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.
Trello
Trello is a visual project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help you organize tasks, collaborate with teammates, and track project progress from start to finish.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Productive | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Website | productive.io | trello.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $11/month | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 14 days free trial | ✓ 14 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 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Zagreb, Croatia | New York, 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.
Trello
Trello is a visual collaboration tool that helps you manage projects and organize tasks using a simple board-and-card system. Instead of digging through messy spreadsheets or long email chains, you can see your entire workflow at a glance. You can move cards across different stages of completion, assign tasks to team members, and set due dates to keep everyone on schedule.
The platform is designed to be flexible enough for any type of work, from software development and marketing campaigns to personal to-do lists. You can enhance your boards with 'Power-Ups' that connect your favorite tools directly into your workflow. Whether you are a freelancer managing one project or a large team coordinating hundreds, Trello scales with you by offering a robust free version and tiered paid plans starting at $5 per user per month.
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.
Trello Features
- Kanban Boards. Organize your projects into visual stages using drag-and-drop boards that show you exactly who is doing what.
- Butler Automation. Create custom rules and commands to automate repetitive tasks like moving cards or sending deadline alerts without writing code.
- Advanced Checklists. Break down complex tasks into smaller steps and assign individual sub-tasks to specific team members for better accountability.
- Power-Ups. Connect your boards to tools like Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub to see live data without leaving Trello.
- Timeline View. Plan your project schedule on a visual timeline to track dependencies and ensure your team meets every deadline.
- Mobile Sync. Update your tasks and respond to comments on the go with native apps that keep your data synced across all devices.
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
Trello Pricing
- Unlimited cards
- Up to 10 boards per Workspace
- Unlimited Power-Ups per board
- 250 Workspace command runs/month
- Unlimited activity log
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited boards
- Advanced checklists
- Custom Fields
- 1,000 Workspace command runs/month
- Single board guests
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
Trello
Pros
- Extremely intuitive interface requires almost no training
- Generous free plan includes unlimited integrations
- Highly flexible for both professional and personal use
- Visual nature makes project status immediately clear
Cons
- Limited reporting features compared to specialized tools
- Can feel cluttered when managing very large projects
- Advanced views like Timeline require paid upgrades