Project management (PM) software is a universal need to keep track of goals, research, data, scheduling and everything else under the sun. If you have more specific needs, however, you may have to find a PM solution with a specialized focus. Accounting project management software can simultaneously help teams perfect their finances and exceed business goals.
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Not every software solution will have the same features, but below we compare some basic features that can do your team a lot of good.
| Time tracking | Billing | Integration | Free trial | Free plan | Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jetpack Workflow | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, 14-days | No | Starts at $45 |
| Karbon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Starts at $59 |
| Canopy | Yes, but for a fee | Yes, but for a fee | Yes | Yes | Yes, but additional fees may apply | Starts at $0 |
| Monday | Yes | Yes, with integration | Yes | Yes, 14 days | Yes | Starts at $24 |
| ClickUp | Yes | No | Yes | Yes, 14 days | Yes | Starts at $7 |
| Zoho Projects | Yes | Yes, with integration | Yes | Yes, 10 days | Yes | Starts at $4 |
| Trello | Yes, with integrations | No | Yes, but fees may apply | Yes, 14 days | Yes | Starts at $5 |
Jetpack Workflow is enterprise-friendly software designed for streamlining the workflow of accounting teams. While it may be pricier, it’s designed to keep you on track with your priorities through automation, reporting and custom work views.
Jetpack Workflow has two pricing plans:
If you want more information, check out Jetpack Workflow’s YouTube channel.
Karbon is a great choice for businesses that prioritize taking care of clients but still need project management software stacked with functionality. You have tools for collaboration, alert automation and workflow improvement. The application is great for accounting firms sharing files with clients and offers onboarding services to get your team started.
Subscriptions available include:
The way Canopy offers its services is different from other project management tools. Its capabilities are specific to the practice management needs of the different cases you have, like tax resolution and billing. Pricing is entirely based on a user’s number of clients, and it offers its service for free if you have 500 or fewer clients. Canopy is very budget-friendly for small teams, startups and freelancers growing their client base.
While it may not be an accounting-only project management tool, monday.com is such a popular and affordable option for universal project management needs. You can track tasks, do project analytics and record time tracking for employees. For those that need more functionality, you can integrate with tools like QuickBooks.
Plans offered are Free, Basic, Standard, Pro and Enterprise:
Teams can learn more from our review of monday.com.
Teams that want a variety of features and affordable plans may consider ClickUp as their project management solution. The software is suited for several different types of teams, including those with finance and accounting needs. Accounting teams can benefit from its reporting, time tracking and client dashboard features.
Aside from the free plan, subscriptions offered are:
You can find out more in our full ClickUp review.
The Zoho suite of business software can meet a variety of team needs, and Zoho Projects integrates with those apps. Teams can incorporate Zoho Analytics, Zoho Books, Zoho Invoice, Zoho Expense and many more. The software solutions are a great choice for keeping track of your data, tasks and business processes.
Aside from the free plan, subscriptions include:
If you’re interested in learning more, see our review of Zoho Projects.
Trello is one of the easiest project collaboration tools for teams to adapt to. It’s affordable enough for individuals, startups and small teams but also has an Enterprise plan with security and permissions. Use cases for the software can include tracking finances, offering professional services to clients, managing tasks, handling CRM and more.
Subscriptions the platform offers include Free, Standard, Premium and Enterprise:
Learn more in our complete Trello review.
Project management software for accounting firms and individuals will have tools to help with clients, deadlines, tasks and overall workflow. It’s also a bonus if they have integrations that help in tracking costs, invoices and records. The features on this list are ones you can find in both project management tools and accounting solutions.
You need to stay on top of your daily tasks, clients and billing. Some helpful capabilities of project management software will include templates for different projects or artificial intelligence to speed up tasks.
Task management and task dependencies are another highlight that ensures your projects are completed in order.
With features like these, you can check the performance of specific goals and assign work to their corresponding team members. Usually, it will be on more expensive tiers, but many solutions will have role permissions to ensure the right people have access so they can do their parts as well.
Many accounting and even regular PM applications will have the functionality to handle client information as well as client access to projects. You can share your progress, invite them to view projects, give them account access and receive/send reminders for meetings.
Occasionally, regular project management tools will have billing options, but it’s mostly built into accounting PM software. Tools that offer to expedite and verify billing and payroll needs can be lifesavers and help you avoid costly mistakes.
You can also find software for accounting, finance tracking and invoice/expensing available as integrations within basic project management tools as well.
Many PM solutions will have automation features to streamline tasks so you can focus on the bigger picture. Aside from just streamlining tasks, you can use automation for alerts or notifications about important deadlines or meetings. You can also use automation to schedule client meetings, emails and payments. Teams that need to stay on top of performance and analytics can also automate weekly or monthly reports of progress.
For teams that choose a general PM solution, integrations can make up for the accounting-specific features it may lack. Options that can make a difference include invoicing, expense tracking and database applications. Some may even integrate with accounting or bookkeeping software like QuickBooks and Zoho Books.
Whether it’s monitoring separate tasks or employee timesheets for payroll, time tracking is a big asset. It can evaluate which processes are more costly and ensure your team is paid fairly and on time.
One of the most valuable ways to pull insights about your workflow, performance and costs is through reporting. Applications can offer reporting on task status, employee performance, monthly expenses and clients. If you want to improve efficiency or just stay on top of projects, good analytics are integral.
One of the biggest factors in choosing any software is cost. Accounting software designed to handle your projects, business processes, records and billing can get very expensive. Many general project management solutions offer cost savings but may lack the industry-specific features you want.
You should consider the cost per number of users you absolutely need, the features you absolutely need and the integrations that will make your life easier. From there, you can decide if you need an accounting-specific PM tool or a basic project management solution.
While costly, Karbon is a feature-dense solution with awesome capabilities like QuickBooks Time for time tracking, and it helps estimate your time and budget on each project. If you’d rather not spend as much, you can try Zoho Project, which integrates with Zoho Books, Invoice and CRM.
As always, while you’re considering different options, check out their YouTube channels and even consider testing out any free plans offered. If you plan to do any free trials, rearrange your workflow to be able to properly test the software.
The software on this list were considered according to their relevance to accounting teams. Some were designed for the purpose of streamlining accounting workloads, and others aren’t industry-specific. This is because many project management features and integrations can provide a cost-effective alternative, even if they don’t have all the bells and whistles teams want.
The software on the list can be good choices for startups, freelancers, growing teams and enterprise-level needs. The goal was to offer potential buyers a wide selection of reliable software.
