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BEST-OF · 2026

Best Software for Agencies Managing Both Internal Tasks and Client Deliverables (2026)

Agency delivery is not ordinary task management. The work has to cover internal tasks, client-facing milestones, approvals, time, budgets and deadlines, without showing clients the wrong information. We picked tools that can sit close to real client-services work, then kept AgencySoftware’s fixed index order for the rendered ranking. For this narrower use case, Teamwork deserves special attention because client work, time, budgets and profitability are central to its fit; the trade-off is that it is not the highest-scoring tool in the overall index. Use this list if your agency is trying to run delivery and client communication in one place. If you mainly need sales CRM, email automation or a full marketing platform, the broader agency software lists will be a better starting point.

Reviewed by Marcus Taylor · how we score · Last updated 2026-06-30 · compare tools · affiliate disclosure

1
PICK
GoHighLevel logo GoHighLevel 91/100 · EXCEPTIONAL EDITOR'S CHOICE

GoHighLevel is the closest thing the agency world has to an operating system. It bundles a CRM, email and SMS marketing, landing pages and funnels, calendars, pipelines and a deep automation builder into one account — and then lets you slap your own logo on it and sell it to clients as software. For agencies whose business is running marketing for other businesses, that combination is hard to beat.

✓ PROS
  • Replaces a stack of separate tools with one login
  • True white-label — sell it as your own product
  • CRM, email, SMS, funnels and automations in one place
✕ CONS
  • Steep learning curve — expect a slow first month
  • Can feel overwhelming until you turn features off
Best for: Agencies that want to run client marketing and resell software under their own brand
AT A GLANCE
Ease of use7.8/10
PricingFrom $97/mo
Agency fitWhite-label / resell
from $97/mo
Start free trial ↗ Read full review →
2
PICK
HubSpot logo HubSpot 89/100 · EXCEPTIONAL BEST FOR SCALING

HubSpot started as a marketing tool and grew into a full CRM platform, and for agencies that lean inbound it is the safe, scalable choice. The free CRM is good enough to run a small pipeline on, and as clients grow you layer on the Marketing, Sales and Service hubs without moving systems. Everything ties back to a single contact record, which makes reporting genuinely useful.

✓ PROS
  • Genuinely good free CRM to start on
  • Marketing, sales and service in one record
  • Strong, well-rewarded agency partner program
✕ CONS
  • Professional tiers get expensive fast
  • Contact-tier pricing can surprise you
Best for: Agencies scaling inbound and managing their own plus clients pipelines
AT A GLANCE
Ease of use8.2/10
PricingFree CRM + paid hubs
Agency fitAgency partner program
Free, then $15/seat/mo
Get the free CRM ↗ Read full review →
3
PICK
Monday.com logo Monday.com 86/100 · EXCELLENT BEST WORK OS

Monday.com is a work OS rather than a single-purpose tool. You start with boards and shape them into whatever the agency needs: a project tracker, a content calendar, a client pipeline, a dashboard for retainers. That flexibility is its strength and its trap, because the same blank canvas that adapts to your process will sprawl into chaos if nobody owns the setup.

✓ PROS
  • Bends to almost any workflow
  • Colourful boards the whole team will actually use
  • Doubles as projects and a light CRM
✕ CONS
  • Per-seat pricing adds up across a team
  • Can sprawl without setup discipline
Best for: Agencies wanting a customisable hub for projects plus light CRM
AT A GLANCE
Ease of use8.6/10
PricingFrom $9/seat (3 min)
Agency fitProjects + light CRM
from $9/seat/mo
Try free ↗ Read full review →
4
PICK
ClickUp logo ClickUp 85/100 · EXCELLENT BEST VALUE PM

ClickUp tries to be the one app an agency runs its delivery on, and on value it largely succeeds. Tasks, docs, goals, whiteboards and native time tracking all live in one place, so the path from a brief to tracked, billable work never leaves the tool. For a price-conscious agency, that consolidation is the whole pitch.

