Best Project Management Software for Creative Agencies in 2026

Why project management matters for creative agencies

Creative agencies are drowning in project complexity. You've got multiple clients, each with their own campaigns, timelines, and feedback loops. Add in design reviews, copywriting rounds, client approvals, and internal critiques - it gets messy fast. According to a study by Wrike, creative teams waste 21% of their time searching for files and information across disconnected tools.

The right project management software doesn't just organize tasks. It gives your team visual workflows that match how creative work actually happens. Color-coded timelines, drag-and-drop boards, file proofing, client portals, and time tracking that doesn't feel like punishment.

Most generic PM tools are built for software dev teams or enterprise companies. They're overkill, confusing, and ugly. Creative agencies need something that looks good (because design matters to you), feels intuitive, and doesn't require a PhD to set up.

We tested these tools based on criteria that matter for 2026 creative teams:

**Visual Workflows** - Kanban boards, timelines, calendars, and views that let you see projects at a glance. Not just endless task lists buried in menus.

**Client Collaboration** - Guest access, proofing tools, approval workflows, and client portals so you're not forwarding 47 email attachments back and forth.

**Creative-Specific Features** - File versioning, design feedback, asset management, and integrations with tools like Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Canva.

**Time Tracking & Budgets** - Built-in time tracking, budget monitoring, and resource planning so projects don't go over hours or budget.

**Team Communication** - Comments, mentions, updates, and notifications that keep everyone aligned without living in Slack or email.

**Customization** - Agencies run differently. You need tools that bend to your process, not force you into rigid templates.

🏆 Top Picks

Here's who wins for creative agencies in 2026:

Best Overall - monday.com Best for Power Users - ClickUp Best for Simplicity - Basecamp Best for Client Work - Notion

monday.com

Best Overall for Creative Agencies

monday.com is basically built for visual thinkers, which is why creative agencies love it. The interface is colorful, intuitive, and stupidly customizable. You can set up boards for client projects, internal campaigns, content calendars, design sprints, or whatever workflow your agency needs.

The visual aspect is what hits you first. Color-coded status columns, timeline views, Kanban boards, calendar layouts, Gantt charts (if that's your thing), and workload views that show who's overloaded and who has capacity. For agencies managing 5-10 active clients at once, this visibility is clutch.

monday.com has gotten way better for creative work since they added proofing and approval features. Clients can review designs, leave feedback directly on files, and approve deliverables without endless email threads. The file versioning means you're not losing track of which revision you're on (we've all been there with "final_v3_FINAL_actually_final.psd").

Integrations are solid. Connects to Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, Canva, and pretty much every tool creative teams actually use. The automations are powerful once you set them up - things like "when status changes to 'Needs Review,' notify designer and client."

Time tracking is built-in, which is important for agencies billing hourly or tracking project budgets. You can see how much time is going into each client and whether you're profitable on projects. Honestly, this alone has saved agencies from hemorrhaging hours on scope creep.

That said, monday.com isn't cheap. Plans start around $9/seat/month but you'll realistically need the $12-19/month tiers to get the features agencies need (time tracking, automations, advanced integrations). For a 10-person team, that's $120-190/month. It adds up.

The learning curve is real. monday.com is so customizable that it takes time to figure out your ideal setup. Some users find it overwhelming at first, though they've added templates specifically for creative agencies which help.

Best for

Agencies managing 5-10 active clients simultaneously who need to see everything at once. The color-coded boards and timeline views prevent those moments where you realize a deadline snuck up on you. Works beautifully for teams that think visually and hate digging through menus to find project status.

Not ideal if

You're a 2-3 person shop or solo freelancer who only juggles 1-2 clients at a time. The pricing doesn't make sense at that scale, and you'll be paying for customization features you don't need. Also skip this if your team hates learning curves or you need enterprise-level reporting for C-suite presentations.

Real-world example

A 12-person branding agency in Portland uses monday.com to track brand identity projects across 8 clients. Each client has a board showing discovery, design concepts, revisions, and final deliverables. The creative director checks the workload view every Monday to redistribute tasks when designers are slammed. Clients log in to approve logo concepts directly in the proofing tool instead of emailing PDFs back and forth.

