)
Kantata
Large data delivery teams
quote only
No
Accelo
Client work and retainers
quote only
Free trial (14 days)
SuperOps
IT and data service delivery
quote only
Free trial
monday.com
Flexible project boards
$9 per seat/month (billed annually)
Yes
Asana
Task and project tracking
$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)
Yes
Teamwork
Client project delivery
$9.99 per user/month (billed annually)
Yes
Airtable
Custom data project tracking
$20 per user/month (billed annually)
Yes
Harvest
Time tracking and invoicing
$9 per seat/month (billed annually)
Yes
How we choose
We reviewed vendor pricing pages, product documentation, and feature pages for each tool in this guide, and we compared them against the needs of a data consultancy. We looked at project planning, time tracking, utilization, rate cards, budgets, invoicing, and reporting. We checked whether each tool supports client work, recurring engagements, and team capacity planning, and we noted where a feature sits in a higher subscription tier. We did not claim hands on testing, and we did not use numeric scores or star ratings. Prices in this guide come from the vendor pricing pages listed in Sources, opened on 2026-11-13. Where a vendor does not show a price, we list the tool as quote only. Our goal was to show which tools fit data project delivery, and where each one has a real limit.
Starting price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)
Free plan: Free trial (14 days)
Pros: combines project budgets, utilization, and billing; clear reporting for data delivery teams
Cons: setup takes time for complex rate cards; some advanced reporting sits in higher subscription tiers
Productive is a strong fit for data consultancies that run many client projects at once. It brings project planning, time tracking, budgets, and invoicing into one workspace, so a delivery lead can see which data projects are on budget and which analysts are booked. The utilization views help managers spot analysts who are overbooked and analysts who have open capacity. Time entries link to tasks and budgets, so finance can check billable hours against the agreed scope. Reporting covers project profit, team capacity, and client revenue. For a growing data consultancy, Productive gives a clear picture of where time goes and where money is made, without forcing the team to keep project data in separate tools.
3
SScoro
Best for utilization and project budgets
Website: https://www.scoro.com
Best for: utilization and project budgets
Starting price: $19.90 per user/month (billed annually)
Free plan: Free trial (14 days)
Pros: strong utilization and capacity planning; detailed project budget tracking
Cons: higher starting price than most rivals here; the interface can feel dense for new users
Scoro suits data consultancies that want tight control over utilization and project budgets. Its planning views show who is assigned to each data project, how many hours are planned, and how that plan compares with actual time logged. That helps a consultancy balance analytics work, engineering work, and client workshops across a team. Project budgets track time, costs, and fees in one place, so a project lead can see a budget slipping before it becomes a problem. Scoro also covers quotes, invoicing, and reporting, which keeps the commercial side close to delivery. The learning curve is real, and small teams may find the feature set larger than they need, but firms that live by utilization will find the planning tools worth the effort.
4
KKantata
Best for large data delivery teams
Website: https://www.kantata.com
Best for: large data delivery teams
Starting price: quote only
Free plan: No
Pros: deep resource planning for large teams; strong project financial controls
Cons: quote only pricing hides the cost until a sales call; implementation can be long for smaller firms
Kantata is aimed at larger professional services firms, and it fits data consultancies with many teams and many concurrent client engagements. Its resource planning shows skills, availability, and project demand across the whole firm, which helps a consultancy staff data science, analytics engineering, and reporting work without double booking people. Project financials track budgets, forecasts, and revenue recognition, so leaders can see how a portfolio of data projects is performing. The trade off is scale and cost. Smaller consultancies may find the setup heavy and the quote only pricing hard to judge. For a large data consultancy that needs firm wide visibility, however, Kantata offers planning depth that lighter tools cannot match.
5
AAccelo
Best for client work and retainers
Website: https://www.accelo.com
Best for: client work and retainers
Starting price: quote only
Free plan: Free trial (14 days)
Pros: links sales, projects, and billing in one flow; good retainer and recurring work support
Cons: quote only pricing makes comparison hard; setup needs care to match billing rules
Accelo fits data consultancies that sell a mix of projects and retainers. Many data firms keep clients on monthly retainers for dashboard support, data quality checks, and ad hoc analysis, and Accelo tracks that recurring work next to fixed fee projects. The platform covers client records, project plans, time tracking, and invoicing, so a team can follow a client from proposal to delivery to billing. Retainer tracking shows how much of a monthly allowance has been used, which helps account managers talk with clients about scope. The main drawback is that pricing is quote only, so a firm must contact the vendor to learn the cost. Setup also needs attention, because billing rules for retainers and time and materials work must be set up correctly from the start.
