Top 10 Accelo alternatives for 2024

Accelo is an online tool that helps small to medium-sized service businesses work easier, but it might not suit every business.And that's really fine. If Accelo doesn't seem right for your business, it's a good idea to look at other management tools. Every business is different, and finding the exact and perfect tools that fit your way of working is important.

What are the top limitations of Accelo?

This tool has lots of pluses for running your business. However, it might not be the best fit for everyone. Understanding its downsides is key to figuring out if it's the right choice for you or if you should look elsewhere.

• Complex User Interface: Accelo's setup has lots of details but can be hard for people not good with technology, making it tough for some.
• Limited Reporting: Accelo's reports might not work for all businesses. Without ways to customize reports, finding specific information can be difficult.
• Integration Issues: This tool can work with different tools, but sometimes it doesn't go smoothly, leading to glitches.
• Slow Customer Support: Some people say Accelo's help and support is slower than other similar tools, which can be frustrating.
• Expensive: For smaller businesses or those just starting, Accelo might be too expensive, especially if money is tight.

It's important to know about these issues before choosing Accelo. With so many other tools available, you might find one that fits what your business needs better.

What are the must-have features of an Accelo alternative?

When doing research for alternatives to Accelo, it's important to look for features that make managing projects easier and more productive. A good choice should make your service work smoother and keep your team and projects organized.

• Integrated CRM: Look for a tool that includes a CRM to help you keep track of clients and what you've talked about or sold to them.
• Automated Tasks: It will be helpful if you have a tool that does some tasks on its own, like planning schedules, tracking emails, sending bills, and more. This saves you time and makes work go faster.
• User-Friendly Interface: The tool should be simple for everybody to understand and use, no matter how much they know about technology.

Make sure these key features are what you consider first to make your job easier and help your team do better. For example, Bonsai has a CRM already part of it which automates many tasks and is simple to use. While Accelo has its strengths, other options might be a better fit for what your business needs.

1. Bonsai: the best Accelo alternative

Bonsai has a lot of features also and is simple to use. It will make it a good fit for different kinds of service businesses.

Why choose Bonsai over Accelo?

• Simplified user experience: Bonsai is more intuitive than Accelo, which makes it easier to set up and onboard your team to.  The software is designed to help agencies and team focus on client work instead of being bogged down by complex navigation. 
• Robust financial management: Bonsai offers an invoicing solution with payment integration, that allow agencies to track payments and expenses, automate recurring invoices and manage their cash flow within the same tool. 
• Advanced time tracking: team members can track hours on tasks, generate timesheets and create invoices from billable hours. 
• Rapid feature development: Bonsai releases new features every week and quickly adapts to user feedback. In contrast, Accelo’s platform can feel a bit overwhelming and outdated compared to more streamlined platforms. 

Let’s have a look at Bonsai’s top features. 

Project management

 Bonsai has very strong project management features dedicated to streamline the entire workflow of planning, creating, tracking and completing projects. Team members can easily create tasks, set deadlines, allocate work, track progress with Gantt charts or Kanban boards, and track time against estimates. All this within a simple, intuitive interface. Unlike Accelo that can feel overwhelming due to its extensive set of features, Bonsai focuses on offering a user-friendly experience. ‍

Resourcing

Bonsai resource planning tool lets you allocate work based on your team’s availability and balance workloads. It makes it easy to set daily or weekly capacity per team member and monitor workload and utilization in real time. 
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Budgeting 

Bonsai offers all the tools necessary to keep projects on track and on budget. Users can easily track project costs, monitor expenses and ensure profitability. This integrated approach makes Bonsai the best tool for any business focused on controlling finances. 

Client management

Save hours running your business by managing clients and projects in one place. Give your clients visibility and work seamlessly together on tasks thanks to the client portal. You'll be able to assign tasks to clients and set specific permissions allowing them to view, edit, comment on and create tasks.