Team fit

Perfect for 5-20 person agencies. Small enough that everyone can see the full picture, large enough that you need proper visibility into who's doing what. Remote teams benefit from the transparency.

Onboarding reality

Expect 2-3 weeks before your team feels comfortable. The first week is confusing because there are so many ways to configure boards. Week two is when people start customizing their views. By week three, most teams wonder how they lived without the timeline view. Use their creative agency templates to skip the blank slate problem.

Pricing friction

The tier you actually need (Standard or Pro) costs $120-190/month for a 10-person team. Budget another $50-100/month if you want premium integrations or automations. Annual billing gives you 18% off but requires committing $1,440-2,280 upfront. The pricing creep is real as you add users.

Integrations that matter

Slack for notifications, Google Drive for file storage, Figma for design handoff, and Adobe Creative Cloud for connecting design files. The Zapier integration unlocks basically everything else.

**Pros:** - Visual, colorful interface that creative teams love - Crazy customizable - boards for any workflow you need - Built-in time tracking and budget monitoring - Proofing and approval features for client feedback - Strong integrations with creative tools (Figma, Adobe, Canva) - Workload views show team capacity at a glance - Client portal features for guest access - Mobile apps are legitimately good

**Cons:** - Gets expensive fast for teams ($12-19/seat/month for good features) - Learning curve - so many options can be overwhelming - Reporting features are weak compared to enterprise tools - Can feel bloated if you only need basic PM features

**Pricing:** Starts at $9/seat/month (Basic), but most agencies need $12/seat (Standard) or $19/seat (Pro). Enterprise pricing available for larger teams.

**Best for:** Creative agencies with 5-20 people managing multiple clients who need visual project management with client collaboration features. Worth the investment if you're billing clients and need time tracking built-in.

ClickUp

Best for Power Users

ClickUp is for agencies that want every possible feature in one tool. It's extremely powerful but comes with a steep learning curve. Think of it as the Swiss Army knife of project management - it can do everything, but you'll spend time figuring out how.

The feature set is genuinely ridiculous. Tasks, docs, wikis, whiteboards, time tracking, goals, dashboards, custom fields, automations, integrations with 1000+ apps, and views for days (list, board, timeline, calendar, Gantt, workload, table, map, and more). For creative agencies trying to consolidate 5-6 different tools into one platform, ClickUp delivers.

Customization is ClickUp's superpower and its curse. You can build exactly the workflow your agency needs, but it takes time and experimentation. The free tier is shockingly generous (includes unlimited tasks and users), which makes it easy to test with your team before committing.

Creative teams appreciate the docs feature (think Notion but integrated with tasks), real-time collaboration on whiteboards, and proofing features for design feedback. You can attach mockups, leave comments with annotations, and track revision rounds.

Time tracking is built-in across all plans, and you can track time by client, project, or task. Budget estimates and workload management help prevent team burnout and scope creep. The mobile apps work well for updating tasks on the go.

Here's the downside: ClickUp tries to do too much. The interface feels cluttered compared to cleaner tools like Basecamp or Notion. New users get overwhelmed fast. Customer support is hit or miss based on reviews, and the app can lag with large workspaces.

Also, while ClickUp markets itself as "one app to replace them all," realistically you'll still use Slack for chat and specialized tools for design. It's more accurate to say ClickUp consolidates PM, docs, wikis, and time tracking.

Best for

Agencies trying to consolidate 4-5 subscriptions into one platform. If you're currently paying for separate tools for PM, docs, time tracking, and wikis, ClickUp can replace most of them. Power users who love customizing workflows and don't mind tinkering will get tons of value here. Remote teams benefit from having everything centralized.

Not ideal if

Your team values simplicity and speed over features. If half your team groans at the idea of learning another complex tool, ClickUp will create friction. Also skip this if you need beautiful UI that impresses clients - ClickUp looks functional, not polished.

Real-world example

A 9-person content agency switched from Trello + Google Docs + Harvest to ClickUp and saved $150/month. They use docs for client briefs and SOPs, tasks for content calendars, whiteboards for brainstorming sessions, and built-in time tracking for billing. Took them a month to get fully set up, but now everything lives in one workspace instead of scattered across three tools.

