Professional services firms today face increasing complexity: more clients, more concurrent projects, and higher expectations for efficiency and transparency. Manual processes and disconnected tools create bottlenecks in project delivery, delay billing, and leave firms struggling to understand profitability. Best PSA software (Professional Services Automation software) helps firms overcome these challenges by centralizing project management, time tracking, resource planning, and financial reporting.
What Is PSA Software?
Professional services automation software streamlines operations for service-based businesses by automating essential functions such as project management, resource planning, time tracking, billing, and reporting. By replacing spreadsheets and manual workflows, PSA tools empower consultants, MSPs, and professional services organizations to deliver projects on time, improve resource utilization rates, measure project performance, and enhance profitability.
Key Features to Look for in the Best PSA Software
With so many PSA tools on the market, it’s essential to focus on the core capabilities that drive efficiency, improve visibility, and support scalable growth for professional services organizations. Here’s what to look for:
- Integrated Project Management: Centralized planning, execution, and progress tracking in one platform.
- Time and Expense Tracking: The ability to easily capture billable hours and costs to streamline invoicing.
- Automated Billing and Invoicing: Reduced administrative tasks via automated invoice generation and approval workflows.
- Resource Planning and Scheduling: Resource allocation software that help you balance workloads and assign resources based on availability and skillsets.
- Real-Time Analytics and Reporting: Tools that provide actionable insights into project health and business performance.
- CRM and Third-Party Integrations: Hassle-free connection with your existing tech stack for seamless operations.
Top PSA Software Solutions for 2025
To help you find the right fit for your business, we’ve evaluated the top PSA platforms of 2025, highlighting their standout features, ideal use cases, and what sets each solution apart.
BigTime
As a purpose-built PSA platform for professional services firms, BigTime offers a powerful combination of usability, depth, and flexibility. Whether you’re managing client projects, tracking billable hours, or optimizing resource utilization, BigTime provides the tools you need to stay in control and scale with confidence.
An example of a project budget in BigTime
Here’s a closer look at the capabilities that make BigTime a top choice.
BigTime PSA Software Features
- Project Management: Use project templates to standardize repeatable workflows for consistency and speed. Monitor deliverables and track progress in real time to keep teams accountable and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Visualize timelines and dependencies with Gantt charts to support planning. Create custom workflows to align tasks and approvals with internal processes, client requirements, and governance policies.
- Time and Expense Tracking: Enter time by project, task, or client to ensure accurate billing across all engagements. Log hours and expenses on the go using the mobile app, perfect for consultants and engineers in the field. Leverage pre-filled and smart timesheets to save time and improve accuracy. Categorize expenses and upload receipts to streamline approvals and align costs with budgets.
- Resource Management: Use drag-and-drop scheduling to quickly assign or reassign tasks based on team availability. Forecast staffing needs with capacity planning tools that analyze historical and pipeline data. Track utilization in real time to ensure optimal use of resources and maximize billable hours.
- Financial Management and Invoicing: Monitor budgets by comparing estimates to actuals, receiving alerts when projects deviate. Choose from multiple billing models, including time-and-materials, fixed-fee, or milestone-based billing. Automate invoice generation from approved time and expenses to speed up payment cycles. Customize invoice templates to align with client branding and contractual needs.
- Business Intelligence and Reporting: Create custom dashboards to track KPIs like billability, backlog, and profitability by role or department. Use real-time analytics to identify and resolve project issues early. Drill down into reports by client, team, or timeframe to support informed decision-making. Maintain a comprehensive audit trail to ensure transparency and compliance.
- Integration and Workflow Automation: Sync with accounting and invoicing platforms like QuickBooks and Sage Intacct for seamless financial management. Connect with Salesforce and HubSpot to bridge the gap between sales and service delivery. Use the open API and Zapier to automate workflows and extend functionality across your PSA ecosystem.
- Collaboration and Client Management: Give clients secure access to invoices, project status, and shared documents through the client portal. Centralize project communication to track updates, decisions, and files in one place. Customize views, rates, and workflows to deliver tailored experiences for each client.
- Scalability and Customization: Create custom fields and forms to capture firm-specific data for operations and reporting. Set role-based permissions to control data access and ensure security. Manage multiple offices, teams, or business units within a single system using multi-entity support.
