BigTime Review: Stop Losing Billable Time and Boost Firm Profits Once and For All

Time tracking shouldn’t burn out your whole day.

If you’re a professional services firm, you know how painful it is to juggle project deadlines, track billable hours, and hunt down expenses—just to keep your business on track.

Chances are, your biggest problem is that manual tracking and patchwork systems kill your margins and leave you stressed as invoices pile up or data gets lost.

BigTime attacks this mess head-on with a solution made for professional services, combining project management, time and expense tracking, resource planning, and streamlined billing into one connected platform.

In this review, I’ll walk you through how BigTime brings order and clarity to the chaos of running a service business.

We’ll break down the features that actually matter, examine pricing, analyze real-world pros and cons, stack up BigTime against alternatives, and give you the answers you need in this BigTime review.

You’ll leave with the features you need to make a smart call for your firm—plus honest insight from someone who’s tested it out.

Let’s dig into the details.

BigTime Overview

Based in Chicago, BigTime has been helping professional services firms since 2002. Their entire mission is to help you master time tracking, project budgeting, and billing.

What truly sets them apart is their specialized focus specifically for professional services firms like yours. They aren’t a generic work platform; they build for the unique financial workflows in accounting, consulting, and engineering.

Their recent acquisitions, like Projector PSA and Primetric, signal major growth. You’ll see these new resource management capabilities unfold as we go through this BigTime review.

Unlike broader tools like monday.com, BigTime provides deeply integrated time, billing, and project management in a single system. It really feels like it was built by people who actually understand the services business.

They work with thousands of small to mid-market firms—think architecture, IT services, and legal teams needing to tighten up project profitability and employee utilization rates.

I’ve found their current strategy centers on connecting resource planning directly to financial outcomes. This directly addresses your team’s need for better forecasting and real-time profitability insights to stay competitive.

Now let’s examine their capabilities.

BigTime Features

Still losing track of project hours and expenses?

BigTime features offer an integrated suite specifically designed to streamline operations for professional services firms. Here are the five main BigTime features that help you manage projects and maximize profitability.

1. Time and Expense Tracking

Are manual timesheets a consistent headache?

Inaccurate or delayed time and expense logging can mess up project budgets. This directly impacts your firm’s profitability and billing cycles.

BigTime’s intuitive time and expense tracking, with smart timesheets and one-tap timers, really shines here. From my testing, the mobile app’s offline tracking capability is a game-changer for field teams, syncing data once online. This feature simplifies logging for both billable and non-billable hours.

This means you get real-time visibility into project costs and hours, leading to more accurate billing and faster payments.

2. Project Management

Struggling to keep projects on budget?

Lack of clear oversight can send project costs spiraling out of control. It often makes it hard to hit deadlines and stay profitable.

BigTime’s project management features help you compare actual hours against projected budgets, keeping projects on track. What I love is the inclusion of interactive Gantt charts for visual project health, which really simplifies monitoring progress. This feature helps you ensure projects are delivered profitably.

So you can maintain tight control over your projects, ensuring they stay within scope and budget consistently.

3. Resource Management

Is team capacity planning a constant guessing game?

Inefficient resource allocation leads to overworked staff or underutilized talent. This directly impacts team productivity and project delivery.

BigTime’s resource management tools, including BigTime Foresight, help you with capacity planning and utilization metrics. This is where BigTime shines, with enhanced search capabilities on planning boards that quickly locate the right staff for any project. This feature helps optimize utilization.

This means you can strategically plan resource demands, ensuring your team is always productive and perfectly matched to projects.

4. Billing and Invoicing

Are slow invoicing processes holding up cash flow?

Complex billing cycles mean delayed payments and increased administrative burden. This can severely impact your firm’s financial health.

BigTime aims to make billing faster and more accurate, providing clear visibility into what needs to be billed and when. From my testing, the customization options for invoices, with branding, really stand out, making professional billing simple. This feature helps accelerate cash flow and reduce administrative tasks.

The result is faster payments and less time spent on billing, significantly improving your firm’s cash flow.

5. Reporting and Analytics

Need clearer insights into project profitability?

Without real-time data, making informed business decisions is incredibly difficult. This can lead to missed opportunities for improving margins.

BigTime’s comprehensive reporting and analytics features provide real-time project profitability insights. What I found particularly useful is the single dashboard for all business insights, which consolidates critical data. This feature helps you access robust reports on billable hours, unpaid invoices, and staff utilization.

This means you get the data needed for faster, better decision-making to improve profit margins and team performance.