Team fit

Works for 3-30 person agencies, especially remote-first teams that need collaboration features. The free tier makes it accessible for tiny agencies, while the feature set scales up to 50+ person shops.

Onboarding reality

Plan for a rough month. Week one is overwhelming because the interface throws 47 features at you. Week two involves watching YouTube tutorials to understand views, automations, and custom fields. By week three you're getting productive. Month two is when teams actually start loving it. Assign one person as the ClickUp admin who learns the system deeply.

Pricing friction

Free tier is shockingly good - test with your whole team at zero cost. Unlimited plan at $7/user/month is cheap for what you get. Business plan ($12/user/month) unlocks advanced features most agencies want. For a 10-person team that's $70-120/month, which is reasonable if you're consolidating other tools.

Integrations that matter

Slack for team communication, Figma for embedding designs, Google Drive for file storage, and Zoom for meeting notes. The Zapier connection gives you access to 1000+ other apps.

**Pros:** - Insane feature set - tasks, docs, whiteboards, time tracking, goals - Free tier is generous (unlimited tasks and users) - Highly customizable for any agency workflow - Strong integrations with 1000+ apps - Built-in time tracking and budget features - Proofing and annotation tools for creative feedback - Multiple view types (Kanban, timeline, Gantt, calendar)

**Cons:** - Overwhelming for new users - huge learning curve - Interface feels cluttered and busy - Can be slow/laggy with large workspaces - Customer support is inconsistent - So many features you'll never use half of them

**Pricing:** Free plan available. Paid plans start at $7/user/month (Unlimited), $12/user/month (Business) for advanced features. Enterprise pricing available.

**Best for:** Power user agencies that want to consolidate multiple tools into one platform and are willing to invest time learning the system. Great for remote teams that need docs, wikis, and PM in one place.

Notion

Best for Client Portals

Notion has become the go-to tool for modern creative agencies that want flexibility. It's not strictly a project management tool - it's more like a blank canvas you can turn into whatever your agency needs. Databases, wikis, docs, project trackers, client portals, content calendars, you name it.

The beauty of Notion is it grows with you. Start simple with a few project boards and client pages, then expand into knowledge bases, SOPs, meeting notes, and design systems. Everything lives in one searchable workspace instead of scattered across Google Docs, Dropbox folders, and Trello boards.

For client work, Notion's database features are clutch. You can build custom client portals where each client has their own page with project status, deliverables, timelines, and files. Share specific pages with clients without giving them access to your entire workspace.

The template ecosystem is massive. Thousands of free templates built specifically for creative agencies, marketing teams, and content producers. You can clone a template and customize it rather than building from scratch.

Notion's AI features (added in late 2026) help with writing, summarizing meeting notes, and generating content outlines. For agencies producing lots of content, the AI writing assistant speeds things up.

Here's what Notion doesn't do well: time tracking (you'll need an integration like Toggl or Clockify), complex automations (not as powerful as ClickUp or monday), and real-time collaboration (it's fast but not instant like Google Docs). Also, the learning curve for building complex databases can be steep.

Notion is weirdly polarizing. People either love it and build their entire workflow around it, or bounce off it after a week. The lack of structure is freeing for some and paralyzing for others.

Best for

Agencies that want one beautiful workspace for client portals, internal wikis, and project tracking. If your team values aesthetics and flexibility over rigid PM features, Notion delivers. Content-heavy agencies (copywriters, strategists, social media teams) get massive value from the docs and database combo.

Not ideal if

You need strict project management with dependencies, Gantt charts, and complex workflows. Notion is flexible but not purpose-built for PM. Also skip this if you bill hourly and need integrated time tracking - you'll have to use a separate tool.

Real-world example

A 7-person social media agency runs everything in Notion. Each client has a database with content calendars, brand guidelines, and campaign briefs. They built a client portal that shows upcoming posts, performance metrics, and strategy docs. New team members get access to the onboarding wiki with SOPs, templates, and examples. Everything is searchable in one workspace.

Team fit

Works for 2-15 person agencies, especially knowledge-based teams (strategy, content, consulting). Larger teams sometimes struggle with organization once you have 50+ pages and databases.