People and skill management in BigTime
Summary:
BigTime stands out with its user-centric design, comprehensive feature set, deep customization, and scalability. It is ideal for growing professional service businesses seeking operational efficiency and project profitability. With robust integrations, real-time analytics, and automation capabilities, BigTime enables firms to streamline operations and make confident, data-driven decisions. Its intuitive interface ensures quick user adoption, while advanced reporting and workflow tools support long-term growth and efficiency.
Wrike
Wrike is a collaborative work management tool built for teams that need structure and flexibility in managing their workflows. While not a full PSA suite, it offers several features that align well with the needs of service organizations, particularly those focused on task visibility, real-time collaboration, and workload management. However, its lack of integrated billing and financial tools may limit its effectiveness for firms that require full-cycle PSA capabilities.
Wrike’s PSA Software Features
- Project Management: Build workflows using templates and structured views to organize projects. Visualize tasks and dependencies with Gantt charts to better align deadlines and team responsibilities. Customize views and dashboards to match different team needs.
- Time Tracking: Manually log time at the task level to ensure billability. Use integrated timesheets to submit and review work completed each week.
- Resource Management: Allocate resources using workload views that provide visibility into team capacity. Adjust task assignments easily to optimize output.
- Business Intelligence and Reporting: Create dashboards to track progress and team performance. Generate real-time reports that highlight blockers and overdue tasks.
Summary:
Wrike is great for project collaboration and cross-functional visibility. It excels in visual planning and team task management. However, it lacks dedicated PSA features like invoicing, resource forecasting, or financial planning, which may limit its suitability for professional service organizations seeking end-to-end automation.
Accelo
Accelo is designed to help small and mid-sized professional services firms unify client work across sales, project delivery, time tracking, and billing. It emphasizes automation and usability, making it a strong choice for teams seeking to reduce administrative overhead while increasing visibility into operations. That said, its scalability and customization options may not meet the complex needs of larger or fast-growing firms.
Accelo’s PSA Software Features
- Project Management: Use project templates to create repeatable structures. Automate project creation from sales opportunities and standardize workflows across clients.
- Time and Expense Tracking: Log time using smart timers or direct entries. Track expenses for each engagement and generate itemized billing.
- Resource Management: View team availability and project timelines to plan resourcing. Drag-and-drop tools simplify balancing workloads.
- Financial Management and Invoicing: Automate recurring billing and track retainer usage. Generate client invoices based on approved hours and costs.
Summary:
Accelo offers a strong all-in-one PSA platform for smaller firms, emphasizing automation and ease of use. It provides solid support for sales-to-service workflows and recurring work. However, it may fall short on deeper customization and scalability needed by larger firms.
Scoro
Scoro is an all-in-one business management software that combines PSA functionality with CRM, billing, and advanced reporting tools. It’s good for professional services firms looking to consolidate their tools into one platform and drive efficiency through unified operations. However, its extensive feature set and more complex interface can present a steep learning curve for smaller teams or firms new to PSA tools.
Scoro PSA Software Features
- Project Management: Plan projects using task lists, Gantt charts, and dependencies. Track delivery timelines and manage tasks through completion.
- Time and Expense Tracking: Log hours through timesheets or calendar integration. Attach billable time directly to tasks and client invoices.
- CRM and Financial Management: Manage client relationships, proposals, and billing from one place. Automate invoicing and track revenue by client or project.
- Reporting and Dashboards: Set up visual dashboards to monitor performance. Use financial and productivity KPIs to guide decision-making.
Summary:
Scoro is ideal for teams looking to unify sales, service, and finance. It excels in automation and reporting. However, it has a steeper learning curve and may be complex for smaller firms with limited PSA experience.
Kantata (formerly Mavenlink)
Kantata is a robust PSA platform designed for large and mid-sized service-based businesses managing complex project portfolios. Known for its financial precision and resource planning capabilities, Kantata helps firms align strategic goals with delivery execution through deep insights and configurable workflows. On the downside, its complexity and cost may be prohibitive for smaller firms or those with simpler needs and a desire for a modern interface.