These BigTime features work together to create a cohesive and integrated solution for professional services firms. You’ll find that all modules seamlessly communicate, giving you a complete overview.

BigTime Pricing

Struggling to understand software costs?

BigTime pricing offers transparent, tiered plans designed for professional services firms, making it straightforward to match your budget with your operational needs.

Plan	Price & Features
Essentials Plan	$20/user/month (billed annually, min. 5 users) • Time & expense tracking • Standard invoicing & payments • Project management basics • QuickBooks integration
Advanced Plan	$35/user/month (billed annually, min. 5 users) • All Essentials features • Project templates • Custom invoice templates • Client portal • Salesforce/HubSpot integration
Premier Plan	$40/user/month (billed annually, min. 5 users) • All Advanced features • Project budgeting • Simple resource planning • Multi-level approvals • Priority support & SLA
Projector Package	Custom pricing – contact sales • Multi-entity management • Advanced compliance standards • Custom integrations • Dedicated support team

1. Value Assessment

Great pricing transparency here.

From my cost analysis, BigTime’s tiered approach ensures you only pay for what your firm truly needs, avoiding unnecessary features. The per-user pricing scales effectively with your team, and the waived platform fee for larger Essentials plans adds value.

This means your monthly BigTime pricing aligns directly with your firm’s size and complexity, offering predictable budgeting.

2. Trial/Demo Options

No trial, but demos help.

BigTime does not offer a free trial or a free version, which means you can’t self-explore. However, from my research, they provide comprehensive guided demos that walk you through features relevant to your firm. This allows you to see the software in action and ask specific questions.

This helps you evaluate the fit for your business processes before committing to a paid plan.

3. Plan Comparison

Choosing the right tier matters.

The Essentials plan covers core time and expense needs, while the Advanced plan adds critical project management and client features. Budget-wise, the Premier plan offers significant value with project budgeting and resource planning tools for growing firms needing more control.

This structured BigTime pricing helps you match features to your operational requirements without overspending on unused capabilities.

My Take: BigTime’s pricing strategy is transparent and feature-rich, catering well to professional services firms from SMBs to mid-market, ensuring scalable value for their investment.

The overall BigTime pricing reflects clear value for professional services firms.

BigTime Reviews

What do real customers actually think?

This section dives into BigTime reviews, analyzing actual user feedback to give you a balanced perspective on what customers genuinely experience with this software. You’ll find out what they love and where they see room for improvement.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

Users report very high satisfaction.

From my review analysis, BigTime boasts an “excellent” user sentiment rating of 91% across over 2300 reviews. What I found in user feedback is that most users are highly satisfied with the core functionality, particularly its effectiveness for professional services firms.

This suggests you can expect a generally positive experience if you fit their target market.

2. Common Praise Points

Users consistently praise key features.

The most frequent positive mentions revolve around ease of completing timesheets, robust invoice creation, and the quality of their support team. Review-wise, the seamless QuickBooks integration is a significant advantage, streamlining accounting processes for many users.

This means you’ll likely find time tracking and billing processes significantly more efficient.

3. Frequent Complaints

Some areas need improvement.

Common complaints often point to the user interface feeling somewhat dated and initial setup being more complex than expected. What stands out in customer feedback is that project visibility can sometimes be difficult, despite otherwise strong project management tools.

These issues generally seem like minor annoyances rather than significant deal-breakers for most users.

Overall, BigTime reviews reflect strong user satisfaction driven by core feature efficacy, with minor concerns regarding UI and initial setup.

Best BigTime Alternatives

Seeking the best professional services software?

The best BigTime alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations, budget considerations, and specific operational requirements. Let’s explore them.

1. Accelo

Prioritizing integrated client communication and sales?

Accelo excels in managing long-term client relationships and automating sales documentation and communications, offering robust integration capabilities. What I found comparing options is that Accelo provides greater flexibility for integration-heavy needs, especially for firms focused on client interaction beyond core PSA.

Choose Accelo when managing sales documents and client communication are as critical as project delivery.

2. Kantata Professional Services Automation

Need an enterprise-level solution for complex organizations?

Kantata PSA offers robust project management and resource planning, ideal for large enterprises with highly complex needs. From my competitive analysis, Kantata provides comprehensive, feature-rich enterprise-grade tools, though its complexity often requires extensive customization and a longer implementation.

Consider this alternative when your enterprise demands deep customization and extensive resource planning capabilities beyond BigTime’s flexibility.

3. Scoro

Looking for a unified platform with strong sales and CRM?