Onboarding reality

Depends on who sets it up. If you clone a template and customize it, your team can be productive in days. If you start from scratch with zero Notion experience, expect 2-3 weeks of fumbling with databases and properties. The docs are straightforward, but databases take practice. YouTube tutorials help massively.

Pricing friction

Free for small teams which is clutch for testing. Plus plan ($10/user/month annually) includes AI features and is enough for most agencies. Business plan ($15/user/month) adds better permissions. For a 10-person team that's $100-150/month. Add $50-100/month if you integrate time tracking tools.

Integrations that matter

Slack for notifications, Figma for embedding designs, Google Calendar for syncing deadlines, and Toggl or Clockify for time tracking. The API lets you build custom integrations if you have a dev on the team.

**Pros:** - Extremely flexible - build exactly what your agency needs - Beautiful, clean interface that designers love - Great for client portals and knowledge bases - Huge template library for agencies and creative teams - AI writing features included in paid plans - Collaborative docs and databases - Free plan is generous for small teams

**Cons:** - No built-in time tracking (need integrations) - Learning curve for complex databases - Not as good for real-time collaboration as Google Docs - Automations are limited compared to ClickUp - Can feel overwhelming with a blank slate - Mobile apps are slower than desktop

**Pricing:** Free for individuals. Plus plan is $10/user/month (billed annually) with AI features. Business plan is $15/user/month.

**Best for:** Creative agencies that want a flexible workspace for projects, client portals, knowledge management, and content planning. Great if you value aesthetics and customization over out-of-the-box PM features.

Basecamp

Best for Simplicity

Basecamp is for agencies that are tired of overcomplicated tools and just want something simple that works. It's been around since 2004, built by 37signals (now Basecamp the company), and has stayed remarkably focused on doing the basics really well.

The philosophy is anti-feature-bloat. Basecamp doesn't try to be everything. It handles projects, tasks, messaging, file sharing, schedules, and check-ins. That's it. No custom fields, no complex automations, no 47 different view types. This simplicity is refreshing after trying ClickUp or Notion.

For creative agencies, Basecamp shines with client collaboration. Every project can include clients as guests without extra charges (unlike most tools that bill per user). Clients can see progress, comment on work, access files, and stay in the loop without cluttering your internal team communication.

The message boards keep conversations organized by topic instead of endless Slack threads that scroll into oblivion. To-dos are straightforward - create lists, assign tasks, set dates, check them off. Schedules show what's happening when. File storage is unlimited on all plans.

Basecamp's pricing is unique: $299/month flat rate for unlimited users and unlimited projects. Sounds expensive until you do the math for a 10-person team - that's $30/user, which is competitive with other tools once you add up per-seat pricing. Plus, you can invite all your clients as guests for free.

The Hill Charts feature is weirdly useful for agencies. Instead of percentage-complete estimates (which are usually lies), you plot work on a hill showing whether you're still figuring things out or executing. It gives clients realistic expectations about progress.

Downsides: Basecamp is intentionally simple, which means it lacks features power users expect. No time tracking (you'll need Harvest or Toggl), no Gantt charts, no custom fields, no advanced automations. If you need complex workflows or detailed reporting, Basecamp will frustrate you.

Best for

Small agencies (5-15 people) with lots of clients who hate tool complexity. If your team is drowning in ClickUp features they never use or frustrated by monday.com's learning curve, Basecamp is refreshingly simple. The unlimited client guests feature is perfect for agencies where every project includes external collaborators.

Not ideal if

You need advanced features like time tracking, custom fields, automations, or visual workflows. Basecamp is bare bones on purpose. Also skip this if you're a solo freelancer or 2-person team - the $299/month flat rate doesn't make financial sense at that scale.

Real-world example

A 10-person creative studio managing 15 active clients uses Basecamp to keep everything organized. Each client project has a dedicated space with message boards for discussions, to-do lists for deliverables, and file storage for assets. Clients participate directly - they can see progress, upload feedback, and stay updated without email chains. The team loves that onboarding new clients takes 5 minutes instead of an hour.