✓ PROS
  • Packs projects, docs and time tracking into one app
  • Generous free plan that small teams can live on
  • From about $7/user/mo when you do pay
✕ CONS
  • Feature overload can overwhelm new users
  • Occasional performance lag on big workspaces
Best for: Agencies that want project management, docs and time tracking in one cheap tool
AT A GLANCE
Ease of use7.6/10
PricingGenerous free plan
Agency fitPM + docs + tracking
Free, then $7/user/mo
Try free ↗ Read full review →
5
PICK
ActiveCampaign logo ActiveCampaign 85/100 · EXCELLENT BEST EMAIL AUTOMATION

ActiveCampaign is where email gets serious. The automation builder is the best in this set — branching logic, conditional waits, behavioural triggers and segmentation deep enough to run genuinely sophisticated client campaigns. For an agency whose value is in clever lifecycle and nurture sequences, it gives you room the simpler tools do not.

✓ PROS
  • Best-in-class automation builder
  • CRM and email in one platform
  • Handles complex client campaigns well
✕ CONS
  • Automation builder has a learning curve
  • Pricing scales with contact count
Best for: Agencies running sophisticated email automation for client campaigns
AT A GLANCE
Ease of use7.4/10
PricingFrom $15/mo
Agency fitEmail + CRM automation
from $15/mo
Start free trial ↗ Read full review →
6
PICK
Asana logo Asana 84/100 · EXCELLENT

Asana is the project manager you pick when you want it to just work. The interface is clean and quick, the learning curve is gentle enough that a new account manager is productive on day one, and it has the maturity and reliability that come from years in market. For agencies whose priority is dependable delivery rather than maximum configurability, it is the comfortable default.

✓ PROS
  • Clean, fast and genuinely pleasant to use
  • Low learning curve — teams adopt it quickly
  • Reliable, mature and well supported
✕ CONS
  • No native time tracking
  • Pricier than ClickUp at $10.99/user/mo
Best for: Agencies that want clean, reliable project tracking without the clutter
AT A GLANCE
Ease of use8.8/10
PricingFree for small teams
Agency fitClean cross-team PM
Free, then $10.99/user/mo
Try free ↗ Read full review →
7
PICK
Toggl Track logo Toggl Track 84/100 · EXCELLENT BEST TIME TRACKING

Toggl Track wins time tracking by getting out of the way. Starting a timer is one click, the apps are everywhere your team works, and the reports turn tracked hours into clean answers about where time actually goes. The reason it works is adoption: a timer nobody resents is a timer people actually use, and that is most of the battle for an agency trying to bill accurately.

✓ PROS
  • The simplest timer in the category — one click
  • Accurate reporting on billable hours
  • Generous free plan
✕ CONS
  • Not a full project-management tool
  • Invoicing needs an add-on or integration
Best for: Agencies that want accurate billable-hour tracking without the friction
AT A GLANCE
Ease of use9.2/10
PricingFree plan available
Agency fitUnlimited tracking
Free, then $9/user/mo
Try free ↗ Read full review →
8
PICK
Teamwork logo Teamwork 83/100 · EXCELLENT BEST FOR CLIENT WORK

Teamwork is the rare project tool designed around the agency model rather than adapted to it. Billable time, client-facing users, retainers and budget burn are first-class features, not bolt-ons, so the gap between "work done" and "work invoiced" is much smaller than in general-purpose tools. If your business is selling time to clients, that focus pays off quickly.