Scoro stands out by combining project management with sales, CRM, billing, and reporting, aiming to eliminate departmental silos. Alternative-wise, Scoro excels in real-time KPI dashboards and sales management, making it a strong contender for businesses focused on enhancing customer relationships and driving sales growth.

Choose Scoro when you need an all-in-one business management platform with a strong CRM and sales focus.

4. monday.com

Emphasizing collaboration and adaptable workflow management?

monday.com is a versatile work operating system praised for its intuitive interface and customizable no-code solutions across various use cases. From my competitive analysis, monday.com offers broader project management activities and collaboration tools, ideal for large enterprises prioritizing robust internal communications and data flow.

Consider this alternative when you prioritize adaptable workflow management and extensive team collaboration features.

The best BigTime alternatives truly depend on your specific professional services firm’s size and priorities, aligning software to your unique needs.

BigTime Setup

How challenging is BigTime to actually implement?

BigTime’s deployment involves a guided onboarding and data migration. This BigTime review section will help you set realistic expectations for the setup process and what it entails.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

Not a “set it and forget it” solution.

BigTime’s implementation is generally straightforward, but successful deployment hinges on thorough data migration and initial configuration. What I found about deployment is that ease of setup is superior to some competitors, but the initial process can still feel complex without proper planning.

You’ll need to allocate dedicated time for data transfer and understanding the configuration options for your specific workflows.

2. Technical Requirements & Integration

Minimal infrastructure, big integration potential.

Being a cloud-based SaaS, BigTime has minimal technical requirements beyond an internet connection and a device. From my implementation analysis, its seamless integration with QuickBooks (Online and Desktop) is a major advantage for many firms, streamlining accounting processes significantly.

Plan for connecting BigTime to your existing accounting software and identifying any other key integrations your firm relies on.

3. Training & Change Management

User adoption hinges on effective training.

The learning curve for BigTime’s core functions, like time and expense entry, is generally manageable due to its intuitive interface. From my analysis, some users needed more hands-on training during onboarding to fully leverage advanced features and optimize project visibility.

You’ll want to prioritize comprehensive training for your team, leveraging BigTime Academy and any provided product release webinars.

4. Support & Success Factors

Strong support, critical for smooth rollout.

BigTime’s support quality is consistently praised, with responsive and helpful email and chat assistance. What I found about deployment is that their responsive support enhances the overall user experience, helping to navigate any setup or adoption challenges efficiently.

Plan to utilize BigTime’s support resources and potentially consider higher tiers for priority assistance to ensure a smooth transition.

Overall, your BigTime setup can be quite efficient, but successful implementation requires proactive planning and leveraging their strong support.

Bottom Line

Is BigTime the right fit for your firm?

My BigTime review reveals a robust PSA solution ideal for professional services firms prioritizing project, time, and billing management.

1. Who This Works Best For

Professional services firms optimizing time and billing.

BigTime works best for SMBs and mid-market firms in accounting, architecture, consulting, and IT services that need precise time tracking, efficient invoicing, and strong project oversight. What I found about target users is that firms valuing seamless QuickBooks integration and dedicated customer support will thrive with BigTime.

You’ll particularly succeed if your business requires DCAA compliance or aims to accelerate cash flow through streamlined billing processes.

2. Overall Strengths

Unmatched time tracking and billing efficiency.

The software excels in robust time and expense tracking, highly customizable invoicing, and seamless integration with QuickBooks Online and Desktop. From my comprehensive analysis, its intuitive timesheet interface accelerates cash flow and significantly reduces days sales outstanding for users.

These strengths directly translate into increased productivity and improved financial health, making it a powerful asset for your firm.

3. Key Limitations

No free trial and a less modern interface.

While powerful, BigTime does not offer a free trial, which might deter initial evaluation, and some users find its interface less modern than newer alternatives. Based on this review, the initial setup process can also be more complex than anticipated for new users without dedicated implementation support.

I’d say these limitations are manageable trade-offs for its robust core features, but they do require you to weigh the investment.

4. Final Recommendation

BigTime earns a strong recommendation.

You should choose BigTime if your professional services firm prioritizes comprehensive project, time, and billing management with excellent QuickBooks integration and support. From my analysis, this solution is ideal for dedicated professional services automation, not general work management or extensive CRM needs.

My confidence level is high for firms seeking a specialized, impactful PSA tool for their specific operational requirements.

This BigTime review demonstrates strong value for the right professional services firm while also highlighting important considerations before you make a decision.