Team fit

Sweet spot is 10-20 person agencies with many clients. Below 10 people, the $299/month feels expensive. Above 20, you might need more sophisticated features. Client-facing agencies get the most value from unlimited guest access.

Onboarding reality

Literally one hour. Basecamp is so straightforward that you can onboard your entire team in a single meeting. Create projects, add to-do lists, post messages, upload files. Done. There's no customization paralysis because there aren't 47 configuration options. New team members are productive day one.

Pricing friction

$299/month flat rate seems expensive until you do the math. For a 10-person team that's $30/user, which is competitive with other tools. The killer feature is unlimited client guests at no extra charge - competitors bill $5-15 per guest user. No surprise costs as you scale. Just one predictable bill.

Integrations that matter

Harvest for time tracking (Basecamp's parent company built it), Zapier for connecting other apps, and email integration for creating tasks from emails. The integration ecosystem is smaller than competitors but covers the basics.

**Pros:** - Dead simple to use - minimal learning curve - Flat pricing ($299/month unlimited users and projects) - Unlimited client guests at no extra cost - Message boards keep conversations organized - Unlimited file storage on all plans - Hill Charts for realistic progress tracking - No feature bloat or overwhelming options

**Cons:** - No built-in time tracking - Very basic task management (no custom fields, dependencies) - No Gantt charts or advanced project views - Limited integrations compared to other tools - Reporting features are minimal - Might feel too simple for complex agency workflows

**Pricing:** $15/user/month for the Pro Unlimited plan, or $299/month flat rate for unlimited users (better for teams of 10+). Free trial available.

**Best for:** Small to mid-size creative agencies (5-15 people) that want simple project management with unlimited client collaboration. Perfect if you're tired of tool complexity and just want to get work done.

Asana

Best for Structured Workflows

Asana is one of the most established project management tools, and it's evolved into a solid option for creative agencies. It's more structured than Notion, less overwhelming than ClickUp, and more affordable than monday.com for certain team sizes.

The core features are well-executed: tasks, projects, timelines, calendars, boards, lists, and workload management. Asana's timeline view (basically Gantt charts but prettier) is great for mapping out multi-phase creative campaigns and seeing dependencies between tasks.

Creative teams like the portfolio feature for grouping related projects. If you're managing work for 5 clients, each client can have a portfolio containing all their projects. This gives you a high-level view across everything you're doing for each client.

The forms feature is clutch for intake. Build custom forms for new project requests, client briefs, or design requests. Submissions automatically create tasks in the right project with all the info you need. This cuts down on Slack messages and email threads asking for the same information.

Proofing features arrived in 2026 but still lag behind monday.com and ClickUp. You can attach files and comment, but the annotation and approval workflows aren't as smooth. Many agencies still use Asana for PM and something like Filestage or Ziflow for actual design proofing.

Asana's free tier is generous for small teams (up to 15 users), which makes it easy to test. Paid plans start at $10.99/user/month, which is competitive. The Premium tier ($24.99/user/month) adds timeline, dashboards, and advanced features.

Customer support is solid, the mobile apps work well, and the interface is clean without being overly designed. It feels professional, which matters when sharing views with clients.

Best for

Agencies that want structured, reliable PM without complexity. If you're running multi-phase campaigns (discovery, strategy, design, delivery) and need timeline views to visualize dependencies, Asana handles it cleanly. The portfolio feature is clutch for managing work across multiple clients.

Not ideal if

You do heavy design proofing and need robust annotation features - Asana's proofing is basic. Also skip this if you're a tiny agency (2-4 people) who can use the free tier forever and never needs advanced features. You might get bored with the less-visual interface compared to monday.com.

Real-world example

An 18-person marketing agency uses Asana to manage brand campaigns for 6 enterprise clients. Each client has a portfolio containing multiple projects (Q1 campaign, website redesign, product launch). The timeline view shows all deliverables across clients, making it obvious when deadlines overlap. They built custom intake forms for new project requests, which automatically populate tasks with client brief info.

Team fit

Works for 5-30 person agencies. The free tier (up to 15 users) is great for testing with your full team. Scales well as you grow - adding users doesn't break your workflow setup.