6
SSuperOps
Best for IT and data service delivery
Website: https://superops.com
Best for: IT and data service delivery
Starting price: quote only
Free plan: Free trial
Pros: combines service desk, project, and billing tools; modern interface for service teams
Cons: quote only pricing limits upfront comparison; PSA depth is lighter than specialist rivals
SuperOps is built for IT service firms, and it can work for data consultancies that also deliver managed data services and support. It combines ticketing, project management, time tracking, and invoicing, so a team that handles data support requests and project work can use one system. That mix suits consultancies that run data platform support next to project delivery, because support tickets and project tasks stay visible together. The interface is modern and easy to learn, which helps new team members start quickly. The limit is depth. SuperOps is not as deep on resource planning and project financials as Productive, Scoro, or Kantata. Firms that mainly need project and utilization control may find it light, while service led data firms may find the blend useful.
7
Mmonday.com
Best for flexible project boards
Website: https://monday.com
Best for: flexible project boards
Starting price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)
Free plan: Yes
Pros: highly flexible boards and views; easy to shape around data project stages
Cons: billing and utilization features need add ons or higher tiers; costs rise as seats grow
monday.com is a flexible work platform that many data consultancies shape into a project tracker. Boards can follow a data project from scoping to delivery, with columns for owner, stage, deadline, and client. Views such as timeline, calendar, and dashboard give managers a clear picture of current work. Automations can move items between stages, notify owners, and remind teams about due dates. Time tracking and budget columns can be added, though they are not as deep as in a specialist PSA tool. The strength here is flexibility. A consultancy can build a workflow that matches how its analysts and engineers actually work, rather than fitting a fixed PSA template. The weakness is that billing, utilization, and margin reporting need extra setup or higher subscription tiers. For teams that want a visual, adaptable tracker, monday.com is a practical choice.
8
AAsana
Best for task and project tracking
Website: https://asana.com
Best for: task and project tracking
Starting price: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)
Free plan: Yes
Pros: clear task ownership and timelines; easy for analysts to adopt
Cons: billing and resource planning are limited; portfolio reporting needs a higher subscription tier
Asana is a well known project and task tracker that suits data consultancies focused on delivery rather than billing. Teams can break a data project into tasks, assign owners, set due dates, and track progress in list, board, or timeline views. That clarity helps when analysts, engineers, and client contacts all work on the same engagement. Templates can standardize the steps for a dashboard build, a data audit, or a migration project. Asana also offers goals, portfolios, and reporting, though the deeper portfolio views sit in higher subscription tiers. Time tracking is available through integrations and native features, depending on the tier. The limit is commercial depth. Asana does not offer the utilization, rate card, and invoicing control of a specialist PSA tool. For a data consultancy that already handles billing elsewhere, Asana is a clean and reliable way to run delivery.
9
TTeamwork
Best for client project delivery
Website: https://www.teamwork.com
Best for: client project delivery
Starting price: $9.99 per user/month (billed annually)
Free plan: Yes
Pros: built for client facing project work; clear time tracking and workload views
Cons: advanced financial reporting is limited; some features need a higher subscription tier
Teamwork is built for agencies and client facing teams, which makes it a natural fit for data consultancies. Projects can be organized by client, with tasks, milestones, time tracking, and files in one place. Workload views show who is busy and who has room for new data work, which helps a delivery lead plan the week. Time entries link to tasks and projects, so billing and reporting stay close to the work. Teamwork also offers templates, client permissions, and reporting, which help a consultancy repeat a good delivery process across clients. The platform is easier to learn than a full PSA suite, and the starting price is modest. The trade off is financial depth. Margin, rate card, and forecast reporting are lighter than in Productive or Scoro. For consultancies that want clear client project delivery without a heavy PSA setup, Teamwork is a solid option.
10
AAirtable
Best for custom data project tracking
Website: https://airtable.com
Best for: custom data project tracking
Starting price: $20 per user/month (billed annually)
Free plan: Yes
Pros: highly custom bases for data project records; strong views and linked records
Cons: highest starting price in this guide; billing and utilization need custom setup
Airtable is a flexible database and tracker that data teams often enjoy, because it feels close to the data they work with every day. A consultancy can build a base that links clients, projects, analysts, tasks, and time records, then view the same data as a grid, calendar, kanban board, or gallery. That structure suits firms with unusual project types, such as data quality audits or machine learning pilots, where a fixed project template does not fit. Automations and integrations can connect Airtable to other tools in the stack. The starting price is the highest in this guide, and the tool is not a PSA system by design. Billing, utilization, and invoicing need custom fields and extra setup, and they will not match the depth of a specialist tool. For a data consultancy that values a custom tracker and already handles finance elsewhere, Airtable is a flexible and capable choice.