Kantata PSA Software Features
- Project Management: Manage work breakdown structures and create project templates for consistency. Enable real-time collaboration with team comments and notifications.
- Resource Management: Optimize assignments with capacity planning tools. View team availability and forecast utilization across all engagements.
- Financial Management and Forecasting: Use budget controls to track costs against plans. Forecast revenue and profitability with advanced analytics.
- Reporting and Business Intelligence: Generate real-time dashboards with role-specific insights. Drill into performance metrics to improve decision-making.
Summary:
Kantata stands out for its depth in forecasting and advanced analytics. Medium to large firms managing complex, multi-project portfolios may find it satisfactory. Smaller firms may find the interface overwhelming and the setup process more intensive.
Rocketlane
Rocketlane is purpose-built for client onboarding and implementation projects, making it a go-to PSA solution for SaaS companies and service delivery teams. Its collaborative features and focus on customer experience help ensure seamless handoffs and transparent progress throughout every project phase. That said, it lacks many of the financial management and resourcing tools expected from more comprehensive PSA platforms.
Rocketlane PSA Software Features
- Project Management: Use project templates and task lists to structure delivery. Provide clients with shared views into project milestones and updates.
- Collaboration and Time Tracking: Enable real-time chat and document sharing. Track time for each team member and engagement.
- Client Experience Tools: Collect feedback with CSAT and NPS surveys. Use branded portals to create a cohesive client experience.
Summary:
Rocketlane is excellent for onboarding-focused service teams that value collaboration and visibility. While it shines in client experience, it lacks comprehensive financial management features typical of full PSA suites.
Autotask PSA
Autotask PSA, developed by Datto, is tailored for managed service providers (MSPs) and IT services firms. It integrates service delivery, ticketing, project management, and billing into a unified platform, helping IT teams improve operational efficiency while delivering consistent service to clients. While feature-rich for IT-specific workflows, its narrow focus may limit its appeal to non-IT service firms needing broader PSA functionality.
Autotask PSA Software Features
- Service Desk and Project Management: Integrate ticketing with project workflows. Track SLAs and project deadlines in one interface.
- Time and Billing: Capture billable hours from support tickets. Automate recurring invoices and contract renewals.
- Client Management: Manage contracts, assets, and customer history in a centralized CRM.
Summary:
Autotask PSA is tailored to IT service delivery with tools like integrated ticketing and contract management. It’s an excellent fit for MSPs. However, it may lack flexibility for firms outside of IT and may be less intuitive for teams unfamiliar with service desk systems.
Discover How BigTime Can Elevate Your Professional Services Operations
BigTime delivers everything growing professional services firms need: streamlined workflows, robust reporting, intuitive time tracking, and flexible invoicing. It’s scalable, customizable, and designed to help your business optimize project delivery and profitability.
Ready to get started? Schedule a demo or start your free trial today.
FAQs about PSA Software
What are the benefits of using PSA software over spreadsheets or manual processes?
The best PSA software eliminates inefficiencies, reduces errors, and improves visibility across your business.
How does PSA software support remote or hybrid teams?
Cloud-based access, centralized data, and collaboration features help remote teams stay connected and productive.
What is the best PSA software for small businesses?
BigTime is a top choice for professional services firms of any size due to its ease of use, affordability, and scalability.
Can PSA software help with project profitability?
Yes. PSA tools track time, budgets, and resources to help firms improve margins.
What industries benefit most from PSA tools?
Consulting, engineering, IT services, marketing agencies, legal firms, and architecture practices benefit most from PSA tools.
What is the difference between PSA and ERP software?
PSA software focuses on services operations like time tracking and project management, while ERP software handles broader business functions like inventory and supply chain.
Is there PSA software that includes both time tracking and project budgeting?
Yes. BigTime and other leading platforms integrate time tracking and budgeting for real-time performance monitoring.
How long does it take to implement PSA software?
Modern PSA tools like BigTime can be implemented in a few weeks, with support for onboarding and training.
Can PSA software help with resource forecasting and capacity planning?
Absolutely. PSA tools analyze availability, workload, and utilization for accurate resource planning.
Is PSA software worth the investment?
Yes. It boosts productivity, improves cash flow, and enhances profitability, often delivering a strong ROI.
