Is your agency drowning in a sea of missed deadlines and incomplete deliverables?
Implementing a stronger project management strategy could be the missing link in your process.
But winning at project management is easier said than done. That’s why many agencies are turning to project management software tools like Scoro to bring order to chaos and instill a new sense of operational clarity.
Scoro is a powerful project management tool, but it isn’t right for every agency. The high cost, high complexity, and limited reporting all fail to align with the needs of agencies in particular..
If you’re drawn to Scoro but something just doesn’t quite sit right, good news: you’ve got options.
Here are eight Scoro alternatives that may be a better fit for your agency.
1) Teamwork.com
Teamwork.com is the complete project management and operations control platform built for agencies like yours, along with anyone else dealing with billable hours and client work.
It’s a robust project management application that can do more than lightweight tools — but without the unnecessary bulk and complexity of the heavy hitters.
Teamwork.com’s project scheduling tools enable you to plan and visualize work, and the platform also facilitates better team collaboration and communication.
Teamwork.com lets you see everything in one place, keeping data, communications, and project planning together and updated in real time. It offers numerous advanced features others hold back for their highest price tiers, like robust time tracking and budgeting.
Teamwork.com also grows with you. When you’re ready to add Desk, Chat, or Spaces to increase your collaboration and output, Teamwork.com can do so seamlessly.
Who this tool is for
While many types of small, growing, and mid-sized agencies rely on Teamwork.com for their project and task management software, Teamwork.com was built for any team that delivers client work – with a special focus on agencies who need to manage the entire lifecycle of their client work in one place.
Key features and benefits
Powerful wide-ranging integrations, including Slack
Advanced features like time tracking, budgeting and profitability, and resource allocation
Financial management including budgets, retainers, invoicing, and profitability
Modular growth-oriented approach lets you add new capabilities as you grow
Comprehensive database of templates so you can start managing faster
Views that scale to every level, from your entire portfolio to granular data on individual projects
Pricing
Teamwork.com has a Free Forever plan for up to five users. The Deliver plan is $9.99 per user per month, while the Grow plan is $17.99 per user per month. Custom plans are also available.
2) monday.com
Credit: monday.com
monday.com may hold the most dubious distinction on this list: It’s likely the only project management solution paying for Super Bowl TV commercials.
Questionable ad spend aside, monday is a work management platform that pushes hard into automation and CRM integrations. Those automations can be a lifesaver for some agencies.
For small teams that don’t interface with outsiders (say, clients and vendors), monday.com is a compelling choice. But you’ll have a hard time involving those outsiders — something that happens all the time at agencies.
You also won’t find support for task dependencies or subtasks.
Who this tool is for
monday.com is ideal for small to mid sized teams who don’t need to interact with outside partners in their project management suite and who don’t need to track dependencies or subtasks. If you’re struggling with manual processes and a lack of integration, monday.com has a lot to offer.
Key features and benefits
Baseline view that compares planned vs. actual schedules
Tasks assignments to one or more assignees
Tasks and workflows that automatically rearrange and repopulate when you drag new tasks in
Pricing
monday.com’s free tier is for individuals, not agencies. The remaining tiers are $8, $10, and $16 per seat per month. If you want more than a basic set of automations and integrations, you’ll need the premium tier.
3) ClickUp
Credit: ClickUp
ClickUp is a relative newcomer to the project management software world, and has made a place for itself as a simple tool for the basic PM user.
At its best, ClickUp toggles effortlessly between multiple project management methodologies and displays, and it gives you automatic updates on progress so you can see at a glance how your agency is performing.
One of ClickUp’s defining features is its hierarchical structure that allows users to organize project tasks into lists, folders, and spaces. However, its user interface is a bit divisive: some people rave about it, while others can’t stand it.
Who this tool is for
ClickUp is best for teams who need a straightforward PM tool without many bells and whistles. It’s also good for teams on a budget who don’t need the higher-end price tiers.
Key features and benefits
Unlimited tasks and plan members, even in the Free plan
Powerful drag-and-drop features for adjusting tasks and automatically rescheduling remaining tasks
Intelligent bottleneck (and potential bottleneck) highlighting
Pricing
ClickUp offers a Free Forever plan as well, with other plans at $5, $12, and $19 per member per month. For features like subtasks, advanced automations, and API access, you’ll need the most expensive plan.
4) Trello
Credit: Trello
Trello is a member of the Atlassian family (makers of Jira and Confluence). One of the most lightweight solutions, Trello uses a board or card interface that will look familiar to agile or Kanban users. Kanban boards are a great way to organize smaller workloads with less interconnected tasks. However, as your projects grow in complexity, you may quickly need more than Trello offers.