‍Integrations

‍Bonsai works well with other apps like Google Workspace, Slack, and Dropbox. It links your everyday tools with your project management work. This isn't always possible with Accelo. Moving to Bonsai is easy too, with help available to make the switch smooth and keep your work going. This friendly start is what makes Bonsai stand out.

‍Pricing

‍Bonsai offers several plans for all business sizes and depending on your needs, starting at $9 / user / month.

Bonsai is a top pick for those looking for an effective, all-in-one project management tool. It's known for being efficient and easy to use.

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2. Zoho

This project management tool helps businesses, making the workflows simpler and improving how teams work together.

Best features:

Zoho Projects has lots of amazing things:

• Task Dependency: This tool lets you set up tasks that need to happen in order.
• Gantt Charts: It also shows a visual timeline of your project.
• Timesheets: It also keep tracking of how much time is spent on tasks to see how productive they are.
• Customizable Reports: This tool also has report templates you can change to fit what you need.

Limitations:

But, Zoho Projects isn't perfect:

• It's because it is not very flexible in how you can set roles and permissions.
• It can be also hard for people who are new to it or don't know much about tech.

Not a fit for:

For people who need to customize roles a lot or  want something easier to use, Zoho Projects might not be the best fit.

Pricing:

This tool offers a free version, and paid plans start at $3 for each person every month.

Reviews and ratings:

People generally like it, giving it a 4.2 out of 5 on G2. But when compared to Accelo, it might lack customization and ease of use. G2.

3. Teamwork

This tool also provide a very flexible project management experience that boosts how teams work together and get things done, offering a good choice instead of Accelo.

Best features:

• You can do quick teamwork
• Easy-to-see Gantt charts
• It provides a customizable navigation
• It also has a better privacy setting

Limitations:

• It doesn't have tools for managing money
• It is very hard to learn in the first use.

Not a fit for:

• Companies that need to handle budgets and bills

Pricing:

• There's a free version and paid versions start at $12.50 for each person every month.

Reviews and ratings:

• It's rated 4.5 out of 5, based on G2
• People who are using it really like how easy to use and the great customer support.

4. Asana

This kind of tool is perfect for managing projects that helps people work better, together and communicate more in organizations.

Best features:

• You can work as a team on big tasks and smaller tasks.
• It works well with other tools like Google Drive and Slack.
• You can see how the project is going with very clear timelines.
• You can also change project layouts to suit your needs.

Limitations:

• This tool doesn't have detailed reporting or analysis.
• You might feel too complicated because it has so many features.

Not a fit for:

• Small businesses that don't have enough money to spend.
• For companies that need detailed reports and data analysis.

Pricing:

• With $10.99, you can have it with more features. Also, you can start using it for free.

Reviews and ratings:

• It's liked for what it offers and how easy it is to use, with an average score of 4.3 out of 5 on G2.

Asana is a good choice instead of Accelo, but if you need very good and deep reporting, you might have to search for a better one.

5. Hubspot

This tool is built with a full system designed to help businesses handle, track, and improve how they sell and interact with customers.

Best Features:

• This tool works well with HubSpot's marketing tools.
• It also gives you detailed reports and data.
• This is also great for email marketing for automated tasks.
• It is also very easy to use.

Limitations:

• It might be hard to use for first-timers.
• You need to pay additional fees for more extra features.
• It has no advanced management for contacts.

Not a fit for:

• Small businesses to monitor their spending.
• For companies in need of more advanced experience and interface.

Pricing:

• This tool has a free version and more complete plans that will start at $45 per month.

Reviews and Ratings:

• It has a good review because of its support and how it works, getting good marks on Trustpilot and Capterra. If you're looking for the best tool you can tailor more to your needs, specifically on managing client relationships, Accelo could be the perfect option to choose.

6. Insightly

Insightly CRM is a strong tool for keeping track of customer relationships, designed to help sales go up and keep an eye on customer talks for businesses of any size.