Onboarding reality

About one week to feel productive. Asana is more intuitive than ClickUp but has a learning curve around portfolios and custom fields. The timeline view takes a few days to understand if you've never used Gantt-style charts. Templates and guides are solid. Most teams are running smoothly by week two.

Pricing friction

Starter at $10.99/user/month is competitive, but you'll likely want Premium ($24.99/user/month) for portfolios, timeline, and dashboards. For a 10-person team that's $250/month on Premium, which adds up. Free tier for 15 users is genuinely useful for small agencies - you can delay paying until you outgrow it.

Integrations that matter

Slack for notifications, Adobe Creative Cloud for design files, Harvest or Toggl for time tracking, and Google Drive for file storage. The Zapier integration opens up hundreds more connections.

**Pros:** - Clean, professional interface - Timeline view (Gantt) for campaign planning - Portfolio feature for grouping client projects - Custom forms for project intake and requests - Free tier supports up to 15 users - Strong mobile apps - Good customer support

**Cons:** - Proofing features are basic compared to competitors - No built-in time tracking (need integrations) - Reporting requires higher-tier plans - Can get pricey for advanced features ($25/user/month) - Less visually colorful than monday.com

**Pricing:** Free for up to 15 users. Starter plan is $10.99/user/month. Advanced features require Premium ($24.99/user/month) or Business tiers.

**Best for:** Agencies that want established, reliable project management without the complexity of ClickUp or the cost of monday.com. Good for teams that value clean design and structured workflows.

Wrike

Best for Enterprise Agencies

Wrike is built for larger creative teams and agencies that need enterprise-level features with creative-specific tools. It's more robust than most options on this list but comes with enterprise complexity and pricing.

The creative proofing features are excellent - probably the best among general PM tools. You can upload designs, videos, or documents, and reviewers can leave annotations, comments, and approvals directly on files. Version control is automatic, so you always know which revision you're on. For agencies doing heavy design work, this is a game changer.

Wrike's resource management is strong. You can see team workload, allocate hours, and plan capacity across projects. This prevents designers from getting crushed with overlapping deadlines while other team members have light weeks.

The request forms and intake workflows are powerful for managing client requests and internal project kickoffs. Custom workflows let you route approvals through specific people based on project type.

Integrations are comprehensive: Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and tons more. The Adobe CC extension lets designers update task status and upload files directly from Photoshop or Illustrator.

Where Wrike struggles is user experience. The interface is functional but not beautiful. It feels like enterprise software because it is. The learning curve is steeper than Asana or Basecamp. Smaller agencies might feel like they're using a tool built for companies 10x their size.

Pricing is opaque. Wrike doesn't list prices publicly for most tiers. You'll likely pay $15-30/user/month depending on features, which adds up fast for teams. The free tier is very limited (5 users max, basic features only).

Best for

Larger creative agencies (20-50+ people) doing complex client work with heavy design review cycles. If you're constantly managing version control on design files and need robust approval workflows, Wrike's proofing features are worth the enterprise UI. The Adobe Creative Cloud integration is clutch for teams living in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Not ideal if

You're a small agency (under 15 people) that values simplicity and beautiful interfaces. Wrike is overkill for small teams and feels clunky compared to sleeker tools. Also skip this if you're bootstrapped - the pricing is enterprise-level and not friendly to small budgets.

Real-world example

A 35-person design agency uses Wrike to manage branding projects for Fortune 500 clients. Designers upload logo concepts directly from Adobe Illustrator using the CC extension. Clients and internal teams leave annotations on designs, track revision rounds, and approve final deliverables. The resource management features show when designers are overbooked, helping PMs redistribute work before people burn out.

Team fit

Built for 20-100 person agencies with dedicated project managers. Smaller teams will find it too complex. Larger teams appreciate the enterprise features, permissions, and robust reporting.

Onboarding reality

Plan for 3-4 weeks minimum. Wrike has a steep learning curve because it's enterprise software with tons of features. You'll want to assign a dedicated admin who learns the system deeply, then trains the team. Week one is overwhelming, week two is trial and error, by week four people start seeing the value. Templates help but still require configuration.

