BigTime is popular for time tracking and project billing, but many teams find it complex, costly, or difficult to adapt to their workflows. This article explores the best BigTime alternatives in 2025, highlighting options that offer clearer pricing, easier setup, mobile accessibility, and the right mix of invoicing and project management features for growing businesses.
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BigTime is a well-known PSA software designed to help teams manage projects, track time, and handle billing. It’s widely used in industries like consulting, accounting, and engineering. However, many users still encounter drawbacks such as a steep learning curve, rigid workflows, and a mobile experience that, while present, lacks full feature parity with the desktop version.
If you’re looking for more flexible or cost-effective software, there are several BigTime alternatives that can help with invoicing, project management, and client collaboration. In this article, we’ll compare the top alternatives in 2025, highlighting their features, pricing, pros, and limitations.
Key Takeaways
Tofu is a mobile and web-based invoicing solution built for freelancers, contractors, and small businesses that need simple, fast, and reliable billing. Unlike BigTime, which can feel overwhelming with its PSA setup and steep learning curve, Tofu offers straightforward monthly pricing with no long-term commitments.
With Tofu, you can create, send, and track invoices instantly from any device. It’s designed for service-based work, with features like offline invoicing, instant estimate-to-invoice conversion, customizable templates, and on-site card or tap-to-pay payment collection. You can even download free PDF invoice templates if you want a quick, no-fuss solution.
Tip: Tofu provides convenient tools for professionals that need to create invoices quickly:
Scoro is an all-in-one business management platform built for professional service companies that want everything in one place: projects, CRM, billing, and reporting. Unlike BigTime, which is centered on PSA and excels in time tracking and project accounting, Scoro gives teams a broader toolkit to run their entire business.
From quoting clients to tracking utilization and measuring profitability, Scoro delivers visibility across the full project lifecycle.
Zoho Books is a cloud-based accounting solution designed for businesses that want more than basic invoicing without paying enterprise-level prices. As part of the larger Zoho ecosystem, it integrates seamlessly with apps like Zoho CRM, Projects, and Inventory, giving businesses a complete back office in one connected platform.
Unlike BigTime, which focuses heavily on professional services automation, Zoho Books balances accounting, invoicing, and light project management in a way that’s affordable and easy to scale.
Productive is an all-in-one management platform built specifically for agencies and consultancies. Instead of juggling separate tools for projects, finances, and CRM, Productive consolidates everything into one system. This unified approach gives agencies better control, stronger insights, and more efficiency, from pitching a client to delivering the final invoice.
Where BigTime focuses primarily on PSA and project accounting, Productive provides a broader ecosystem designed for the full lifecycle of an agency’s work. You can track project budgets, monitor resource utilization, manage sales pipelines, and see real-time profitability, all without leaving the platform.
OneDesk stands out as one of the few platforms that merges project management with a built-in help desk system, making it especially valuable for businesses that deliver both services and customer support. Instead of running separate tools for tickets, projects, and invoicing, OneDesk consolidates them into a single, cost-effective platform.
Compared to BigTime, which emphasizes project accounting and professional services automation, OneDesk adds another layer: seamless client communication through ticketing and live chat. For service businesses that juggle both delivery and ongoing support, this integration can save time, reduce costs, and simplify workflows.
This table compares the leading alternatives to BigTime, highlighting their key features, costs, customization, and ease of use to help you choose the best fit for your business.
BigTime has long been a go-to choice for professional service firms, but it isn’t the perfect fit for every business. Many teams find that its pricing, usability, and feature set create more challenges than solutions, especially for smaller companies or those seeking simpler workflows.
Below are the main reasons businesses explore alternatives.
BigTime can become expensive quickly, especially as you add more users or need advanced modules. Unlike platforms with straightforward monthly pricing, BigTime often involves higher costs and long-term contracts. For small to mid-sized businesses, this makes more budget-friendly tools like Tofu more attractive.
Mobile App Limitations
While BigTime does have a mobile app, users report that it’s not as fully featured or intuitive as the desktop version. Essential functions like time entry and expense tracking are supported, but more advanced tasks, such as reporting, forecasting, or full project oversight, still require desktop use. For field-based professionals, this limitation can create bottlenecks in daily operations.
BigTime’s depth of functionality comes at a cost: complexity. New users often face a steep learning curve, and implementation can take time. For teams without dedicated administrators, this can slow down adoption and lead to frustration. Simpler alternatives like Tofu or Productive allow teams to get started in minutes, without lengthy onboarding.
Although BigTime covers the basics of PSA, time tracking, project accounting, and invoicing, it lacks advanced CRM, forecasting, and workflow automation out of the box. Businesses often have to rely on integrations or additional tools to cover gaps.
Choosing the right BigTime replacement depends on your team’s size, budget, and operational needs. Whether you’re a freelancer looking for simple invoicing software or a large agency managing multiple departments, the following features are worth prioritizing in an alternative:
BigTime remains a capable solution for time tracking and project billing, but not every business needs its full PSA approach or complex setup. Alternatives such as Tofu, Scoro, Zoho Books, Productive, and OneDesk give businesses the chance to find software that better matches their size, workflows, and budget.
Some options focus on lightweight invoicing and mobile accessibility, while others provide broader functionality with CRM, resource planning, or integrated help desk support.
The right choice depends on what you want most from your software, whether it’s faster invoicing, stronger client collaboration, or advanced reporting. Evaluating your priorities will help you select the tool that makes day-to-day operations more efficient and sustainable as your business grows.
Companies often move away from BigTime because of its steep learning curve, higher costs, rigid workflows, and reliance on desktop features. Many prefer tools that are easier to use, more affordable, and better aligned with their mobile or client-facing workflows.
No. Tofu focuses on invoicing, client management, and on-site payment collection. It is designed for small businesses and contractors who don’t need full PSA or project management functionality.
Yes, BigTime offers a mobile app for time entry and expense tracking, but many users find it lacks the full functionality of the desktop version. Alternatives like Tofu and Productive emphasize mobile-first usability.
Most alternatives allow imports of invoices, clients, or project data, though the process varies. Many vendors provide onboarding support or integrations to help with migration.