✓ PROS
  • Built for client work, not retrofitted for it
  • Billable time tracking against tasks and projects
  • Client users you can safely invite in
✕ CONS
  • Busier interface than Asana
  • Smaller integration ecosystem
Best for: Agencies that bill time to clients and need it tracked against projects
AT A GLANCE
Ease of use8.0/10
PricingFree tier + $10.99/user
Agency fitBillable time + clients
Free, then $10.99/user/mo
Try free ↗ Read full review →

At a glance

ToolIndexEaseFromFreeBest for
GoHighLevel 917.8from $97/moAgencies that want to run client marketing and resell software under their own brand
HubSpot 898.2Free, then $15/seat/moAgencies scaling inbound and managing their own plus clients pipelines
Monday.com 868.6from $9/seat/moAgencies wanting a customisable hub for projects plus light CRM
ClickUp 857.6Free, then $7/user/moAgencies that want project management, docs and time tracking in one cheap tool
ActiveCampaign 857.4from $15/moAgencies running sophisticated email automation for client campaigns
Asana 848.8Free, then $10.99/user/moAgencies that want clean, reliable project tracking without the clutter
Toggl Track 849.2Free, then $9/user/moAgencies that want accurate billable-hour tracking without the friction
Teamwork 838.0Free, then $10.99/user/moAgencies that bill time to clients and need it tracked against projects

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HOW TO CHOOSE

Choosing the right tool

Start with the client boundary. A good agency setup lets clients see deliverables, files, dates and approvals, while keeping internal notes, resourcing issues and margin discussions private. If permissions are fiddly, the tool will create more admin than it removes.

Do the seat maths before you move the team. Agency costs are not only staff licences; clients, freelancers, reviewers, storage, automations and AI credits can change the real monthly bill. Free plans are useful for testing, but they are rarely enough for live client delivery.

Protect margin inside the workflow. If you bill by time or manage retainers, look for time logging, budgets and reporting close to the project plan. Teamwork is the strongest fit here, but ClickUp, monday.com and Asana may need configuration or integrations for the same level of financial control.

Match the tool to how your agency delivers. ClickUp suits teams that want a configurable workspace and can enforce naming, permissions and dashboards. monday.com suits visual workflow design, while Asana suits repeatable campaign production and clean handoffs.

Check guest and client access early. Teamwork positions client users as a way to bring clients into projects without added subscription cost, while ClickUp’s permission-controlled guests can affect billing if limits are exceeded. monday.com’s free plan has no guests or viewers, and Asana’s paid plans include unlimited free guests.

Treat AI as a pricing line, not a bonus. ClickUp has separate AI pricing, monday.com uses AI credits for newer customers, Asana includes AI Studio Basic credit tiers on paid plans, and Teamwork has usage-based AI credits scheduled for September 2026. If your team expects AI summaries, briefs or setup help, price that before rollout.

FAQ

What is the best software for agencies managing both internal tasks and client deliverables?

For this specific client-delivery job, Teamwork is the strongest fit if you bill time, manage retainers and need budgets close to the work. It is not the top tool in AgencySoftware’s overall index, so GoHighLevel, HubSpot, Monday.com or ClickUp may suit better if you need a wider all-in-one operating platform.

Should an agency choose ClickUp or monday.com for client deliverables?

Choose ClickUp if you want one flexible workspace for tasks, docs, dashboards, forms and time tracking, with a recorded price of Free, then $7. Choose monday.com if visual boards, status reporting and process design matter more, but remember its recorded price starts from $9 and paid plans start from 3 users.

Is Asana good enough for agency client work?

Asana is a strong fit for structured campaign delivery, content production, approvals and cross-team handoffs. The catch is client billing, budgets and profitability are not its main strength, so agencies that sell retainers or bill hours may need add-ons or integrations.

Can a free plan run real client delivery?

Usually, no. Teamwork’s free plan is capped at 5 projects and 5 users, ClickUp’s Free Forever plan has 60 MB storage, monday.com’s free plan is limited to 2 seats with no guests or viewers, and Asana Personal is for one or two people. Use free plans to test workflow fit, then budget for paid delivery.

Which tool is ranked first on this list?

GoHighLevel is ranked first here because it has the strongest overall fit for this use case in our current scoring model.