Who this tool is for
Teams with simpler workloads and workflows who need a better way to view and assign tasks.
Key features and benefits
Lowest barrier to entry; start tracking tasks immediately
No-code automations help you streamline and do more
Integrations with many popular tools
Pricing
$0 and $5 plans give the basic Trello experience. The premium $10 plan adds additional views like timeline and table.
5) Asana
Credit: AppSumo
Asana is an easy-to-use project management software tool that sits safely in the middle of the pack in terms of complexity. It can do more than the Trellos of the world, but it goes nowhere near as deep as some of the full-featured suites.
Asana lets you easily see all your tasks at once, assign tasks, set deadlines, move tasks to new statuses, and so forth. It also integrates with popular tools like Slack and Google Workspace.
Some teams will need more than Asana can do. But if this tool meets your needs, it’s worth a look.
Who this tool is for
Asana is ideal for teams doing projects of low to moderate complexity who’d rather have an interface that everyone can understand than a vast and deep roster of features.
Key features and benefits
Intuitive user interface
At-a-glance workload review
Easily move tasks from status to status
Pricing
Asana’s free tier is remarkably powerful. Teams that need timelines, custom fields, forms, and milestones should choose the $10.99 Premium tier. Advanced functions like custom rules, approvals, and advanced reporting require the $24.99/month Business tier.
6) nTask
Credit: nTask
nTask is another project management solution offering flexible methods for tracking work. Drag and drop Kanban boards join two-click prioritization and interactive Gantt charts here. There’s also support for timesheets, issue tracking, meeting management, risk management, and more.
Like some of the other heavy-duty tools, nTask can take some getting used to, and setup is an investment. But in the right situations, nTask is a powerful alternative to Scoro.
Who this tool is for
Growing teams and major enterprises like Google and Walmart choose nTask.
Key features and benefits
Single unified cloud-based project management portal
Numerous additional tools beyond project management
Deeper set of project and task management capabilities than others
Pricing
nTask offers a dizzying catalog of plans, but most agencies would choose the $8/user/month Business plan.
7) Smartsheet
Credit: Smartsheet
Smartsheet is what happens when you start the assumption that managing projects in a spreadsheet is a mostly good idea. It’s a very spreadsheet-like project management tool, and that’s pretty much the thing: You either love that idea or you hate it.
Smartsheet is far more powerful than Excel, despite the similarities. It adds capabilities for billing, invoicing, brand management, and budget tracking, for example.
If you’re in the 35% of project managers still using Excel to plan projects, then Smartsheet is worth a look. Then again, if you never want to see another spreadsheet in your life, this isn’t the tool for you.
Who this tool is for
If you like managing projects in Microsoft Excel but just wish it did more, you’ll probably love Smartsheet. And if you can’t stand Excel? You’re gonna have a bad time here.
Key features and benefits
Process automation that saves time and reduces errors
Conditional formatting, which is a big hit with some users
Familiar experience for teams running projects in spreadsheets
Pricing
Single users are free. The $7/user/month plan provides the core experience but is inexplicably capped at 10 users. Need advanced integrations and automations (or just need to add an 11th team member)? You’ll need the $25/month plan.
8) Wrike
Credit: Wrike
Wrike is project management for the enterprise. It’s full of features that make big business easier, but aren't all that useful at a smaller agency scale. Wrike may be the most powerful work management platform on the market (that’s one claim the company makes, in fact). It includes diverse features like project resource planning, custom item types, cross-tagging, and dynamic request forms.
Who this tool is for
Wrike was built for the enterprise, and it shows. Most smaller teams, including agencies, find the platform overwhelmingly complex.
Key features and benefits
Incredible amounts of power: programmable modules, deep automation, and more
Dynamic project-based live information stream
Centralized communications within projects
Pricing
Ignore the limited free plan; teams of up to 25 users can access a $9.80/user/month plan. Larger teams jump to $24.80 but gain numerous additional features.
Empower your team to collaborate more effectively with Teamwork.com
If you’re looking for the best Scoro alternative — one that actually makes sense for the way you work — then you need Teamwork.com. Teamwork.com is loaded with the project management and operations control features you need from your project and work management software solution. And it’s purpose-built for agencies that work with clients, freelancers, and billables.
If you’re ready to reshape your business processes and project management efforts in a powerful yet user-friendly interface, then it’s time for Teamwork.com.
Ready to explore what Teamwork.com can do? Sign up for free today!