Pricing friction

Opaque pricing is frustrating - you have to contact sales for quotes on most tiers. Expect $15-30/user/month depending on features. For a 20-person team that's $300-600/month minimum. Enterprise features push costs higher. Budget for annual contracts and implementation costs if you're a large agency.

Integrations that matter

Adobe Creative Cloud (the standout integration - update tasks from Photoshop), Salesforce for client management, Microsoft Teams for enterprise communication, and Tableau for reporting. The Zapier integration fills in the gaps.

**Pros:** - Excellent proofing and approval features for creative work - Strong resource management and workload planning - Adobe Creative Cloud integration (update tasks from Photoshop) - Custom request forms and intake workflows - Enterprise-level security and permissions - Comprehensive reporting and analytics

**Cons:** - Enterprise UI - functional but not beautiful - Expensive for small teams - Steeper learning curve than simpler tools - Free tier is very limited (5 users max) - Pricing is opaque (contact sales for quotes)

**Pricing:** Free tier for up to 5 users (limited features). Paid plans start around $9.80/user/month (Team) but most agencies need Professional or higher (pricing not public, estimated $15-30/user/month).

**Best for:** Larger creative agencies (15-50+ people) managing complex client work with heavy design reviews and approvals. Worth it if you need enterprise features and have the budget.

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Agency

Picking the right project management tool for your creative agency comes down to team size, complexity, and what you actually need versus what sounds cool in demos.

If you want visual, intuitive project management with great client collaboration, monday.com is the best all-around choice. It's pricey but worth it for agencies billing clients and tracking time. The colorful boards and workload views make it easy for the whole team to see what's happening.

For agencies that want maximum flexibility and are willing to invest time setting things up, ClickUp delivers insane value. The free tier alone is more generous than most paid tools. Just be ready for a learning curve.

If you're drowning in tool complexity and just want something simple that includes unlimited client collaboration, Basecamp is refreshing. The $299/month flat rate makes budgeting easy, and clients can participate without extra charges.

For agencies that need a flexible workspace for client portals, knowledge bases, and creative project tracking, Notion is beautiful and endlessly customizable. You'll need to add time tracking separately though.

Asana is solid for structured agencies that want proven PM features without the chaos of ClickUp or the cost of monday.com. The free tier for 15 users is great for testing.

And if you're a larger agency (15-50+ people) doing heavy design proofing and need enterprise features, Wrike has the most robust creative-specific tools despite the clunky interface.

Bottom line: Don't try to manage agency work in email and Slack. The time saved from proper project management pays for the tools in weeks. Start with free trials (they all offer them) and pick the one your team actually uses instead of the one with the most features.

Frequently Asked Questions

**What's the best free project management tool for creative agencies?**

ClickUp has the best free tier - unlimited tasks, unlimited users, and most core features. Notion is also free for small teams and great for creative work. Asana's free plan works for up to 15 users but is more limited on features.

**Is monday.com worth the cost for agencies?**

If you're billing clients and need time tracking, client collaboration, and visual project management, yes. The cost pays for itself in saved hours and better project visibility. For tiny agencies or solo freelancers, it's probably overkill. Start with ClickUp or Notion instead.

**Which tool has the best client collaboration features?**

Basecamp wins here with unlimited free client guests on all projects. monday.com has better proofing and approval features but charges for guest users on higher tiers. Notion lets you share specific pages with clients easily.

**Do I need separate time tracking software?**

Depends. monday.com, ClickUp, and Wrike have built-in time tracking. Notion, Basecamp, and Asana require integrations with Toggl, Harvest, or Clockify.

**Which tool is easiest to learn?**

Basecamp, hands down. You can onboard your team in an hour. Asana is pretty intuitive too. ClickUp and Wrike have the steepest learning curves.

**Can these tools handle design proofing and feedback?**

Wrike has the best proofing features (annotations, version control, approvals). monday.com and ClickUp both have decent proofing. Basecamp and Notion only have basic file comments. Many agencies still use dedicated proofing tools like Filestage or Ziflow.

**What integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud?**

Wrike has the deepest Adobe integration (update tasks directly from Photoshop). monday.com and ClickUp integrate via Zapier or native connections. Honestly, most agencies just upload final files to their PM tool rather than tight CC integration.