11
HHarvest
Best for time tracking and invoicing
Website: https://www.getharvest.com
Best for: time tracking and invoicing
Starting price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)
Free plan: Yes
Pros: simple and fast time tracking; clean invoicing from tracked hours
Cons: no full project resource planning; reporting is lighter than PSA rivals
Harvest is the simplest tool in this guide, and that simplicity is its main appeal. Data consultants can start and stop timers, log hours against projects and tasks, and see weekly totals at a glance. Managers can check project budgets in hours and fees, and see which projects are near their limit. Invoicing turns tracked time into client invoices, and expense tracking adds travel and software costs to a project. Harvest also integrates with many project tools, so a team can keep its task tracker and use Harvest for time and billing. The limit is scope. Harvest does not offer resource planning, skills matching, or deep project financials, so a growing consultancy may outgrow it. For a small data team that needs accurate time tracking and clean invoicing without a complex setup, Harvest is a fast and reliable option.
What to check before you buy
Start with utilization and capacity. A data consultancy needs to see who is booked, who has open hours, and which skills are free for the next project. Ask whether the tool shows utilization by person, team, and project, and whether it supports planned versus actual hours. Next, check time tracking. Analysts should be able to log time fast, and managers should be able to see billable and non billable hours by client. Then check billing. Confirm that the tool supports your model, whether that is fixed fee, time and materials, or a monthly retainer, and that invoices can draw on tracked time. Check rate cards too, because senior analysts and junior analysts often bill at different rates. Finally, check reporting and integrations. Reports should cover project margin, client revenue, and team capacity, and the tool should connect with the accounting and task tools you already use.
Team size and budget
Best starting point
1 to 10 people, under $150 per month
Harvest or monday.com for simple tracking and invoicing
11 to 30 people, $150 to $500 per month
Teamwork, Asana, or Productive for client delivery and utilization
31 to 100 people, $500 to $2,000 per month
Productive or Scoro for budgets, utilization, and margin
Over 100 people, budget by quote
Kantata or Accelo for firm wide planning and retainers
Use the table above as a starting point, then test the shortlist with a real project. Set up one client, one project, and one billing cycle, and check that time, budgets, and invoices match your expectations before you roll the tool out to the whole team.
FAQ
What is PSA software for a data consultancy?
PSA software brings project planning, time tracking, resource planning, and client billing into one system for a services firm. For a data consultancy, it links analyst time to projects, budgets, and invoices, so leaders can see utilization, project margin, and client revenue in one place instead of keeping those facts in separate tools.
Which PSA tool is best for a small data consultancy?
Harvest is a good start for a small team that mainly needs time tracking and invoicing, while Teamwork and Productive suit teams that also want client project delivery and utilization views. Compare the starting price, the free plan or trial, and the billing model, then choose the tool that matches how your team already works.
How much does PSA software cost for a data consultancy?
Prices in this guide start at $9 per user or seat per month when billed annually, and rise to $20 per user per month for Airtable. Scoro starts at $19.90 per user per month. Kantata, Accelo, and SuperOps use quote only pricing, so the final cost depends on team size, features, and contract terms.
Do data consultancies need utilization reporting?
Yes, utilization reporting is central to a data consultancy, because analyst time is the main cost and the main source of revenue. Utilization views show who is booked, who has capacity, and which projects use the most hours. That view helps managers staff new work, protect delivery quality, and plan hiring with real numbers.
Can a data consultancy use monday.com or Asana instead of a PSA tool?
Yes, many data consultancies use monday.com or Asana for project and task tracking, and handle billing in another system. That approach works when delivery is the priority and finance needs are simple. A specialist PSA tool is a better fit when utilization, rate cards, and project margin need close tracking.
Should a data consultancy choose a free plan or a trial first?
A free plan or trial is a useful way to check fit before committing to a subscription tier. Set up a real data project, log time for a week, and run one invoice or budget report. If time tracking feels slow or utilization views are unclear, try another tool before you move the whole team.