BigTime vs Accelo
Accelo Tracks the Work. BigTime Protects the Margin.
The PSA built around your accounting, not bolted onto it.
Accelo brings CRM, tickets, and projects into one system. BigTime is built around the financial side: time that flows into billing, invoices that sync to your GL, and margin you can see before month-end.
We moved from Accelo and haven’t looked back. BigTime was faster to set up, easier for our team to adopt, and gave us instant project visibility.
— Director of Operations, Mid-size Consulting Firm
Here's why 3000+ US-based professional services firms use BigTime
Clear project tracking from scenario testing to payment
Real-time resource and profitability insights
CPQ enhanced by time & expense insights for faster & high-margin quoting
Budgeting that matches how you work—fixed fee, T&M, or custom billing rules
Accelo is known for managing the client lifecycle in one place…
…but when margin, WIP, and clean accounting matter more than tickets and portals, professional services firms find a better fit with BigTime.
Other PSAs integrate with accounting. BigTime is built around it.
If your team exports reports to spreadsheets to see project margin, or waits on invoice syncs to know what's billed, it's time to look at BigTime: financial-first PSA for professional services.
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| Core Focus | Financial-first PSA built around billing, margin, and your general ledger | Client work management: CRM, projects, tickets, and retainers in one system |
| Accounting Sync | Two-way sync with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Sage Intacct | Invoices, payments, and contacts sync; time entries stay in Accelo |
| Time & Expense Tracking | Web, mobile, and timer entry, with approvals that feed billing directly | Timers and email-based logging tied to tasks and tickets |
| Billing & Invoicing | Fixed fee, T&M, retainers, and custom billing rules on one billing engine | Retainer and project billing, with automation reserved for higher tiers |
| Project Budgeting | Budget vs. actuals, WIP, and margin tracked in real time on every project | Project budgets available; no budget-vs-actual report in its standard finance set |
| Reporting & Dashboards | Real-time margin, utilization, and WIP dashboards, plus custom reports | 18 standard finance reports; reviewers call finding the right one trial and error |
| Resource Management | Capacity and demand planning tied to rates, so staffing shows its margin impact | AI resource planning added through its 2025 Forecast acquisition |
| Integrations | QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira, Gusto, ADP, and more | Strong email and calendar integration; QuickBooks help covers Online only |
| Implementation Speed | Launch in weeks with guided onboarding and clear time-to-value milestones | Setup-heavy; reviewers cite a steep learning curve |
| Ease of Use | Rated 4.5/5 for ease of use on Capterra, built to drive adoption | Rated 4.2/5 for ease of use on Capterra, across 178 reviews |
| Pricing Transparency | Tiered plans published online, so you know the cost before the demo | Quote-only pricing, with key features reserved for higher tiers |
Core Focus
Financial-first PSA built around billing, margin, and your general ledger
Client work management: CRM, projects, tickets, and retainers in one system
Accounting Sync
Two-way sync with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Sage Intacct
Invoices, payments, and contacts sync; time entries stay in Accelo
Time & Expense Tracking
Web, mobile, and timer entry, with approvals that feed billing directly
Timers and email-based logging tied to tasks and tickets
Billing & Invoicing
Fixed fee, T&M, retainers, and custom billing rules on one billing engine
Retainer and project billing, with automation reserved for higher tiers
Project Budgeting
Budget vs. actuals, WIP, and margin tracked in real time on every project
Project budgets available; no budget-vs-actual report in its standard finance set
Reporting & Dashboards
Real-time margin, utilization, and WIP dashboards, plus custom reports
18 standard finance reports; reviewers call finding the right one trial and error
Resource Management
Capacity and demand planning tied to rates, so staffing shows its margin impact
AI resource planning added through its 2025 Forecast acquisition
Integrations
QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira, Gusto, ADP, and more
Strong email and calendar integration; QuickBooks help covers Online only
Implementation Speed
Launch in weeks with guided onboarding and clear time-to-value milestones
Setup-heavy; reviewers cite a steep learning curve
Ease of Use
Rated 4.5/5 for ease of use on Capterra, built to drive adoption
Rated 4.2/5 for ease of use on Capterra, across 178 reviews
Pricing Transparency
Tiered plans published online, so you know the cost before the demo
Quote-only pricing, with key features reserved for higher tiers
Switching is easier than you think
We’ll make your move simple—with dedicated onboarding,
data migration, and training designed around your business.
#01
Personalized onboarding with a PSA expert
#02
Migration from Accelo support
#03
Hands-on training for your team
#04
Dedicated Customer Success and Support resources
Trusted by 3000+ US professional services firms
Join thousands of firms that have made the switch and turned it into improved utilization and higher profits.
We were taking 60 days from the end of a period to get time and expenses in, approved, and the invoices out. Now, with BigTime we’re down to about 20 days.
We’re getting paid much faster than we were previously and our days sales outstanding dropped nearly six days entirely across the company due to these efficiencies being added.
BigTime has provided us with the tools to maximize our efficiency when entering time and expenses against consulting projects.
We want to base our decisions on real time data to be competitive and optimize – and we couldn’t achieve that with spreadsheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
AI-POWERED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AUTOMATION
Built for How You Work.
Powered by AI.
From quoting to cash flow, BigTime unifies your operations and brings AI into every corner of your business—so you can work smarter, bill faster, and grow with confidence.
