PeopleMuster

Best PSA software

For a services firm that wants projects, timesheets and capacity on the same record as its people, PeopleMuster ranks first on published price at $3 per person a month, HR included. Productive follows at $10 per user billed yearly, and BigTime starts at $20. Kantata, Certinia and Accelo price by quote.

How this was judged

Ranked on the per-user monthly price each vendor publishes for running client projects, time and team capacity, and how much of that price you can read without a demo.

Seven products used to run a services firm's delivery were compared on 24 September 2026. Each price was read from the vendor's own pricing page that day, quoted as the vendor prints it, yearly figure first where both are shown. Vendors with a published figure are ranked by it. Keka, which publishes plans but a regional price, comes next, then the vendors that gate the price behind a demo, in alphabetical order. Scoro publishes per-user plans; prices on scoro.com. Disclosure: PeopleMuster is our product, and it sits where the method puts it.

The ranking

01

PeopleMuster

$3 per person a month, every module included, no tiers. $30 per person a year on annual billing.
Who it suits
An agency, software house or consultancy that wants delivery and HR on one record instead of a PSA plus an HR system.
Where it wins
Client projects carry health, setup and task scores, billable and fixed-price or hourly flags, milestones and boards. Your team logs time by project, managers approve it, and utilisation reports by project and department follow. The capacity plan shows each person by day with approved leave and holidays already in it. Meetings import from Fireflies and file against the right project.
02

Productive

Essential $10 per user a month billed yearly ($12 monthly). Professional $25 ($29 monthly). Ultimate custom. 3-seat minimum, 14-day trial. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
An agency that wants a published PSA price and will keep its employee records in a separate HR system.
Where it wins
Two priced tiers, a trial, and a product built for agencies and consultancies.
Where it falls short
Three seats minimum, and Productive connects out to HR systems such as BambooHR for employee records.
03

BigTime

Essentials starts at $20 per user a month. Advanced and Premier are priced on a demo. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A professional services firm ready to move past the entry tier once it has seen a demo.
Where it wins
An entry price is printed on the page.
Where it falls short
Only the entry tier has a figure. The two tiers above it need a sales call.
04

Keka

Plans are named on the page, with India, USA and EU, and APAC and GCC tabs. The base price loads by region, so no clean per-person figure is quoted here. Checked September 2026.
Who it suits
A firm that wants HR and a PSA sold as one product, and will check the price for its own region.
Where it wins
Keka's pricing page sells HR, hiring and Projects and Timesheets (PSA) as tabs of one product.
Where it falls short
The price you see depends on your region, and it carries a minimum headcount.
05

Accelo

No published price. Every plan is tailored. Verified September 2026.
Who it suits
A firm that expects a tailored quote. Forecast now resolves to Accelo-branded pages.
Where it wins
Plans are built to the buyer.
Where it falls short
There is no figure on the page to compare.
06

Certinia

No published price. The pricing page leads to a demo request. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A large services business that buys through a demo and a sales process.
Where it wins
A professional services cloud sold with a guided demo.
Where it falls short
No figure is published at any tier.
07

Kantata

No published price. A PSA advisor builds a pricing plan after you ask. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A services firm that wants a dedicated PSA platform and is ready for a sales conversation.
Where it wins
Kantata sells itself as a professional services automation platform, with plans built per buyer.
Where it falls short
No figure is published, so the price is known only after the conversation.

Questions people ask

What is PSA software?

PSA (professional services automation) software runs the delivery side of a services firm: client projects, time logged against them, and who is booked on what. Kantata, BigTime, Certinia and Productive sell it as a category. PeopleMuster runs the same projects, timesheets, utilisation and capacity plan on the same record as leave and attendance, at $3 per person a month.

What is the best PSA software for a small consulting firm?

For a firm of about 20, published price decides most of it. PeopleMuster is $3 per person a month with HR included. Productive's Essential plan is $10 per user billed yearly with a three-seat minimum, and BigTime starts at $20. Kantata, Certinia and Accelo publish no price.

Do I need a PSA and an HR system?

HR systems and agency PSAs are mostly sold as separate products. Productive, for example, connects out to BambooHR, Personio and Rippling for employee records. PeopleMuster puts both halves in one database, so approved leave clears the capacity plan and logged hours feed utilisation with no sync between tools.

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