Productive
Productive is an all-in-one agency management software that integrates project management, resource planning, time tracking, and financial reporting into a single platform to help professional services firms increase their profitability.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a flexible work management platform that combines the familiar interface of a spreadsheet with powerful project management features to help you automate workflows and track complex projects.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Productive | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Website | productive.io | smartsheet.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $11/month | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 14 days free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2014 | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Zagreb, Croatia | Bellevue, USA |
Overview
Productive
Productive is a comprehensive platform designed specifically to handle the complex workflows of agencies and consultancies. Instead of jumping between disconnected tools for task management and invoicing, you can run your entire business in one place. You can track time against specific budgets, manage employee workloads with visual resource scheduling, and monitor your profit margins in real-time as your team logs their hours.
The software solves the common problem of data silos by linking your project delivery directly to your financial performance. You can build custom reports to see which clients are most profitable and forecast future revenue based on your sales pipeline. Whether you are managing a small creative boutique or a scaling digital agency, Productive provides the visibility you need to make data-driven decisions about your growth and staffing.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet gives you a dynamic workspace where you can manage projects, automate workflows, and build new solutions without writing code. You can switch between grid, card, Gantt, and calendar views to visualize your work exactly how you want. It bridges the gap between simple spreadsheets and complex project tools, allowing you to track individual tasks or manage massive enterprise portfolios in one centralized location.
You can eliminate manual data entry by setting up automated alerts, status updates, and approval requests. The platform scales with your needs, whether you are a small team organizing a launch or a large corporation managing global operations. It helps you increase transparency across your organization by sharing real-time dashboards and reports with stakeholders, ensuring everyone stays aligned on key goals and deadlines.
Overview
Productive Features
- Resource Planning Schedule your team across projects visually to prevent burnout and ensure every billable hour is accounted for.
- Budget Tracking Monitor your project budgets in real-time and get alerts before you overspend or run out of hours.
- Time Tracking Log time easily with a built-in timer or manual entries that sync directly with your project tasks.
- Automated Invoicing Generate professional invoices in seconds based on tracked time and expenses to get paid faster by clients.
- Profitability Reporting Access deep insights into your agency's performance with custom reports that calculate your true profit per project.
- Sales Pipeline Manage your deals from initial lead to won project and forecast future resource needs before they arrive.
- Project Management Organize work with task lists, Kanban boards, and dependencies to keep your team aligned and on schedule.
- Client Portal Invite your clients to a dedicated space where they can track progress, share feedback, and approve work.
Smartsheet Features
- Flexible Work Views. Switch instantly between Grid, Gantt, Card, and Calendar views to manage your tasks from any perspective you prefer.
- Automated Workflows. Create visual automated actions to send alerts, request approvals, and update sheet rows without manual intervention.
- Real-time Dashboards. Build custom widgets and charts to give your team and executives a live look at project health and performance.
- Dynamic Reports. Consolidate information from multiple sheets into a single report to identify trends and risks across different departments.
- Proofing and Approvals. Streamline content reviews by uploading files directly to rows and collecting feedback through dedicated proofing workflows.
- Resource Management. Track team availability and allocate hours effectively to ensure your projects stay on schedule and under budget.
Pricing Comparison
Productive Pricing
- Project management
- Time tracking
- Sales pipeline
- Invoicing
- Basic reporting
- Mobile app access
- Everything in Essential, plus:
- Resource planning
- Financial forecasting
- Profitability tracking
- Custom fields
- QuickBooks & Xero integrations
Smartsheet Pricing
- 1 user and 2 editors
- Up to 2 sheets
- Gantt, Grid, Card views
- 500MB attachment storage
- 100 automations per month
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited viewers
- Up to 10 sheets
- Unlimited reports and dashboards
- 20GB attachment storage
- Forms and branding
Pros & Cons
Productive
Pros
- Consolidates multiple expensive tools into one platform
- Real-time visibility into project and agency profitability
- Intuitive interface that teams actually enjoy using
- Excellent customer support and frequent feature updates
- Seamless integration between time tracking and invoicing
Cons
- Mobile app has fewer features than desktop
- Learning curve for complex financial reporting tools
- Limited customization for some automated email notifications
- Higher tiers required for advanced resource scheduling
Smartsheet
Pros
- Familiar spreadsheet interface reduces the initial learning curve
- Highly customizable views for different project management styles
- Powerful automation engine saves hours of manual work
- Excellent reporting capabilities across multiple different sheets
- Strong mobile app for managing tasks while traveling
Cons
- Advanced features require a significant time investment
- Real-time collaboration lacks the speed of Google Sheets
- Pricing can become expensive as you add more members