Agencies juggle many clients, billable hours and rounds of feedback, so the right tool tracks time, shares cleanly with clients and survives proofing. We ranked six platforms on client collaboration, time and billing, and depth.
Reviewed by M. HALLORAN·Updated MAY 2026·How we vet
Tools compared6
Criteria weighted5
Last reviewedJune 2026
Paid placements0
How we ranked the field
Each tool is scored on how well it handles client access, billable time and approval rounds, alongside everyday ease and price. See the full rubric →
Client collaboration25%
Time and billing20%
Features and depth20%
Ease of use20%
Value for money15%
01
RANK
★ Editor’s Choice
ClickUp
Best all in one for client work
ClickUp covers the agency workflow end to end, with native time tracking, proofing and guest access for clients in one bill. The breadth means setup takes work, but few tools save an agency as many subscriptions.
monday gives account leads clean dashboards clients enjoy seeing, plus automations that chase approvals for you. Time tracking sits in the Pro tier and the three seat minimum is a minor tax on a small studio.
Wrike was built with agencies in mind, and its proofing and approval tools are the best here for creative rounds. The interface is dense and the Business tier is annual only, so it fits established studios more than new ones.
Asana keeps client projects organized and on schedule with the calmest interface in the group. The gap for agencies is native time tracking, which means a separate tool or an integration for billable hours.
For agencies that staff across many accounts, Smartsheet shines at resource and capacity planning in a spreadsheet frame. Client facing polish and proofing are weaker than the leaders, so it suits operations more than creative review.
Notion is a lovely home for client wikis, briefs and lightweight task tracking, and shared pages look great. It lacks time tracking and real scheduling, so most agencies pair it with a dedicated project tool.