Guide · 2026
We compared the top project management software on what agencies actually bill for — flat vs per-seat pricing, time tracking, retainers, client-ready reporting and SEO. Here's how they stack up in 2026.
Wayvo Best for agenciesThe agency workspace that bills itself — one flat price.
Wayvo is built specifically for SEO and marketing agencies: projects with phased to-dos and Hill Charts, built-in timesheets and monthly retainer tracking, client-ready overviews, and native SEMrush/Moz connectors with AI recaps and content briefs. At a flat $100/month for unlimited users, it's priced for teams that grow.
Start freeThe calm, opinionated classic
Basecamp pioneered calm project management — message boards, to-do lists, schedules and the original Hill Charts. It's deliberately minimal, which teams love. But for an agency billing by retainer, the gaps show up fast: there's no native time tracking, no client hours, and to-dos don't enforce an order.
Wayvo vs BasecampPolished task & workflow management
Asana is a slick, powerful task manager with timelines, rules and portfolios. It scales well — but pricing is per-seat and climbs quickly, time tracking isn't native, and there's nothing built for agency retainers or client-facing SEO reporting.
Wayvo vs AsanaThe colourful work OS
monday.com is a flexible "work OS" — colourful boards, automations and dashboards you can shape to almost anything. That power comes with per-seat pricing, a setup curve, and time tracking locked to higher tiers. Retainers and SEO reporting aren't part of the picture.
Wayvo vs monday.comThe everything app
ClickUp packs an enormous feature set — docs, goals, native time tracking, dozens of views. If you want maximum configurability it's hard to beat. The trade-offs are a steep learning curve, per-seat pricing, and no agency-specific retainer or SEO layer.
Wayvo vs ClickUpSimple Kanban boards
Trello is the friendliest Kanban board around — cards, lists and a gentle learning curve. It's great for light workflows, but it leans on paid Power-Ups for almost everything beyond the basics: no native time tracking, no dependencies that enforce order, no agency reporting.
Wayvo vs TrelloDocs + databases, your way
Notion is a beautiful docs-and-databases canvas you can mould into a project tracker. It shines for knowledge and flexibility — but you build the system yourself, there's no native time tracking, and nothing for retainers, dependencies or client SEO reporting out of the box.
Wayvo vs NotionBuilt for software teams
Jira is the standard for software teams — sprints, backlogs, powerful issue workflows. For agencies it's often overkill and developer-centric: time tracking and reporting usually come via Marketplace apps, and there's no client-facing or SEO/retainer layer.
Wayvo vs JiraPM aimed at client work
Teamwork is one of the few PM tools that genuinely targets agencies, with native time tracking and billing. It's a strong option — the difference with Wayvo is flat pricing instead of per-seat, plus Wayvo's phased to-dos, Hill Charts and built-in SEO/AI for search-focused teams.
Wayvo vs TeamworkVersatile work management
Wrike is a flexible work-management platform with strong reporting, proofing and request forms. It can be shaped for agencies — but pricing is per-seat, time tracking and the better features sit on higher tiers, and there's no flat-rate plan or built-in SEO/retainer layer.
Wayvo vs WrikeSpreadsheet-style work management
Smartsheet brings spreadsheet familiarity to project management, with powerful grids, Gantt views and automations. It's great for structured, data-heavy planning — but it's per-seat, has no native time tracking, and isn't built for client-facing agency work or SEO.
Wayvo vs SmartsheetBeautifully simple task lists
Todoist is a fast, elegant task manager that's a joy for personal productivity and light team lists. But it's a task app, not an agency workspace — no time tracking, no dependencies that enforce order, no client overviews, timesheets, retainers or SEO data.
Wayvo vs TodoistSleek issue tracking for product teams
Linear is a beautifully fast issue tracker beloved by product and engineering teams — cycles, roadmaps and a keyboard-first feel. It's purpose-built for software, though: no time tracking, no client-facing views, and nothing for agency retainers or SEO reporting.
Wayvo vs LinearCollaborative PM with time tracking
Hive is a capable PM tool with multiple project views, native time tracking and proofing — a solid all-rounder. Compared with Wayvo it's per-seat rather than flat, and it lacks phased to-dos, Hill Charts and the built-in SEO connectors and retainer tracking agencies lean on.
Wayvo vs HiveEvery tool, on the features that matter when you bill clients.
| Feature | Wayvo | Basecamp | Asana | monday.com | ClickUp | Trello | Notion | Jira | Teamwork | Wrike | Smartsheet | Todoist | Linear | Hive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat pricing — no per-seat fees | ||||||||||||||
| Unlimited users included | ||||||||||||||
| Built-in time tracking & timesheets | ||||||||||||||
| Agency retainer / monthly hours tracking | ||||||||||||||
| Client-ready project overviews | ||||||||||||||
| Phased to-dos & task dependencies | ||||||||||||||
| Hill Charts (progress, not %) | ||||||||||||||
| SEO connectors (SEMrush & Moz) | ||||||||||||||
| Built-in AI (recaps, briefs, analysis) | ||||||||||||||
| Purpose-built for SEO & marketing agencies |
A measured summary of typical plans — verify current details on each vendor's site.
For SEO and marketing agencies, Wayvo is purpose-built: flat $100/month for unlimited users, with timesheets, monthly retainer tracking, client-ready overviews and built-in SEMrush/Moz connectors and AI. General tools like Asana, monday.com or ClickUp are strong but bill per seat and need add-ons for time and client reporting.
Predictable pricing (ideally flat, not per-seat), built-in time tracking and retainer/budget tracking, client-friendly overviews, and reporting your clients actually understand. SEO teams also benefit from native SEMrush/Moz data and AI that drafts updates and briefs.
Yes — Wayvo is a flat $100/month for unlimited people, projects and clients, so your bill does not grow as you hire. Most alternatives charge per user per month.
Flat $100/month, unlimited everything. Set up in minutes.