Best Features:

• Good at keeping track of sales paths and managing leads.
• Organizes contacts well and can group them.
• Has solid abilities for managing projects, like watching over projects and keeping tabs on tasks.
• Can track emails and lets you change email layouts.

Limitations:

• The interface can be tricky to learn because it's complicated.
• Doesn't let you change reports and dashboards much.

Not a fit for:

• Startups and small businesses might find it hard to use and worry about the cost.
• Businesses needing special features for their industry might not find what they need due to missing specific options.

Pricing:

• You can try it for free, and then it costs $29 for each person every month.

Reviews and Ratings:

• Insightly gets a score of 4.2 out of 5 on G2, with lots of praise for its full set of features and great customer help.

Reference: Accelo

7. Salesforce

Salesforce is a top CRM tool designed to boost sales and marketing efforts, packed with advanced features.

Best Features:

Salesforce comes with many high-end features that set it apart.

• Wide CRM capabilities covering sales, marketing, and customer support.
• Can be tailored to fit different business needs.
• Uses AI with 'Einstein' for smarter insights.
• Large AppExchange marketplace for additional features and connections.

Limitations:

However, Salesforce presents challenges that might not suit everyone:

• The cost of premium features and services is high.
• Customizing it deeply needs an expert.
• It might be hard for new users to get used to.

Not a Fit for:

Small businesses or those who prefer something simpler.

Pricing:

 Starts at $25 for each user every month, with more detailed plans for bigger needs.

Reviews and Ratings:

Salesforce gets high marks for what it offers but some find it too complex and expensive. It has lots of features, but some might prefer options like Accelo for being easier to use and more affordable.

8. Trello

Trello is a lively app for managing projects, well-liked for helping teams work together and handle tasks.

Best Features:

Distinctive features include:

• Kanban Board: Shows tasks and progress visually.
• Integrates with other apps like Slack and Google Drive to boost productivity.
• Filters to make managing tasks easier.
• Checklists to easily keep track of tasks that are done.

Limitations:

However, Trello has limitations:

• It might be hard for new users to learn.
• Unlike Accelo and others, it doesn't have a way to track time built in.

Not a fit for:

Big groups that need detailed reports and full project management tools.

Pricing:

There's a free version and paid versions start at $9.99 for each person every month.

Reviews and Ratings:

Most people really like Trello for being flexible, giving it about 4.3 out of 5.

9. Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is a famous tool for managing projects, helping with planning, keeping track, and working together in businesses.

Best features:

It has great features for managing projects:

• Gantt charts and timelines to clearly show project details.
• Cloud-based, so teams can work together in real time.
• Works smoothly with Microsoft Office.
• You can change the dashboard to watch projects the way you need.

Limitations:

Despite its robust feature set, Microsoft Project has a few shortcomings.

• The interface isn't easy for beginners.
• It's not made for agile project management styles.

Not a fit for:

Very small businesses or startups with little money might find it too expensive.

Pricing:

Plans start at $10 for each person every month.

Reviews and ratings:

It gets about 4 out of 5 stars on TrustRadius, making it liked by many. If you want something easier and good for agile projects, you might look at Accelo as another option..

10. Proofhub

ProofHub is a project management and teamwork tool made to improve how teams talk and work together.

Best features:

• Keeps all project info in one place.
• Lets you make and assign tasks and smaller tasks.
• You can see project timelines to track things better.
• Lets you change how workflows and use Kanban boards.

Limitations:

• It doesn't have detailed reporting.
• The cost for each person can add up for big teams.
• The mobile version doesn't do everything the web version does..

Not a fit for:

Not the best for just one person or small teams needing very specific tools.

Pricing:

ProofHub offers an Essential Plan for $45 a month and an Ultimate Control Plan for $89 a month, paid yearly.

Reviews and ratings:

It gets a 4.3 out of 5 on G2. People like its features but some say it can be slow. It's a good idea to look at how ProofHub compares to other tools like Accelo before you decide.

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Ready to pick the best Accelo alternative? Start a free trial of Bonsai or book a demo to learn more.